The Engineer
Page 29
Martha visits next, coming in directly behind the Sheppards’ exit. She brings me a coffee and a beautiful bouquet of flowers that she sits by the bedside. Knowing a florist has its perks. The flowery aroma makes the room seem homier in some way.
Cooper and two other detectives pop in next. Jimmy and Paul make jokes, their discomfort evident by their distance from the bed. They don’t stay long, just enough time to make us both laugh and tell Eliza congratulations. Cooper hangs a bit longer, holding on to his best friend’s hand and telling her how happy he is that she’s getting everything she’d been hoping for—her husband is home and her babies will be arriving soon.
After Coop leaves, I settle onto the bed next to her. “Need anything?”
“Yes. Make this stop!” She squeezes my hand tighter than she ever has when the next contraction takes hold.
“Want me to get the doctor? The anesthesiologist? It’s not too late.”
“No. No meds.”
“Maybe something to take the edge off?”
“No!” I think she’s going to rip my hand off its wrist.
“Okay, no meds. Maybe the doctor though.”
“Maybe,” she whimpers.
I press the button on the bed, alerting the desk we are in need of assistance. Heather saunters through the door moments later. “Guess who gets to be your nurse this afternoon?” She’s perkier than I’ve ever seen her, coming to the bedside and looking over the readouts on the monitors.
“I think I better get the doctor in here.” She turns immediately and hustles out of the room.
“What’s wrong?” Eliza is pale again, her eyes dark against the light coloring.
“Not sure.” Jumping up from the bed, I rush from the room as well.
Heather and the doctor are racing down the hall toward me. “What’s going on?”
“Maybe nothing,” Heather answers. The doctor tries to force a smile as he enters the room.
He goes to the machine and looks at the printouts as well. Eliza and I wait in silence for them to announce what is happening. “Let me check you,” the doctor looks to Eliza. “You get the anesthesiologist,” he commands Heather.
“No. No anesthesia.”
“We may not have a choice, young lady. Your pressure is high, Baby B’s pressure is low. If you aren’t ready to push these little ones out, we may have to take you to the OR for an emergency cesarean.”
I see Eliza’s lips moving, but no words are released. She’s mouthing a silent prayer that she’s ready to push. That her babies are healthy and ready to make their appearances.
We hold hands, awaiting another answer, when the doctor peers up at us with a huge grin on his face. “Let’s get these babies here safely.”
The next thirty minutes go by in a blur. Eliza is wheeled to the OR as a precaution. If the delivery takes too long, they will have to put her under to get the babies out safely.
Many nurses are in and out of the room as my wife pushes with everything she has to expel the babies from her body. We are given an ultimatum—if one of the babies isn’t born in the next five minutes, the doctor would give the orders for the cesarean. Baby B isn’t doing great and Eliza’s pressure keeps rising. They are both under great strain and danger until birth.
Eliza talks to the babies, telling them how much she loves them and they should get out here and meet their dad. I whisper in her ear how much I love her and our babies. She lurches forward and bears down with all she has left to deliver Baby A.
There are cries the moment the baby hits the cold air. “It’s a boy,” Doc announces.
After cutting the cord, my son is thrust into the arms of a nurse. “Baby B needs you both now. Can you do it?” he asks of Eliza, who is now panting.
“Yes!” she cries out in the birthing position once again.
“Push,” Doc screams. Then, “Wait. Hold just a second.”
“Easier said than done,” Eliza teases.
I’m happy to see her spirits are still high.
“Okay, one more big one.”
The cries from Baby B are much anticipated. “Your little girl.” The doctor raises her up and places her on Eliza’s bare midsection. I can’t take my eyes off of her and I find myself in a daze when a nurse tries to hand me my son.
I can’t even begin to comprehend everything that has happened. Two babies, a boy and a girl. Eliza is crying tears of joy as she reaches for her boy to put the two back together in her arms. The tears in my eyes spill over as I try to encapsulate my little family, sitting behind Eliza, all three of them in my grasp.
We’d settled on two girl names and two boy names since we didn’t know which we were having and now we get to pick one of each. There’s much discussion over which to choose, but with the help of our family, we decide on the best fit for each little one. Hazel Grace and Theo Gregory.
And it only takes a couple of hours for Eliza to alert me to my new duties. “Here’s your mission, if you choose to accept it,” Eliza jokes as she hands me Theo, a smell like something from another world coming from his backside.
“I accept.” Laughing, I happily take my son.
A new mission, one that’s lifelong, next to the woman I vow to spend it with—I’ll always say ‘yes.’
THANK YOU
Thank you for reading!! I hope you enjoyed The Engineer!! This was the second book in The Cauley Files. I’d love to hear your feedback!! Reviews are so important for authors, specifically, Indie published. Please consider leaving a review on Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon and any major retailer this book is sold.
If you loved meeting Liam, check out The Savannah PD Series! Liam Cauley originated in that series, and has thus done a spinoff into his own!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Much like it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes one to get a book out into the world. I’m always so grateful to my village. Those who support me with their words of encouragement and love to keep going all the way to those who have their hands in the book itself.
Thank you to all involved in making The Engineer possible!
And, thank you once again to my readers! Without you, Liam Cauley would just be a character in my head. It’s people like you that bring him and the other characters to life when you open up your minds and read!
ALSO BY RACHEL RENEE
Standalones
Untangling Rose
(contemporary romance)
The Last Dupont
(suspense/mystery)
* * *
The Savannah PD Series
Should be read in order
Instincts
Human Nature
ILL WILL
(crime fiction/mystery/suspense)
* * *
The Cauley Files
The Professor
(crime fiction, international mystery)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel Renee, born, raised and is still living near Cincinnati, Ohio. She has traveled to many places, but has always come back home to where the majority of her family lives. Rachel loves to read, when she’s not writing. She loves coffee, Mexican food and a good drink (a margarita or bourbon cocktail) after a long week!
After completing a degree in psychology and racking up thousands of dollars in debt, she decided to become a stay-at-home mom and homeschool her children, all the while working on her writing career. While she is not using her degree in the secular world, she uses it on a daily basis, psychoanalyzing her husband of sixteen years and two children (11 & 9), her two dogs, three cats and her life as a writer and a teacher.
Find out more about Rachel
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@AuthorRachelRM
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