Layla cupped my face in her hands. “I’m sure. She looks scared because she’s in pain. She’s having regular contractions, and the doctor said she was already dilated to a six when we got here. That’s why everyone is rushing.”

“Jesse?” Emmie’s quivering voice made me raise my head. She looked so tiny in that bed.

I crossed to her side in three big strides and wrapped her in my arms. “I love you, Jesse,” she whispered in my ear, and I couldn’t help but hold on tighter. “I wish you all could come into the operating room with me.”

So did I. But we all knew that only one person could go in with her. Nik was already putting on the scrubs that a nurse had handed him. I brushed a kiss across the top of her head. “You’re going to be fine, sweetheart. Nik will be with you.”

“We’re ready, Miss Jameson,” the doctor said, and I reluctantly stepped back as the nurses stepped up to the bed and unlocked the wheels.

Tears poured down Emmie’s face as the nurses pushed her away from me, and I felt like my heart was being ripped from me as she was taken from the room.

“Love you!” She called to us and I had to turn away so that she wouldn’t see my tears as they spilled from my eyes.

Layla

The past hour felt surreal. It couldn’t have all happened that quickly. It just didn’t seem possible. One minute I’m laughing with Emmie about all of Shane’s laundry, and the next I’m driving like some Indy racer down the highway with a screaming woman in the passenger seat.

I had never been so terrified in my life as I was when I had seen all that water pool at Emmie’s feet. The way she had started screaming had nearly made me start as well, but I knew that one of us had to be calm or we were in trouble. Somehow, I had been able to call Emmie’s doctor and let him know what was going on.

I had been driving ninety miles an hour when I called Jesse. Between the phone, traffic, and a crying Emmie, it was a miracle that I had gotten us to the hospital in once piece.

As soon as I had pulled up in front of the Women’s Center, Emmie was rushed upstairs. I had to park Shane’s car and took a second to text Lana to let her know she needed to leave school and pick up Lucy. When I got up to Labor and Delivery, they didn’t want to let me back to see her.

So I lied and told them she was my sister. They didn’t have a choice but to let me go. By then they were already prepping Emmie for her C-section. I was startled by how fast the medical staff was working, but Emmie told me that she was dilating fast.

I stayed off to the side so that the team could work, but I never took my eyes off of Emmie. For the first time, I saw how small she was, how tiny and fragile she could be. It scared me to see her like this. I was used to seeing the strong Emmie. The woman that didn’t back down from anything or anyone.

Every few seconds, she would catch my eye and we would hold on to each other like that. It gave her some support that I couldn’t offer physically since the doctor and nurses were so busy. I was scared that if I got in the way someone would ask me to leave, and I wasn’t going to chance that.

When the door opened and Nik came running in I was beyond relieved. My fear had been that they wouldn’t make it before Emmie had to be taken into surgery. I would have gladly taken his place if that had been an option, but I was relieved that Nik would get to experience this with Emmie as he should.

Drake and Shane were hot on Nik’s heels, moving to the opposite side of the bed and contenting themselves with just touching Emmie anywhere they could reach. Jesse was right behind them, and it hurt me to see how lost he looked when he saw Emmie in the hospital bed. I knew there was a deep bond there, knew that it went miles deep and each time I saw a glimpse of that bond, I loved him more.

When the nurses wheeled Emmie away it nearly brought me to my knees to see the tears fall from Jesse’s eyes. I couldn’t keep from going to him. He pulled me against him, but kept his head turned away so that I wouldn’t see him crying. Nik was quick to follow Emmie, now dressed in scrubs so that he could be with her during the C-section. It was just the four of us now, and we were all an emotional wreck.

With one arm I held Jesse. The other I offered to the brothers, and they came willingly. I hugged Shane and he put his arm on his brother’s shoulder. I don’t know how long we stood there like that, the four of us holding onto each other, but it felt right. It kept us all sane while we waited.

Ten minutes later, a nurse escorted us to a waiting room. “Miss Jameson has already been given her epidural, and Mr. Armstrong is with her now,” she explained to us. “It shouldn’t be long now.”

I thanked her and went back to holding onto the guys. There were plenty of chairs free. We were the only ones in the waiting room anyway, but they needed to stand, so I stood between Jesse and Drake and rubbed their backs while they stared off into space. Shane was pacing the length of the room, and I wished I had an extra hand so that I could offer him the same comfort.

Slowly the minutes ticked by on the clock on the opposite wall. The ticking was starting to eat at my nerves. Jesse was growing tenser with each passing minute. The brothers looked like they couldn’t handle any more…

The waiting room door opened, and Nik stood there. There was a huge grin on his handsome face, and tears just poured from his blue eyes. My heart turned over at the sight of him. Jesse was the first to cross the room. He locked gazes with Nik, and they just stared at each other for a long moment. Their laughter made me jump because I had been so tense.

Jesse and Nik hugged, pounding each other on the back. “Congratulations, bro.” Jesse’s voice was choked with emotions.

“Thanks, man.” He stepped back and Drake and Shane gave him the same greeting.

I couldn’t help myself. I had to hug him too. He pulled me into a bear hug and swung me around. “Thank you, Layla,” he whispered. “I don’t know what we would ever do without you.” His words made me tear up, and I tried to blink them away.

When I was on my feet, I held onto his arms. “How is she?”

He grinned. “Emmie is fine. Tired but fine. She did beautifully.”

“And the baby?”

A peculiar look crossed Nik’s face. “She’s perfect. I have never seen anything more beautiful in my life. And big, so big! Nine pounds and fourteen ounces. No wonder Emmie has been so uncomfortable.” He laughed, shaking his head. “I can’t wait for you guys to meet my daughter.”