Page 72 of Nanny for the Firefighters

The guys park the truck by the emergency entrance, and a nurse meets us outside the entrance with a wheelchair, but Ella's mid contraction, squeezing my hand tight as Ethan reaches for her, only to get his hand nearly broken, too.

"Hah, that's one hell of a grip you've got, beautiful."

Her laughter is a bit unhinged and hysterical. "Get this baby out of me."

She's moved into the chair and wheeled inside, but under the fluorescent lights, I can see the sweat tacking down her hair, and she's gone pale. Worry latches onto my heart again, claws digging deep.

"What's wrong?"

Ella shakes her head, eyes glassy and unfocused. "Something's not right."

The nurse turns sharply with her clipboard, giving Ella a once-over when her eyes go wide. "Let's get you to a room. Doctor Phillips is on his way."

Ella can barely nod. Lily cries, clinging to my shirt as we're stopped in the hallway.

"We can't crowd her. Who's the father?"

We share a look because none of us knows. It doesn't matter.

"Who's the husband? Boyfriend?"

Ethan clears his throat. "We're all her boyfriend."

The middle-aged woman's eyes go wide, cheeks pink, but she nods. "Okay. One of you at a time until we know what's going on. Who's first?"

I pat Theo's shoulder. "You have the most hospital experience. Go and help keep her calm."

Theo shakes his head. "You're the calm one. You've done this before. Give me Lily." He reaches out for my little girl, but she clings to my shirt, whimpering Ella's name.

"Yes, pumpkin. I'm going in to check on Ella. Stay with Uncle Theo, okay?" Slowly, my daughter releases my shirt, and each of my brothers puts a hand on her back to comfort her. With one more deep breath, I go into Ella's room.

She is leaned back in the bed with her feet propped in stirrups. Her head lolls to the side as she blinks at me.

The nurse is between her thighs, pushing back with a frown. She stands and meets me by the door. "There's a lot more blood than there should be. I need to get the doctor in here. Don't let her push. Okay?" She turns and pins Ella with a look. "Hear that, Momma? Do not push. I'll be right back."

The nurse slips out the door, and I meet Ella at her bedside in three steps, taking her hand. Her grip is weak even when another contraction hits.

I brush my palm over her forehead and cheek, fighting back a frown at how clammy she's gotten. "Hey," I whisper to her. "How are you feeling?"

The soft shake of her head has me leaning in to kiss her temple. "I don't know if I can do this."

"You've got this. You're the strongest woman I've ever met. I believe in you, Ella."

She whimpers and closes her eyes, her breath coming in ragged waves.

After a minute, the doctor strides in, introducing himself as he pulls gloves on and bends to inspect Ella. "Let's see what we have here. You're going to feel some pressure. That's me. I'm checking on the baby. Okay?"

She barely nods, eyes closed tight.

He wheels the stool back and peers at Ella from over the privacy sheet. "I'm going to give it to you straight. The baby's not in position, and there are signs of placental abruption, so we're going to move you into a surgical room for a C-section."

"What? Is my baby okay?" Ella's voice crackles with weakness, and my heart hammers from the fear of the unknown.

"Right now, yes. But we need to move." Doctor Phillips meets my eyes. "We're going to have you put on scrubs before you can follow us in."

"Yes, sir."

His smile flashes briefly as he nods, removes his gloves over the trash, and exits the room. I'm handed a big pair of blue scrubs by the nurse before she and another unlock Ella's hospital bed to move her.