The Day Has Come (Counting on Hockey #4)

Chapter 29: Due Date

November, eight months and three weeks pregnant

Long chapter

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I have one week until my due date, the day before my father's, would be, 55th birthday. I'm glad I had the summer off, because this pregnancy has been awful, but now that the season started, I have to be on my feet constantly, which hasn't helped anything. I have morning sickness every morning at four AM on the dot, my feet hurt like hell, and I don't even want to talk about the mood swings towards anyone and everyone who wants to talk to me.

The nursery is complete with my baby girl's new things. Only Cole and I know about the gender of the baby, and Cara might have gotten it out of me at my wedding. Everyone has to guess on the gender of the baby, and most gifts we've gotten have been for a baby girl. A few things have been blue for a boy, but that's what I had asked people to buy on what they thought. I personally don't think that a baby can't use a blue toy if it's a girl.

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"Cole", I say to my husband. I reach out for his hand. He sit's next to me on the couch, both of us are reading a book. I drop the book onto my lap. I stop a screech from leaving my lips. "I think it's starting". It's not pain, but I wouldn't exactly say it's bearable.

"What?" Cole asks in disbelief. "What do you mean labor? You still have a week".

"You know that thing where the baby is about to be born and it sends pain that feels like you were just stabbed in the stomach and back, that labor", I snap. "I was born three weeks early, so screw you".

My first wave of heart stopping pain rushes through my body. I arch my back firmly against the back of couch, holding my back to find some sort of solution. "Okay. Okay. I'll call Dr. Patterson. He'll know what do".

Cole races off the couch and into the kitchen with his phone, to find the doctor's number hanging on the fridge. "Hello, Dr. Patterson, it's Cole Anderson. I think Mered-", I can't hear anything over my small scream of pain. "I don't think it's supposed to be hurting her this much. It's only been about five minutes. Not even".

"Okay. We'll be there soon". Cole rushes back to me, squatting down in front of me. Breaking out in a sweat, the pain stops for a moment, and I look down at him. "Hey. You're good right now. Dr. Patterson is going to meet us at the hospital, and you and Miss Thing will be quite alright. I'll get the bag. Here, slip these on, and we'll get you there".

Cole runs off into our room, and a moment later, slipping a pair of flip flops onto my swollen, pregnant woman feet, he helps me off the couch and we walk slowly from the couch to the front door, to the elevator down the hall. After the much too long elevator ride, and two more waves of contraction pain, we reach the parking garage. Our car is only a few feet away. I tell Cole to place my sweatshirt from my bag on the seat, in case my water breaks in the car. I sit down slowly, with deep breaths to take away a bit of the pain.

Cole drives through the city streets, talking me out of thinking of the pain from the contractions. I suddenly feel something 'let go' down there. "My water just broke", I say, almost annoyed.

"We're almost at the hospital, Mere. Don't worry". Cole focuses on the road in front of him. His hands shake on the wheel slightly.

I pull my phone out of the bag on my lap, which is taken up a lot by my stomach. I look through my contacts until I find my sister. "Hey, Mere", Cara answers the phone.

"I'm in labor, Cara. We're on the way to the hospital", I rush to say before my thirteenth contraction ripples through my body. I squeal in pain for a quick moment. "Something's wrong".