Jared dressed hurriedly in jeans and a shirt, then pulled on his socks. While he hobbled across the room, with one boot on and struggling into the other one, Paige emerged from the bathroom.
“It’s all right. I’m not bleeding.”
He stomped into the second boot, then rushed across the room and draped his arm around Paige’s shoulder. “Any more pain?”
“No more pain. Maybe it was just a false alarm. Who knows, it could have been severe gas pains.”
“Whatever it was, we aren’t taking any chances.” Jared lifted her into his arms again and carried her back to their bed. He jerked the covers off and wrapped the spread and blanket around her naked shoulders. “I’m calling the doctor right now.”
“Get me a gown and robe first, please.” She smiled weakly. Please, dear God, she prayed. Don’t let me have any more cramps. Don’t let me go into premature labor. I can’t lose our baby. I can’t lose Angela!
Jared helped her into a yellow flannel gown and matching quilted robe, then knelt beside the bed and slid her house slippers on her feet. Glancing up at her, he caressed her face. “Still all right?”
She nodded affirmatively. He kissed her on the forehead.
“That’s my girl,” he said. “What’s Petrocelli’s number?”
“Maybe we should wait. I hate to wake him in the middle of the night.”
“I’m not waiting.” Jared lifted the receiver from the phone on the nightstand. “What’s his number?”
“Here, let me dial the number. I know it by heart.”
Jared handed her the phone. She dialed the number, and when Dr. Petrocelli’s answering service picked up, she calmly explained what had happened. Jared pressed his ear to the back side of the phone, listening to the conversation.
“Ms. Summers, I think you should probably go straight to the hospital, but if you prefer, I’ll contact Dr. Petrocelli and have him call you. Do you live in town?”
“No, we live about twenty minutes out, on the mountain. Why, is there some problem?”
“I hope not,” the woman said. “But it’s snowing awfully hard out there, and the latest weather reports say this could be the first really bad storm of the winter season.”
Jared grabbed the phone out of Paige’s hand. “Tell Petrocelli not to waste any time calling us back. Tell him to meet us at the hospital. We’re leaving right now.” Jared slammed down the phone, then turned to an open-mouthed Paige. “You’ll need your boots and your heavy parka.”
“Jared, I don’t think this is necessary. I’m fine. I’m—” Paige gasped as aching ripples spread across her stomach.
“What’s wrong? Another pain?” He grabbed her by the shoulders.
Gritting her teeth, she bore the sharp, searing cramp. She clung to him, crying. “Something is wrong. Dreadfully wrong.”
Within minutes, he had dressed her warmly and put on his heavy coat, Stetson and leather gloves. He carried her downstairs and had her wait in the living room while he went outside and started the Jeep. The snow was falling so hard, he could barely see the cabin. He made his way back to the deck, following the beams from the floodlights he’d turned on before he went outside.
Grabbing the cotton throw off the sofa, he wrapped it around Paige, lifted her into his arms and carried her out to the Jeep.
“It’ll be warm in here in a minute,” he said. “Just sit tight, honey. We’re on our way. I’ll get you to the hospital as quick as I can.”
“But Jared, it’s snowing so hard. How will you be able to see the road?”
“I’ll get you off this goddamn mountain if I have to feel my way, all the way from here to Vanderbilt Memorial.”
His insides constricted. His hands trembled on the steering wheel. He couldn’t let Paige see how scared he was. And he was scared. Damn scared. He’d read half a dozen books on pregnancy and childbirth, and he knew severe abdominal cramping in a woman’s twenty-fourth week didn’t bode well. In most cases, labor at this stage of a woman’s pregnancy ended in a premature birth. And the baby’s chances for survival weren’t good.
Glancing at the windshield, he wondered why it hadn’t already defrosted, then he looked closer. Ice. Dammit! A thin layer of ice melted slowly from the glass. If there was ice on the windshield, then there would be ice on the roads. And ice under the snow would make the road down the mountain treacherous.
Gripping the steering wheel with white-knuckled ferocity, Jared closed his eyes momentarily and prayed. Let me get Paige to the hospital safely, where the doctor can take care of her. Please, please, don’t let anything happen to her and our baby.
The frigid December wind pounded the Jeep, swaying it from side to side. Even the powerful four-wheel drive was at the mercy of the winter storm, little more maneuverable than any other vehicle on the ice-slick mountain road. And with the windshield wipers swiping back and forth at high speed, Jared barely could see a foot in front of him. The strong headlight beams illuminated the snow shower and the white cocoon that enveloped them, but the lights could not penetrate the thick, opaque veil of falling snow.
Jared had turned the radio on, searching the stations for weather bulletins. But when he noticed how upset the storm warnings made Paige, he turned the radio off.
With one hand, Paige held together the cotton throw Jared had wrapped around her. With her other hand, she cupped her abdomen. According to the clock on the dashboard, they had been en route nearly fifteen minutes and she hadn’t suffered another cramp. That had to be a good sign, didn’t it? Although she suspected she had gone into premature labor, she couldn’t be sure. After all, she’d never been pregnant before, never gone into labor before. But what else could it be? What other possible explanation could there be for her cramps?
Paige couldn’t see the odometer from where she sat huddled on the passenger’s side of the Jeep, but she doubted they had traveled more than five miles. The road’s hazardous condition prevented Jared from driving any faster. He kept his eyes riveted to the windshield, and she wondered if he could see any better than she could. She hoped so, because she couldn’t see a thing, except a constantly moving, white curtain that obliterated the darkness.
Jared’s calm, controlled manner amazed her. He had taken charge in an authoritarian, no-nonsense way, and she had no doubt that he would get her safely to the hospital. Although she sat silently, praying with every breath she took, she was half crazy with worry. It took every ounce of her self-control not to burst into tears.
Jared glanced at her, taking his eyes off the road for a split second. The lighted instrument panel cast a dim glow inside the Jeep, revealing Paige’s huddled form. She looked so small, so pale and so very fragile, her long red hair falling in disarray around her shoulders. He wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms, but he couldn’t.
“Are you all right, honey?” He barely recognized the hoarse, unsteady voice as his own.
“I think so,” she said. “I’m doing a lot of praying, begging God not to let anything happen to Angela.”
“So am I, honey. So am I.”
He’d never been religious. Hell, he didn’t even think of himself as a spiritual person, not the way Grandpa Monty had been, a man one with the world around him. But tonight Jared wanted desperately to believe in a higher power that could protect his tiny, unborn daughter and keep her tucked safely inside her mother’s womb long enough for her to survive in the outside world.
Jared prayed. With every breath he took. With every beat of his heart. The thought of losing this baby tormented him. And so unbearable was the thought that something could happen to Paige, that he refused to even consider the possibility. He simply could not imagine his life without her.
Listening to the constant swish-swish-swish of the windshield wipers, Paige closed her heavy eyelids. Overcome by weariness and lulled by the repetitive sound, she dozed off into a light sleep.
The cramp hit her suddenly. Hard. Racking. Powerful. An aching pressure in her pelvis and lower back, spreadi
ng quickly down into her groin and thighs. Crying out in agony, she grabbed her stomach and doubled over in pain. Her fingers clawed into the seat belt that held her in place.
Stealing a glimpse of Paige’s tortured face, Jared tightened his hold on the steering wheel to steady his shaking hands.
“It’s bad, isn’t it, honey.” God, don’t do this! Don’t! Please, don’t.
“Yes. It’s bad.” Paige’s chin trembled. Her teeth chattered. Despite the warmth from the heater, she suddenly felt unnaturally cold. Pain sliced through her body like a deadly knife. “Jared!”
He eased his foot down on the brake pedal, slowly stopping the Jeep in the middle of the road. After shifting the gear to park and flipping on his emergency blinker, he turned to Paige. “We’re only a couple of miles from town.” He held out his hand. “Is there anything I can do? If there is, just tell me and I’ll do it.”
Biting down on her bottom lip, Paige grabbed Jared’s hand and squeezed it tightly. She counted to ten, and then ten again, waiting for the contraction to end. Sucking in small, deep breaths, she relaxed as the pain melted and gradually evaporated.
“I’m all right now,” she told him, clinging fiercely to his big hand. “The pain’s gone. I’m sorry I cried out that way. The pain was terrible and I was so scared.” She gazed at him through tear-filled eyes. “Oh, God, I’m still scared.”
He gave her hand a quick, hard squeeze, then released it. “Keep telling yourself that everything is going to be all right. You’re going to be fine, and so is Angela.”
Hurriedly, he flipped off the emergency blinker, shifted the gear into drive and pressed his foot down on the gas pedal. “We should be at the hospital in another ten or fifteen minutes.” Damn this weather! Damn the blinding, never-ending snow! When they entered downtown, he couldn’t even see the traffic lights until he was almost under them. He spotted several empty stalled cars and trucks, some barely pulled off the side of the road.
What the hell! The red Bronco came from out of nowhere, its headlights piercing through the snow veil as it neared the Jeep. The other vehicle was headed straight toward them. Jared cursed loudly. Paige screamed.
Turning the steering wheel to the right, slowly easing his foot down on the brake, he guided the Jeep off the side of the road and onto a snow-covered embankment. He brought the Jeep to an uneasy stop just as the red Bronco swerved back into the left lane and drove on past them.
“Damn, stupid fool!” Jared unbuckled his seat belt and reached for Paige.
She trembled from head to toe, her big brown eyes staring straight ahead but seeing nothing. Jared grabbed her by the shoulders.
“Paige, are you all right?” When she didn’t respond, just keep staring sightless out the window, he shook her gently. “Paige, dammit, snap out of it! Don’t you dare go into shock or—” His voice cracked. “Come on, honey. We didn’t wreck. We’re safe.” He caressed her cheek tenderly.
Paige blinked several times, then breathed deeply. “Hurry, Jared. Please. I can feel another contraction starting.”
Within five minutes, he pulled the Jeep up at the hospital’s emergency entrance, removed Paige from her seat and carried her into the ER. He refused to release Paige when the nurses offered to help her into a wheelchair.
“Just show me where to take her!” he demanded “Is Petrocelli here?”
“Follow me,” the young blond nurse said. “Dr. Petrocelli arrived just moments ago.”
* * *
Jared paced the ER waiting room like a madman, anger and fear welling up inside him until he thought he’d explode. What the hell was taking so long? Why hadn’t a doctor, a nurse—anyone—come out and told him something? He hadn’t wanted to leave Paige. When she’d clung to his hand so tightly, it had almost killed him to pull his hand from hers and walk out of the examining room.
Glancing at the large utilitarian black-and-white clock on the wall, he couldn’t believe it was after four in the morning. He checked the time on his watch—four-thirty-one—and noted the date. December 6. Exactly six months since the day he and Paige met. Exactly six months since they had made mad, passionate love in a stalled elevator during a power blackout caused by another powerful storm. Exactly six months since they had created a child together—a child whose life hung in the balance this winter morning.
“Mr. Montgomery,” the nurse called.
He rushed toward her, halting at the entrance to the hallway leading to the examination cubicles.
“Dr. Petrocelli would like to speak to you,” she said.
“How is Paige? Is she all right? What about the baby?” Jared ran a trembling hand over his face.
“The doctor will answer all your questions. Come with me, please.”
Tony Petrocelli met Jared in the hallway, placed his hand on Jared’s shoulder and looked him square in the eye.
“The news isn’t good, is it.” Jared asked.
Tony narrowed his dark eyes and shook his head. “I wish I could tell you that you don’t have anything to worry about.”
“Just give it to me straight.”
“Paige is in labor.”
“Can’t you stop it?”
“We can try,” Tony said. “But I can’t make any guarantees. Believe it or not, things could be worse. Paige isn’t bleeding. The membranes are intact and the cervix hasn’t dilated.”
“What are you doing to stop the labor pains?”
“She’s had only one other contraction since you brought her in, and she said it was mild compared to the others she had, so all we’re going to do is monitor her and—”
“What the hell do you mean all you’re going to do is monitor her?” Jared bellowed. “If you aren’t going to do anything for her, I’ll have her transferred by helicopter to Denver!”
“Jared, they can’t do any more for Paige in Denver than we can here. Of course, if you and Paige want to—”
“I’m sorry. I—I— Dammit man, can’t you understand what I’m going through? That woman and that child are my life. Without them—” Jared choked on the lump that lodged in his throat.
Tony clamped his hand down hard on Jared’s shoulder. “Under normal circumstances, when a woman goes into premature labor and her condition is similar to Paige’s—carrying one fetus, no bleeding, no dilation—hospitalized bed rest alone, without medication, will check the contractions.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“Then we may have to administer a drug that can relax the uterus. I prefer not to use tocolytic agents, except when there is no alternative. New research has raised questions about their safety and effectiveness.”
“Is Paige in any danger?” Jared had not wanted to even consider the possibility, let alone voice it aloud. But he had to know. If anything happened to Paige…
“Physically, she should come through this just fine, regardless of what happens. Emotionally, it could be very difficult for her if she loses the baby. Paige wants this child very much.”
“So, you’re saying Paige isn’t in any danger?”
“There are certain risks involved in every pregnancy,” Tony explained. “Barring any complications, Paige should be all right. But I’m not God, Jared. I can’t give you any one hundred percent guarantees.”
“I understand.” No guarantees that the labor would stop. No guarantees that if Angela was born now she could survive. No guarantees that there was no danger to Paige.
“I’m having Paige moved into a private room,” Tony said. “We’ll monitor her closely. The next thirty-six hours are crucial. She needs to be completely free of any worries or concerns. Bed rest and complete relaxation are essential.”
“Do you have any idea what caused her to go into premature labor?” Had it been his fault? Had their frequent, passionate lovemaking triggered her labor? Or had the stress she’d endured during the earlier months of her pregnancy created problems?
“In most cases, we don’t really understand what causes labor to begin early. Although there are s
everal possible causes, I don’t think any of them apply in Paige’s case. She doesn’t smoke, drink or use drugs. She’s young, healthy and free of disease.”
“Could stress have caused this…or—” Jared cleared his throat “—having frequent sex.”
Tony Petrocelli’s lips twitched. He looked sympathetically at Jared. “Both stress and sexual intercourse are possible causes in some cases, but not in most. There’s no way to say for certain, but in Paige’s case, I’d say probably not.”
“May I see her?” Jared asked, his eyes pleading.
Tony patted Jared on the back. “As far as I’m concerned, you can stay with Paige twenty-four hours a day until she leaves the hospital.”
A hard knot formed in Jared’s throat, preventing him from speaking. Tears welled up in his eyes. He grabbed the doctor’s hand, shook it and then released it quickly. Turning around, he ran up the hallway.
“Jared?” Tony called out.
“Yes?” Jared paused.
“There is a chance, regardless of what we do, that the labor won’t stop. If that happens…I’ve already alerted the neonatal center in Denver to be ready, just in case.”
Cold, deadly fear shivered through Jared’s body. “If she’s born now, what are our little girl’s chances?”
“A damn sight better than they would have been only a few years ago.”
“But?”
“But still not good for a twenty-four week preemie.”
Jared nodded his head, then turned and walked down the hall. Just as he neared Paige’s ER cubicle, they wheeled her bed through the door.
“Jared…” Her voice was weak and soft and needy.
Clasping her hand in his, he trotted alongside as they rolled her out of the ER and into an elevator. After what seemed like an eternity, the nurses cleared out of Paige’s private room and left the two of them alone.
Leaning over the bed, Jared kissed Paige’s forehead. “Everything is going to be all right. Dr. Petrocelli said a few days’ bed rest here in the hospital and you and Angela are going to be just fine.”
Paige tried to smile, but the effort failed. She gripped Jared’s hand. “I love you, you know. I think I’ve loved you from the first moment I saw you. I thought you were just a cowboy. A big, handsome cowboy with a smile that turned my knees to jelly.”
Nine Months Page 21