was Duncan. Out of the corner of my eye I could see his tall, powerful form rush over to me.
Everything after that happened like something out of a dream. His huge arms swept underneath me, helping me to my feet, then up and off them. He rushed me into the house, the fall colors of the trees around his home a blur. Someone else held the door open, another tall, well-built man who reminded me of Duncan.
Then another contraction hit, more pain blasting through my body.
“How soon have those been happening?” Duncan asked, his voice powerful and commanding. He was in full doctor mode. It made me feel safe and secure and like I had nothing to worry about.
“Sooner and sooner,” Gia informed him. “But I was driving – I was mostly focused on getting her here.”
“I’m Andrew, by the way.”
Andrew? I opened my eyes wide and summoned what little focus I had to look around. Sure enough, there he was. I watched as he extended his hand to Gia, who took it with a small smile on her face, a tiny blush to her cheeks.
“Gia,” she said. “We’ve kind of met before.”
“Right,” he said. “But good to be official about these kinds of things.”
Her hand lingered in his for a few beats, as if neither one of them wanted to let the other go. I frowned at them, but then another contraction hit, pain blowing away anything my attention might’ve been focused on.
“We set up an area in the living room,” Andrew said. “It’s not much, but the best we were able to do before you got here.”
Duncan positioned himself in front of me, taking in the sight of my pregnancy as if he couldn’t believe it.
I knew I had to tell him. But even through the pain I knew I didn’t need to give him one more thing to worry about. He was about to help his pregnant ex give birth in his home.
“Alright,” he said. “First of all, good to see you, Annie.”
I smiled, happy to hear him say the words. And not going to lie, I was more than a little relieved the other person ended up being Andrew and not some beautiful fiancé.
“Yeah,” I said as he wiped the sweat from my brow with a cloth. “Good to see you, too.”
He smiled, and I did the same. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
“Anyway,” he said, snapping back into professional mode. “A hospital would’ve been the best place for this, of course. But I’ve done more than a few childbirths in my time. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“Good.”
“First thing is we’re going to need to get you ready.”
I knew what that meant – I needed to take off my clothes.
“Gia can help you, and I’ve got a hospital gown here. Hurry, and I’ll be right back with you.”
He stood up and nodded to Andrew, and they left. Andrew locked eyes with Gia again, the two of them sharing another small smile before they both left.”
“Come on,” Gia murmured, hurrying to my side and helping me up. “Let’s get you out of this stuff.”
“Gia, this baby’s coming,” I said as she pulled my shirt off over my head.
“I know, I know. But you’re in good hands, right? And God, how did I never notice how cute Andrew was? I mean, he looks just like Duncan, so it makes sense. But still—”
“Gia!” I said. “Focus.”
She grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, sorry.”
Moments later I was in the gown. Gia called for Duncan, and he and Andrew came back into the room.
“Alright,” Duncan announced, his sleeves rolled up and blue latex gloves on his hands. “It’s time to deliver this baby.”
He helped me onto the couch and propped my legs up once I was there.
The next half-hour passed in a crazy blur. Duncan, calm as ever, helped me through the process, instructing me how to breath, when to push. Gia and Andrew watched, bringing whatever supplies Duncan called for, both watching the process happen with wide, eager eyes.
The pain was nuts, like I was getting ripped in half – which wasn’t an inaccurate description of what was happening. The quickness of the contractions grew, and Duncan kept on yelling for me to push, taking my hand and working me through it all.
“There’s the head!” he called out. “So far, so good. Just keep pushing! Keep pushing!”
I did what the good doctor told me to do, pushing that little baby as hard as I could. And then a cry cut through