“Yes, now! We need Bret. The ambulance and paramedic aren’t going to make it in time.”
They wasted no time piling into Hank’s truck and driving as fast as they could to the house.
“You ever delivered a baby?” Hank asked, his gravelly voice filled with emotion.
“Once. In Dallas. I just re-certified my emergency medical card. It’ll be fine. What happened?” He’d turned all business.
“Evidently, she’s been having back labor all day. Didn’t realize that’s what it was. Water broke fifteen minutes ago and she’s already wanting to push. She had a C-section with the twins, so didn’t know.” Hank punched the accelerator and traversed the driveway from the open market to the house in record time. As soon as he stopped the truck, Bret vaulted out the passenger door and into the house, leaving Meg and Hank to follow behind.
Trudy met her in the kitchen, a twin holding each hand. They launched themselves at Meg as soon as she was in the door.
“Aunt Meg!” Boo and Lindy wailed, nearly in unison.
She gathered them close. “It’s okay.”
“Mommy said we were going to hos-pital to have the baby.” Boo rubbed her face against Meg’s shirt.
Meg smiled, looking at Trudy over her shoulder. “Well, honey, sometimes it doesn’t work out that way.”
“Child sure in a hurry to be born, that’s for sure.” Trudy lifted Lindy and hugged her close.
“Meg!” Bret’s voice boomed down the hall. She handed Boo to Trudy and scurried to the bedroom. Robin lay spread on the master bed, draped in a sheet. Chad was pale, but holding her hand, encouraging her to breathe.
“I’m sorry, Bret. Meg.” Robin blew out in measured breaths, her hair in wet ringlets against her face. “This is too soon, too soon,” she sobbed.
“Don’t push yet, Robin-girl. Give me one more second.” Bret turned to Meg. “I need warm towels, hot water, some string and a pair of scissors, and find me a pair of gloves.”
“We have latex gloves under the sink in the kitchen,” Chad groaned as Robin’s next contraction began, as if he were having them, too.
“Arhrr...” Robin huffed.
“I’ll find them.” Meg rolled up her sleeves.
“I may need a suction bulb, too, Meg.”
“Under the sink in the main bathroom,” Chad muttered, his concentration on Robin.
Meg ran to the kitchen and looked with the cleaning supplies under the sink. The gloves were right where Chad said they were. She grabbed the box and slammed the cupboard. “Trudy, can you dump some towels in the dryer and warm them up?”
“Sure. The girls can help me.” Their eyes were huge, but they both nodded.
She pulled open the tool drawer in the kitchen and found the scissors and string where Robin kept them and stopped in the bathroom for alcohol to sterilize them with, and the suction bulb. Her hands shook and her knees felt like they were going to collapse. She stopped for a second to gather a breath. Robin gave an intense, controlled scream. She cranked on the hot water and left it running while she took the supplies to Bret.
She dumped them on the foot of the bed. Bret reached for the gloves, snapping a pair into place.
“I’m going to need several towels to put under her.”
“Got it.” Meg went to the closet and searched through the stacks, pulling the oldest ones she could find.
Back by Bret, she watched him check Robin. His quiet murmurs to assure her made Meg’s eyes tear. She glanced at Chad. He had paled even further and had directed his gaze to Robin, and only Robin. Meg handed Bret the towels.
“Let’s get these under her. The baby’s head is right there.”
“I need to push,” Robin gritted out between her teeth.
“I’ll bet you do. Next contraction,” Bret reassured her, his calmness a steadying factor in the room. They got Robin situated and Bret knelt between her legs.
Meg went back for the soup pot, the largest pan she could find. She filled it with hot water and carried it to the bedroom, setting it on the floor by the bed. She left again while Chad and Bret were coaxing Robin to control her breathing. Trudy had the girls standing outside. Hank was waiting at the end of the driveway, looking toward the road.
“We’re waiting for the ambulance,” Boo said to Meg, trying to sound brave even though her lower lip quivered. Lindy was sucking her thumb and hugging Trudy’s side.
She blew a kiss at the two. She pulled the warm towels from the dryer and went back to the bedroom.
The intensity in the bedroom overwhelmed. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to calm down.
“Meg, get on a pair of gloves.”
Her stomach jumped, but she went to the box and did as he asked.
He looked at her and winked. “It’s okay. I may need an extra set of hands is all.”
She swallowed hard, but nodded. She never in a thousand years would dream that she’d be in on the delivery of her niece or nephew.
“Robin, the next push this little one is going to be out. I need you to focus and push hard. I’ve got to turn the head and get the shoulders out as fast as I can. Okay?”
She nodded, gripping Chad’s hand so hard Meg could see the whiteness of his skin. Chad looked like he was going to pass out.
“Are you okay, Chad?”
“Yes,” he answered, gritting his teeth.
“Meg, spread out a warm towel. I’ll need to lay the baby there,” Bret instructed.
She followed his direction, waiting at his side. On the next push, Bret twisted slightly and the next moment, the room was filled with the sounds of a screaming baby.
Robin started to cry. “Oh, my God.”
Tears stung Meg’s eyes and she looked up to see Chad crying too, his head against Robin’s.
“It’s a boy!” Bret announced. Laying the baby on the towel, he quickly cut the cord and wrapped the baby. “Get the corner of one of those towels wet and hand it to me.”
When she did as he asked, he quickly wiped the baby’s eyes, nose, and mouth. He checked the baby’s pulse and color. “He looks good! You did a great job, Mom.”
He grinned, picked up the baby and handed him to Robin. She pulled him against her and gazed at Chad with so much love that Meg wanted to cry.
She looked at Bret instead. He was grinning like a fool, his eyes bright.
“I love you,” she whispered.
He smiled. “I love you, too.”
Chad laughed, stroking the baby’s head. “Hey—that’s our line.”
Meg grinned at him. “Then use it, you fool.”
Chad’s throat seemed to close up on him, though, and it took him several tries before he was able to whisper to Robin. “I love you, baby. Thank you.”
Robin grinned. “I love you, too. For a man who couldn’t even watch puppies be delivered, you did pretty good, Dad.”
Chad snorted. “Big difference.”
Robin groaned. Another mild contraction hit her and Bret leaned in to finish his work. “Chad, why don’t you hold the baby. Meg, can you check on the ambulance?”
She nodded and snapped off her gloves. In the kitchen, she stopped for a minute to get her composure and went outside. The ambulance was turning down the lane.
All smiles, she pulled the girls into her arms. “It’s a boy!”
Their gasps of surprise were followed by shrieks of joy. They danced around the porch. “We have a brother! We have a brother!”
Meg laughed and rose to hug Trudy. “Both are fine.”
“Thank God.”
The ambulance pulled up and stopped. There was a flurry of activity after that. The two medics with the ambulance were guys Meg had known in high school. A quick update and they got their equipment and a stretcher and went in the house. Meg stayed with Trudy and girls, trying not to be in the way. It wasn’t long before mother and son came out on the stretcher. The medics stopped so Robin could show the girls the baby and kiss them goodbye. Bret was behind them, a tired smile on his face.
>
“Mommy, we want to go with you,” Lindy said around her thumb.
“You will, honey. Daddy’s going to bring you.” Chad stepped to Robin’s side and kissed her forehead, then the baby’s. “We’ll be right behind you.”
After the ambulance left, Chad convinced the girls to go find shoes and they raced off to do his bidding. He hugged Meg, then Bret. “Thank you both. Sorry we ruined your evening.”
“It wasn’t ruined, Chad,” Meg said. “That was special and wonderful.”
“I agree. That was incredible.” Bret reached for Meg’s hand. She took it willingly and squeezed.
The girls tore out, screaming at the top of their lungs. “We’re ready, Daddy!”
Meg hugged Chad again. “We’ll clean up and see you at the hospital in a bit.”
Chad went in search of his keys, loaded the girls, and left. Hank offered Bret a ride back to the pumpkin patch for the truck. Trudy lent her a hand and they stripped the bed, setting the room to rights. In the kitchen, she watched Bret coming down the road in his truck, following Hank.
“I’ll take these and wash them. Don’t you worry about it,” Trudy said. “You go on to the hospital and see the family.”
“We’ll do that. Thanks.” Meg went to the door. When Bret pulled up in the driveway, she left the house and got in beside him. Bret turned the truck around and drove down the driveway. When they were on the road, he reached for her hand. His fingers locked to hers and her big, strong hero began to tremble. He slowed to round a curve and pulled to the side of the road, turning off the engine.
His eyes flooded with tears. He squeezed her hand. “Do not. Ask me. To do that. For ours.” He took a big heaving sigh and closed his eyes, unmindful of the tear that slipped down his cheek.
“Ours?” Meg reached over and wiped it away.
“Yes. Ours.” He hesitated for a moment, releasing her hand to reach into his jeans pocket and pulled out a ring box.
“Oh!” Meg gripped his arm. “Oh!”
She’d hoped. She’d dreamed. She’d wanted. Was he really going to do what she thought he was? She wanted to pinch herself, then she looked into his eyes. She saw nerves and uncertainty, but determination and adoration, too. He’d been rock solid for Chad and Robin. Could he mean to be the same for her?
“You remember the first argument we had?” He opened the box, turning it so she couldn’t see.
Meg studied his expression, nerves and excitement making her breath come out in puffs. “Yes, I remember.”
“I told you if we got involved, you’d try to change me?”
She nodded, unable to swallow, speak, or think.
“When you walked away from me, you did change me. You understood how deeply you felt about me. I realized how much you were willing to sacrifice for me, to let me be true to who I was. That took guts.” He took the ring from its slot, snapped the lid on the case and set it aside. He took her hand, his palm warm against hers. His hand shook, making her fall in love a little more.
“I wanted to make you change,” she confessed.
“I had to change to be worthy of what you were offering me. I realized it after you left.”
He pulled her hands to his lips. She felt the cold metal of her ring in his hand where it touched her fingers. “I love you. I’m a work in progress, but I’m willing to open myself up to you and be everything you need, that we need, to make us strong for a lifetime. Please, please, Megan mine, will you marry me?” More tears slid down his cheeks. They undid her.
Her heart swelled with love and respect and pride. She had a lot to say to him, but only one thing seemed important at the moment. “Yes,” she whispered, tears filling her eyes.
Meg undid her seatbelt, crawled over the center console to get into Bret’s arms, straddling him in the seat. He kissed her—desperate and hot, a possession of her heart and soul. She’d known his kisses for months, but this one spoke of commitment and forever and choked her up. Finally, she pulled away, swiping the tears away from her cheeks.
“I think this goes on your finger now.” Bret held up the stunning diamond engagement ring and slipped it on her finger.
Meg lifted her hand, admiring the ring, and kissed him again.
A car honked at their side and they both turned to find Tom sitting next to them in a patrol car, grinning ear-to-ear.
Bret rolled down his window.
“Weren’t you going to propose in the pumpkin patch?” Tom asked.
“Your sister-in-law had other ideas.” Meg leaned to the window. “Bret delivered Robin’s baby.”
Her brother’s smile died. “What? She wasn’t due yet. Is that what the ambulance was called out for?”
“Yes.” They said together. Meg noted they were both grinning like fools.
Tom glared at them. “Well, don’t keep me in suspense.”
Meg laughed. “Sorry. It’s a boy. They are on their way to the hospital. We’re on our way there, too.”
Tom glanced at his watch. “I’m off here in a few. I’ll join you there.”
“I thought you had day shift today and would already be off?” Bret asked.
“I was, but Carmen had an appointment. I’m covering her. I’ll see you both at the hospital. And, congratulations. She did say yes, didn’t she?” His eyes twinkled.
Bret snorted.
Meg flashed her ring. “Yes, she did. So there!”
Tom laughed and pulled away.
Meg kissed Bret once more. Finally, she moved off of him to reclaim her seat.
Bret put the truck back in gear and started back on their way to the hospital. He reached for her hand and raised it to his lips. “I love you.”
Meg smiled, tears flooding again. “I love you, too.
“When do you want to get married?”
Meg sputtered. “I hadn’t thought about it. I guess it depends on what kind of wedding. Big or small? Church or home?”
“Big and church.” Bret grinned. “It’s a deal I made with your mother.”
“My mother?”
“Don’t ask.” He slowed to round a curve then accelerated again. He glanced at her, but she was lost in the idea that he’d discussed their wedding with her mother of all people.
“I need six or seven months at least.” She counted on her fingers. “April then?”
“Sounds good to me.” He said, but then he frowned.
“What?”
“Do I get bedroom privileges?”
Meg laughed, nerves and excitement making a fluttering feeling low in her belly. “You do. I’ve missed you,” she whispered.
“Me, too. Tonight?”
Satisfied, she squeezed his hand. “Baby first. But yeah, tonight.”
His eyes misted again, and Meg smiled, wondering how the man was going to feel when he held their own babies.
He wiped his cheek and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry our evening got interrupted.”
“Me, too. But it was worth it.”
“We didn’t get to eat and I had sparkling cider for us.”
“We could go to my house later and have a do-over.”
“A do-over?”
Meg flicked her wrist in a roll-over motion. “You know. Set the table, cook some food, put some music on, light the candles, dance, eat. A do-over with a twist.” She raised her eyebrows, aiming for enticement.
Heat flared in his eyes. “A do-over sounds good.”
In the hospital parking lot, he parked his truck next to Chad’s. Just as she got out, another car pulled into the lot. Her mother, father, and grandmother shot out of the car.
Her mother started firing questions. “How is she? What happened? How’s the baby? Where are the girls?”
Meg laughed. “Slow down, Mom.”
Bret came around the truck and put a hand on her shoulder. “She’s fine, Helen. She went into labor, didn’t realize that’s what it was, thought she had an aching back. The baby is good.”
Her grandmother and father finally reached them and th
e information was repeated.
Meg smiled at Bret, pride shining through. “Bret delivered the baby.”
“What?” Her mother gasped.
Her father put his arm around her shoulder. “Calm down, Helen.”
“Ambulance was a little slow,” Meg said.
“Baby was a little fast,” Bret corrected.
Brand spanking new ambulance.” Helen huffed. “Ought to be faster, wouldn’t you think?”
Meg laughed. “One would think. But Robin and Chad had something better. Bret.”
“So you didn’t get to finish your dinner?” Olivia asked.
“We didn’t even get started,” Bret admitted.
“Oh.” Olivia looked distressed.
Meg took her Dad’s arm. “I know you made dinner, Grandma. Thank you. I’d know your chicken fettuccini anywhere.”
“Did you ask her?” Olivia reached for Bret’s arm.
“Yes, he asked me.” She held out her ring.
“Ah, honey. Congratulations.” First her mother hugged her, then her grandmother.
Her father stood back for a moment.
“Daddy?” Uncertainty clouded the moment.
She’d apologized several times over the last few months, but a wall was still there.
He smiled and held out his arms. “You have my blessing.”
She walked into them and hugged him fiercely, tears coming again. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you, too, pretty girl. Don’t break my pocketbook for this wedding.”
Meg pulled back and cleared her throat. “I hear I’m having a big wedding, Mo-ther.”
“What?” Helen put a hand to her throat. “I know you’ve always wanted one.”
“Yes, but what if Bret didn’t want one?”
“Bret is already practicing to be a good son-in-law by listening to his mother-in-law.”
Bret put an arm around Meg’s shoulder and hugged her to his side. “I’m fine with it. Really. I don’t care as long as we get married.” In an aside to Meg, he whispered, “She’s also my boss’s boss. Hush up.”
“All right.” He released her and Meg walked to the hospital entrance with her parents. Bret trailed behind helping her grandmother.
They checked at the nurses’ station and discovered that Robin was already in a room and the baby was in the nursery being looked at by the doctor. Jean Garcia, the on-duty nurse, directed them to her room. “I’ll let the rest of the family know, too,” she laughed. “They probably aren’t far behind y’all.”
Echo Falls, Texas Boxed Set Page 41