Page 72 of Wild King
“She knows. I’ll call again once we know something. For now, get the hell on that plane and get back here!”
“I will. Take care of her, Kellen.”
The call ends, and I stuff my phone back in my pocket. By the sound of Ava’s moans, things are moving fast toward the time when there will be a new member of the King family. My heart races at the thought that something might go wrong. Aren’t women supposed to have babies in hospitals?
Salem stops next to the bed and eases Ava down onto the mattress. “I think we need to make you comfortable and ready for the big moment.”
I look over at her and mouth, “Is it happening now?”
Nodding, she helps Ava into bed and says, “Now that your water broke, I think we’re close to showtime.”
Her water broke? Holy fuck! This is it!
I swallow hard and ask, “Is this when I’m supposed to boil that water?”
Salem smiles and rolls her eyes. “I have a feeling Eleanor is doing something about that. I need you to get me some ice. She’s going to need something to wet her lips.”
“Ice? Okay, I can do that.”
I hurry out of the room and take the steps by two down to the kitchen where Eleanor is actually boiling water. Surprised since I thought that was just a movie thing, I ask, “What is that for?”
“Babies come out needing to be cleaned,” she says as she hurries past me toward the laundry room. “I need to get some clean towels and sheets too.”
Running over to the freezer, I think to myself that maybe movies don’t get this whole birth thing wrong. I grab two ice trays and dump the cubes into a bowl, unsure how I’m going to get them to be the size needed for Ava.
Eleanor rushes behind me and says, “You need to break some of that up. She’ll choke on pieces that big.”
I grab the first thing that comes to mind—the rolling pin sitting in the dish drainer from her making cookies earlier—and start hammering away at that ice. In no time, I’ve got more chips than Ava will probably need, but it doesn’t matter.
The sound of her screaming in pain echoes through the house, and I stop dead in the hallway off the kitchen. Behind me, Eleanor yells, “I think it’s almost time!”
How is that possible? I thought babies took hours and hours to be born. Isn’t that what every woman I’ve ever heard tell the story of childbirth said?
She tears past me with a kettle full of hot water and sheets in her arms, and I run to keep up with her, the two of us tearing up the stairs like madmen. We reach the second floor and hear another scream that makes my chest contract.
Eleanor and I look at one another, and I see tears in her eyes. Not sure what we’re about to walk into, I touch her arm and try to smile.
“It’ll be okay. Ava’s tough. Everything will be okay.”
Not that I believe much of that, other than that Ava can handle herself. That I believe with my whole heart.
Nodding, Eleanor sniffles and takes a deep breath. “You’re right. Everything will be fine.”
She hurries down the hall toward the bedroom, but for a few seconds, I stand frozen to the spot in fear. Having a baby at home seems dangerous, and that scream that came out of Ava a few moments ago sounded like someone was tearing her bones from her body one by one without any fucking anesthesia.
She lets out another bloodcurdling scream, and I run to the bedroom unsure what to do or what I’ll see when I get there. I stop in the doorway with my bowl of ice chips, sure they’re the last thing anyone needs right now.
“Kellen, she needs your help!” Salem says in a panic as she crouches down in front of Ava.
My help? What the hell am I going to do?
When I don’t move, she looks over at me and barks, “Now! Get over here and stand by her.”
I quickly set the bowl of ice chips on the dresser and rush over to the side of the bed. Ava’s sitting up, her legs pulled toward her body, and she looks like she’s gone twelve rounds with some professional boxer. Her hair is drenched from sweat, and her face looks swollen, like someone beat her up.
She grabs onto my hand and squeezes it tightly as a contraction comes over her like a freight train. Screaming in agony, she pushes hard, sobbing in between cries of pain.
When it finally lets up, she turns her head and smiles at me. “I think I’m going to kill Matthias for doing this to me.”