“Well, Jase, I think that’s the last time we’ll be able to do that for a while,” I said, wiping my mouth with the napkin he brought with the breakfast I didn’t feel like eating. “I’m pretty sure I just had a contraction, and I knew you wouldn’t fuck me if you thought I was in labor.”
He paused, pulling up his pants. “You think you’re in…”
“I think I’ve been having them most of the night. They’re about seven minutes apart.”
“Holy, shit, Darla, seven minutes? Are you in pain?”
“They’re like little twingy cramps, but they’re starting to get stronger, yeah.”
He started scurrying around, picking up the bag we packed last week, calling in the cavalry while he put on his shirt and shoes.
“You need to get dressed, Love. I’ve called Fionn. He’s going to drive us.”
“Honey, chill, we have time.”
“This is my kid, Darla Maize, and he will not be delivered on the side of the road by your Irish bodyguard who has a propensity for passing out at the sight of bodily fluids.”
Standing gingerly, I giggled. “Good point.”
Ten minutes later, Fionn, Noah, and Joe arrived.
“Goddess, this didn’t need to bring out the whole company.”
“Fionn is driving, I am here for medical support, and Joe is here…” Noah lowered his voice to a whisper, “in case Fionn passes out.”
“Grace be to God, when will that stop being a thing with everyone?”
I laughed with Joe as he hoisted me into the car.
The ride to the hospital only took two contractions, one when I got into the car and one right when we pulled into the circular drive. Noah helped me out while Joe helped Jase collect all our overnight bags. Fionn retrieved a wheelchair, and right when he pulled it in front of me, my water broke.
Fionn hit the pavement like a sack again.
~~~
Eighteen hours.
Eighteen hours of some pretty intense pain.
Ten of those, I refused drugs. By the time I got some, they did little good.
Looking into the face of my son made me forget most of the pain. I wouldn’t forget how Noah and Jase both tag teamed my labor like troopers, but the pain was insignificant.
Jase hogged the baby most of the time, so now it was my turn.
“So have you named this kid yet?” Noah asked.
I cleared my throat. “Jase, you wanna tell him? I don’t think I can without blubbering.”
Jase smiled and held out his hands. I reluctantly handed over my son, who was placed in Noah’s waiting arms.
“Noah,” Jase said, taking a minute to clear his throat, “meet Reid Dexter Heywood.”
Noah’s eyes bulged. “Are you fucking serious?” his voice cracked, looking down at Reid.
I watched as a slew of tears fell on the boy’s forehead.
“Watch the waterworks on the baby, Boo Boo.”
“I’m absolutely honored, but why?”
“We got the idea from the Tates, and thought we’d start a new tradition. We both think that without you, we wouldn’t be together. You held us together and kept us sane… mostly anyway. So, we named our kid after you. It’s spelled differently, but the sentiment is real.”
He walked over and hugged Jase, kissing him on the head. “Thank you Jase, so much. You’re like a brother to me.”
He walked to me, giving me a longer-than-a-chaste kiss on the lips. “And you know I adore you, Kung Fu.”
I felt the adrenalin wearing off. A wave of exhaustion threatened to pull me under, and quickly. “Guys, I’m drained. Do you think you can watch the kid while I take a long nap? Jase, wake me when he’s hungry.”
“Sure thing, Love.”
I let the darkness drag me under. I awakened later, where I overheard Jase talking to our son, telling him our story while I slept. It made me smile as I fell back to sleep.
Epilogue
Jase
“Work Song” – Hozier
“Jase, your heart function is less than fifty percent. You have to go on the registry now.”
“No, doc. I’ve led a good life. I’m over seventy now, and my kids are grown,” I squeezed Darla’s hand. “My wife and I have discussed it. There’s no sense taking a heart away from some young stud who could use it more than I can.”
Dr. Chiefton, who had been my cardiologist since I returned from England all those years ago, sighed. “If that is your final decision.” He turned to leave the room but spun around to face me. “I really wish you’d reconsider, you old fool.”
I smiled. “You’re not much younger than I am, you old coot.”
He nodded and looked to Darla. “You’re okay with this decision?”
“Not really, but it’s his to make. He insists he has some good years left in him. We have the winery and the kids run it now. The grandkids make him feel young. He’s happy. I don’t have much to add to that. I don’t blame him, doc. It’s a long recovery for a fifty-fifty odds he won’t reject the new heart.”
“Rejection meds have come a long way, Darla.”
“I get that, but he’s right. He’s led a happy life; I’ve made sure of that. I respect his decision and vow to make the next few years his best.”
Dr. Chiefton nodded and left the room.
Darla stood to retrieve my shirt from the hook on the wall. “I still have a few things I haven’t done on my bucket list,” I said, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her to me.
She giggled. “I think we’ve done just about all we’re gonna do on that list, Mr. Heywood.”
“No, I mean… well, I’ve never seen Niagara Falls, traveled to Washington D.C., or been on a cruise.”
Her face lit up the room. “Well, those are things we can do. Let’s get to planning.”
Acknowledgements
Thank you for taking the time to read Darby’s story. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
When I set out to tell it, I never expected it to go in the direction it took. It was supposed to be a humorous novella about the fertility process, but it turned it into this, a 100k+ story. I felt Darby needed backstory, so you get Darla and all her quirkiness.
Jase just happened. I needed a character to honor my dad, who passed away in November 2017 from a life-long heart condition similar to Jase’s.
I never intended for Allison to get so lost in the baby fever, but she did. *shrugs*
Jase and Darla were originally not meant to be together, but I just couldn’t NOT let it happen. So that is how it ended. Ta-da. *jazz hands with spirit fingers*
Beginning outlines (apparently) mean nothing to me.
So now for the thanks…
Thank you to my husband for asking, “Well, will that make it into your book?” (He tried, y’all, so hard, which I appreciate.)
And to my kids, you rock for understanding and enduring this arduous journey with me.
Thanks to my cheerleaders and ass kickers, AKA my alpha readers.
Thank you to my Beta Readers, Rebel Nicks O’Dey, Madonna Blackburn, and MJ Woods, who kept me honest.
Thank you to Isabel Love, for answering tons of questions about the fertility process and checking to make sure everything was true and real.
Thanks to my seven loyal fans. This is for you. I love you all.
Robin Leaf is an author from Texas where she lives with her husband and three kids. When she’s not binge watching Supernatural on Netflix, she can be found reading a novel a day or watching her dog chase those nasty little demons, the squirrels, out of the yard.
Author’s Other Works
Riled Up
Batter Up
Table of Contents
Loosen Up
Prologue
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty One
Twenty Two
Twenty Three
Twenty Four
Twenty Five
Twenty Seven
Twenty Eight
Twenty Nine
Thirty
Thirty One
Thirty Two
Thirty Three
Thirty Four
Thirty Five
Thirty Six
Thirty Seven
Thirty Eight
Thirty Nine
Forty
Forty One
Forty Two
Forty Three
Forty Four
Forty Five
Forty Six
Forty Seven
Forty Eight
Forty Nine
Fifty
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Table of Contents