Special Delivery. Laura Browning

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ guy. You’re going to be pretty busy here in the next little bit. Just keep in mind everything Jake does is to help you and the baby. Okay?”

      “Yes. I feel like I need to push.”

      “Sounds like you’re close. Let me talk to Jake again.”

      He had just returned from the bathroom and used a towel to grab the phone from her. After a minute or two he held it out to her. “Hit the End button, please.”

      That’s when the lights went out. Jake swore, and Holly’s heart skipped a beat. As if he sensed that flutter of panic, Jake squeezed her knee. The gentle pressure reassured her.

      “Tyler?” he called calmly.

      “Yeah?”

      “Get in my emergency kit. You’ll find two flashlights, some candles and matches. Bring them here, please.”

      “Yes, sir.”

      Tyler walked in with a flashlight beam already bobbing in front of him. In another minute, several candles cast a soft glow around the room. Jake’s lips quirked. “Someday you’ll have some great stories to tell your little girl.”

      Holly’s laugh cut off as another strong contraction started.

      “I need to take a look to see how close we are to the real work.” He glanced at her. “Still feel like you need to push?”

      “Yes.” She panted.

      “Easy, honey. Big breaths. Just relax. We’ll get your baby here right and tight. Tyler, I’m sorry, buddy, but you’re going to have to be an active participant. I need you to hold the flashlight so I can see.”

      “Okay.”

      This had to be tough on Tyler and was no doubt more than he wanted to know about how his niece was getting into the world. “Ty, if you’re not okay with this, we’ll figure something out.”

      He swallowed. “I’m okay. Really. I watched Jimmy Pruitt’s beagle have her puppies, so I have some idea.”

      If Holly hadn’t been in so much pain, she would have laughed. In fact, she could have sworn she heard Jake do just that.

      “I remember delivering a few puppies,” he said, “but I think we’ll bypass the part where you swing the little guys to get them breathing, and I don’t think Holly will need to bite through the umbilical cord.”

      “Ooh.” Tyler made a face. “That’s just gross.”

      Jake’s eyes twinkled. “What do you think?”

      “I’m all for snipping,” Holly assured him.

      Jake put a hand on her knee. “I’m just gonna take a look, okay?”

      The heat of his palm offered some comfort, but everything took a backseat to the simple need to push the baby. “Hurry.”

      “Oh, wow!” Tyler whispered at the same time Jake spoke.

      “I see the top of her head, Holly.” A note of excitement crept into his deep voice. He glanced at her and grinned. Her contraction eased. When Holly half laughed and half sobbed, he patted her leg. The touch was enough to reassure her. “You’re doing fine. Doc says you should push with your contractions, but easy. As soon as the head’s out I’ll need to suction and check to make sure the cord’s good.”

      She nodded, feeling a mixture of awe and fright. The life inside her had taken control, and she had no say at all in what was going on. As another contraction began, Holly sobbed and began to push. It hurt, more than anything she could have imagined, but even the pain paled next to the anticipation.

      Jake told Tyler, “Prop that flashlight right there. Take the other one into the kitchen and bring me the bulb syringe I saw on the table. More towels, too.

      “You mean the thing with the squishy rubber end on it?”

      “Yeah. Then come sit next to your sister and tell her what a great job she’s doing.”

      Jake’s gaze reassured her that everything was okay. Her nerves settled. When the next contraction came, she concentrated on bearing down, the effort almost enough to overcome the pain. She was nearly done. Just a little more and her daughter would be here.

      Jake laughed. “That’s it. The head’s out, honey. Relax a minute.” He reached for the bulb syringe. She supposed he must be suctioning the baby’s nose and mouth, but she couldn’t see. Holly tried to catch her breath.

      “Jake…” Her body took over and the next contraction sent the baby out into Jake’s waiting hands. He cradled the infant for just a moment, and even with her blurring vision, she saw his eyes well over as well. As if he realized, his expression went blank and he blinked several times before he laid the infant on her stomach and began drying the baby. There was just the faintest tremor in his big hands as he touched the newborn, but he made no attempt to hide it. Jake was as overwhelmed as she was. The baby cried, angry mewling sounds, and her tiny face screwed up as she voiced her displeasure at this unwelcome change in her surroundings. The warm weight of her daughter now rested on her instead of inside her. Her miracle.

      Holly reached trembling fingers to stroke her child. Her baby. She swallowed against the thickness in her throat. “Is she okay? Is she perfect?”

      “The most perfect baby I’ve ever seen.”

      Holly smiled and let her head fall against the pillows. She was okay. “Thank you, Jake,” she managed to choke out.

      Tyler’s eyes were huge.

      “How you doing, Uncle Tyler?” Jake murmured.

      “I’m good. Wow!”

      * * * *

      Jake stared at the umbilical cord. “We’re not done yet. Call Doc, Tyler. Just hit Redial while I wash.”

      Tyler held the phone for him as he came out. Jenny ran down the directions to deal with the cord, then explained Holly should try to nurse the baby to help stimulate contractions to deliver the afterbirth. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing compared to the baby, just a little messy.”

      The afterbirth was a snap compared to delivery, but fatigue had worn them down. By the time Jake settled Holly on clean sheets so she could nurse, cleaned everything, and put it away, he was exhausted. He returned to her bedroom to find Tyler curled on one side of the bed watching as the baby slept. Jake sat in the chair next to Holly’s bed. When she smiled, the wariness she’d treated him with had disappeared. For right now, trust had replaced it. The change floored and scared him. He swallowed past the thickness in his throat.

      “You were amazing, Holly. I don’t know many women who would have been so calm in this situation.”

      “I didn’t feel very calm. I don’t know what we would have done without you. I was so scared, and then you got here…thank you.” Tears welled again, spilling down her cheeks.

      He touched the wetness, brushing it away. “I’m just glad I was here. I’ll bring you some Tylenol, then you need to rest.” СКАЧАТЬ