Chapter 46.

Holly's hands started shaking nervously as she watched Ella go around with her phone in her hands.

"Uhmm? Should I call Richard or something? Are you ready?"

Ella turned to glare at her.

"Ready? I'm not due till January!"

Holly flinched at the tone of Ella as she picked up her phone and struggled to find Richard's contact.

"No! No! Don't call Richard. I don't want to see him."

Ella said affirmatively as she snatched Holly's phone away from her.

Holly's jaw dropped.

"I just need him to get the baby stuff? Or do you have it with you?"

Ella shrugged nervously as she started walking towards the stairway.

Holly looked around the house, it was practically empty.

Her parents were nowhere to be found.

"No! I don't have the baby stuff! Do you forget the part where I said that I'm three weeks early???"

"Sorry. Sorry. Where the hell is everyone?"

Holly asks and Ella waved her away as she stopped in the middle of the stairs panting. She gripped the railings hard and clutched the side of her stomach even harder as she grunted painfully.

"Mum and Dad went out."

She finally said after the pain subsided.

"Ella, we need to call someone, I can't do this alone. I'll call everyone okay, will you be fine?"

Ella nodded.

"Yes, I just have to change. I'll be down in a minute."

"Okay."

Holly said and she started dialing her parents.

Both their numbers were unavailable and for some messed up reason, Crystal refused to pick up her phone.

She decided that out of frustration she was going to call Richard, since he was her sister's husband and father of the baby after all. Regardless of all that he had done.

Richard picked up the phone after the third ring and he got the hang of the situation quickly.

He instructed Holly to take Ella to the hospital, he also gave her the hospital address. He was going to be waiting for them in the hospital with her baby bag and everything else she needed.

Holly rushed upstairs looking for Ella.

She found Ella crouched on the floor, out of her clothes except for her underwear.

"Ella! We have to go! We have to go to the hospital!"

Holly shouted as she hurried her sister up while searching the closet for any decent clothes that she might put on.

"Here! Here! Here!" Holly said as she threw a couple of clothes to Ella who was really not listening.

Instead, she brought out a box of chicken.

"What are you doing Ella? What the hell! Stand up and get dressed!"

Holly shouted but her sister shook her head. Her dark brown hair matted with sweat at her forehead and falling around her like a curtain.

"I'm hungry. I have to eat. Please let me eat."

Ella begged as she took out the orange spicy chicken and Holly immediately felt nauseated.

"Oh God! What is that?"

She said as she covered her nose, moving as far away as she could from the smell.

Ella looked up at her weirdly.

"It's just chicken. Uncle Joe's Chicken and Rib shack. Have you forgotten? Used to be your favourite."

Ella said and Holly shook her head as she ran to the adjoining bathroom.

"Well, not anymore." She said as she heaved up all of her breakfast in the toilet bowl. There was no way she could stomach anything with the annoying smell of the Orange spicy chicken filling in her nostrils.

Holly came back after cleaning up with her sister watching her weirdly.

"Are you pregnant?"

"Because there's no way you'd throw up just because you got pissed off by the smell of Uncle Joe's chicken. It's one of your favourite things in the world."

"Let's just focus on the fact that you're having an actual baby right now! Okay! Where the hell are your car keys!"

Holly asked and Ella's eyes widened out in excitement.

"Oh My God! You're pregnant!" She shouted in amazement and Holly rolled her eyes.

"Car keys Ella or you'll be giving birth in my room."

Holly warned her and Ella pointed to the keys on the bed.

"I actually considered a home birth, but I got scared when I heard it's even more painful or something like that."

"Ella, change so we can leave for the hospital. How far apart are the contractions?"

Holly asked and Ella looked up deep in thoughts.

"I think about fifteen minutes. But it's getting shorter so we don't have a lot of time."

"Okay. We're leaving now. I hope we'll make it in time."

The next few minutes was filled with screams and anxiety from Holly and Ella. There was very little Holly knew about birth and labour. Not to mention the fact that Holly didn't do too well under pressure.

She just wanted to get her sister safely to the hospital and hand her over safely to the doctors. She was already freaked out by her sisters shrieks and the amniotic fluid she had to clean before they left the house.

When they reached the hospital, Richard was nowhere to be found, but Ella's doctor was around so he wheeled her in straight into the delivery room after noting that she was about eight centimetres dilated.

Richard came in a few minutes after with the baby bag.

"Hey Holly. How's she doing?"

He asked shyly as he sat in the waiting room with him. He looked like he had ran a marathon just to get to the hospital.

"I haven't heard anything. But I'm sure she's fine."

Holly said quietly as she rested in her chair. She was stressed out and she needed to sleep.

The stress from moving from one state to another coupled with all the things she had to deal with when she arrived was weighing her down.

She needed a long nap after the day was over. She thought as she tried to keep her eyes open.

Richard was deathly quiet beside her, his hands were fiddling with the duffle bag in his hands which held most of the baby stuff.

Richard was fidgeting. Holly wished that there was something she could tell him to calm him down as they watched nurses and doctor alike parade the pristine white hallway.

Richard left for a moment to get them some coffee but Holly declined.

Holly's parents arrived a few minutes before the labour was over.

"Hey honey! You're finally home!" Holly's Dad said as he hugged his daughter. Holly buried her head deeply in her father's chest as she gave him a long warm hug.

Her mother was also look equally excited to see her.

"How's your sister doing? Any news?"

Holly shook her head.

"No, she's been there quite a while." Holly replied noting that Richard was several feet away from Holly and her parents.

Her father glared at him and Richard bowed slightly.

The doctor and a nurse came out of the delivery room around the same time her parents arrived. He walked straight to Richard.

"Congratulations. The delivery was successful, it's a boy."

The doctor said to Richard and the rest of the family. Everyone cheered happily.

"She requested to see the father of the child. Once she's taken back to a normal ward, she'll be able to accept visitors."

"What about the baby? I know he's a preemie but is he okay."

Holly's mother asked nervously.

There was small smile on the doctor's face.

"He's fine. His vitals and weight appears to be okay. He'll be kept here for a few days for observation."

Ace Remington was perfect, he was such a peaceful and beautiful baby boy that Holly cooed at the sight of him. In her sister's arms, he looked so peaceful and she looked happy.

Holly had found the name Ace Remington a little strange but her sisters always had a thing for unique names so she didn't find it too much of a surprise.

With the baby came lots of things, first Holly had to bring Louis and River to see their mother and their new baby brother before taking them back home.

She was going to be babysitting them overnight since their parents would be in the hospital over night and well, well their babysitter was probably fired already.

She drove back home with the boys in her sister's car, eager to get home and take a long nap. It was already pretty late and she had a long day already. Her sister had spent more than two hours in the labour room and they all stayed long enough till hospital policy demanded that they leave, living only Richard the unfaithful husband to stay with Ella and Ace.

Her parents had also left home a long time ago, since her father had severe backache.

Holly and the boys stopped by a restaurant and she made the boys have some dinner since Holly wasn't sure anyone was up to cooking that night. She took some takeaway delivery for her parents just in case they didn't have dinner already.

"Boys come out! We're home now."

Holly called out as she helped the boys with their carry-on luggage while they came out of the car with sleep filled eyes and tired bones.

It was a long day for them. And they were already so tired.

Holly noticed River was still lagging behind so she scooped up the little boy in her arms and carried him to the door.

"Oh! Welcome honey! Let me have River. You must be so tired."

Her mother said happily as she collected River from her arms.

"Yes, I am. I need to lie down or something. Have you guys eaten dinner? You left pretty early though."

Her mother nodded as she glanced around nervously.

"Yes, we came home early. We were tired and we kinda had some things to do. We've had dinner already."

"Oh! I got you some dinner when we stopped by Alice's restaurant. I'll put it in the fridge."

Holly said as she led Louis towards the living room.

Her Dad was seated on the couch watching the news.

"Ryder's waiting for you upstairs."

He said and Holly's heart skipped a beat.

"Dad? What did you say?"

"Your boyfriend. He's waiting for you upstairs. Why didn't you tell us?"

Her father asked and Holly took several steps while watching the reaction on her parent's faces.

"Oh Sweetie. Why didn't you tell us?"

Her mother said quietly and Holly furrowed her eyebrows.

"Tell you what Mum? What's going on?!!"

Holly asked as she stormed to her room, thinking that it was all a big prank or some sick thing that Kim had set up again.

The second she opened the door and found Ryder pacing through her room.

Holly was speechless, Ryder turned to look at her.

"Holly, I'm so sorry."

Ryder begged as he came close to her. She took several steps away from him.

"Get out!"