Just One Kiss (Whisper Lake #4) - Barbara Freethy Page 0,85

what's going on with the baby. Can you roll onto your back?"

Kelly gasped and groaned as she shifted onto her back.

Hannah did a quick check, her anxiety tripling when she realized the baby was breech. This wasn't going to be an easy birth, but there was no way she could get Kelly to the hospital now, which meant she had to deliver the baby. She hadn't done that in several years, and only once had she dealt with a breech birth. But she could do it. She would have to do it unless she could get the ambulance out here before the baby came, but that appeared doubtful. Kelly was already fully dilated.

"What's wrong? Something's wrong," Kelly said, fear in her eyes.

She met her sister's panicked gaze. "The baby is turned the wrong way. It's coming feet first, Kelly." She put as much calm into her voice as she could. "I'd like to try to turn her and see if we can get her into the right position."

"Okay," Kelly said.

"But first I'm going to grab my phone and call 911."

Kelly grabbed her arm. "You can't call 911, Hannah. The police will know where I am."

"I know you're in trouble, Kelly. I also know that Russ Miller is dead. But the police are already looking for you. I have friends in the department here. You can trust them. If you killed Russ in self-defense, they'll help you."

"I didn't kill Russ," she said, shock in her gaze. "You think I killed Russ?"

"The police thought he was hurting you, and you killed him trying to protect yourself."

"No, Hannah. It was Tom Washburn. He's a cop. He got obsessed with me after I had drinks with him one night. But I was never dating him. I never slept with him. I was in love with Russ. When I told Tom I was pregnant, he got crazy. He kept stalking me and harassing Russ. He even started thinking the baby was his. He's freaking insane. He's monitoring the police radios now. If we call for help, he'll know."

"That doesn't really make sense," she began.

"Trust me. He will find us, and that can't happen."

She didn't know what to make of Kelly's story, but she couldn't discount what her sister was saying. "I still think we can talk to the Whisper Lake Police. Tom doesn't work for them, right?"

"He has friends everywhere. I tried to get help from a cop in Colorado Springs, but he told Tom I was trying to make trouble for him. So, Russ and I had no choice but to run. Somehow, Tom found us, and he killed Russ. Now he's trying to get to me. He caught up to me earlier today. I rammed his car with mine, and I managed to get away. I didn't know where to go so I came back here."

"I didn't see your car."

"I hid it in the woods. By the time I got to the house, I was bleeding. I guess when I rammed his car, the impact triggered labor." Kelly let out another scream of pain. "Oh, God! The baby wants to come. How am I going to do this?"

"You're going to be fine, and so is your daughter." She pushed up the sleeves of her sweater. "I refuse to allow for any other outcome. You used to boss me around. Now it's my turn. You're going to do exactly what I say."

"I will. I'm sorry, Hannah. I'm sorry for everything. But I had to leave Brett with you. I had to make sure he was safe. I waited for you to come. I made sure you were there for him before I left."

"You should have stayed and talked to me."

"I was afraid."

"There will be time for apologies and explanations later. Right now, we need to get your daughter into the world. And first, we need to get her turned around." She looked at her sister. "This is going to hurt, Kelly. But we have to do it."

"Okay." Kelly breathed in and out. "If I don't make it, you'll take care of Brett and this baby, right?"

"You're going to make it. I'm going to take care of them and you. We are going to be a family again."

"I want that. I want to start over," Kelly said, a desperate plea in her eyes.

"We'll start now," she promised.

Jake had been avoiding his father for too long, but that ended today.

He arrived at the medical center just after three o'clock. He'd been debating this trip ever since