“Please.” She clutched her stomach again, pausing to take another few deep breaths. “Bryce can you grab my phone? It’s in the living room on the coffee table.”
Bryce nodded and swung to action, and as he left the room I said, “Will you be okay for a few minutes?”
“Yeah. I’m going to ring Radleigh as soon as Bryce brings me my phone.”
Her face had paled significantly over the last few minutes and I leaned down and gave her a hug. “Don’t worry. We’ll get everything organised and then you can worry about bringing your beautiful baby into the world.”
In the chaos, she seemed to have forgotten the reality of what this was all about, and the reminder made her smile. “This is why you’re my best friend.”
I returned her smile and gave her another hug before heading back outside.
Talking to Jamie about this was going to require calmness and patience, but before I approached, I quickly told Isabelle what was happening so she could inform Jesse. Bryce could tell Bree after I’d dealt with Jamie; I needed a calm atmosphere and that was the last thing Bree would provide. She was a sweetheart, but way too excitable to stay cool in this kind of situation.
“Jamie,” I called, when I reached the side of the pool again. “Could you come over here for a second?”
He tipped himself off the inflatable alligator, which was immediately pounced on by Peyton, and swam over to me. When he’d clambered out of the water I led him away from the noise of Bryce’s daughters laughing and splashing each other then kneeled down in front of him.
“Okay,” I began, not sure how to broach the subject. Jamie was just a kid; did nine-year-olds even know where babies come from? He had to have at least a little understanding since he had a little sister. Maybe I should have left Bryce to do this; he knew how this worked better than I did. “You know Auntie Leah is having a baby soon?” Jamie nodded. “Well, it seems to be coming a bit sooner than Auntie Leah was expecting. Like… now. I have to take her to the hospital.”
Jamie’s face fell. “Today?”
“Mmhmm. Right now.” I took his hands in mine. “Auntie Leah is going to call your mom and dad and they’ll be here as soon as they can but until then, Bree is going to take care of you, okay?”
His little chin wobbled and he shook his head. “I want to go to the hospital with Auntie Leah.”
“I know, honey, but it’s better if you stay here. There are lots of things for you to do here, all those movies to watch and games to play. At the hospital there will be lots of waiting around.”
Jamie’s lower lip trembled and my heart broke. Poor thing. With everyone he knew best far away, it must have been scary for him, but at least he knew Bree pretty well. He was quite taken with her, so if anyone could take his mind off Leah, it was her.
“Come here,” I said gently, and pulled him into a hug. He clung tightly to me, his firm grip letting me know how afraid he was. “I’ll call you from the hospital later, and I’m sure you’ll be able to talk to Auntie Leah too. Bree will take good care of you, I promise.”
“Will she let me watch movies all night?”
I laughed. “Probably. And,” I added, pulling away from him a little, “I know Bree is very good at making your favourite hot chocolate.”
Jamie smiled. “Can I see Auntie Leah now?
“Sure thing. You go ahead, I’ll be in soon.”
I watched him as he ran across the grass towards the kitchen, hoping he’d be okay when we left. With a sigh, I peeled my tank top away from my skin slightly; it was wet from Jamie’s hug. I really didn’t need to worry about it though. By the end of the day, I knew I’d look a whole lot worse.
Chapter 12 - Clarity
Two and a half hours later, after many phone calls, lots of tears from Jamie, and a battle with the traffic, Leah was finally settled in a private room at the hospital she and Radleigh had chosen; one of the perks of being rich and famous. The room had a TV, DVD player and a stereo system; all the things necessary to attempt to distract a first time mom from the discomfort of labour. After a quick scan to make sure the baby was okay, the nurses were happy to leave Leah with me as the birth was still a long way away.
I sat on Leah’s bed while she paced the room with her hands on her stomach.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she said, stopping for a moment to look out of the window. There wasn’t much of a view, though. Just the parking lot. “Why today?”
“You know how it goes. Everything must always be done the most awkward way possible.”
“That’s life, huh?” She chuckled then turned to me. “Do you think Radleigh will make it back in time?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. If the flights are on time and you have a slow labour, he might make it.”
In truth, it was going to be a stretch. Without delays, his plane would land in LAX a little after two a.m, and the hospital was a long drive from the airport. It would be almost three in the morning before he reached us. Leah had been in labour for an hour, and by the time Radleigh arrived, she’d have been at it for thirteen hours.
“I need him here, Freya. I don’t want him to miss this.” Tears filled her eyes. “This is all so insane. Do you know where we were a year ago?”