The Cowboy's Temptation Page 0,29

longer,” Ronny said, breathing heavily. A moment later, another contraction took over and she had to sit up to roll with the pain. “Why isn’t the epidural helping anymore?” Elissa asked the nurse.

The nurse smiled compassionately. “We could up the dosage, but then it would be too hard for her to push when the time comes. It needs to start wearing off so she can feel the contractions.”

Elissa nodded, but didn’t really understand.

“Rick!” Veronica cried, when the next contraction took over. “I want Rick. Please Ronny, get him in here. I’m scared.” Her friend was gasping for breath and holding Elissa’s hand as if she were trying to break all the bones. The sweat was now dripping down Veronica’s face and her hair hung limply around her white, anxious face.

When the latest contraction slowed down, Elissa wiped Veronica’s face with a cool washcloth. “I’ll be right back,” Elissa said and pried her fingers out of Veronica’s hands.

Elissa calmly left the labor and delivery room but once she was outside, she sprinted to the waiting room in search of Rick. She found him leaning his head up against a window, his face white with the stress of the situation.

“Rick, Veronica needs you. She’s asking for you.”

“What’s wrong?” he asked immediately.

Elissa took his hands to calm him down. “Nothing is wrong, it is a first baby so it is taking a while. But you have to listen to me,” she said earnestly. “She’s scared and is asking for you. You have to go in there and finish this out.”

He was already shaking his head by the time she finished her sentence. “I can’t. I won’t know what to do. I’ll just make things worse,” he said, backing up a few paces.

Elissa had spent the past ten hours helping Veronica wrestle with her pain and fear. She was tired and wanted her friend’s ordeal to end as soon as possible. So she didn’t have much compassion for the man standing in front of her. Without a conscious thought, she started yelling at the man. “Listen here, Rick. Your wife needs you. She’s in pain trying to deliver your children. She’s asking for you and needs your help and support desperately so you just pull yourself together and get your butt down that hall and into the delivery room.” By the end, she was screaming at Rick and pointing towards the delivery room.

Rick stared at her for about three seconds. Then he handed his hat to Elissa and sprinted down the hallway towards his wife.

Elissa let out her breath and collapsed into a chair, still holding Rick’s hat in her hands.

It wasn’t until she noticed the silence that she looked up and noticed Jake. He had been standing beside the window, one shoulder leaning against the wall. His face showed his admiration and Elissa flushed. She hadn’t even looked around to see if there would be witnesses to her tirade.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly, sincerely shocked that she had yelled at a man who was as nervous as Rick had been.

“Sorry for what?” he asked, pushing away from the wall and coming towards her. He sat down in the chair next to her, stretching his jean clad legs out in front of him. “I’ve been telling him that for hours. He just didn’t listen until you shouted it.”

Elissa chuckled. “I didn’t shout.”

Jake shook his head. “You shouted. Good and loud. I’m sure there are several other men around her that are right back beside their wives right now, thinking you were shouting at them.”

Elissa giggled. The giggle turned to a laugh. And then her fatigue took over and she started laughing in earnest at the scene she had just created. She laughed so hard she had to grab her stomach in pain and tears were streaming down her face.

Once the laughter subsided, she nodded. “Okay, so I yelled. But it worked.”

Jake chuckled and nodded. “That it did. Is Ronny okay?” he asked, concern evident in his tone.

Elissa nodded. “The doctor doesn’t seem concerned. She’s nine centimeters dilated, or she was about an hour ago. So it could happen any minute now,” she said, looking out the window.

There was silence for a few minutes while they each were absorbed in their own thoughts.

“Where did you park the helicopter?” she asked.

Jake laughed. “There isn’t a helicopter parking lot. I flew it back to the ranch and picked up the truck. We only use it for emergencies like this or to find the cattle during round-up,” he