Chloe took Logan to the airfield. She hated it every time, but this was so much worse. She’d left her mom with Lily and her sleeping children. It took all she had not to beg him to stay, to do anything but get on that plane. Instead, she took a deep breath and pasted a smile on her face. Sure he’d be able to see through it, but she didn’t want his last vision to be her in tears with snot dripping out of her nose. Nope, she’d get through this, say goodbye and then lose it after he was out of sight.
They got out of the car, and he took his bag out of the trunk. He took her in his arms and held her close for a moment and then kissed her. He stared into her eyes, and she hoped he could see all the things she couldn’t say.
“It’s time, baby.”
“I know. Logan, I love you. Please, please be safe and come home to us.”
“I promise you, I will walk through the squeaky kitchen door and take you in my arms and kiss you like there’s no tomorrow. And while I’m gone you’ll be here,” he placed his hand over his heart.
With one last kiss and embrace, he smiled and walked away. As he disappeared into the darkness of the night, she prayed. “Please God, bring him home safe and sound so this baby will know his father.”
Epilogue
Five months later…
The contractions started at two a.m. When did babies ever decide to arrive during the day? None of hers had anyway, so she shouldn’t have been surprised to be woken out of a sound sleep. Her water waited to break until she’d called her mom telling her it was time.
After mopping up the mess, she grabbed a quick shower and felt a little better until the next contraction made her double over. Holy crap. She hoped her mom would show up soon, or this might turn into a home birth. Perfect—not!
The last time she’d called Lily, and they’d rushed to the hospital as soon as her mom arrived, but Lily was in DC with Alex at Walter Reed. It had been touch and go for a couple of months but he’d finally turned the corner and would definitely pull through. It had been a long battle. Lily had pulled out of her initial shock and attacked the ‘problem’ like everything else—with snark and action. She’d have loved to have been in the room the first time she told Alex to get over himself and stop being a pussy. Yup, classic Lily for sure. Of course, Alex didn’t know that after she’d left his room, she’d called Chloe every day and cried. And she wasn’t about to tell him.
Logan was still in Afghanistan. She’d texted him yesterday after her appointment to let her know the doctor planned on inducing her tomorrow if she didn’t go into labor before then since she was already two weeks late. So of course she had, but she wasn’t sorry. The fewer meds, the better, because she sure as shit wasn’t going to give up the pain meds unless she had to. Screw that. She was brave but not a masochist. Another contraction wracked her body. Ugh. C’mon mom.
Standing in the doorway of the girls’ room she listened to their even breathing and smiled. They were growing up so fast and couldn’t wait for their baby brother or sister to come home so they could play with them. Every day Bella would ask if it was going to be that day, and every day Chloe would answer the same thing—not yet.
Leaning down she kissed them both as she woke them up.
“What’s wrong, mommy? It’s still dark.” Lexie sat up rubbing her eyes. The light from the hallway was enough to see her daughter’s wide yawn. She smiled, but the sudden sharp pain in her lower back forced her to sit on the edge of the bed.
“Grandma’s almost here. It’s time for the baby to come.” Her words pushed Bella’s ‘on button’ and she went from zero to sixty in a matter of seconds. Jumping out of the bed and grabbing the clothes they’d laid out for school. It would have been funny if the contractions weren’t getting closer together.
“The baby has bad timing,” Lexie grumbled as she too got out of bed and got dressed. Chloe laughed at the remark, Lexie didn’t remember what it was like to have a baby in the house, she’d only been two when Bella was born. There would be a lot of changes over the next few months. But they’d make it work.
When her mom finally arrived they were waiting for her in the living room, Chloe with her “go bag” and the girls each clutching the stuffed goats she’d brought back from Barefoot Bay. They’d become their go to stuffy of choice ever since then. Did she know her girls or what?
“Are we ready for the new baby?” Margie Simon asked as she walked into the living room.
“What do you think?” Chloe answered rolling her eyes and doubling over.
“Oh dear, you are close. Aren’t you?”
Nodding, afraid what she’d say if she actually opened her mouth, she grabbed her bag and led the girls outside to her mom’s car.
“You do remember the way to the hospital, mom, don’t you?”
“Don’t patronize me, young lady, I may be old, but I’m not clueless.” The girls giggled in the backseat and Chloe smiled. She loved teasing her mother when she could, which wasn’t often, she was always on top of her game even at almost seventy years old.
In classic movie fashion, Margie stopped the car at the emergency room entrance of Willow Haven General and made Chloe get out with her bag. She said they’d meet her inside. Shaking her head, she hobbled towards the door and doubled over from the force of the next contraction. Damn. “When you finally decided you were ready, you weren’t fooling around, were you, little one?” Chloe mumbled mostly to herself as she went through the sliding glass doors. The ER was almost empty, probably the only good thing about going into labor in the middle of the night. The nurse at intake took one look at her and grabbed a wheelchair.
“How far apart?”
“About two and a half minutes, but it’s my third.”
“Playing the odds huh? Or were you trying to have the baby in the car and make the morning news?” The nurse smiled to soften her words. Chloe knew the tactic was meant to distract the patient from the pain. God bless a good nurse.
“Not really, just waiting on my chariot for transport,” Chloe gritted from between clenched teeth as she fought back the pain. “Dr. Cohen is my ob/gyn, he actually had me booked for tomorrow. He was going to induce.”
“Great. Let’s get you up to L&D and checked in. I don’t think you have long.”
“It better be long enough to get an epidural.” The nurse shrugged, probably afraid to let her know she was too late. Chloe kind of figured that, two minutes or less apart—she wouldn’t have long to wait to greet the newest member of her family.
“Who’s with you?”
“My mom and two daughters.”
“They’re not going to let the girls into the delivery room.”
“Thank God. I knew that they’ll wait in the waiting room.”
By the time they’d arrived on the Labor and Delivery floor, she’d had three more contractions and wondered if the baby would come while she was still sitting in the wheelchair. After being transferred into the care of an L&D nurse named Sharon, she was settled in a bed and hooked up monitors.
“It won’t be long now. We called Dr. Cohen, and he’s on his way, but I’m not sure he’ll make it from the looks of things.”
“I was hoping you wouldn’t tell me that.”
“It’s okay, Dr. Sherman is on call tonight, and he’s excellent.”
“Did you say Sherman?”
“Yes, do you know him?”
“No.” She looked up at the ceiling as the next contraction wracked her body. Divine intervention? God, are you trying to tell me something? For a moment she contemplated trying to call Logan so he could at least be on the phone when his baby was born.
“Do you have a labor partner with you?”
“Not this time,” again through gritted teeth.
“No problem, I’ll be with you then.”
Chloe squeezed her eyes shut as the pain took her breath away.
“Yes, she does.” The sound of the voice cut through her pain-addled brain, and her eyes popped open.
“Surprise!”
“Shit, woman. Have you been spinach loading? Maybe I should call you Popeye.”
Wonderful, funny, Logan. How he’d gotten there she didn’t care, but he was there and for the first time he’d get to see his child born.
“Oh God.”
He must have looked at the nurse because she chuckled. “I guess you haven’t been through this before?”
“Nope, unfortunately.”
“It’s going to get worse before it gets better. But you’ll have a great present at the end. And it will keep giving—or rather taking—for the next twenty years or so.”
Chloe already loved Sharon, she was definitely her type of nurse.
“You need to change out of those fatigues soldier. Come with me.”
“I’ll be right back baby, don’t go anywhere.”
As if! Geesh. If she could have she would have punched him.
Everything moved fast after that. Fifteen minutes later in a blur of pain and happiness, Dr. Sherman announced that they were the parents of a little baby boy. Logan had done a double take when he’d first heard the doctor’s name too and then smiled.
“So what’s this little one’s name?” Sharon asked as she placed the baby in Chloe’s arms.
“Andrew Sherman Mitchell.” Logan went from gazing at the baby and running his finger down the side of the little face, to searching her eyes. “I think it works, don’t you?”
“Yes. It’s a perfect name for our little man.”
A short time later her mom and the girls came in to meet little Andy. She didn’t know if the girls were more excited to see Logan or the new baby, but in the end, the baby won.
“How long are you able to stay?”
“Forever, baby, forever. I’m home to stay,” he whispered against her lips in a kiss full of love and new beginnings.
About the Author
Lynne St. James is a PAN member of Romance Writers of America and has been writing for as long as she can remember. Her first book was published in 2012 and has since written four different series. Lynne lives in the mostly sunny state of Florida with her husband, two dogs, and two cats, and at least one is always hanging out with her in her office aka “writing cave.”
When Lynne’s not writing, she’s reading, taking pictures, and sometimes even cooking—to the relief of her hubby. She’s usually in her office surrounded by books, stuffed animals, and post-it notes, writing her next happily ever after, but she’s been known to come out for coffee and chocolate.
Where to find Lynne:
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorLynneStJames
Website: http://lynnestjames.com
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Barefoot Bay: A Soldier's Surprise (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Beyond Valor Book 2) Page 9