I raced down to the soundstage with my heart in my throat. Rex rode my heels the whole way. So did Erin, who was oddly silent. We found Kat on the sofa of the living room set, still dressed in her rabbit costume, with Scott kneeling next to her. She was curled up in a fetal position, panting just as she’d done during our filming. For a moment, I almost thought it was an act. I wanted to shake her and say, “Ha! Funny one, Kat!” But this was no joke. As she turned to me, eyes wide, I realized just how quickly things had progressed in the short time I’d been upstairs.

Oh, help!

Jason rushed to my side. “The ambulance is on its way.”

“Thank you.” I glanced around, trying to think of what to do. Without a script to guide me, I had no idea how to manage the scene before me. For once, I’d met with something inside the studio walls that rivaled my life outside. Beat it, in fact.

“Where’s Grandma?” Kat’s words sounded strained.

“She just ran to your dressing room to get a pillow.” Scott stroked her arm. “She wants you to be comfortable.”

“I’ll go get her.” Rex turned on his heels.

“A pillow isn’t going to cut it.” Kat let out a whimper and began panting again.

I shook my head, trying to make sense of this. I looked at Scott, who appeared to be timing her contractions. “Why didn’t you guys just get in the car and start driving to the hospital as soon as her water broke?”

Kat shook her head, tears now streaming. “I—I told him not to. I didn’t think I could move just yet. The baby is—” Her eyes widened, and she began to pant once again. I had to admit, these contractions looked even better than the ones we’d filmed earlier.

Someone turn on a camera!

I heard Scott counting the seconds. When he reached forty-seven, the tension on her face eased a little.

“That was a long one,” she whispered. She looked my way. “We never saw this coming, did we, Tia? I mean, I knew I was going to have the baby, but not in the studio.” She leaned in and whispered, “I felt the baby drop just after my water broke. I honestly don’t think we have time to make it to the hospital.”

“What?” Really? C’mon! You’re exaggerating, right? “I feel pretty sure you won’t have the baby right here.” I hope. “But in case you do, we’ve got the world’s best delivery guy here.” I pointed to Brock. Weird. What was he still doing here, anyway? I’d dismissed the cast half an hour ago.

“Can I get you guys anything?” Brock asked.

Scott chuckled. “I’ll have one baby, well done, seven pounds, ten ounces.”

That eased the tension in the room for about a minute . . . until Kat doubled over in pain. “Tia.” Her wide eyes now reflected something more than pain, though I couldn’t quite read them. “Can you get everyone out of here except you and Scott? And try to find my grandparents too, okay? If those paramedics don’t get here quick, I’m going to need you.”

“Ay yi yi.”

I’m the director. I can handle this.

I called for all of the tech crew to sign off for the day and sent Erin and Brock packing too.

“Are you sure, Tia?” Erin asked. “What if you need my help?”

“You deliver babies too?” I asked.

She chuckled. “No. I meant need my help in some other way. I’m your production assistant.” She pointed to Kat. “And this is quite a production, if I do say so myself.”

“Tell you what.” Brock reached into his pocket and came out with a set of keys. “You hang out with me for a while, Erin. Maybe we can meet up with everyone at the hospital later.” He glanced Scott’s way. “That okay?”

“Of course.”

“We’ll grab a bite to eat and see you after the baby’s born.”

Erin looked as if she’d won the lotto as she tagged along on Brock’s heels to the parking lot. I could only imagine what my sister might’ve said, had she stuck around to witness all of this.

Within minutes the room was nearly empty. Scott hovered close to Kat, helping her with her breathing.

I caught sight of Jason gripping his script in his hands. I took a couple of steps toward him, and he grabbed my hand. “I’m going to wait outside for the paramedics. I’ll stay out of the way, I promise, but I can’t leave until I know you’re—I mean, Kat’s—okay.”

“Thanks.” I gazed into his eyes, noticing how much calmer I felt afterward. He had that way about him, for sure.

As soon as he left, Kat cried out in pain. A few seconds later, she glanced my way. “Tia, where are my grandparents? Why aren’t they here?”

“I’ll go find them.” Scott took a couple steps away from the sofa.

“No.” Her eyes widened, and she shifted her position on the sofa. “Don’t go anywhere. Please. I need you.” She glanced my way. “You too. Please don’t leave.”

“You . . . you need me?”

“Yes.” A frantic look took over. “Tia, this baby is coming soon. She’s not going to wait. I’m going to need help. I can’t do this by myself.”

“Oh no. No, no, no.” I began to pace, then dove into a lengthy dissertation—in Spanish—about how that would never do. Turning her way, I managed a few words in English. “I’m completely to blame for this.”

“You’re completely to blame . . . for this?” She pointed to her belly, then winced. “How so?”

“It’s all that panting I made you do. Maybe it was really causing something to happen.” Suddenly I felt a little woozy.

“Tia, that’s silly.” She groaned and pulled her knees up. “Or maybe not. But either way, babies come when they want to. And obviously this little girl is determined to make her entrance, even though she’s not due for another few weeks.”

Still, a wave of guilt washed over me. I’d been guilty of a lot of things in my lifetime, but never throwing a woman into labor. My directorial skills were apparently much stronger than I’d realized.

Thank God the paramedics arrived before I could give it another thought. Otherwise I felt sure I’d be personally responsible for delivering the baby. And though I’d conquered the art of floating and taping Sheetrock, I felt sure bringing a child into the world would require skills I did not have.

Lenora and Rex came rushing into the room, pillows in hand, as the paramedics loaded Kat on the stretcher. Lenora appeared completely discombobulated, even more so than usual. “Why are those men taking my granddaughter away?”

“Kat has to go to the hospital, Lenora.” Rex pulled her close and kissed her on the forehead. “Remember? We talked about this.” He glanced my way and whispered, “Sorry. That’s what took so long. She just couldn’t make sense of this.”

“Why the hospital?” Lenora’s face paled. “Whatever is wrong with her?”

“She’s having the baby, honey.” Rex held her tight. “But don’t worry, she’ll be just fine. She’s in good hands now, so we can rest easy.”

“But KK already had the baby earlier today . . . right? I watched her. In the elevator. It was a boy. I heard them say it, loud and clear.”

Oh, yikes!

“That was just a scene from the television show, Lenora.” Rex stroked her arm. “It wasn’t real. But this is. She’s having the baby now.”

“But that didn’t look like KK at all. I thought it was a rabbit. A very tall rabbit.”

As the paramedics wheeled Kat out, with Scott following, Lenora continued to ramble nonsensically. She grew more agitated by the second. I felt horrible for Rex, who led her out to the car. I followed them, still confused about what to do. Should I follow the ambulance to the hospital? Go home and paint the living room? Work on next week’s script?

Thank goodness Jason met me at my car and gave me pointed instructions. “We’ll take my car. I told Brock and Erin we’d meet them for a quick bite to eat before going to the hospital. That sound okay?”

“Huh? Oh . . . oh, yeah.” Sure. Sounded like a good idea. I certainly didn’t want to horn in any more than I already had.

“We’re going to Pink’s to kill some time. Hope you’re hungry. I know you’re not much for food, but I think it’s a good idea. You need the carbs, frankly.”

I looked his way. “Hungry. Pink’s. Hospital. Carbs. Okay.”

He looked at me and chuckled. “You sure you’re up for this?”

I shook my head, and tears began to flow. “D-don’t mind me. I a-always cry on d-days like this.”

“You’ve had other days like this?” he asked. “Because this is a first for me.”

I nodded then shook my head. Then nodded then shook my head. “No. I mean, I’ve had weird days, but nothing exactly like this.”

“Me either. Never seen a woman have a baby twice in one day before. And the rabbit costumes are just the icing on the cake. You saw that Scott was still wearing his too, right?”

I just shook my head, unable to think of an appropriate answer. I hadn’t noticed, but then again, I hadn’t been looking at Scott.

“Good thing I’m driving.” Jason took me by the arm and led me to his car. Seconds later I was strapped into the passenger side of a sexy BMW Z4 with a head-turning driver leading the way. Or, would that be a head-turning BMW Z4 with a sexy driver leading the way? Either way, we were on our way to meet Erin and Brock at Pink’s, one of Hollywood’s most famous hot dog stands, then on to the hospital.

We’d made it only about halfway when I got a call from Rex.

“Tia, it’s a girl!” He rambled on and on, giving me the baby’s stats, but most of it was a blur. He’d lost me at the part where he said the baby arrived in the ambulance. I couldn’t seem to think clearly after that. The tabloid writers would have a field day with this one. I could almost see tomorrow’s headlines now. What would that do to the show’s ratings? Send them soaring or cause them to plummet?

I ended the call, drew in a deep breath, and then delivered—pun intended—the news to Jason. He stared, open-mouthed, when I told him that six-pound, nine-ounce Katherine Lenora Murphy had arrived en route to the hospital.

“Oy.”

“Yeah.”

“Poor Kat. Probably not the way she planned it.”

“This is all my fault. I caused all of this.” I leaned back against the seat, completely defeated.

“Clearly you missed that class in seventh grade where they told us how babies are made. Otherwise you would know that you have nothing in the world to do with this.”

“No, not that. I mean . . . oh, everything else.” The sting of tears caught me off guard. I refused to dab at my eyes for fear he would notice.

Jason chuckled. “Tia, you’re a hoot. You know that?”

“I am?”

“You are. And I like seeing you like this.”

“Like what?” As I looked his way, a lone tear trickled down my cheek.

“Vulnerable.” He spoke the word and then quirked a brow.

“Ah.” Well, I didn’t like it. Not one bit.

With his right fingertip, he gently wiped the tear from my cheek. “You’re cute when you’re vulnerable.” He gave me a little wink and my heart stirred.

Okay, maybe I did like being vulnerable, if it meant Jason would look at me like that. And touch me like that. A delicious shiver ran through me.

“You’ve got your guard down,” he whispered.

I nodded, feeling a bit numb. Jason reached over and grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze. “Good. Leave it there. I like you this way.”

“O-okay.” I’d leave it there, all right. Couldn’t very well pick up my guard right now, anyway. Instead, I leaned back against the seat, closed my eyes, and wondered why I suddenly felt like laughing. All the cares of the day suddenly drifted away on the breeze. I was soaring along in a hot car with a very cool guy. And for the first time in nearly a year, I couldn’t care less about anything work-related. All that mattered now was this moment, this opportunity . . . and the two of us. Well, the two of us and the birth of a brand-new baby girl. In an ambulance. With her mother dressed as a rabbit.

We arrived at Pink’s in short order and enjoyed both the food and the company. In fact, I couldn’t remember ever laughing or talking more. Brock and Erin were a blast to hang out with, but my focus—for the most part, anyway—was on Jason. His teasing and flirting continued as we made our way to the hospital. By the time we saw the baby for the first time, I had passed “vulnerable” and was pretty much an emotional wreck. Something about peering into that baby girl’s face melted me like sweet, creamy butter.

Leaving the hospital was another story altogether. By nine o’clock, nearly every reporter in town had gotten wind of the news. The hallways were packed with reporters, some waving cameras madly at anyone who even looked like a doctor.

“Can we get a statement?” a guy with a baseball cap asked as I rushed down the hallway, clinging to Jason’s arm.

“Oh, I, um . . .” Now what?

Jason put his hand up, and we kept moving toward the parking lot, where we were met by a FOX affiliate news truck pulling in.

“Is it true that Kat Murphy gave birth in an ambulance, wearing a rabbit costume?” the reporter called out.

With Jason’s help, I just kept moving, giving no response.

Jason opened the passenger door to his BMW—a gentlemanly gesture—and I climbed in, happy to have survived the chaos.

“You can’t blame them,” Jason said, once inside. “They’re excited about Jack and Angie having a baby.”

“You mean Scott and Kat?”

“Yeah. Them too.” He laughed. “See? I’m the cameraman for the show, and even I get things mixed up.”

By the time we arrived back at the studio, I was half asleep. Jason gave me a hand getting out of the car, and we lingered for a moment in the darkness before saying good night. I wasn’t sure what to expect next. After all of the flirting and teasing, I thought he might very well try to kiss me.

Would I let him?

Instead, he ran his finger along my cheek as we stood close. Then the night watchman happened by, interrupting the moment. Figured.

We said our goodbyes and I got into my car, my thoughts now tumbling madly. Had this crazy day really happened? Was it really just this afternoon that Kat had told me to make room in my life for love?

I somehow made the drive home, though my exhaustion nearly got the better of me. When I walked in my house, I felt like singing and dancing all at once. Carlos and Humberto had finished the entryway. Finished. Finito. Painted. Trimmed. No beer cans on the stairway. Sheer perfection.

Oh yes! This was a glorious day, one to be celebrated!

Well, until I climbed the stairs and discovered they’d somehow disabled my plumbing. No way. I needed a bath—a long, hot bath. I reached for my cell phone, groaning when I saw the time. Ten o’clock. Too late to call Carlos. I’d have to go to bed dirty . . . and then what?

I sent him a quick text, then somehow found the energy to change into my nightgown and slide under the covers. My eyes drifted shut. In that safe place, I replayed the movie of today’s events from beginning to end. Well, on fast-forward, anyway. About halfway through, when I got to the part where Jason reached for my hand, I paused the tape to run it in slow motion. No point in missing the good stuff.

I hadn’t imagined it all, had I?

Oh well. If I had, it’d been a whopper of a story. With grogginess easing me into slumber, I decided I’d just have to wait till tomorrow to see how it ended.