Chapter 153 CHAPTER 153

Chapter 153 CHAPTER 153


ROBIN

“Hurry, Jack! I winced, another wave of contractions throwing me back against the headrest.

“Fuck!” Jack huffed, bracing one hand against the headrest behind me so I land on his hand instead when another contraction hurled me backwards. “I’m going as fast as I can… I really don’t want to speed, baby.”

I lurched upright, fixing him an intense glare and shifting my position in the seat to cater for the searing pain tearing through my abdomen.

“Okay…okay. I’ll go faster.” He grasped my hand, gently stroking the back. “You’re alright baby… you’re alright.”

He leaned on the horn, honking loudly at a car crawling ahead of us.

“Get the fuck out of my way!” he bellowed, looking visibly frustrated and squeezing his way through a narrow gap, shooting past and flipping the driver off before giving him the finger.

“Baby…” He spared me a quick glance. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be okay after I get these babies out of me! I’m not okay!”

“We’re almost there…. we’re almost there, baby.”

He pulled out his phone and called the hospital for what had to be the tenth time, making sure Dr Ransford had my room prepared.

Again.

And each time, they gave an affirmative answer.

“Yes?” His jaw tightened. “Well, check again for the tenth fucking time! I don’t want my woman waiting!”

The fact that Jack even had to call was absurd. He had more than five private rooms reserved exclusively for his use in his hospital.

I growled, listening to him talk on the phone. Everything irritated me… even his voice. I wished it weren’t so, but I was in unbearable pain and I wasn’t going to suffer through it quietly.

“FASTER!!!” I screamed, clutching my belly with both hands as I wailed in pain, another contraction ripping through me.

“Ahhhhhhhhh…. Oh, God.” I breathed, faster than usual in frantic bursts, feeling like my heart was being wrenched from my body.

“What can I do to make it better?” Jack asked desperately. “Tell me… I’ll do anything.” He tilted towards me as much as he could, one hand resting protectively over my belly, the other keeping hold of the steering wheel.

“Jesus! It hurts, Jack.” I cried, grabbing his hand and squeezing it until I felt my fingers going numb around his. “I can’t take it anymore!”

“FUCKKK!” He roared. “Robin, I’m a fucking minute away. Please baby…just hold on for me.”

Another treacherous guttural cry and what felt like countless contractions later, I was hauled from the passenger seat and manoeuvred into a wheelchair.

Jack never letting go of my hand, he was clasping it the entire time, whispering comforting words to me and stroking my skin, but nothing he did helped.

Nothing.

The pain only grew worse and it wasn’t getting any better by the minute.

Making our way into my private room, I was carried by Jack onto the bed, my entire clothes hurriedly stripped before a feather-light hospital gown was slipped over my body.

“Mr McCullen, I’m going to ask you to give me a little room. You can stand beside your fiancée.” Jack stood frozen. Dead frozen before Ransford nudged his side. “Jack! Robin needs to be attended to!”

“Fuck…sorry. I’m sorry, baby. I just...” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Shit. Go ahead, Ransford.”

He immediately returned to my side, worry and panic extending across his features as I gripped his hand, crushing it beneath another attack of contraction lasting for an unbearable number of seconds that seemed determined to split me in two.

“You’re doing well, Robin.” Ransford murmured in his hunkered state, examining me carefully. “Six centimetres. We need you fully dilated at ten before you can start pushing.”

“Fucking hell!” I screamed. “It hurt so fucking much!”

“You can do it baby,” Jack’s voice stretched through my mind. “Look at me.” I forced my head towards him, wheezing out of breath, manoeuvring the pain as best as my quivering shakes would allow.

“You’re my girl, you can fucking do this.” I nodded, breathing erratically.

“I can fucking do this,” I repeated, more to convince myself than because I actually believed it.

“You can swear all you want today, you won’t be in trouble.” He managed a small laugh, despite the fear clouding his eyes. “But just for today.”  A breathless giggle escaped me too, though another vicious contraction quickly stole it away, a wicked pain traveling through me.

“GOODDDDDD!!” I cried out, dragging Jack’s hand down with me as I shifted helplessly across the mattress, desperately searching for some position that might dull the relentless pangs.

Nothing worked.

Fuck.

“Ransford!” Jack shouted. “Can you fucking do something? She’s in pain!”

“She’s progressing quickly.” Ransford bent down and checked me again. “Eight centimetres. This is excellent. We just need your cervix to finish dilating before we begin.”

“Oh, shit… Jack!” I reached for him, pulling him closer to me. This was so fucking hell.

“I am so not getting pregnant again after this!”

He bent over me, pressing frantic kisses all over my face as I winced softly. Every so often, he would dunk to kiss my belly before coming back to my face.

Hell! My family.

Lindsey had been inside the manor when I went into labour. She must be worried sick about me not knowing where I was.

“Call… call my mum, Jack.” I winced, another painful groaning noises escaping me.

“And Lana?” He asked, phone in one hand tapping across the screen, his other thumb gently stroking my face.

“No… she’s probably out of the country by now. Let’s not bo —AHHHHHHHHHH!”

“Fuck! Robin!” Jack looked at Ransford. “Do something!”

He examined me again before looking up.

“We can give her an epidural anaesthesia to ease the pain.”

“Will it hurt? Will it affect my babies in any way?” Jack asked anxiously.

“I don’t care.” I breathed, injecting firmness into my voice. “Do it. I’m fucking dying!” I howled.

“It won’t affect the babies,” Ransford assured. “It’s perfectly safe. But the placement can feel rather uncomfortable.”

“DO IT!” I yelled, Ransford nodded, hastening away to get his equipment ready for the procedure.

Jack’s phone buzzed.

“It’s Lindsey.” He said, answering immediately. “Yes…” he nodded, humming a few times.

“McCullen hospital. It’s happening now.” He paused. “I have to go. I need to concentrate on Robin.” Another long pause. “We’ll be expecting you.”

He slipped the phone away, resuming position beside me.

“OH, FUCKKKKKK!” I screamed, another contraction ripping me apart.

Could I get one fucking minute to breathe?

“Oh, God!” Growling, whimpering, rolling my head from side to side across the mattress and trembling with violent tremors later, I’d exceeded my tolerance limit.

A nurse hurried into the room beside Ransford carrying the epidural equipment, but he didn’t begin the procedure immediately. Instead, the nurse crouched between my legs to examine me—yet again. A second later, her eyes widened.

“You can’t have the epidural.”

“Why not?” I asked urgently. “OUCHHHHH!”

“Ransford!” Jack yelled.

“Jesus…” I gasped.

The nurse looked up. “She’s fully dilated.” She declared.

“This is a precipitous labour.” Ransford said immediately. “Quick! Vida—the obstetric trolley. Now!”

The room dissolved into a distorting chaos. Doctor, nurse, moving briskly around me with equipment—everything blurring together.

“Please hurry… Jack!” I sobbed, breathing heavily, sweat pouring down my face. 

“Fuck! Ransford, hurry!”

Jack’s voice was the last thing I heard before Ransford’s cut through the haze.

“Good to go.” He looked straight at me

“PUSH!”

Everything shattered into pain.