Special Delivery (Mountain Meadow Homecoming 1) (7 page)

“Buckle up. This could be an interesting ride home.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Have you talked to your sister to let her know you’re on the way?” Jake put the truck in gear. When Tyler didn’t respond, he glanced over and saw the boy shift. “Tyler? Did you call her?”

“Our phone’s shut off.”

Jake started to swear, remembered the boy sitting next to him, and bit his tongue, smacking his palm against the steering wheel instead. “You mean to tell me your stubborn sister is all alone out there on bed rest with no way to call anyone?”

“Yes.” Tyler’s voice shook. “We couldn’t pay it, so they cut it off last week.”

Last
week
? Why hadn’t she said anything? He’d been by several times. Did she mistrust him so much? Jake pressed his lips together. “Okay, okay. We’ll get you home, then come hell or high water, I’m taking you and your sister out of there tonight. Even with a phone, I’m not sure any help could get to y’all in an emergency.” Thinking of the protective order, he added, “You can stay with me until you find someplace closer in where Holly can get help if she needs it.” And by God, if she bowed up on him, he’d carry her out over his shoulder, pregnant or not.

As they set off, Jake realized he was doing what Jenny had angled for at her party. He realized something else. It didn’t matter. He couldn’t let Holly and her brother stay in that piece-of-shit house any longer. The place should have fallen in years ago.

* * * *

How long had it been since the last contraction? Holly huddled in the bathroom. She’d been sick a couple of times as the contractions rolled through her. The pains came harder and faster, and now she wasn’t sure just how much time she had. She put clean towels on her bed and boiled water. What the water was for she had no idea, but it seemed like people always wanted boiling water when they screamed about birthing babies in the movies.

She checked her watch. Five o’clock. She’d been in labor about four hours. Not very long. She remembered other women at Doc Owens’s talking about being in labor for twelve hours and more. She checked her watch as the next contraction hit. Less than five minutes. The freezing rain hit the windowpanes with an ominous ticking noise.

For the first time, unease stirred and with it the realization she was in very real trouble.

When she heard a vehicle outside, she braced one arm on the edge of the tub and tried to stand, but she was tired. As she shifted one more time, something popped and was followed by a gush of warm liquid that drenched her clothing and left her gaping in horror. The front door opened and Tyler called to her.

“Holly? Where are you?”

Another contraction hit, and she moaned.

* * * *

Jake pushed into the house right behind Tyler and stomped the snow off his boots. He heard Holly’s moan as soon as the door shut. He took in the scissors and string on the table, the pot of water on the stove, the towels and a book on pregnancy and birth. Dropping the box he carried into the chair next to the door, Jake shot past Tyler.

“Holly!” Fear drove him down the hall.

She knelt on the floor of the bathroom in a puddle. His throat ached. Her eyes swallowed her pale face. He had seen the look before: pure, unadulterated fear. For soldiers, it could be deadly, and Jake had no doubt this could be just as dangerous.
Calm down.
He had to be the strong one because she must be scared spitless.

“Holly, honey, it’s Jake,” he murmured, not sure how aware she was. “You need me to help you?”

She nodded. “My water just broke, but I’ve been in labor for a while.” She sucked in a shaky breath. “Oh, Jake. Thank God you’re here.”

He picked her up, mindless of her wet clothing, and carried her down the hall to the room he assumed belonged to her. He was relieved to see the bedcovers turned back and towels already covering the sheets. He glanced at her with new respect. She’d prepared to get through this on her own. As he settled her on top of the towels, he asked, “How long have you been having pains?”

“They started around one.”

He glanced at his watch. About five hours. “How far apart are they?”

She swallowed and whispered, “The last ones were three minutes.”

Jake pulled out his phone, checked to see he had a signal, and punched a button. It rang just two times. “Doc? It’s Jake.”

“Hmm, you’re calling me Doc, so this must be business.”

“It is. I’m at Holly’s house. I brought Tyler home. She’s in labor. About five hours. Pains three minutes apart.”

“Shit.” There was a pause and then she said, “Why didn’t she call someone? No. Never mind that now. Think you can deliver a baby?”

“Uhh, Jen…we covered the basics in training, but I’ve never done it.”

“Jake, I’m at home and stuck. If you move her on this ice and get stranded, the situation could go from bad to worse—life-threatening worse for her and the baby.”

Jake closed his eyes then opened them to stare at the ice hitting the windowpane with its rhythmic
tick
,
tick
.

“Give me a refresher. Her water’s already broken.”

“How’s she holding up?”

“Other than being scared, breathing and color seem okay. I haven’t checked her pulse.”

“It’ll be elevated. I’m not so worried about that. Has she said anything about feeling the need to push?”

“No.”

“Chances are she’s not fully dilated yet. Clean her, get her changed, and make her comfortable. Check to see if you can see the baby’s head, then give me a call.”

Jake punched End and stared at the blank phone screen. What the fuck? He was barely on a first-name basis with Holly and Jenny wanted him to… He looked at Holly’s pale face and wide eyes. Jake blew out a deep breath. Time to put his personal interests aside. This was professional. Right. And he was no doctor.

“Holly?” Tyler’s voice came from the doorway. His face was pinched and pale as he took in her soiled clothing. “What’s wrong? It’s too soon for the baby, isn’t it?”

Jake heard the edge of hysteria in the boy’s voice and realized he must be thinking about losing his parents the year before. Now the only family member left was bloody and in pain.

“It’s okay.” Holly’s smile vanished as another contraction slammed into her. “Just a little early. No big deal.” She panted and closed her eyes as if to hide her fear from her brother.

So Jake smiled. “Your niece, Uncle Tyler, has decided it’s time to be born, and she and Holly will need our help. Can you be a big man and do that?”

Tyler straightened his thin shoulders. “Y-yes. Yes. I can.”

“Good. I just got off the phone with Doc Owens. She says we need to get Holly cleaned up and make her comfortable. Can you find me a nightgown?”

“Yeah.” Tyler went to the chest of drawers and pulled out an oversize T-shirt. “Here you go. It’s what she usually sleeps in.”

Holly lay against the pillows, sweat beading her brow. She must be so tired, and he felt nearly helpless to change that.

“Great, buddy. Now get me a warm washcloth and a clean towel so Holly can wash.” As soon as Tyler left the room, Jake stripped off his jacket. “Can you clean up, or do you need help?”

Her gaze slid away from his. “I—I’m going to need some help.”

Jake skimmed her cheek with his fingertips. “Now’s not the time to be embarrassed. You and I are gonna get to know each other a whole lot better in the next few hours. Doc says not to move you.”

Holly’s eyes widened. “Have you done this before?”

“No,” he admitted. And he wasn’t sure he wanted to do it now, but he couldn’t tell her.

She smiled, weariness plain on her face. “Couldn’t you lie to make me feel better?”

He stroked the hair off her face. “No. We need to be straight with each other about what’s going on. It’s the only way to get you, the baby, and Tyler through it too.” And me, his internal voice shouted.

Holly nodded. Her expression relaxed somewhat. If she still didn’t quite trust him, she at least didn’t look petrified anymore.

Tyler returned and handed them the cloths.

“Thanks, man. Say, if you’ve got any coffee around here. I could use a pot.”

“There’s some in the freezer,” Holly said. “You remember how to make it, Tyler?”

“Yeah.”

Jake grinned. “Then get to it while I help Holly.”

As soon as Tyler left the room, Jake hefted her to her feet, supporting her with one arm while he helped her remove the damp nightgown with his other. He wiped her, patted her dry, and then slipped the clean shirt over her head.

As much as he tried to be objective and impersonal about the whole process, his insides were in a knot. He’d never seen a pregnant woman’s body before and he marveled at all the changes. When he looked into her face, she blushed and looked away.

“Don’t, Holly,” he blurted. “You’re beautiful.” Jake felt heat in his cheeks, but he refused to look away. She was pretty. She needed to know that.

Her laugh was half sob. While she sat in the chair near the bed, Jake put additional towels over the mattress. He’d never seen a human baby born, but he had helped with cattle births on the farm when he was a kid and knew clean and easy weren’t necessarily part of the process. When he was done, he helped her onto the bed just as another contraction began. He sat next to her and held her hand. How the hell was he going to do this?

“Doc said I should make you comfortable. Would you rather sit on the bed or move around a bit?”

Holly’s eyes were so bright they almost glowed. “Sit for now. Have Tyler get the extra pillows out of his closet. I’m so tired. I guess the pains I’ve had since yesterday weren’t false labor like I thought.”

“If you’ll be all right for a few minutes, I’m just gonna check on Tyler, and then I need to call Doc and the chief. I’ll bring those pillows, too.”

Holly laid a hand on his arm, and he stopped to look at her.

“Thanks, Jake. I know you didn’t expect this, but I can’t tell you how glad I am you’re here. I thought…”

He squeezed her hand. “You thought you were going to have to do it by yourself.”

She let out a relieved breath. “Yeah.”

He grinned. “You’da done it, too.”

* * * *

The weather deteriorated as the night wore on. The
tick
,
tick
,
tick
of freezing rain continued to beat against the windows and onto the rusted tin roof. In a strange way, Holly found it soothing, like being cocooned inside the small house.

Jake’s presence was more reassuring than she might have imagined. He sent Tyler out to his truck to bring in the emergency kit he kept in the backseat and then had her brother fill two of the collapsible five-gallon water containers he pulled from the kit. Tyler gave him a questioning look.

“Why ya having me get all this water?”

“In case the power goes out, buddy. If you lose power, you’ll lose the well pump—so no water. After you’ve filled the containers, fill the tub, too. I’m gonna call Chief Jones to let him know where I am and talk to Doc Owens.”

He sat in the chair next to her bed to make his calls. Holly shifted position, rolling to her feet awkwardly. When Jake started to rise, she waved him back.

“I’m okay. I just need to move around some.”

While she walked around the room, she listened to Jake’s end of the conversation with Chief Jones. The weather situation was worsening. Jake pinched the bridge of his nose while he listened.

“Look, I’m sorry to leave you in the lurch like this. I know it’s not our jurisdiction…”

When he hung up a few minutes later, Holly said, “If being here is getting you in trouble…”

He glared. “Don’t even finish that sentence. Ernie told me to stay right here. Sam and his deputies can cover until I get back.” He studied her belly. “You doing okay?”

Holly nodded. “A little tired.” Another contraction started, so she held onto the bedpost and rode it out. She knew Jake was worried. She tried to smile. Then he surprised her by coming around to rub her shoulders and her back.

“That help?”

“Yes.” Another stronger contraction doubled her over. “I think I need to sit, and Jake?”

“What?”

“I think you should call Doc again. I feel like I need to push.”

Jake helped her to bed, propped her with the pillows, and left the covers over her. This wasn’t how Holly had pictured the birth of her baby. This man was little more than a stranger, but as he moved around her with easy grace, his hair falling over his brow and his gaze flicking her way with concern, she realized if Doc Owens couldn’t be here, she was glad Jake was.

He was on the phone with Doc. He listened for a few moments, huffed out a breath, and ran his fingers through his hair before he said, “Yeah, I’d already kind of figured that, Jen.” He paused an instant and then handed the phone to her. “Doc wants to talk to you. I’ve got to go scrub.”

“Hi, Doc.”

“You okay with this, Holly?”

She smiled as Jake left the room. “I don’t have a lot of choice, but yes. Jake’s doing a great job.”

“Good. I know you’re a little uncomfortable with people you don’t know, but he’s a good guy. You’re going to be pretty busy here in the next little bit. Just keep in mind everything Jake does is to help you and the baby. Okay?”

“Yes. I feel like I need to push.”

“Sounds like you’re close. Let me talk to Jake again.”

He had just returned from the bathroom and used a towel to grab the phone from her. After a minute or two he held it out to her. “Hit the End button, please.”

That’s when the lights went out. Jake swore, and Holly’s heart skipped a beat. As if he sensed that flutter of panic, Jake squeezed her knee. The gentle pressure reassured her.

“Tyler?” he called calmly.

“Yeah?”

“Get in my emergency kit. You’ll find two flashlights, some candles and matches. Bring them here, please.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tyler walked in with a flashlight beam already bobbing in front of him. In another minute, several candles cast a soft glow around the room. Jake’s lips quirked. “Someday you’ll have some great stories to tell your little girl.”

Holly’s laugh cut off as another strong contraction started.

“I need to take a look to see how close we are to the real work.” He glanced at her. “Still feel like you need to push?”