“I agree,” she said and wished she could lay her head on his broad, muscular chest and snuggle up against him. But her enormous stomach wouldn’t allow that. And she didn’t want to risk him feeling her contractions, even though they were pretty far apart at the moment.
“Nikki, Rachel and I spent hours in the center. It helped us get through the hard times in foster care and got Rachel away from the loneliness of her home.” She and her friends had come to the center after school each day so they could play games or get free tutoring help. The center also admitted after school kids who just needed a safe place to hang out while their parents worked so Rachel was able to sometimes join in. It was a great place that had helped several teens actually get to college, kept hundreds more out of trouble and encouraged all of them to study hard, play safely and grow up happy. It was his way of helping those who endured the same thing all of them had gone through as kids and she loved him even more for being so kind and generous.
He felt her hand tighten and looked down at her but she ripped her hand out of his, pasting a bright smile on her features. “Brianna if something is going on…” he argued, turning to block out the other guests.
She continued to smile up at him and shook her head. “Nothing is going on. If anything starts to happen with your daughter, I promise that you’ll be the second to know.”
He watched her carefully for a long moment, then relented. “Okay. But you’ll tell me if you start getting labor pains? Your due date was three days ago so our son is going to come into this world pretty soon.”
She normally would chuckle at him asserting that they were going to have a boy because she was equally convinced they were having a girl. But right now, she was getting too nervous about the impending arrival. She pasted a bright smile on her face anyway, trying to reassure Rocco. She didn’t want to cut this night short unless she absolutely had to.
An hour later, as the elaborate dinner was winding down, she had to grit her teeth and accidentally let out a low moan of pain as yet another contraction took over her body.
Rocco heard the sound, always so attuned to every nuance of his lovely wife and cursed under his breath. “Brianna!” he growled while pushing his chair back.
“Don’t make a scene!” she gasped, unable to ignore the pain now. It was too intense. “Okay, I think it’s time to get to the hospital.”
He helped her up out of the chair and put an arm around her waist. The hostess rose up as well, her worried eyes looking at the two of them. “Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Brianna has been having contractions all night,” he muttered. “I’m sorry to leave so early, but my son is about to enter the world.”
“Oh, how lovely,” the hostess said, even while she was waving an imperious hand towards the doorway where two of Rocco’s body guards were standing by.
“Get the car,” he ordered them gruffly.
Stu was already standing by the car, ready to speed them the few blocks to the hospital where they were pre-registered.
In the car, Brianna could no longer control her moans of pain as the contractions washed over her more quickly. It seemed that, since she’d accepted that the baby was about to be born, the contractions had actually increased in pace as well as intensity. She moaned and leaned forward, gripping Rocco’s hand in a death grip as yet another intense pain moved over her belly and across her back.
“Damn you!” she gasped, trying to breathe through the pain. “Rocco why couldn’t you just leave those handcuffs alone!” she grouched. She knew the exact time when she’d conceived this baby and she wasn’t going to let him ignore his part in it.
Rocco laughed gently. “I don’t think the handcuffs were the issue when this baby was conceived.”
“Next time, I get to use them on you!”
Rocco looked up into the mirror, noticed Stu’s stiff expression and knew that his head of security was finding all of this highly amusing. “Honey, it wouldn’t matter if the handcuffs were on me or you. The result would be the same.”
She closed her eyes tightly as yet another contraction washed over her. When it was finished, she breathed deeply, trying to fight the pain. “Yes, but next time, I’m going to handcuff you to the bed and walk away so this won’t ever happen again.”
Rocco chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a realistic possibility.”
She glared back at him, bracing against the window and his shoulder as yet another contraction started to move up over her tummy. “Oh yea? Just try me!”
Rocco didn’t bother to laugh this time, but instead, reached down lower to massage her back. “Oh, that feels wonderful,” she said, moaning as the pain became almost more than she could bear.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” he asked, his strong hands rubbing against the pain, doing what he could to help her through the contraction.
She moaned, unable to answer for a moment and Rocco’s eyes changed from amused to worried. “How much farther until we reach the hospital?” he demanded of Stu.
“Thirty seconds,” he said and turned the corner, pulling up to the emergency room entrance where he’d already alerted the staff to expect them.
Rocco jumped out first, then ran around to the other side to help Brianna out of the vehicle. “Take it slow, love,” he said and practically lifted her out of the seat and put her onto the wheel chair.
She groaned as the pain rocked her body again. Rocco looked at the obstetrician. “Why is she like this?” Rocco demanded.
The obstetrician put a hand on Brianna’s belly and looked at his watch, all the while urging the orderly to wheel her into the delivery room. “This is normal, Mr. Antoniv. She’s just farther along in the delivery stage than we like to intervene.”
“What do you mean? She just started her contractions!”
The man shook his head, helping when the orderlies lifted Brianna onto the delivery table. She was quickly changed out of the evening gown and put into a hospital gown. “Your wife is having contractions one on top of the other.” He watched carefully as the nurse strapped the monitor onto her protruding belly and moved in for his examination. Rocco watched in amazement and confusion as the doctor scrubbed his hands thoroughly while he called out instructions to the nurses, all of whom were putting things in place, readying the room for the delivery of his child.