A vow of love

23

"Shane!" Claire squealed and curled up, clutching her stomach. She felt like the wave of pain was trying to tear her in two, tears welled up and her heart thumped deafeningly, taking her breath away. "God, Shane!" she squealed again, staring in horror at the puddle forming at her feet. "Claire?" Shane and Derek flew into the kitchen at the same time, where Claire stood leaning against the kitchen island. "Shane, I think I'm...I think I'm in labor" she cried and Shane was at her side in just a split second, lifting her into his arms.

"Dad, her bag is in the bedroom closet, we're leaving, you follow us when you get everything" Shane ordered and Derek nodded, moving to make way for him, then ran towards their bedroom. "Breathe princess, deep and slow" Shane walked through the hall and through the front door as one of the security guards ran ahead to get their car ready. "It hurts!" Claire whimpered and Shane nearly dropped her when another contraction ripped through her and Claire arched her back and screamed, clutching her stomach.

"I know my love, but you'll be fine" he waited for the security guard to open the back door of the car and carefully sat Claire on his lap in the backseat, ordering them to head straight for the hospital. "Think how very soon Damien will be in your arms, how you will finally see his smile and know if he has your eyes or mine" Claire smiled slightly and leaned her head on his shoulder. Sweat broke out on her forehead and she gritted her teeth.

"Breathe slowly, princess" Shane twisted her wrist slightly to look at the time so she could gauge how long her contractions were, as Claire's gynecologist had taught him. "Shane!" Claire winced and shuddered, her lips turning white as another contraction went through her body. Even Shane felt her belly tighten against his chest and his brows sank.

Her contractions were less than ten minutes apart, the labor was progressing too quickly, and he was beginning to worry that Claire might give birth to their son in the car. "Try to calm down and breathe slower and deeper, Claire" she panted and he kissed her forehead, looking out the windshield at the busy traffic.

"No..I can't Shane, it hurts too much" she whimpered and another contraction shot through her. "It's all right my love, try to delay the birth, will you?" panic began to creep through his veins and Shane bit his inner cheek. "How the hell are you delaying childbirth, you jerk!" Claire yelled, his eyebrows shooting up. "I'm sorry" she mumbled and squirmed again, trying to stifle a scream.

"Today you have the right to call me whatever you want princess, I have to apologize, of course you can't stop giving birth, I'm just acting stupid with excitement" he covered her face in kisses and Claire tried to laugh but only another scream and another contraction followed. "God! I swear I'll kill you!" her body stiffened and her breathing became ragged and shallow. "Claire, my love, you need to breathe and most of all, stay awake" Shane looked through the glass again, then at his watch and was horrified to see that her contractions were now less than five minutes away.

"Under no circumstances wait for the contractions to become more frequent than once every three minutes, if her amniotic fluid breaks, get to the hospital immediately, otherwise your wife could give birth at home and have complications before the ambulance gets to you" the gynecologist's words played like a broken record in his mind as Claire writhed and moaned in pain in his arms. "Shane...I think I...I think I feel something...down there" Claire moaned and Shane's eyes widened as he looked at the blood running down between her legs and soaking into the long skirt of her dress.

"Something?" he repeated as if in a dream, looking up at her face. Claire was too pale, her eyes seemed to be made of glass, darkened over time by pain and tension and fear, her teeth had left marks on her lower lip and sweat had stuck to blond strands on her forehead. "What something, Claire?" his voice trembled and broke. "I...I don't know...For God's sake, Shane!" her scream pierced him, Claire arched back in his arms and she clung to the seats, her head falling back hard, her feet landing heavily on the door and Shane almost squealing with her, too panicked to know how to react.