“Really? Faith may be there,” Grinch argues when I make it clear I have no interest in going back to the bar. The place I want to be is several miles north of Jake’s.
“Yeah right,” I mutter. “Not after what happened last weekend.”
“She might. Spade, is Sylvie going to Jake’s tonight?”
Spade looks up from his phone. “Who?”
“Jesus,” I mutter. “Sylvie? The woman you hooked up with last week.”
Spade tilts his head to the side. “Saturday night or Sunday night?”
A round of chuckles makes it around the group.
“Never mind,” Grinch mutters before looking back at me. “There’s always a chance. She doesn’t seem like the type of woman to let something like that hold her back.”
“I wouldn’t know,” I mutter to myself.
I have had nearly no news about Faith this week, other than Colton letting me know that she did follow through with the police report.
“Apollo!” We all turn to see a terrified Cara run into the room. “Something is wrong with April!”
We explode into action. I’m on Apollo’s heels as he rushes down the hallway to their shared room.
“Baby? What’s going on?” he asks his wife.
I stay in the hall, standing on the tips of my toes in order to evaluate the situation.
“Excuse me.” I step to the side as Camryn walks into the room.
“You’re here?” Apollo asks, the appearance of the OB/GYN making him more terrified.
“She called me,” Camryn explained. “I urged her to go back to the hospital, but she refused.”
I shake my head. It seems April is severely embarrassed, and I know from things Apollo has told me that she hates being a burden.
As Samson’s girl, Camryn gives a lot of advice on childbirth and helps all the women, but she’s always backed away from being involved directly with the delivery because of her close connection to the group. Samson’s dads, Snatch and Itchy, are original members of the club, and it makes it a conflict of interest. The hospital doesn’t allow it.
“We need to get her to the hospital,” Apollo demands, his voice frantic.
“It’s too late for that. She’s already crowning,” Camryn says. “I need towels.”
Camryn reaches into a bag she brought in that I haven’t noticed until now, pulling out a pair of gloves and some sort of sterile-looking kit.
Cara rushes back into the room, carrying a stack of towels just as I roll out of the way and plant my back to the hallway wall. I just promised my best friend that everything was going to be fine, and now I don’t know if that’s true.
The door closes to their bedroom as more people filter into the hallway.
Someone explains over and over to the newcomers what is going on because I can’t seem to form words right now. Instead, I listen as best I can over the chatter in the hall.
Camryn explains that April’s water broke, and I can hear the disappointment in Apollo’s voice when he chides April for not telling him. The doctor explains that the baby is coming, that home births happen all the time, but Apollo is still urging her to let him take her to the hospital.
“Look at me!” Camryn yells, her voice loud enough to quiet everyone in the hallway. “I’m a doctor. I literally do this every single day. I trust you to do your job in the field. I trust you to keep the men safe the same way you trust them. Now I need you to trust me to do my job. Freaking out will only make things worse, and—that’s right April, when you feel that, bear down and push. This sweet little boy is nearly here.”
Unintelligible whispers come from the room, things that sound like encouragement and promises from Apollo.
“That’s good, one more time… Wow. He’s perfect, April.”
“But he’s not cr—” Apollo’s words are cut short when the baby screams.
A roar of cheers goes up in the hallway, everyone hugging and laughing, some of the women wiping tears from their eyes.
“We’re not done,” Camryn says.
“Two? Are we having two babies?” Apollo yells.
“No.” Several women in the hallway chuckle along with Camryn. “I have to deliver the placenta, but the good news is you didn’t tear, April. You’re a natural at this.”
I turn to look at the other guys in the hallway. Some look a little green in the face. I’m sure their minds are running wild, imagining what happened in there. I can’t believe it myself.
“They’re still going to need to go to the hospital to be checked out,” Kincaid says. “We still go along just like we always have.”
The hall starts to clear out, the guys talking about who’s going to drive since some of them have been drinking.
I wait, locked in place in the hallway until the door opens. Cara comes out first, her face streaked with tears as she rushes into Thumper’s arms. I was so lost in my own little world; I didn’t even realize he was waiting out here as well.