Expecting it All (Punishment Pit #7) - Livia Grant Page 0,14

are. When was the last time you saw your doctor?"

Derek pushed the wheelchair, in awe of his wife who calmly answered question after question as they weaved through the halls of the hospital. The only hint that she was uncomfortable was her frequent squirming in the wheelchair.

Jessica stopped to badge into the locked double doors marked 'Labor & Delivery'. The doors opened automatically, allowing him to push the wheelchair into a very non-hospital-looking space. They weaved past several small waiting area nooks before arriving at the nurses' station, the hub of the department. Their nurse stopped long enough to check a whiteboard with room assignments. Things got real when Derek saw the large PARKER assigned to the blue room.

Another nurse was prepping supplies when they wheeled into Rachel's room. "Ah, here you are," he said. "I'm Kyle. Jessica and I are going to take good care of you. Why don't we start by getting you out of your wet clothes?"

The next ten minutes passed by in a blur of activity. Derek was grateful for the experienced people taking care of the most important people in his life. He sat, shell-shocked, feeling more useless by the minute.

He was almost relieved when an elderly woman wearing a nametag identifying her as Nancy Remus arrived with a laptop. "Mr. Parker? I'm from admissions. We need to do some paperwork and gather some information on your wife. Would you be able to assist me?"

"Er… sure." He could only utter a noncommittal, monosyllabic response.

She smiled a knowing smile. "We can do this here, but sometimes it's easier to take care of things out in the solarium down the hall."

Derek didn't want to leave Rachel's side. He looked down at her pale face, and was about to say they needed to stay in the room when Jessica piped up. "We need to check your wife's cervix, and ask her some personal questions that we prefer the husband waits outside for."

Derek didn't like the apologetic look on the nurse's face as she said that. What could they possibly need to ask his wife that he wasn't allowed to hear?

It was Rachel who solved the mystery. "It's okay. Dr. Taylor warned me about this. They need to ask questions to make sure you aren't abusing me."

"What the fuck?" Derek panicked. With his luck, they'd mistake the BDSM lifestyle they lived as abuse.

In spite the stress of the moment, his submissive grinned at him. "It will be fine."

The admissions lady was speaking again. "It's quite peaceful in the solarium, and many fathers appreciate knowing it's there for when you might need short breaks. Want to head in that direction?"

"Er… sure." Now he was repeating said monosyllabic response.

Ms. Remus had been right. The greenroom was bright and sunny, courtesy of the huge skylights. Several seating areas with benches and tables were interspersed in the area, surrounded by abundant foliage and flowers. He felt better the second he sat down.

"Now, this shouldn't take too long." And with that, Ms. Remus launched into a game of fifty questions. Twenty minutes later she stood, the admissions process complete. "I've emailed you a copy of the paperwork, but I'll also have a hard copy sent up to your wife's room." She held her hand out. "Congratulations again, Mr. Parker. I'm sure you'll be an excellent father."

She left before Derek could ask her how the hell she could know that, considering she'd only just met him.

He sat alone in a daze for several long minutes before pulling his cell phone from his pocket. He found the number he needed in his frequent contacts list and pressed the name of the person he needed to talk to more than anyone else.

"Hey, I didn't expect to talk to you today." Lukus Mitchell's steady voice was an instant comfort in Derek's suddenly topsy-turvy world.

"Yeah, well, that makes two of us. You're not gonna like this, but I can't do the shows tonight."

"What the fuck? We had a deal. We're already on the road. We have dinner reservations and everything," Lukus said.

So maybe talking to Lukus isn't going to help me feel better after all.

"Will you shut the hell up!" Derek did not need this shit. "Rachel's in the hospital."

There was dead air until Lukus muttered, "Well, shit. Is she okay?"

"Oh yeah, she's fine. Me, on the other hand... I'm a fucking mess. She's in labor, Lukus. We're having the baby."

"Wait. What? Like now?"

"Right now. Her water broke. They're getting her settled in her room right this damn minute.