moment Ricki Wilson opened the door and cried, “Someone, come quick, Jane’s having her baby at the Knit & Stitch.”
Molly turned in time to see Ricki, wearing a short skirt in a leopard print, a really tight tank top, and a pair of high-heeled boots that had probably stayed in the back of her closet when she’d been a waitress. She was dancing from one high heel to another, and she was hyperventilating.
And so was the tiny, shivering dog in her arms.
“Oh God, Molly, you have to come. She’s screaming in pain.”
“Did you call nine-one-one, or Doc Cooper?”
Ricki just stood there dancing from foot to foot with a deer-in-the-headlights kind of expression.
“Jeez Louise. Ricki, go run down to the hardware store and tell Clay.”
Ricki crumbled. “I can’t do that,” she sobbed. Her yappy little dog started to bark in addition to shivering.
“I’ll do it,” Lark said, standing up and racing to the door.
Molly was not happy with Lark Chaikin, but she
was
Clay’s sister-in-law and had a reputation for being cool under fire.
Molly jumped up and headed out the door. She got five steps down the sidewalk before she realized Simon was following her.
“Are you some kind of ambulance chaser or something? I don’t think Jane needs some strange man with her right at this moment.”
He didn’t give her the benefit of a reply as they raced down the sidewalk to the Knit & Stitch. Molly pushed through the door and found Jane on the floor making funny, squeaky noises and breathing hard. The carpet underneath her was wet. Thank God it wasn’t bloody because Molly, as tough as she was, didn’t think she could deal with blood right at the moment, even if she hadn’t had her breakfast yet. She sure wasn’t ready to witness childbirth either. In fact, the whole childbirth thing gave her a serious case of the willies.
Before Molly could do or say anything, Simon was down on his knees beside Jane talking to her in a low, quiet, calm voice. He held her hand and touched her baby bump like he knew what he was doing.
Who the hell
was
this guy?
Jane’s body arched in a contraction. Simon lifted up her maternity dress and in one swift move had her panties off.
Clay, Jane’s husband, came rushing into the store and got down on his knees beside his wife. She was crying. She seemed to be really, really worried about somethingbad happening to the baby. But Clay was steady, like he always was.
And Simon … well, Simon had taken charge like he knew exactly what he was doing. He kept telling Jane to breathe, but Jane was too busy freaking out.
Molly backed away. This was beyond her. She reached for her cell phone, just as she heard the siren of an emergency vehicle. She put her cell phone back in her pocket and looked through the front windows where Ricky and her dog (since when did Ricki have a dog?) were pacing back and forth like they were the expectant father, except that Ricki was crying and her mascara was running down her cheeks. Clay’s baby being born right there in front of her was obviously causing Ricki a whole lot of psychic pain and heartache.
“I need a blanket or something,” Simon said, pulling Molly’s attention back to the issue at hand.
Molly grabbed the bright pink display blanket that Momma had knitted using Baby Ull yarn from Denmark. It was a sissy, lacy, girlie thing. Perfect for little Faith, who was about to make her debut.
She handed it to Simon and allowed herself to look at what was really happening. There was blood on the carpet now, and Jane wasn’t breathing hard. She was red-faced and pushing. And the top of the baby’s head was clearly visible.
Things happened incredibly fast after that. The baby started crying, hard and loud and kind of angry, before she was all the way born. Simon steadied the little one with his long-fingered hands as Jane gave one final push. The baby slid out, and Simon tipped the wet and slippery newborn over onto Jane’s tummy and covered it with
Molly turned in time to see Ricki, wearing a short skirt in a leopard print, a really tight tank top, and a pair of high-heeled boots that had probably stayed in the back of her closet when she’d been a waitress. She was dancing from one high heel to another, and she was hyperventilating.
And so was the tiny, shivering dog in her arms.
“Oh God, Molly, you have to come. She’s screaming in pain.”
“Did you call nine-one-one, or Doc Cooper?”
Ricki just stood there dancing from foot to foot with a deer-in-the-headlights kind of expression.
“Jeez Louise. Ricki, go run down to the hardware store and tell Clay.”
Ricki crumbled. “I can’t do that,” she sobbed. Her yappy little dog started to bark in addition to shivering.
“I’ll do it,” Lark said, standing up and racing to the door.
Molly was not happy with Lark Chaikin, but she
was
Clay’s sister-in-law and had a reputation for being cool under fire.
Molly jumped up and headed out the door. She got five steps down the sidewalk before she realized Simon was following her.
“Are you some kind of ambulance chaser or something? I don’t think Jane needs some strange man with her right at this moment.”
He didn’t give her the benefit of a reply as they raced down the sidewalk to the Knit & Stitch. Molly pushed through the door and found Jane on the floor making funny, squeaky noises and breathing hard. The carpet underneath her was wet. Thank God it wasn’t bloody because Molly, as tough as she was, didn’t think she could deal with blood right at the moment, even if she hadn’t had her breakfast yet. She sure wasn’t ready to witness childbirth either. In fact, the whole childbirth thing gave her a serious case of the willies.
Before Molly could do or say anything, Simon was down on his knees beside Jane talking to her in a low, quiet, calm voice. He held her hand and touched her baby bump like he knew what he was doing.
Who the hell
was
this guy?
Jane’s body arched in a contraction. Simon lifted up her maternity dress and in one swift move had her panties off.
Clay, Jane’s husband, came rushing into the store and got down on his knees beside his wife. She was crying. She seemed to be really, really worried about somethingbad happening to the baby. But Clay was steady, like he always was.
And Simon … well, Simon had taken charge like he knew exactly what he was doing. He kept telling Jane to breathe, but Jane was too busy freaking out.
Molly backed away. This was beyond her. She reached for her cell phone, just as she heard the siren of an emergency vehicle. She put her cell phone back in her pocket and looked through the front windows where Ricky and her dog (since when did Ricki have a dog?) were pacing back and forth like they were the expectant father, except that Ricki was crying and her mascara was running down her cheeks. Clay’s baby being born right there in front of her was obviously causing Ricki a whole lot of psychic pain and heartache.
“I need a blanket or something,” Simon said, pulling Molly’s attention back to the issue at hand.
Molly grabbed the bright pink display blanket that Momma had knitted using Baby Ull yarn from Denmark. It was a sissy, lacy, girlie thing. Perfect for little Faith, who was about to make her debut.
She handed it to Simon and allowed herself to look at what was really happening. There was blood on the carpet now, and Jane wasn’t breathing hard. She was red-faced and pushing. And the top of the baby’s head was clearly visible.
Things happened incredibly fast after that. The baby started crying, hard and loud and kind of angry, before she was all the way born. Simon steadied the little one with his long-fingered hands as Jane gave one final push. The baby slid out, and Simon tipped the wet and slippery newborn over onto Jane’s tummy and covered it with
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