“Don’t worry, Raine. Everything’s OK. Everything’s going to be fine. We’re good, we’re OK. You’re OK. The baby’s OK,” I repeatedly said, hoping to God I wasn’t lying to my friend. The truth was, I was nervous for her. She was thirty-four weeks pregnant and was still supposed to have weeks before her water broke.
“Hank’s not answering. I’ve called so many times, and he’s not answering,” she sobbed, holding her hand against her stomach. “And he’s hours away on a job. How am I supposed to do this, Shay? He’s so far away, and what if something goes wrong before he gets here? What if—?”
Tears streamed down her face as worry filled her up inside. I wanted to wrap her into my arms and take away her anxiety, but I knew I couldn’t do that. Truthfully, the only people who could were the doctors and Hank. My main mission was to get her to that hospital before anything could go worse.
The moment we made it to the hospital, Raine was rushed into a room, and she requested that I keep trying to call Hank. I sat in the lobby, dialing his number repeatedly, hoping thathe’d answer or at least listen to one of the hundreds of voice messages I’d left him.
When he finally did answer, he told me he was on his way back home, trying to get there as soon as possible.
The doctor came out to tell me that they were planning for an emergency delivery due to the baby’s health being in danger.
“Isn’t it too early?” I asked, nerves rocketing through my system.
“It is earlier than we’d like, but with her being thirty-four weeks, there should be fewer complications than if she were delivering earlier. Our biggest concern is that the baby will be at risk for an infection, but she is requesting you in her room to be by her side if that’s possible.”
“Of course.”
I headed back to my friend’s hospital room and was by her side as soon as possible, holding her hand.
“Did you hear from Hank?” she asked, tears still sitting in the back of her eyes.
“Yes. He’s on his way now. It will be a few hours, but he’s going to try to get here as soon as he can.”
“They are going to induce me,” she said, wiping her hands over her eyes. “I’m so scared, Shay.”
“I know, honey, but trust me, these doctors know what they’re doing. This is going to all work out, and before you know it, you’re going to have a beautiful baby in your hands to hold. Everything is OK,” I soothed her, feeling more confident about saying those words after hearing the doctor reassure me that Raine was in good hands. Plus, I sent out a text message to my mother, Eleanor, and Mima to say a few prayers for Raine, too. I figured a few extra prayers could never hurt.
After the doctors started the process of inducing Raine, things moved a lot slower than I would’ve thought. Hourspassed with me holding Raine’s hand, and luckily, the passing time made it easier for my friend to breathe through her anxiety.
Just then, I got a message from Landon, saying he was in the waiting room. I notified Raine about his arrival.
“I bet Hank called him to come check on me, the asshole.” She turned to look at me. “Do you think you can make sure he’s OK?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re not trying to push Team Lay together?”
She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Trust me, Shay. The only thing I’m trying to push right now is this kid out of my vagina. I just want to make sure Landon’s good.”
“OK, I can do that. Just make sure you don’t have the baby while I’m gone.”
The doctor looked toward me and smiled. “Don’t worry. That baby isn’t coming too soon.”
Raine blew out a heavy breath. “When Hank gets here, I’m going to kill him for putting this baby inside of me.”
I leaned in and kissed Raine’s forehead. “Sweetie, maybe we shouldn’t talk about killing your husband in front of the doctor.”
“I’ve heard a lot worse things from wives before. Your friend is being quite tame,” the doctor expressed.
I had a feeling he was telling the truth, but before I could ask any more questions, I went to check on Landon.
42Landon
Not too long ago, Hank rang me, knowing I was in town for a few more weeks, and asked me to go check in on Raine to make sure she was all right until he arrived back in town. Obviously, I came without question because when your family was in need of you, you showed up as soon as you could.
“Hey there, stranger,” a voice said, making me look up from the roses in my hands.
Shay stood in front of me with a small smile against her lips.
“Hey, you.” I grinned as I lay the flowers in the chair on my left, and Shay sat in the chair on my right.