Chapter 34: Damian
I run up all four flights of stairs. We'll be carrying Lydia all the way down if the power doesn't come back on. Lydia is pacing the carpet when I enter the front room, her expression worried. I want to yell at her for walking around. We need things to slow down. Instead, I scoop her into my arms and pull her tightly against me. I press my lips to her neck and cheek.
"I love you. I promise our baby will be fine. You have my word." She immediately relaxes in my arms. I rub her back and hold her. A few minutes won't make a difference and I want her calm for the trip down the stairs. Less than a minute later, she stiffens and inhales deeply. "Breathe," I tell her because she's holding her breath and I know by the pain on her face that this is a contraction. "How long have the pains been going on, Lydia?" I ask as soon as it ends.
"A few hours," she whispers. "I'm sorry," she adds when my expression turns murderous. Now's not the time to lose my cool, so I tone it down a notch. "Why didn't you say something?"
Her lips tremble and my heart twists. She's so damn strong and independent. "I wasn't sure this was the real thing and I didn't want you worrying until I was positive."
I have so many punishments saved up for after the birth and this one will be the end all. To keep her calm, I keep my voice as gentle as I can and add a bit of teasing. "Silly momma." I kiss her nose. "Daddy needs to know these things." I lift and cradle her in my arms and for once she doesn't have a smartass comeback about her weight. "Raul should be back in a few minutes. He's calling the ambulance and Kyle is checking around the club for anyone with delivery knowledge."
Lydia's body goes taught in my arms and I decide against putting her on the couch as she battles another contraction. The damn things are close together and I have a feeling if we try to carry her down the stairs, the baby will be born in the stairwell. I head to the bedroom and wait for the pain to subside before placing her on the comforter. I grab ATG from the closet and prop it behind her back. Voices come from the other room and Trisha sticks her head inside the bedroom.
"Come in, Trish," Lydia says with a smile. I can see the strain around her mouth, but you can't hear it in her voice.
Trisha walks in with a small trail of people behind her. Kyle reaches Lydia first and kisses her cheek. "You okay, princess?"
"You're only calling me that because I can't take a whip to you right-" Pain spreads across her face. She's trembling by the time the pain ends and tears slide freely down her cheeks. She grasps my hand tightly, her nails digging into my skin. "Please, Damian, I need to talk to you alone."
That's all it takes for Kyle, Trisha, Raul, and Paul to hustle back out.
Raul whispers in my ear when he walks by, "An hour for an ambulance."
Damn. We could take the limo but I'm worried about the power outage and traffic lights. We could be caught in a jam and have the baby in the back seat. I inhale deeply and bring Lydia's hand to my lips. It's strange that I don't mind dishing out pain and pushing her limits in my dungeon, but the thought of her going through childbirth without medication is terrifying. Hell, delivering a child is terrifying.
Lydia buries her face against my hip when I sit on the edge of the bed. "I'm afraid," she admits. "I'm so afraid."
I press my lips to her temple. Her hand constricts on mine again and her breathing accelerates. "Slow, my love. Ride it out and breathe." I breathe along with her. She takes slow, steady breaths while her face twists in pain.
I use the side of the comforter to wipe the moisture from her brow when the pain ends. "I love you," I tell her. "I will never allow anything happen to you or our baby. In a few hours you'll be holding Abigail. I promise," I whisper. I need her to hold off giving birth until the ambulance arrives.
She gives me a small smile along with a weary sigh. "I can handle a few hours," she answers bravely.
"Of course you can. My fearless Domme can handle anything."
Her smile is brighter this time but a second later another contraction starts. It's a bad one and her small cry lets me know how bad. She's still panting when she leans in close to me. "Raul needs to hold my hand so you can deliver our daughter."
It's my turn to panic, but I can't show it. "I promised nothing would happen to you and our daughter and I mean it."
"Thank you." Her grip on my hand tightens again.
Her contractions are coming too damn fast and I know we're out of options other than delivering the baby here. My priority now is keeping her and the baby safe. "Who do you want in here with us?"
"If no one has experience delivering babies, just Raul and Trisha."
"I'll get them."
"We need towels and-" Her words cut off as another contraction hits. Lydia's loud moan fills the room.
When it's over, I rush from the room to hand out orders. Paul grabs towels and I send him to the bedroom to stay with Lydia until I'm back. Trisha fills a bowl with warm water and Raul starts boiling water on the stove.
He shrugs his shoulders when my eyebrows go up. "It's in all the movies so there must be a benefit for boiling water for childbirth."
Kyle stays out of the way, which I'm grateful for. His calm demeanor helps settle me. Once we have everything I can think of, I bring Raul and Trisha back to the room with me. Paul is holding Lydia's hand while she breathes through the latest contraction. I go to the opposite side of the bed from her and pull the comforter down. As soon as the contraction ends I pick her up.
I nod at Raul. "Place the blanket over the sheet and add a few towels."
Raul and Trisha organize the bed. Paul heads out of the room without being asked but I stop him. "Google childbirth on my tablet. It has a its own internet data connection and should still work. I need step-by-step instructions. Also check and see if there's anything else we need in here." I rest Lydia on the bed just as another contraction begins.
She grips me around the shoulders and breathes against my chest. "It hurts, Damian. I can't do this."
"Yes you can, baby. I'm here with you. We've got this." There's no longer time for terror.
"Raul, you have the honor of holding Lydia's hand. Trisha, follow me and we'll wash up." Raul and I switch places.
Trisha and I wash our hands with soap and water. She's worried too, but we're too close to Lydia and I don't want her hearing us talk, so we remain silent. Trisha is a tough woman or Kyle would never have chosen her. I don't see her buckling under with a little midwife duty.
We enter the bedroom again and Lydia is having another contraction. They appear to be on top of each other now. I take one of her nightshirts from her drawer and carry it over. "I need to remove your clothes and put you in a nightshirt."
"One of your T-shirts, please."
"Yes, my love, no problem." I toss her shirt aside and quickly grab one of mine. Hell, if she wants to wear a tutu right now, I would find her one.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
