First Crush, My Forever

Chapter 133

  The last few appointments made it easy to believe we still had time.

  Everything had looked good. Dani's blood pressure steady. Baby's heartbeat strong. No concerns. At the last visit, the doctor mentioned mild dilation. Nothing alarming. Dani had been having Braxton Hicks for weeks. Practice contractions. Her body warming up.

  Still, I noticed things.

  The way her hand rested on her belly more often, like she was steadying herself. The way she would pause mid sentence and breathe through something she brushed off as nothing. We joked about it. Said he was impatient. Said he took after me.

  This morning starts quiet. Too quiet for the tight coil of awareness sitting in my chest.

  We are in the kitchen making breakfast. KK is still asleep. Dani is cracking eggs when she suddenly presses her hand flat against my chest. Her eyes go wide. Not fear exactly. Something between surprise and certainty.

  "Taytum," she says quietly. "I think my water just broke."

  She looks down first. Then back up at me. My chest locks tight.

  It is not dramatic. Not a gush. Just enough dampness to make it real. A contraction follows almost immediately, sharper than anything she has felt all week. Her breath catches. She bends slightly at the waist, one hand braced on the counter.

  I am moving before my mind catches up.

  "Okay," I say, steady even as my pulse spikes. I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her against me. "We're going to the hospital. Right now let me grab the bag and call mama."

  I help her sit on the stool at the island. My head fills with logistics. Bag. Keys. Phone. I grab my phone and call my mama.

  "Mama. I need y'all right now. Dani's water broke. KK is still asleep. We're going to the hospital."

  Both their voices come through calm and immediate. Of course. Relief hits me hard. I hang up just as the doorbell rings. Both my moms step inside and go straight to Dani.

  "Go on, baby," Mama says, already assessing, already calm. "Get her to the hospital. We'll let KK sleep and take her over to our house. We'll come once she wakes up or as soon as you call."

  I nod, grateful I do not have to say anything else.

  With the hospital bag over my shoulder, I help Dani stand. She leans into me fully now. Another contraction hits and her fingers dig into my shoulder. I hold her tighter, grounding us both, and guide her out the door.

  The walk to the car is slow. Controlled. She breathes through each wave. I talk her through it, low and steady, reminding her to breathe, reminding her she is doing good. By the time she is buckled in, her breaths are already shorter. I keep one hand on her thigh, rubbing slow circles, murmuring through each contraction.

  "In and out. Slow. I've got you."

  She grips my hand like she is afraid to let go. I feel the tension in her body, but I feel the trust too. The weight of it settles heavy and solid in my chest. I lean over and press a kiss to her temple. The drive is tense. Every bump makes her wince. Every contraction pulls her inward. I talk constantly. Not nonsense. Just presence. Her name. Reassurance. Counted breaths.

  When the hospital comes into view, she squeezes my hand hard.

"Almost there," I tell her. "You're doing amazing." I pull up at the entrance and jump out. "My wife is in labor," I tell the nurse who steps out. "Her water broke."

  A wheelchair appears immediately. Dani is helped into it, another contraction hitting as she settles. I squeeze her hand. "I'm parking and coming right back." I am back within a few minutes, breathless, heart pounding. She is still breathing through a contraction when I reach her.