them during contractions.'
'The doctor says I'm nearly there. I can start pushing soon.'
He stepped up to the bedside. 'You okay?'
'A little tired. It's a lot of work, but not as bad as I thought.' Abruptly, her hand clamped down on his. 'Oh-oh. Stella.'
* * *
Roz stood at the foot of the bed. She looked at her son's hand holding Hayley's, looked at his face. She felt something inside her tighten, release painfully. Then she sighed and began to rub Hayley's feet as Stella murmured instructions and encouragement.
The pain increased. Stella watched the arc of contractions on the monitor and felt her own belly tighten
in sympathy. The girl was made of iron, she thought. She was pale now, and her skin sheathed in sweat. There were times when Hayley gripped Stella's hand so hard she was surprised her fingers didn't snap. But Hayley stayed focused and rode the contractions out.
An hour passed into another, with the contractions coming fast, coming hard, with Hayley chugging through the breathing like a train. Stella offered ice chips and cool cloths while Roz gave the laboring mother a shoulder massage.
'Harper!' General Rothchild snapped out orders. 'Rub her belly.'
He goggled at her as if she'd asked him to personally deliver the baby. 'Do what?'
'Gently, in circles. It helps. David, the music—'
'No, I like the music.' Hayley reached for Stella's hand as she felt the next coming on. 'Turn it up, David, in case I start screaming. Oh, oh, fuck! I want to push. I want to push it the hell out, now!'
'Not yet. Not yet. Focus, Hayley, you're doing great. Roz, maybe we need the doctor.'
'Already on it,' she said on her way out the door.
When it was time to push, and the doctor sat between Hayley's legs, Stella noted that both men went a little green. She gave Hayley one end of a towel, and took the other, to help her bear down while she counted to ten.
'Harper! You get behind her, support her back.'
'I...' He was already edging for the door, but his mother blocked him.
'You don't want to be somewhere else when a miracle happens.' She gave him a nudge forward.
'You're doing great,' Stella told her. 'You're amazing.' She nodded when the doctor called for Hayley
to push again. 'Ready now. Deep breath. Hold it, and push!'
'God almighty.' Even with the babble of voices, David's swallow was audible. 'I've never seen the like. I've gotta call my mama. Hell, I gotta send her a truckload of flowers.'
'Jesus!' Harper sucked in a breath along with Hayley. 'There's a head.'
Hayley began to laugh, with tears streaming down her face. 'Look at all that hair! Oh, God, oh, Lord, can't we get him the rest of the way out?'
'Shoulders next, honey, then that's it. Another good push, okay? Listen! He's already crying. Hayley, that's your baby crying.' And Stella was crying herself as with a last desperate push, life rushed into
the room.
'It's a girl,' Roz said softly as she wiped the dampness from her own cheeks. 'You've got a daughter, Hayley. And she's beautiful.'
'A girl. A little girl.' Hayley's arms were already reaching. When they laid her on her belly so Roz could cut the cord, she kept laughing even as she stroked the baby from head to foot. 'Oh, just look at you. Look at you. No, don't take her.'
'They're just going to clean her up. Two seconds.' Stella bent down to kiss the top of Hayley's head. 'Congratulations, Mom.'
'Listen to her.' Hayley reached back, gripped Stella's hand, then Harper's. 'She even sounds beautiful.'
'Six pounds, eight ounces,' the nurse announced and carried the wrapped bundle to the bed. 'Eighteen inches. And a full ten on the Apgar.'
'Hear that?' Hayley cradled the baby in her arms, kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her tiny mouth.
'You aced your first test. She's looking at me! Hi. Hi, I'm your mama. I'm so glad to see you.'
'Smile!' David snapped another picture. 'What name did you decide on?'
'I picked a new one when I was pushing. She's Lily, because I could see the lilies, and I could smell
them when she was being born. So she's Lily Rose Star. Rose for Rosalind, Star for Stella.'
NINETEEN
Exhausted and exhilarated, Stella stepped into the house. Though it was past their bedtime, she expected her boys to come running, but had to make do with an ecstatic Parker. She picked him up, kissed his
nose as he tried to bathe her face.
'Guess what, my furry little pal? We had a baby today. Our first girl.'
She shoved at her hair, and immediately got the guilts. Roz had left the hospital before she had, and was probably upstairs dealing with the kids.
She started toward the steps when Logan strolled into the foyer. 'Big day.'
'The biggest,' she agreed. She hadn't considered he'd be there, and was suddenly and acutely aware
that her duties as labor coach had sweated off all of her makeup. In addition, she couldn't imagine she was smelling, her freshest.
'I can't thank you enough for taking on the boys.'
'No problem. I got a couple of good holes out of them. You may need to burn their clothes.'
'They've got more. Is Roz up with them?'
'No. She's in the kitchen. David's back there whipping something together, and I heard a rumor about champagne.'
'More champagne? We practically swam in it at the hospital. I'd better go up and settle down the troops.'
'They're out for the count. Have been since just before nine. Digging holes wears a man out.'
'Oh. I know you said you'd bring them back when I called to tell you about the baby, but I didn't expect you to put them to bed.'
'They were tuckered. We had ourselves a manly shower, then they crawled into bed and were out in under five seconds.'
'Well. I owe you big.'
'Pay up.'
He crossed to her, slid his arms around her and kissed her until her already spinning head lifted off her shoulders.
'Tired?' he asked.
'Yeah. But in the best possible way.'
He danced his fingers over her hair, and kept his other arm around her. 'How's the new kid on the
block and her mama?'
'They're great. Hayley's a wonder. Steady as a rock through seven hours of labor. And the baby might
be a couple weeks early, but she came through like a champ. Only a few ounces shy of Gavin's birth weight, though it took me twice as long to convince him to come out.'
'Make you want to have another?'
She went a few shades more pale. 'Oh. Well.'
'Now I've scared you.' Amused, he slung an arm around her shoulder. 'Let's go see what's on the
menu with that champagne.'
* * *
He hadn't scared her, exactly. But he had made her vaguely uneasy. She was just getting used to having
a relationship, and the man was making subtle hints about babies.
Of course, it could have been just a natural, offhand remark under the circumstances. Or a kind of joke.
