Pulse (Collide) (45 page)

“Just start timing them now,” Fallon offered, pulling a chair from the table. She tossed her silver and green-streaked hair into a pony tail and sipped her coffee. “I read if they’re closer than five minutes apart, the baby’s coming soon.”

Olivia shot her and Trevor a look. “You two
are
trying to have a kid, aren’t you?”

Trevor smirked. “Sis, you are and will always be a nut.” Olivia rolled her eyes and Trevor walked over to Gavin, shaking his hand. “Give us a few to wake up, and we’ll meet you at the hospital. Born on the fifth of July. Cool birthday. Congratulations, bro.”

“Thanks.” Gavin smiled and walked Emily to the door. After hugging everyone goodbye, she stepped out into the dewy night air, making her way toward Gavin’s car.

As Gavin went to rush after her, Colton caught his arm. “Just remember, little man, do whatever she asks. Don’t take her threats or name calling personally. She still loves you. She just won’t like you for the next few hours.
At all
.”

Chad chuckled, slapping Gavin’s back. “I can’t say I disagree with your brother. Linda Blair from
The Exorcist
comes to mind, but she’ll calm back down.”

Lillian swatted Chad’s arm and pulled Gavin in for a hug. “Ignore your father and brother. Everything will be fine. Love you, baby boy. We’ll be there soon.”

Gavin kissed his mother goodbye and stepped from the house. Anticipating a full blown demon, he was surprised to find Emily casually leaning against his car. She still looked stressed, but he expected wicked. As if he had willed that demon into existence, he watched her face go from relaxed and loving to all-out pissed as she hunched over, grabbing her stomach.

“Jesus, Gavin, can you just open the door already?” she hissed, her fingers curling around the side mirror of his BMW.

Gavin nervously fumbled with his keys to unlock the door. He helped Emily into her seat, slammed the door, and shot around the vehicle. Once in, he looked at her, his heart sinking. “Breathe, baby. Remember the breathing techniques they taught you.” He watched her toss her head back, and he heard some kind of grunt rumble up her throat.

She whipped her head around, glaring daggers at him. “I know how to breathe, Gavin. You just worry about getting me to the damn hospital so I don’t give birth to your son on these leather seats. Got it?”

Yep, she was scaring Gavin. Throwing the car into reverse, he figured he’d speak only when spoken to for the remainder of the ride.

As lights along the darkened road came and went, so did the contraction possessing Emily’s body. It left her feeling terrible, though. Sitting on her knees, she leaned over the console. Cupping Gavin’s face as he stared at the road, she started raining kisses along his temple, hair, and jaw. Anywhere she could kiss, she did. “I’m so sorry.” She kissed his nose, neck, ear, cheeks, and lips. She cried again. “You were dead. You were gone. I love you, Gavin. You’re my Yankees-obsessed, bottle cap-giving wiseass. I’m so sorry. I love you so much.”

Gavin’s mouth twitched into a nervous smile. “This bottle cap-giving wiseass loves you, too.” He paused and wiped a tear from her face, unsure whether or not he should say what he was about to. Her hands were tiny, but he knew his girl could throw a pretty powerful smack. “Um, sweets, you need to sit back down, okay? Get your seatbelt on for me.”

Emily nodded. As she reached for the belt, her belly started to ball in pain. As it simmered, anchoring through her muscles, she felt a little pop. Still on her knees, warm liquid trickled down her leg. She pulled in a fast, harsh breath. “Oh… my… God,” she cried out, her eyes wide with panic. “My water just broke. You need to drive faster, Gavin.
Now
.” She turned to him, her face twisted in pain as she held her stomach. “I’m not kidding. I know you know how
not
to drive like a grandfather. Get that big foot of yours to press harder on the gas. I. Am. Not. Kidding.”

Gavin blinked, swallowed, and brought his eyes back to the road. With Linda Blair’s twin sitting next to him, he didn’t say a word as he gunned it. Though the love of his life was a bit scary, Gavin would never deny, when telling his grandchildren of this very night, he liked Emily giving him permission to drive like a bat out of hell.

In a matter of minutes, he had them screeching to a stop in front of the hospital. Jumping from the car, he fumbled for, well, he didn’t quite know what he was fumbling for. But he was. Swiping a nervous hand through his hair, he swung open Emily’s door and helped her out. By this time, she’d calmed down, exhibiting signs of severe bipolar disorder as she kissed him repeatedly. Breathing heavily, Emily cried her apologies as she clung to his arm while walking into the emergency room. He couldn’t help it, but in that moment, Gavin wondered where she’d been all his life. God. He loved this woman, and she was about to give him the greatest gift ever, bipolar or not.

After a quick conversation with a nurse, Emily was seated in a wheelchair and whisked into an elevator. Destination: maternity floor. Emily shivered as she thought about the nightmare that’d plagued her sleep. Holding Gavin’s hand, she looked at him, tears welling in her eyes. “I don’t even want you here with me right now,” she whispered, her body shaking. “I mean, I do. Of course I do. But I’m worried something’s going to happen to you.”

Gavin popped a brow, a grin smoothing across his mouth. “You know you’re about to give birth to our child, right?” Emily nodded, and Gavin leaned down, brushing his lips along her forehead. “Emily Cooper, let me do all the worrying about
you
right now. Nothing’s going to happen to me. Okay?”

She nodded again, gripping his hand tighter as another contraction slowly started to build. Its predecessors had nothing on this one. Breathing faster, Emily curled her fingers around the arm of the wheelchair. She swore her nails scraped the leather right off. “How many more floors?” she bit out, her eyes pinned on the nurse. From the look on Gavin’s face, Emily swore she’d cut off circulation in his hand. “I’m not going to make it through this. I know I’m not.”

The nurse patted her back, her twinkling eyes holding a wealth of knowledge. “I said the same thing with my first, second, and third. You’ll be fine.”

Hell no. Emily blew out a breath, completely, unequivocally, one hundred percent convinced she’d never let Gavin touch her again. When the elevator doors slid open, she was wheeled into a private room, her contraction easing its attack by the time she stood. The nurse handed her a hospital gown, and Emily made her way into the bathroom to get undressed. After changing and cleaning herself up, Emily stared at her reflection and her stomach.

Sighing, she started to relax. Gavin was fine. It was only a nightmare. Although what she was about to endure would be nothing short of torturous, at the end, not only would she have Noah, but Noah would have his father. A blizzard of emotions hit her when she heard agonized cries from a woman in the room next door. She swallowed, stared at herself for a long moment, and walked out of the bathroom praying she could handle this.

“Hey,” Gavin said, helping her over to the bed. “You okay?”

She gazed into his baby blues, his love evident. “Right now I am.” She pushed up on her tiptoes and kissed his soft lips. He held her, his embrace warm. “I’m apologizing now for the way I might act during…” Her voice trailed as another contraction started to erupt. Backing away, Emily held her stomach and sat on the bed. Eyes narrowed and breathing harsh, she stared at Gavin. “Oh God. Say something to keep my mind off the pain!”

Gavin’s heart melted. Somewhat afraid to touch her, he gently ran his hand over Emily’s stomach, praying she wouldn’t take a swing at him. “I hope he looks like his mother.” He kissed her forehead, pushing her hair away from her shoulder. “I hope he has your beautiful green eyes.” He grinned and kissed each eyelid. “He’ll have the ladies all over him if he does.”

As the nurse adjusted a maternity belt over her stomach, Emily did her breathing exercises, convinced her back was slowly breaking. “
My
eyes? I was hoping he’d have yours.” She tossed her head against the pillow and rolled to her side. “Keep talking. God, keep talking, Gavin,” she cried out. “Twenty questions, and don’t you
dare
bring up anything sexual.”

Gavin cleared his throat, grabbing her hand. “Pain killers or no pain killers?”

“Definitely pain killers,” Emily grit out, her eyes locked on the nurse.

The nurse nodded with a sympathetic smile. “I’ll get something for you as soon as I get this IV started.”

Emily didn’t notice the tiny pin prick as the contraction built in intensity. Continuing her breathing exercises, that she was pretty sure weren’t going to help her for anything, Emily tried to concentrate on the baby’s heartbeat whooshing through the air. “Another question. Something. Please, Gavin. Something.”

Gavin held her hand tighter, wishing he could take away every bit of pain. “Crown molding or no crown molding?”

“Crown molding,” Emily breathed, bracing against the side of the bed.

“Cake or ice cream?”

“Both. Oh God, both!” She rolled onto her back, the contraction making her feel as if she was about to lose her mind.

“You’re peaking, sweetie,” the nurse noted, pointing to a monstrous, angry green line on the monitor. “Watch. It’ll start to come down.”

Sure enough, it slowly dipped, allowing Emily to breathe in relief. The tension coiling in her shoulders deflated and her body sank into the bed as she released her death grip on Gavin’s hand.

“I’ll be right back,” the nurse said, making her way toward the door. “Dr. Beck’s on call this evening. He’ll be in to talk with you and to check how much you’ve dilated.”

Emily gave a weak nod and rushed a tired hand through her hair as she brought her gaze to Gavin’s. She could tell he felt helpless. Emily managed a small smile. “Come lay down next to me. I promise I’ll give fair warning when another starts.”

“You think I’m scared of you?” he chuckled, lying as smooth as they come. He was afraid of her. Hell, she was pretty terrifying and this was only the beginning, but he’d never let her know that. He slid across the bed, gathered her in his arms, and stared into her eyes.

“I can tell I’m scaring you.” Emily took a deep breath, losing herself in his embrace.

“Never,” Gavin whispered. “You couldn’t scare me if you tried.”

Emily leaned her forehead against his chin and tried to relax. She had a few seconds of reprieve as Gavin caressed her spine, his touch soothing, before her belly balled viciously. Tensing, Emily could barely prepare herself for the foreign feeling taking hold.

“Breathe, baby,” Gavin whispered. “Look at me and breathe through it.”

Tears spiked in Emily’s eyes as a slow, simmering twist knotted. Her back felt as though a bus was running over it. She gripped Gavin’s shoulders, her finger nails digging into his T-shirt as she stared at him. “Oh, God. It hurts,” she cried, her brows cinched. “Say something. Come on, Gavin. Twenty questions again.”

“City or upstate?”

“Upstate,” she answered, her stare leaving his as she looked over his shoulder at the monitor. Damn that line. It hadn’t reached the plateau of agony yet. It wasn’t even close.

“Wood or tile flooring?”

Squeezing his shoulders tighter, Emily brought her angry eyes back to Gavin’s, the breath rushing from her mouth. “Wood. Jesus Christ, wood.”

Gavin’s heart clenched, watching the woman he loved suffer as her body prepared to bring his son into this world. “Pizza or pasta?”

“Neither,” Emily hissed, tossing her head back. “Get the damn nurse, Gavin. No more twenty questions. I need something for this pain right now!”

Gavin shot up, nearly tripping over the bedside table. Before he could make it to the door, it opened. Easy smile in place, a young man in a white doctor’s jacket, who didn’t appear to be old enough to drive, strolled into the room. Behind him was the nurse from earlier armed with a vial of what Gavin assumed to be narcotics. With Emily screaming, Gavin couldn’t help a few thoughts from filtering through his head.

The first: He didn’t want this dude touching Emily. The second: Yeah, he still didn’t want this dude touching Emily. “Are you a student?” Gavin brusquely questioned, his eyes wide.

The young man flashed a grin, his gaze transfixed on a clipboard. He jotted something down and looked at Gavin. “No, I’m not a student. I’m Doctor Martin Beck.”

Gavin didn’t acknowledge the hand the doctor extended. “
You’re
delivering my son?”

“If your wife—”

“Girlfriend,” Gavin corrected, his stomach twisting from the lack of facial hair on the guy’s face. Gavin was pretty fucking sure the doctor was still a virgin.

“My apologies. If your
girlfriend
gives birth in the next twelve hours, yes, I’m delivering your son.”

Speechless, Gavin watched him approach Emily. Her pain-filled face looked like she could care less if another species delivered their child. The doctor rolled a chair up in front of her and asked Emily to come down to the edge of the bed. He also asked Emily to open her legs for him. Oh Jesus. Gavin felt nauseated. Witnessing a doctor as old as his grandfather prod and poke at the part of Emily’s body Gavin felt was created for him was bad enough, but now this? This was insane. Panic gripped Gavin, but before he could say a word, Emily, who now seemed to be in a blissful state of drugged up euphoria, did as the doctor asked, dropping her knees to the side. With his girlfriend spread wide for Doogie Howser, Gavin nervously swallowed, shoved a hand through his hair, and all but sprinted across the room. Depositing himself on the bed next to Emily, Gavin stared into her glassed over eyes, trying to concentrate on the fact she wasn’t in pain at the moment.

“You’re four centimeters dilated,” the young buck announced, rolling away from Emily. Pulling gloves from his hands, he gave her a smile. “Being this is your first child, it’s usually an hour or two a centimeter.”

Gavin glanced at the clock on the wall. It was a quarter past four in the morning.

“Will you keep giving me whatever you just gave me?” Emily’s lazy smile clearly showed she wasn’t suffering much. “I like how I feel right now.”