Chapter 20
Tuesday morning, Gianna came downstairs holding her stomach. She was preparing to head to the bakery, but while she was getting dressed, she felt a warm oozing sensation between her legs. She looked down, fearing she’d see blood, but it wasn’t blood. It was clear fluid.
Her water had broken.
“Carson,” she called out calmly, surprised that she was able to remain calm under the circumstances.
“Yes, madam. You called?”
“Yes,” Gianna said, still standing on the bottom step. Still calm despite the burn of the first real contractions. “Carson, my water broke. I’m going into labor.”
“No, no, no,” Carson said, panicking.
“Yes, yes, yes, Carson. The baby is coming. I need you to call Ramsey,” she told him since she couldn’t get to her phone.
Carson looked dazed like he didn’t know what to do.
“Carson, snap out of it! The baby is coming.”
“Okay,” Carson said, dialing Ramsey’s cell. “I’m calling him now.” He handed her the phone and while Gianna waited for Ramsey to answer, she held on to the railing for support when a contraction hit. She bowed over in pain.
“Hey, what’s up, Carson?” Ramsey answered.
“It’s me, Ramsey.”
“Gianna?” Ramsey said, already on alert, wondering why she was calling him from Carson’s phone. “What’s wrong, baby?”
“Um...” she breathed, trying to disguise the sharp contractions ripping through her body. “Are you at—at work already?”
“I just got here…walking into my office now. What’s wrong, Gianna? Talk to me.”
“I don’t want you to panic.”
“I started panicking the moment I heard your voice on Carson’s phone, now talk to me, Gianna.”
“My water broke.”
“What!”
“My water broke, Ramsey. The baby is coming early.”
“Okay, okay. Are you all right?”
“Yes, but these contractions are almost unbearable. I’m going to get Carson to take me to the hospital.”
“Okay, baby,” Ramsey said. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. I love you.”
“I love you too, Ramsey. Please hurry.”
“I will, sweetheart. In the meantime, I need you to breathe just like they taught us in class, remember?”
“Yes.”
“And stay as calm as you can for me.”
“I’ll do my best. Please hurry, Ramsey.”
“I will, baby. Give Carson the phone.”
Gianna handed him the phone.
“Carson?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Get her to the hospital as fast and safe as you can. We packed a hospital bag already. It’s in the coat closet.”
“Okay. I’ll find it,” Carson said. “Don’t worry, Sir. The hospital is only a ten-minute drive. You know that. I’ll have her there in no time. You, on the other hand, have to travel at least forty-five minutes to get here, so take your time. Don’t drive like you’re on the Autobahn. We need you to arrive in one piece.”
“Yeah, got it,” Ramsey said when really, everything the man said was going in one ear and out the other. He ended the call, loosened his necktie, came out of his suit jacket popped off his cufflinks and ran down ten flights of stairs since the elevator was too slow for how fast he wanted to move at the moment. He needed to get to the hospital. There’s no way he’d miss the birth of his daughter.
He jumped in the Audi and hit the gas. Once he merged onto Interstate 77, he called his mother doing close to ninety miles per hour.
“Hey, Ramsey.”
“Ma, get to the hospital. Gianna’s in labor.”
“In labor!”
“Yes, it’s happening. I’m driving from Charlotte, too. I was at the office this morning when I got the call. Get there as soon as you can.”
“Lake Norman, right?”
“Yes. Lake Norman General.”
“Okay, son,” she said, winded. “I’ll be on the road soon.”
Next, Ramsey dialed Royal. His brain was working so fast, he hadn’t bothered telling his brothers what was going on before leaving the office. He just ran.
“What’s up, boss?” Royal answered.
“I figured Gianna would have called Gemma by now but she’s probably so scared and confused—”
“Ram, what’s going on?”
“Gianna’s in labor. I’m on my way to the hospital—Lake Norman General,” he said, navigating through traffic. “Call Gemma.”
“Okay…we’ll be there asap.”
Ramsey called Regal next.
Regal answered, “Ay, I saw you running out the building like it was on fire. What’s up?”
“Gianna’s in labor.”
“What!” Regal yelled. He was in the break room getting coffee. Nearly dropped the cup.
“I’m on my way there now. Do me a favor and let Felicity know. I need to concentrate on this highway and I doubt if Gianna called Felicity if she didn’t even call Gemma.”
“No problem, Ram. Concentrate on the road. I’ll call Felicity and hit the road.”
“Thanks, Regal.”
Regal immediately looked up the number to Wedded Bliss on his phone’s Internet then asked to speak to Felicity directly, telling the receptionist it was an urgent matter regarding Gianna. He knew that would get Felicity on the line.
After a few moments, he heard her say, “Hello? This is Felicity James.”
“Felicity, it’s Regal.”
“Are you kidding me? Do you think everything is a joke? Here I am freaking out thinking something is wrong with Gianna and it’s only you.”
“Something is wrong with Gianna. She’s in labor. That’s the reason for my call.”
“She’s not in labor. She has another month to—”
“Ramsey just called me and told me. Your friend is in labor.”
“This better not be one of your jokes, Regal.”
“I wouldn’t joke about something like this now get your butt to Lake Norman General if you want to be there for your best friend.”
“Okay. I’m on the way.”