When the Bough Breaks (Rose Gardner Investigations #6) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,111
pain between my legs made me scream.
“I’m sorry, Rose,” he whispered. “I’ve got to deliver the baby’s butt and then the other leg.”
I nodded, crying again, but another rush of pain had me screaming.
“Rose?” I heard Joe shout from far away. “Rose!”
“Joe!” I shouted in disbelief, then cried out again as I pushed.
“Rose, I’m comin’!” he shouted, sounding closer now.
“Good, Rose,” Dermot said. “The butt’s out. Now I’m going to deliver the other leg, then we’ll wait for the next contraction to deliver the rest of the baby.”
“How did Joe find us?”
Dermot frowned. “I don’t know.” There was more pain, and then he said, “Both of her legs and her butt are out. Try to rest until the next contraction.”
“Her?” I asked.
“Your baby’s a girl.”
Wonder stole over me. My baby was a girl. She was almost here with me.
Worry filled his eyes as he stared toward the other side of the creek. “I don’t like bein’ out in the open like this, but I’m not comfortable movin’ you to cover either. Not with the baby like this.”
“Are you worried more Collards are comin’?”
He didn’t answer, but the glare he was casting over my shoulder suggested he thought the threat was coming from the other side.
I had a moment of fear about how I was going to explain this situation to Joe, but it all evaporated when I heard him shout my name in a panic. “Rose?”
I glanced behind me as he emerged from the trees on the other side of the creek.
Dermot looked up, his gaze darting toward the trees. “Who else is with you?”
“No one. I have deputies on the way,” Joe said, standing on the bank. “What the hell’s goin’ on?”
“We’re havin’ a baby over here. You better hurry if you want to be part of it.”
I suspected Joe meant more than the obvious, but he seemed to accept it, cursing as he stumbled across the creek, splashing water everywhere. But then he was by my side, kneeling next to me. “You’re havin’ the baby now?”
“Yep,” Dermot said. “The legs and butt are out, and we’re waiting for the next contraction to deliver her chest, shoulders, and head.”
“Her?” Joe asked, looking shell-shocked.
“Dermot says we’re havin’ a girl,” I said, looking up at him with pleading eyes. “I know you thought it was a boy . . .”
“We have a girl?” he said, sounding thrilled. “I only care about having a healthy baby, but why are her legs out? She was head down at your last appointment.”
“These things happen,” Dermot said. “But we’re halfway there.”
My abdomen tightened. “Another contraction’s comin’.”
Dermot drew in a breath as though preparing himself. “Okay, same thing. Push until I tell you to stop. We’re gonna deliver her shoulders now.”
“What can I do?” Joe asked, sounding frantic.
“Get behind her,” Dermot said. “Help her sit up and brace her back.”
Joe maneuvered behind me, resting my back against his chest.
“I’m sorry, Joe,” I said. “You were supposed to do this with me.”
“It’s okay,” he said, rubbing my arms. “I’m here now.”
I started pushing.
“Good, Rose, good,” Dermot said. “Her back and chest are out. I’m workin’ on her shoulders now, so I’m gonna be tugging and turning her.”
I pushed and soon the pain between my legs was too much to bear and I screamed, leaning my head back on Joe’s chest.
“You’ve got this, Rose,” Joe said, then shot a worried look to Dermot. “Should it hurt this much?”
“Ordinarily, no,” Dermot said, focusing his attention between my legs. “There’s one shoulder and arm.” He glanced up at Joe. “The baby’s presenting in a way that makes it more difficult for Rose to deliver.” Then he twisted the baby and my pain increased.
I screamed as Joe encouraged me. “You’ve got this, Rose. You’re doin’ great.”
“And there’s the other shoulder and arm,” Dermot said, sounding relieved. “You need to stop pushing now, Rose. The head is next and we’re gonna need a full contraction for that.”
The urge to push was still strong.
“I can’t,” I cried out, overwhelmed by the pain and loss of control of my body.
“Yes, you can,” Joe cooed in my ear. “Our baby’s almost here. You can do this, Rose.”
The contraction began to ease, and I collapsed against Joe, spent.
“That’s good, Rose,” Dermot said. “Rest and we’ll be ready for the next one.” Dermot kept his hands between my legs, holding the baby.
I leaned forward and saw the lower half of my baby’s body hanging out of my body, then panicked. “Dermot is she okay?”