“The mayor backed out?” I ask, knowing that Jax had asked his friend Jet, who was also the mayor, to help with the sponsorship of the school.
I met Jethro, and he was very nice, despite being a little closed off. I want this school to work out for Jax and Bonnie so much. I could tell they both were hanging their hopes on thisschool becoming a real thing, and I wanted to see it through to fruition.
I’d even offered to front the money for the school, yet somehow, I knew Jax would tell me no. I don’t blame him, but I wish I could help.
“He hasn’t answered yet, last I heard.” Thea shrugs, looking over at me with half-lidded eyes. She looks drunk, but I just smile and don’t comment. “I figured you would know more than anyone.”
I tilt my head. “I think Jax wants to succeed on his own with this one, so he’s been keeping the focus on me and the baby, not the rodeo school.”
Which, I can’t lie, has been highly appreciated. He got everything ready for us, despite me telling him I could do it. The nursery is completely ready. We have the bassinet in our room set up, the clothes, the diapers, the bottles, everything.
I just hope I am ready.
It’s one thing to be realistic about the fact that I am a woman in my thirties and, therefore, should be able to handle a baby. It is another thing entirely when faced with the actual reality of a living, breathing, crying, pooping, hungry baby in my arms that needs me for quite literally everything.
Another pain shoots down my left side, this one more intense, and I see Laura move when I flinch again.
“Okay?” she asks, and again I realize how grateful I am to have her with me. When I looked to hire someone, I needed someone who would be discreet and respectful of my privacy. I also wanted someone who is calm under pressure, who wouldn’t be uptight and stress me out even more.
“Fine.” I grimace through the pain, attempting to paint on a smile. The last thing I want is to go into labor and make my friends miss their spa day.
“Ms. Vogel, we’re going to keep timing, but if they continue this close, we need to consider getting you home or to the nearest hospital.” Laura says all of this while looking directly at me, conveying with her eyes what her soft words are saying.
“Are you okay?” Thea asks, looking from me to Laura with concern.
“I’m fine,” I say, relaxing into the break my body is giving me.
“Are you in labor?” Juniper asks, looking over in concern, her newly painted bright blue toenails shining in the light.
“No.” I scoff as if that was the most ridiculous thing in the world. “Of course not. I’m not due for another week.”
“I’ve read that you can have babies basically anytime from thirty-six to forty weeks,” Juniper says, then shrugs when all of us ladies look to her. “What? I wanted to be prepared.”
“Okay, everyone stay calm.” Erin stands, nearly knocking her lady down, and starts pacing in front of my chair. I stare at her dubiously, my mind trying to track what she’s doing. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll just go. Right now. Let’s go to the hospital right now.” Her voice rises at the end of her sentence, and I frown, looking from her to Laura.
Laura smiles calmly and looks at my friend. “There’s no reason to worry yet, honey. We’ll make sure Felicity is where she needs to be when the time comes.”
“You’re too calm!” Erin exclaims, way too loudly for the private room we’re in. Her hand waves around Laura. “She’s in labor, Laura! Labor. A baby is about to blow apart her vagina.” Erin looks at me sadly. “Oh my gosh. You’ll never be the same again! I’m so sorry!”
“Okay.” Juniper gets up from her seat, going to Erin to calm her down. I don’t take her words to heart, mostly because I’ve been preparing myself for this for nine months, and it’s obviously just hitting my friend what this means for me. “We’re gonna go for a walk in the serenity garden.”
Juniper and a hysterical Erin head out of the room, and Thea turns to me, calm but with worried eyes. “Are you seriously okay?”
Just then, another pain hits me, and I flinch. “I’m okay. But…” I pause, not wanting to say the words out loud. Not when I’m so far away from Jax. “I’m in labor.”
Thea’s eyes widen just fractionally, and suddenly Ezra is in the room, looking serious but calm. “We need to go?”
Laura nods her head. “I’m afraid baby is ready for their birthday.”
“But no one even got to do the mud bath! And the stone massages! And we were gonna go see the new Ryan Gosling movie!” I plead out the silly complaints, knowing that I am delaying what is going to be happening to me in mere hours.
“That’ll have to wait,” Laura says, helping me sit up and swing my legs over the chair. Ezra comes to stand by us, his hands ready to catch my ass if I fall.
“I’ll call Jax,” Thea says, hoisting herself out of her own chair, phone already in hand.
“Honey, I know you want a home birth, but I’m afraid with how frequent these contractions are, we’re going to need to get to a hospital just in case.” Laura’s calm demeanor soothes the panic inside of me, and I nod.
“Crap. Jax is too far away. What if he doesn’t make it?” I ask, clear concern in the tone of my voice.
