I call Jake, this time audio and no video.

“Hey, babe. It’s taking me a lot longer to get to the hospital because of the snow. I’m on the freeway, but we’re crawling along here. It looks like I’m still about twenty minutes out. Are you there yet? How are the roads?”

“What’s your next exit?” I survey the scene and glance at the clock on the dash. I need to start timing these contractions.

“Is everything okay?”

“We’re stuck at an intersection. Hold on. Contraction.” I clench my teeth and focus on breathing as it hits.

“Hanna? What the heck is going on? Where are you?”

“Dad, there was an accident,” Queenie says.

“You were in an accident?” I hear the panic in his voice.

“No. We’re fine. There was an accident, but we weren’t involved. It’s blocking the intersection so we can’t get around them. I don’t know if I should try another route or not.” Queenie looks to me, her uncertainty evident.

I shake my head. “No. Don’t do that. I don’t know if we’re going to make it to the hospital before this baby arrives.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Hang on, Baby, It’s a Bumpy Ride

Jake

THERE IS NO way in hell I’m missing the birth of my son. I nearly missed it the first time around. That’s not going to happen again. Queenie tells me what intersection they’re at and I get off the freeway. I’m only ten minutes from where they are, but people are driving like idiots and I’m trying to be careful while also trying to get there before my son makes his appearance in the world.

I want to switch to video chat, but Hanna doesn’t want my attention divided between her and the road. Which I understand, but still.

A handful of minutes later, I hear the telltale sound of sirens through the phone.

“Oh, thank God. The ambulance is here and so are the fire department and the police.”

“I’m going to flag someone down and see if we can’t get some help,” Queenie declares.

“Good plan,” Hanna pants through what I assume is another contraction. “I can’t believe I’m not going to be able to have an epidural again.” She groans loudly.

“I’m going to be there in a few minutes, okay? Do you think you can hold on that long?”

“I’m going to try my best, but it feels like this guy wants out in a big way.”

I make it within a block of the accident, but barricades have been set up, preventing me from getting to Hanna by vehicle. I park like an asshole and run the rest of the way to her.

The EMTs are in the process of moving her from the SUV to the back of the ambulance when I reach the scene. “Hey! That’s my girlfriend,” I shout.

“Dad, oh, thank God you made it on time!” Queenie gives me a hug and then shoves me in the direction of the ambulance. “I’ll meet you at the hospital.”

An attendant gives me a hand up when Hanna tells them I’m the father and that she definitely wants me with her. And then we’re off, heading toward the hospital, sirens blaring and lights flashing.

“I’m so glad you made it.” She squeezes my hand, and her warm smile turns into a grimace, her grip tightening until it feels like my fingers are at risk of breaking.

“Wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” I kiss her sweaty forehead. “I’m here. I’ve got you.”

“I really wanted a goddamn epidural this time,” she says through gritted teeth.

“You’ve got this. Just breathe through it.”

“Easy for you to say. You’re not pushing a watermelon out of your vagina.” She smiles for a second and then groans again.

“I’m sorry I did this to you.” I let her use my hand as a stress toy.

“I’m not. There’s no one else I can imagine having a baby with in a freak Seattle snowstorm.”

By the time we make it to the hospital, the contractions are right on top of each other. One barely waning before another hits. The doctor is waiting at the doors for us, and we rush down the hall.

“You’re a badass, Hanna,” I tell her as she tries to pulverize my hand for the hundredth time. “A beautiful badass.”

“I probably look like a hot mess.”

“Just hot, minus the mess.”

“You’re such a liar, Jake, but I love you anyway.”

She breathes her way through another contraction.

I don’t know if she’s even realized what she said. I wanted to tell her the same thing earlier, but I didn’t want the first time I said those words to be over the phone.

“Not a liar at all, and I love you, too.” I kiss the back of her hand and her gaze shoots to mine, eyes flaring a little.

She smiles for a moment, but it quickly contorts into something pained. “This baby is coming now,” she tells the doctor.

We barely make it inside the delivery room before the pushing starts.

I stand by her side, telling her she’s doing an awesome job. Based on the feral sounds she keeps making and the way she white-knuckles the bed rails with every contraction, giving birth is no walk in the park. I’m glad I’m here for the experience this time, instead of arriving at the tail end, when the hardest part was over. “I’ll get you a peanut buster parfait right after I meet our son.”

She laughs and then grunts. “Stop making me laugh! I’m trying to push a damn baby out.”

“And you’re doing a damn good job.”

“How big is this freaking kid?” She bears down again. “Doc, you better do a good job stitching me up.”

“I promise I’ll make sure you’re as good as new,” her doctor assures her.

“You better or I’m giving you a bad Yelp review,” she gripes, but she’s smiling. At least until she has to push again. “Come on, kid, let’s get this done. I have a peanut buster parfait with my name on it waiting for me at the end of this. Your dad said so,” she grits, then turns to me. “Thanks for making me hungry.”

“I’ll even spoon-feed it to you.”

“You’re such a romantic.”

“Hey.” The doctor snaps her fingers. “I need you two to focus instead of flirting with each other.”

Hanna shifts her attention back to the doctor.

“One more big push on the next contraction, okay?”

“Okay.” She grips the bed rails.

I’d offer my hand, but I don’t want to leave here in a cast.

As soon as the contraction hits, Hanna bears down.

“And the head is out! Give me another one.”

Two more pushes later and some serious profanity directed at me, our son is born.

His little cry is music to my ears. They clean him up before they rest him on Hanna’s chest. Her eyes fill with wonder and tears as she takes in his tiny, perfect face.

“Hey there, my beautiful boy. You came in like a storm, didn’t you?” Her gaze lifts to mine as two tears track down her cheeks. “We did it.”

I brush them away. “It was all you, babe. I just came along for the ride.”

“Come here.” She grabs my tie with her free hand.