by J. L. Drake
This makes Cole more alert. “I wasn’t supposed to leave until the day after tomorrow. We have the press to deal with, the new recruits coming in—”
Frank waves his hand. “I’ve never seen you like this.”
Cole sits straighter. He doesn’t like to show any weakness when it comes to his family. He needs to be able to separate them from his work, or mistakes could happen.
“Nothing wrong with that, Logan.” He must sense Cole’s mood change. “You’re going to make a great father. I would be concerned if your head wasn’t back home. Now…” His chair scrapes back as he stands and removes his jacket from the coatrack. Cole joins him, wondering why they aren’t going back to the case. “Let me buy you dinner as a congratulations in advance.”
Cole grins. This is a side of Frank he hasn’t seen before. With a quick nod, he follows him out of the office and into his Lincoln Town Car.
Ten minutes later, they’re seated in the back corner at Sullivan’s Steakhouse. Cole is a sucker for a restaurant that’s decorated in red. There’s something about it that makes him feel comfortable. Plus, Savannah looks amazing in red. Jesus, dinner can’t go by fast enough.
His phone vibrates just as they are handed their menus. He quickly pulls it out and laughs. It’s a picture of a ticket stub for The Longest Ride. A chick flick!
Mark: YOU. OWE. ME!
Another text comes in, and Cole can’t help but grin like a damn fool. It’s a photo of Savi, Mark, and Keith in the theater. Savi’s face is lit up, while Keith and Mark look totally unimpressed.
Keith: Keeping her busy, until you return.
Another photo shoots through of Mark holding a straw to Savannah’s belly, pretending to give it soda.
Mark: Going for the “favorite uncle” title.
As Cole starts to text back, his thumb retracts from the screen as a photo of Savi’s left hand over her belly comes up.
Savannah: We miss you.
Mark
It makes Mark laugh when all the women in the theater gasp when Scott Eastwood appears on the screen for the first time.
Savi holds a finger up to point at the screen. “Doesn’t that look—”
“Yeah.” He finishes her thought and leans forward to get a better look at the actor. “He could be his brother.”
“That’s crazy,” she whispers, and Mark dismisses the comparison and goes back to his mocking.
He doesn’t really get the appeal of a cowboy. All that plaid and suede makes his skin twitch. Not to mention the chafing that saddle must do to a man’s parts. Ouch. He was all for wide-open spaces, rolling mountains, crazy weather, and women in tight jeans, but riding a bull is plain suicide. Yes, okay, let’s climb up on top of a wild beast. Let’s choose one who wants to kick your ass badly for trying to ride him like a horse…Pass! I’ll stick to the Cartels.
Keith looks equally unimpressed, but Mark does notice he’s covering his ear. Mark looks back to the movie—which, of course, is at a sad part—then back at Keith, who is smirking. Wait! He pulls his phone halfway out of his pocket and texts him.
Mark: What’s the score?
He smirks.
Keith: 3-2 Kings
Mark: How much longer is this movie?
Keith: Long enough for me to listen to the rest of the game.
Savannah looks at Mark with a raised eyebrow. He smiles and sinks back into his seat and watches a girl speaking with an old man about some box. I am going to go mad! Where’s all the action? His knee starts to bounce. He can say he needs more soda. Or more food…at least that is more believable. Mark is, of course, always hungry.
Savannah’s hand suddenly slaps down on his arm, and her other one clamps on Keith’s. She’s staring at the seat in front of her as her grip tightens.
“Shit!” she curses at a quiet part of the movie. A few people look over, but they soon turn back to the screen.
“What’s wrong?” Keith’s tone snaps her attention back to the two men.
“Water,” she huffs. “Water broke.”
Mark leans forward, and sure enough, her skirt has a wet spot between her thighs.
“Eyes north, Mark!” she barks then leans forward as another contraction takes her hostage. “Ahhh!”
“Okay.” Keith stands and carefully fits his huge body in front of her and crouches down to her level. He takes her hands. “Look at me, Savi.” She does, but Mark can tell it’s hard for her. “We need to get you out of here.”
“I can’t have this baby yet. It’s not time.” Her voice shakes, but Keith remains calm while Mark just sits there waiting for him to run this show.
“This could be nothing, Savi, but either way, we need to go.” Before she can resist, he scoops her up and places her on her unsteady feet. Mark follows and doesn’t think about the fact he has her purse hooked over his arm.
They burst through the doors and have her on a quiet bench before another contraction comes. Keith bends down again and starts to time them.
“Oh-hell-this-hurts!” Her knuckles are white as she holds on to the lip of the bench. Keith gives Mark a nod to call Cole. Oh, shit, this is it!
He drops her stuff at her feet and steps away. It rings and rings, but no answer. Shit! He tries again.
“Lopez, what’s wrong?”
Mark glances at Savannah, who has her head against Keith’s shoulder as she comes down from her last Fritter attack.
“You need to come home. Savannah is going into labor.”
“What?” His voice is calm, but Mark knows him better than that.
Keith mouths the details, and Mark relays them to Cole. “Her contractions are five minutes apart and last for thirty seconds. They look painful.”
“You think?” Savannah’s harsh voice sends a shiver through him.
He turns so she can’t hear. “She’s getting a little scary, dude.”
The noise in the background fades away, and he knows Cole is outside. Frank’s voice cuts in, and Mark hears him tell the pilot to stand by.
“Put me on speakerphone so I can talk with her.”
He rushes over and switches it to speaker. “Go ahead, Cole.”
“Cole?” Savannah’s tone nearly makes him choke up. She seems so scared, and she breaks down when she hears Cole’s voice.
“Hey, baby, Frank is getting the chopper ready. I need you to hold on until I get there.”
She groans in pain as another contraction rips through her.
“Keith.” Cole’s voice is all business. Keith takes the phone off speaker and listens.
“Copy that, Logan.” He holds the phone to her ear, and a few tears slip down her flushed cheeks.
“Okay. I love you too.”
Keith ends the call and stands. “Go get the car. I’ll meet you out there. Call ahead to the hospital so they know we’re coming.”
Mark races to the car and blasts the heat since she is always cold, and then he makes the call. Keith helps Savannah into the back seat and crawls in next to her. Thankfully, Red Stone is a small town, and within three minutes they are racing into Labor and Delivery.
“Savannah Miller?” A nurse hurries to their side and takes in Savannah’s appearance. “Who’s the father?”
“He’s on the way,” Keith informs her.
“Are you family?”
“Yes,” they answer in unison. Mark catches her eyeing the purse over his shoulder. He rolls his eyes and mentally slaps himself for hanging it there. He drops it on Savi’s lap and bets the nurse thinks he and Keith are a couple. At this point, she can think what she wants. He just needs Savannah to be out of pain.
Within twenty minutes, she’s checked in and placed in a huge room with all kinds of interesting-looking tools. They strap a band around her belly to record her contractions.
“Oh, cool!” Mark points to the monitor when a contraction comes. It’s neat to see the graph shoot up high when it is at its peak.
“Mark,” she pants and holds out her hand for him to take. The moment he do
es, she yanks him down with enormous strength so they are face to face. Her black eyes show him her rage.
“So help me God, if you ever say it’s cool when my contractions peak, I will chop you up and sell your organs on the black market. Do you understand me?”
“Yup.” He swallows back a shiver. She can be a bit frightening sometimes. “Got it.”
Her shoulders relax before she lets him go and leans back into the bed.
“Savi,” Keith’s voice is soothing, “get comfortable, because this may take a while.”
Mark quickly steps away and pulls out his phone when he hears Keith chuckling from the corner. How is he so calm, and why is it he seems to know things?
Paul: We’re all here in the waiting room. Keep us updated, or if you need anything.
Mark: Perhaps some pain meds for my hand Savi almost broke when the devil spoke through her. She’s scary right now. Anyone wanna trade places with me?
Paul: We all voted, and you lost. You have to stay put.
He cringes and looks back at her pale face as she sucks on an ice chip Keith gave her.
An hour later, Dr. Brown comes in wearing bright blue tennis shoes and a long white coat. “Hello, Savannah. How are you feeling?”
“Like my baby isn’t human.”
“Ha!” Dr. Brown laughs then pulls up a chair. “I need you to put your feet in the stirrups and drop your knees to the sides for me.”
Sweet Jesus. Mark’s stomach sinks. He turns and holds on to the chair and counts to ten. Slow, even breaths. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Keith calmly holding a cool cloth to her forehead. Who is this man?
“You’re dilated to eight, so not much longer now.” The doctor’s voice lowers when Savannah starts to cry. “We’ll try to hold off for as long as possible. Any idea how much longer the father will be?”
“At most, another hour or two,” Keith says but keeps his tone optimistic.
“That should be doable.” The doctor’s chair squeaks as she leans forward. “Just let me feel around and make sure…” That’s all Mark hears before he breaks out in a sweat and everything goes black.
The fog clears, and Mark is finally able to bring himself back from the bizarre nightmare. His stomach rolls as he comes to. He has to blink a few times to clear the blurriness. Keith is in a chair across the way, and his smirk tells Mark something happened.
“Nice of you to join us.” He laughs but stops when Savannah stirs in her sleep. “You have a little boo-boo on your head, so the OB wants you to take it slow.”
“Huh?” His skin feels funny on the side. He reaches up and feels a Band-Aid. Oh! Fuck me. Everything comes rushing back.
“So, tell me something.” Keith leans back in his chair. He clearly loves this moment. “How is it you can stitch a guy’s stomach back together, but you can’t handle a woman’s cervix being examined?”
His mouth goes dry as he flops his head back. “Don’t.” He was going to lose his stomach.
He laughs again but drops the topic, thankfully.
“Cole landed. He should be arriving any time now.”
“Thank fuck!” That helps his head. He clears his throat and manages to lean forward and get himself in check. “How is it you’re so calm through all of this? Did you read that book she kept trying to get Cole to read?”
He shrugs. “Savannah isn’t the only woman in my life.”
This piques his interest. “I’ve never seen you date.”
He rises from his seat to check the contraction that just began. Savannah’s eyes flutter. “I didn’t say they were people I’ve dated.”
Mark knows Keith well enough not to push, but he can’t help himself. “How many girlfriends have you had?”
“A few.”
“You love any of them?”
A strange look flickers over his face, but he continues to read the chart as if he doesn’t hear. “I wish Logan would get here.”
“Me too.” Mark stands and looks out the window, happy his stomach decided to settle.
Thirty minutes later, Savannah is in tears from the pain and the realization Cole might not make it.
Keith is right there by her side while Mark tries to keep her entertained with his impressions of Scoot. She loves that cat as much as Mike hates him. Scoot does pick on him a lot, but Mark thinks it’s because he always keeps his room locked and won’t let anyone in, including that cat. Mike has a closet obsession with something he won’t share with them. All Mark knows is that once in a while there is a package from his mother he will only open alone.
Suddenly, the door flies open and a frantic Cole races inside. As soon as he touches Savi, she sobs in his arms.
“I’m here now, baby. It’s okay.” He kisses her head over and over. “I’m here.”
“I didn’t think you were going to make it.”
“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”
Keith smiles at Mark, and they both leave quietly.
To say he is relieved he’s off duty is an understatement. He sags into a chair by the nurses’ desk and tries to shake off the idea that a baby is about to be squeezed out of her. Keith leaves to give everyone an update. Mark joins him after a few moments.
Cole
After three more intense contractions, Savannah slips off to sleep, and Cole rubs his face, trying to play catch-up with the last six hours. He heads out to the door to find coffee when he spots the guys.
Mark’s hand lands heavily on his shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze. “Savi’s a fighter, and it stands to reason that little spitfire in there will be a fighter too, just like Mama.” He grins, making Cole feel like he’s got a whole extra set of balls right now. “Besides, you think any of those doctors would piss off the Green Beret in the delivery room?”
Keith hands him a fresh cup of coffee as if he read his mind.
“Thanks,” he sighs and downs about half of it in two sips.
The time ticks by, and every minute on the minute, Cole looks through the door to make sure Savi is getting rest. This is tiring for all, so any sleep is really what she needs.
Cole is beyond beat, which is odd because he can usually be up for sixty-some-odd hours and still have no problem functioning. But this…this is different. This is his love and his child. His mind slips away, momentarily blurring the colors on the wall.
Mark glances at Cole through the garage window. The corner of his right eye is bleeding, his lip is cracked, and his arm hangs loose. Cole watches as Mark’s mother grabs a chair and lifts it above her head. He lunges forward, kicking in the window, but by the time his eyes adjust, he sees Mark unconscious on the floor. His mother smashed a chair over her own son. A mother. It’s disgusting. Cole pushes her out of the way and drops to his knees, feeling around Mark’s body. Please be okay!
He quickly shifts his gaze over to Mark, who is devouring his third bag of cookies. They’ve been through a lot together and this is the start of their newest journey. He’s so glad his best friend is here.
“Excuse me, Daddy?” A nurse peeks her head out the door. She looks like a pixie. “It’s time.”
“Go make me an uncle.” Mark smacks his shoulder. “Seriously, give Savi a kiss for me.”
“Me too,” Keith calls.
“Yeah.” Cole finds himself grinning. Holy shit, I’m gonna be a dad.
Savannah is exhausted from pushing for the past hour. She’s ready to go, but the baby is being stubborn and has decided it doesn’t want to show itself after all.
“Okay, Savi, I really need you to push!”
“I have been,” she sobs but digs her elbows into the mattress and pushes with all her might.
“I can see the head,” the doctor announces. “I just need one more to get the shoulders out.”
The defeat is evident on her face. She can barely keep her eyes open. Cole blocks the doctors from her line of vision and holds her head between his hands. Her eyes fluttered open.
“I know you’re tired. I know you want to
sleep, and you can, but I really need you to get our Fritter out of you so we can know what we’re having.” Her face lights up, and he knows this gives her the bit of extra energy she needs. She draws a deep breath and pushes, and within moments, a tiny shriek comes from down south.
Savannah cups her mouth and waits for someone to say something. Her eyes lock onto Cole’s while seconds that feel like hours tick by. A nurse whisks the baby off to the side and starts clearing its airway.
“No matter what, you don’t leave its side,” Savannah pleads with him.
He gives her his most serious face, one he knows she loves. “Do you know who you’re talking to?”
“I love you.” Her hand touches his five o’clock shadow. “I mean really love you.”
Just as he leans in to kiss her, the doctor comes to the bedside and gives them their first look at their child.
“I would like you to meet your baby girl.”
Cole half laughs and half cries as her tiny black eyes find his. “A girl.” He reaches for the little bundle and cradles her in his arms. Bending down, he shows Savannah her beautiful face.
“Hello, sweetheart.” Savannah’s tears stream down as she raises a shaky finger to touch her cheek. “You are going to be one loved little princess.”
The beaming doctor holds up a chart. “Do we have a name picked out?”
“Olivia,” Cole blurts.
“Cole!” Savannah gasps. “Really?”
He takes her hand as he balances their baby in the other. “Really.”
“All right. Olivia Logan, it is.”
“Olivia Susan Logan,” Savannah corrects the doctor.
There was never any doubt in Cole’s mind that if they had a girl, they’d name her after Savannah’s mother. The one person who loved and cherished her as she deserved.
“We need to get her downstairs to be checked out.” Dr. Brown removes Olivia from his hold and places her in a plastic cart. She turns to Savannah, who looks uneasy. “Don’t worry, her daddy will be with her the whole time. As soon as the two of you are cleaned up, she’ll be back with you.”