Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 80969 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80969 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“You called him Buddy.” That’s the first time he’s called him Buddy. I feel tears well in my eyes. I’m being stupid.
River sighs. I can almost see the mental eye roll coming from him. “Well, that’s his fucking name, isn’t it?”
“Yep.”
“Red, are you crying?”
“No. Let’s go.” I discreetly run my fingers under my eyes, drying away my stupid tears.
River slips my shoes onto my feet and opens the front door for me. With his arm around my back, he guides me out of my house, locking up for me.
He helps me into the passenger seat of my car, and then he’s in the driver’s seat, pushing the chair back to make room for his long legs. Key in ignition, he turns on the engine.
“Christus Santa Rosa Hospital, right?” he checks.
The man does pay attention.
“Yes,” I answer, breathing through what I believe is a contraction.
Same as what I’ve been having all day.
And I thought it was just Braxton Hicks.
Idiot that I am.
“Ow!” I cry. Cradling my bump, I lean forward.
“You okay?”
I feel his hand on my back, rubbing.
“No. It hurts.” Tears well in my eyes as I breathe through it until it passes, River rubbing my back the whole time.
Once the pain ebbs, I lean back, resting my head against the seat, breathing heavily.
“Okay?” he checks.
I turn my face to him. “I’m scared,” I admit quietly.
His expression softens. “Don’t be. I’ve got you. I’m going to be with you every step of the way.”
“Okay. But can you do the pain part? I’m not so keen on that.” I offer a weak smile.
Lifting my hand to his mouth, he kisses it. “Red, if I could take all of your pain away, I would do it in a heartbeat.”
Good Lord, this man …
He doesn’t offer sweet words often, but when he does, they mother-fudging slay me.
He puts my hand down onto his thigh. “When it hurts, squeeze my leg as hard as you need to. Well, okay, not too hard because I bruise like a fucking banana.” His teeth flash white at me before he puts the car into drive and pulls away from my house.
Destination: hospital.
Carrie
We’re fifteen minutes into the thirty-minute drive to the hospital when my car starts making a sputtering, chugging noise. The car comes to a slow, rolling stop at the side of the road.
“Uh, what’s happening?” I wheeze out, mid-contraction pain.
I’ve been trying to keep track, but they seem to be coming thick and fast. And they’re getting more and more painful.
I’m going to need all the drugs when I get to the hospital.
“I don’t know.” River turns the ignition again, and nothing happens. “Wait here.”
He flicks the hazards on and climbs out of the car. He lifts the hood, and I see a crapload of smoke billow out of it.
I wind my window down and stick my head out of it. “What’s going on?”
“I’m no mechanic, but I’d say your shit car has broken down,” River grunts from under the hood.
“Hey! Don’t be hating on the Impala.”
His head appears around the hood. “Seriously? You’re in labor, your car broke down—our only current way to get you to the hospital—and you’re upset because I’m calling your car shit?”
Ugh. Fudgesicles. He’s right.
“I fucking knew we should have gone in my truck. But, oh no, we had to go in your car.”
“I didn’t know it was going to break down!” I yell at him.
He slams the hood down. “Well, this is just fucking great.”
I open the door and ungracefully clamber out of my car. “I don’t know what you’re annoyed about. I’m the one in la—bor—argh!”
I pitch forward, grabbing hold of the car door. River’s at my side in an instant.
“They’re getting worse,” River says.
“No kidding,” I bite.
“Be nice, Red.”
“Fudge off. I’ve currently got a baby playing Twister with my uterus, so I think it warrants me being a bee-yatch.”
“You mean, bitch.”
I give him an evil glare. The jerk just smiles.
I breathe deeply through my nose, letting the breath out of my mouth, riding the contraction out. River rubs my lower back. It helps.
“Let’s get you back in the car,” he tells me.
“Why? It’s not exactly going anywhere.” And neither are we. Panic starts to circle in my chest. “What are we going to do?” My voice has dropped to a whisper.
River looks around. The road is deserted. No cars have passed since we broke down.
“Someone will come soon.”
“And what are we going to do, hitch a ride?”
“You’re being bitchy again, Red.”
“Didn’t we already have this discussion? Lady in labor means a pass to be bitchy.”
A grin spreads across his face. “You just said bitch.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Did.”
“Did—argh! Christ on a fudging bike!” I clutch my tightening stomach, panting out breaths.
“Jesus, Carrie. We need to get you back in the car.”
I let him gently maneuver me onto the backseat. He leaves the door open.