Popi breathed through the contraction like she’d learned to do at her prenatal class. All the while, frantic thoughts raced through her mind. One worrisome thought proceeded the next.
Her sweaty palms rubbed over the blanket. Nothing about this delivery was right. It was too soon. She wasn’t ready. Not even close. There was so much to do.
This wasn’t how any of this was supposed to be. Her sister was supposed to be here by her side. This was supposed to be a joyous occasion. Not frightening and tinged with sadness.
The pain rose like a wave increasing with each heartbeat. And then it crested. It felt like it would go on forever. And then it rolled away, subsiding into nothing. At last Popi could breathe easily again.
She leaned back against the pillows and savored this pain-free moment. Maybe if she relaxed and didn’t move, the contractions would stop. And then she remembered that her water had broken. There was no way out of this one. Birth was imminent.
But if it would slow down, that would be awesome. She needed off this island and quickly. Why did she insist on staying? Why?
She had to get it together for the baby. And for Apollo. He made a point of acting tough for her, but she could see in his eyes that he was afraid of this premature birth. He wasn’t the only one.
This was her fault. She shouldn’t have been lifting things yesterday. At the time, they hadn’t been that heavy. She hadn’t thought she was doing anything wrong. She’d just wanted to get the work over with so she could go home and rest.
She should have listened to Apollo when he’d told her to stop doing things. She should have gone to the mainland with everyone else. She should have been more prepared.
The regrets and—
Pain started again in her midsection, putting a halt to her rambling thoughts. The shortness between the contractions didn’t escape her attention. She grabbed her phone so she could start timing them.
As the pain increased, she used the skills she’d learned from the midwife on the island and the prenatal class. She desperately tried to recall everything they’d told her. She just never thought she would be having the baby here.
She knew at nine minutes apart, she would still have some time before the baby. They needed all the time they could get to get off this island and to the hospital on the mainland.
She’d truly thought she would have more time before going into labor. This was her first baby and everyone had assured her that first babies were notoriously late. This baby apparently didn’t want to be like everyone else, as it was coming a couple of weeks early—eager to put its stamp upon this world. And there was nothing and no one to stop it.
Now that the panic over the impending arrival of the baby was subsiding, she knew that she couldn’t just lie here. The storm wasn’t letting up—
Thunk!
Something heavy had hit the roof before rolling away. Popi glanced upward. She was relieved that there was no hole in the roof. The winds howled as greenery smacked the side of the bungalow. The storm wasn’t letting up. In fact, it was getting worse.
With the tiny kitten cowering in her arms, she said, “Don’t worry, Shadow. We’ll be okay.”
She had to get to the storm shutters on the windows and close them. The problem with that was they were on the outside of the bungalow. And she didn’t relish the idea of heading out into the storm. But with Apollo already off trying to reach the mainland, that only left her.
She placed the kitten in a pile of blankets. “Stay there. I’ll be back.”
And so she struggled to her feet and headed for the door. It was pitch-black out. Definitely not a good sign. And the thought of Apollo being out there, alone, worried her.
He just had to be safe. She prayed he would return to her unharmed. She didn’t know how she’d get through this without him.
He may have made mistakes in the past. And he may not have been there for his family when he should have been, but he wasn’t the same man her sister had told her about.
The old Apollo—she could imagine him heading for the door at the first sign of trouble. He wouldn’t have stayed with her, cooked for her and risked his life trying to get her help.
Maybe he wasn’t exactly doing all of this for her, but he was doing it for the baby. At last he was learning that being part of a family meant being there for the good and the not-so-good.
Nile would be proud of his brother. She was proud of Apollo. She just wished he’d hurry back. With each passing minute, her worry escalated.
* * *
The fierce wind and rain stung his face.
The night was pitch-black.
Apollo squinted, trying to see where he was going. He stumbled over a tree root but somehow managed to stay upright. With the power outage, there were no lights to mark the path.
Apollo refused to be stopped. Walking against the fierce winds made each step a challenge. But in his mind’s eye, he saw Popi’s face contorted in pain and he remembered his father’s mutterings that if they had gone to the hospital sooner, his mother might have lived. Apollo didn’t know if that was true or not, but he also knew getting help as soon as possible was most definitely in everyone’s best interest.
Thankfully he’d been down to the marina a number of times that day, hauling the overflow items that wouldn’t fit in the island’s warehouse. The extras were shipped to the mainland to be stored at another location. At the time, he hadn’t been thrilled about taking trip after trip to the dock, but now he was grateful that he was able to draw on those memories to navigate his way in the dark.
It wasn’t until he made it down to the marina that there was some light. He didn’t know how. The rest of the island was cast in darkness. But down here, light reflected off the dock and the boats. There must be some sort of backup generator. Whatever it was, he was extremely grateful.
Because the storm had stirred the sea into a frenzy. The normally serene water now moved toward the island in swells, with white caps that crashed upon the shore. The anchored boats moved to and fro, straining against their moorings. It was a miracle they hadn’t broken free.
The rain was now coming in sheets. He was soaked to the bone. And he was cold, but he brushed off his discomfort. This was the most important thing he’d done in his life. If he didn’t get help, Popi and the baby might die.
That thought sent an additional flood of adrenaline rushing through his body. Once on the dock, he was left with the decision of how to get on a swiftly moving boat. And on top of it was the fact that the deck was wet. So even if he made the jump, who was to say that his feet wouldn’t slip off the edge. His body tensed. It would not end well if he were caught between the boat and dock.
Once he decided upon a boat, he studied it. In. Out. In. Out.
At least the boat appeared to be moving at a predictable speed. Before he could talk himself out of this, he jumped. Grabbing a rail and holding on for his life. For a moment, he didn’t move, as he struggled to gain his footing.
And then he moved cautiously from the stern of the small yacht toward the bow. It was easy enough for him to find the control room. He wiped the rain from his face before swiping his dripping wet hair back, out of the way.
Once he turned the lights on, he went to work. With all of the adventures he’d experienced over the years, boating hadn’t been one of them. He’d just never gotten to it. When it came to his excursions, he’d always favored the kind where he was physically challenged. When he thought of boating, he thought of lazy days on the deck, enjoying the sunshine. Obviously there was more to boating than he’d first assumed.
A strong current struck the boat. Apollo lost his balance. His shoulder hit the corner of a cabinet. That was going to hurt in the morning.
All he knew now was that he had to radio for help because there was no way he could deliver a baby. He didn’t know the first thing about childbirth.
Another wave struck the boat, sending him stumbling to the floor. He didn’t have much time before this yacht broke free of the dock. And there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to make sure Popi and the baby were safe.
CHAPTER TWELVE
THE BUNGALOW WAS SECURED.
But Apollo hadn’t returned.
With every passing minute, Popi’s concern for him mounted. She should have insisted he stay here. It wasn’t fit for man or beast out there. But it wasn’t like he would listen to her. It hadn’t taken her very long to deduce that he was a stubborn man.
The door flung open. Apollo stepped inside. Wind rushed into the room, sending the kitten scurrying away. With effort, Apollo closed the door, shutting out the storm. He kicked off his wet shoes.
He was drenched with rivulets of rain racing down his face. She tossed him a towel that she’d used earlier to wipe off after venturing outside. He swiped it over his face before running it over his hair.
Holding the towel to his chest, his gaze turned to her. “How are you?”
She pressed a hand to her rounded abdomen. “Still pregnant.”
“And the contractions? Did they stop?”
She shook her head. “They’re coming at seven minutes apart.”
“What does that mean?”
She shrugged. “I think there’s still time to get to the hospital if this storm would let up.” Now it was time for her to ask a question. “Were you able to reach anyone?”
He nodded but his gaze didn’t quite meet hers. “I did—”
“You did? That’s great!” But the look on his face said otherwise. “When will they be here?”
“They won’t be.”
“What? But why?”
“The storm is a lot worse than we thought. They can’t get to us via sea or air until this storm is over.”
“Oh.” Another contraction stole her voice away.
Apollo rushed to her side. He grunted in pain as he knelt down next to her, but she couldn’t ask him about it—not yet. He took her hand in his. His hand was dry but his skin was cold to the touch. The wave of pain rose...rose...and crested. And then it was slow to ebb away.
When the pain fully passed, she sighed. “I can’t believe the pain is going to get worse. This feels plenty bad right now.”
“Don’t think about it. You’re doing great.”
“I sure don’t feel like it.”
He gave her hand a quick squeeze before he released it. As he went to straighten, she noticed his cargo shorts had risen up slightly on his muscular thighs. That was when she noticed a long scar starting near his knee and snaking up under his clothes. It was still pink, as though the scar were recent.
Once fully upright, he said, “I’ll be right back. I need to get out of these clothes.” He turned toward the bedroom but then paused and turned back. “Do you need anything first?”
She shook her head. “I’m good. Thanks.”
The truth was she had a lot of questions for him. She wanted to know when this storm was going to move on. She wanted to know if he got any other information from the mainland. And she wanted to know about the scar on his leg. Did it have something to do with why he’d missed his own brother’s funeral?
Seconds ticked away as Popi flipped through her pregnancy book, gleaning any information that would help them. She wondered if there was any way to delay this delivery until help reached them. She didn’t recall reading anything like that, but maybe she missed it. Originally she’d been planning to stay with her sister in the city. And when that plan had fallen through, she’d made the backup plan to stay with her parents. At this point, they didn’t even know that she was in labor, and she had no way of telling them.
Apollo entered the room again. His gaze moved to the kitchen island. “You didn’t want to eat?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t think it was a good idea under the circumstances.”
He nodded in understanding.
“You can go ahead and eat,” she said. “In fact, I insist.”
“That’s okay.”
But she knew it wasn’t. He had to be starving, especially with his hike to the marina. “Please eat. You don’t know how long we’re going to be here.”
His hesitant gaze moved between her and the food.
“Go ahead,” she said.
His worried gaze turned back to her. “Shouldn’t you eat something too?”
She shook her head. “I’m good.”
He moved to the counter. “You know I feel really guilty about eating when you aren’t.”
That touched her. “Tell you what, after this baby is born, I’m going to be starved. You can feed me then.” She thought it would make him feel better, but instead the worry reflected in his eyes was now written all over his face.
“You bet.” His voice lacked enthusiasm. “Anything you want.”
Another contraction stole her voice. She sucked in her breath, holding it. She leaned forward and squeezed her eyes closed as the pain increased. She willed the pain to go away, but it seemed like the pain grew in strength and length as her labor progressed. Would she be able to hold out until help reached them?
The next thing she knew, there were hands on her back. She opened her eyes in surprise to find Apollo kneeling next to her. His big hands and long fingers gently kneaded her back.
“Breath in,” he reminded her. His voice was deep and soothing.
She did as he said.
“And breath out.” All the while, his hands moved over her aching back. “Now again.” He breathed with her as though they were in this together.
After a while, the pain slowly ebbed away. She leaned back on the mound of pillows. “How did you know how to do that?”
“I did a little research while I waited for you to return from the wedding. I had a lot of time to kill and knew nothing about pregnancy. I wanted some idea of what to expect.”
She looked at Apollo with a new kind of appreciation. There was definitely more to this man that anyone ever gave him credit for. She wondered what else there was to him. Because the more time she spent with him, the more curious she became.
“So, tell me about yourself,” she said.
He shook his head. “There’s not much to say.”
“Really? I’d think there would be quite a lot to tell.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing you’d be interested in.”
Why was he so insistent on putting her off? He was an adventurer. He’d been to more places on earth than she could ever imagine going. She would have thought he would be full of stories—of conquests. She would imagine him at pubs, entertaining the men and women with his brave and daring feats.
And needing something to concentrate on besides the inevitable next wave of pain and whether help would reach them before this baby decided to make its appearance, she had to get him talking. Besides, if they were to co-parent, she wanted to know exactly what sort of man she was getting involved with—in a purely platonic sort of way. Though the thought of something more between them was certainly very tempting—even if it was completely out of the question.
She patted a spot on the mattress next to her. “Come sit beside me.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not? It’s not like there are a lot of other seats around here, with the furniture already moved to the warehouse.”
His hesitant gaze moved from her to the spot next to her. Still, he made no motion to move. “Maybe I should—”
“Entertain me.” When he sent her a puzzled look, she said, “I’m serious. Come talk to me so I don’t sit here and think about how soon the next contraction will hit me.”
Still, he didn’t move.
“Please.” She pleaded with her eyes. “After all, I’m doing all of the hard work here.”
That seemed
to have done it. The next thing she knew, the mattress dipped as he lowered himself next to her. It wasn’t until then that she realized just how small the mattress was. Apollo’s thigh brushed up against hers, sending her heart aflutter. Which was totally insane, considering she was getting ready to give birth. But she was beginning to think there wasn’t anything that could keep her from noticing Apollo and his sexiness.
She swallowed hard. “So, um, tell me about one of your adventures.”
“Is that really what you want to talk about?”
She nodded, not trusting her voice.
“I’ve visited the Amazon rainforest. I was there for a few months.”
“Months?” When he nodded in confirmation, she asked, “You mean out in the jungle, with all of those insects and snakes?” Her nose curled up at the thought of pitching a tent and having some creepy-crawly come curl up with her.
Apollo let out a soft rumble of laughter.
Her gaze met his, and it was then that she realized just how close he was. He was so close that it would be nothing for her to lean over and press her lips to his. Her gaze momentarily dipped to his mouth. She remembered just how skilled he was at kissing. And as tempting as the thought was, now was certainly not the time. There wasn’t a chance he could find her attractive as he ran a cloth across her forehead. He’d probably never find her attractive again. She smothered a sigh.
“Popi?” His voice startled her from her rousing thoughts.
And it came just as another contraction ruined this perfectly nice moment. She turned away and ground her back teeth together. The breath hitched in her throat as she braced for the pain to reach its peak.
Apollo took her hand in his. His thumb stroked gently over the back of her hand. “Remember to breathe through the pain.” His voice was gentle. “That’s it. In. And out. In. And out.”
And then he did the breathing with her. It touched her heart that he was trying so hard to be there for her. Neither one of them were sure exactly what they were doing. And as this pain was worse than the last, she knew the chance of the storm letting up and allowing help to reach them before this baby made its grand entrance was slipping away with each passing contraction.
Claiming the Drakos Heir Page 9