She’s in labor, but it’s early labor, and we don’t like to keep patients here during this stage. She can go home, get comfortable, eat, and then when it’s time, we will see her back.”
“She can’t get comfortable, sir,” I growled, trying to keep my anger at bay. I didn’t understand this shit and the more the doctor spoke, the more inclined I was to completely lash out.
“Lance Corporal Cruz, how are you sleeping?”
“I don’t sleep much, sir,” Cassie said. “Tossing and turning all night.”
“I figured that. I’m going to prescribe you a sleeping pill, an Ambien.”
I shook my head. “What? We’re not drugging her through this.”
“Staff Sergeant, the sleeping pill is only going to help her. She isn’t sleeping much and from what I can tell, she’ll be back sooner rather than later, so she needs to get some rest. Labor is hard work.” The doctor moved to the computer and quickly typed in something, then turned back to us. “Lance Corporal Cruz, I do believe you’ll be in full-blown labor within twenty-four hours, so I need you to eat, take the sleeping pill, and get lots of rest.”
Cassie nodded her head, then grimaced as her body folded in half. She was having another damn contraction, and for the life of me, I just didn’t understand why they just wouldn’t keep her.
“What if that pill makes her sleep through this? What happens then?”
Lieutenant Commander Paxton laughed, shaking his head and patting me on the back. “When the real deal hits, she won’t sleep through it, I assure you. When the contractions are consistently coming three to five minutes apart, it’s time to come back.”
“Thank you, sir,” Cassie calmly responded.
Who the hell was lying in that bed? She was switching her anger on and off, depending on who she was speaking to, and unfortunately for me, the anger was always aimed in my direction.
Lieutenant Commander Paxton left the room, leaving me alone with Cassie, who was now removing the hospital gown and changing back in her regular clothes.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she asked, never meeting my eye.
“I’m worried shitless about you, babe. You’re acting like you hate me right now.”
“You’re acting crazy, Alex. You’ve been this way for the past few days, and it’s making me nervous and scared. I wasn’t feeling any of that until you lost yourself. Get it together, I’m going to need you when the time comes.”
There it was, her reasoning for her light-switch fucking demeanor.
“I’m nervous as fuck, Blondie. Cut me some slack.”
Cassie sighed and finally met my eyes. “I’m nervous, too. But I can’t be high-strung like that or this is going to be a miserable experience for me. You’re acting like a wild bull, ordering the staff around. They do this job day in and day out, Alex. No offense, but I trust them a little more than I do you.”
When she was dressed, she reached out her hand for me. I took a couple of deep breaths, allowing her words to sink in as I finally realized that she was feeding off of me, and I was doing a piss-poor job of getting her in the right frame of mind to undertake the biggest challenge that either of us had ever taken. Like it or not, we were about to become parents, and the last thing I wanted was for this to be some sort of traumatizing memory for us.
I took her hand and pulled her close, brushing loose strands of hair away from her face as I placed soft kisses on her lips. “You are about to do something no one has ever been able to do for me, and for that I will be forever grateful. I want everything to be perfect, because you deserve it. So forgive me if I expect these assholes around here to give you top-notch care.”
Cassie smiled, finally allowing warmth to flow back into my body.
“I know how you feel, Alex. I’m ready to do this as well, but we can’t rush it, and we have to allow the staff to do their job.”
“You’re right. I’m going to work on it. Shit,
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