Enemy Beloved

epilogue

★

V A U G H N

Seven months later:

"Ice chips?"

"No."

"You sure?"

The moment Claire glares at me, I bite my tongue and have to swallow a chip myself as I take a seat near her bed. My wife has her arms crossed over her chest, grimacing every other second when she gets a contraction. Her hospital gown is blue with tiny white dots as their only design and Claire's belly is huge, my baby kicking her every time she tries to move a little.

"It's been nine hours!" Claire frowns, unfolding her arms and letting them drop to her sides. "Why is she not out yet?"

I place the cup of ice chips on the table nearby and touch her hand, lifting it to my lips to kiss. "Don't worry, honey. Maybe the baby loves you a little too much."

"Uhhhgg..." Claire grunts, jerking my hand away from hers and grabbing her stomach with both hands, her eyes squeezing shut as she takes deep breaths when another contraction hits. "I hate this, Vaughn. Please do this for me."

I remain quiet, not able to think of anything to say to that. Getting up from my seat, I wrap an arm around her shoulder and slowly massage her back as the obstetrician taught me. Claire's muscles are tense and she looks exhausted after hours of being in labor.

"Okay now?" I ask.

"No..." She holds her stomach tighter. "It's getting worse. When's the doctor coming?"

I look at my watch to see that it is nearing 8 pm. "She should be here soon." I smile at my wife as I bend down and place a kiss on the top of her belly. "Hold on, little one. Mommy can be a handful sometimes."

Claire slaps my arm at my words. "Shut up! You're the one who did this to me!"

I raise an eyebrow at her. "Really? Wasn't it you who wanted me to fuck her so hard that we forgot the condom?"

Claire puckers her lips, blowing a sigh. She leans in the bed, struggling to adjust to the extra weight in her stomach.

"Whatever..." she mutters exasperatedly. "I'm just upset I missed Chris's birthday."

It makes me chuckle to see her talking about Chris that way. She was excited to attend the little one's birthday when her water broke just as we stepped out of the mansion. Claire was begging me to let her wish Chris a happy birthday first before going to the hospital. I had to force her to sit in the car as she was hell-bent on going to the Hill Manor first.

"If it makes you feel any better...Chris is enjoying his birthday very much. He made some new friends at playschool and all the kids are running around the house like lunatics. You sure you would have liked to be there?"

My wife narrows her eyes, giving me an unamused expression. She is about to say something when she gets another contraction and nearly screams. I squeeze her hand just as the door to our private room opens and Dr. Langford enters with a beaming smile on her face. She is a polite woman of nearly fifty and is an expert in the field. I had to go to lengths to book an appointment with her the first time because of her high demand. Now, she has become a close family friend.

"How's my favorite pregnant woman doing?" she asks Claire as she takes a seat opposite of us to check for the dilution.

"Not good..." Claire heaves a breath, tilting her face at the ceiling and I see beads of sweat forming all over her body.

"Well, the good news is we are right there. It's time for you to head to the delivery room, Mrs. Jackson."

Hearing the doctor's words, my heart jolts. I feel Claire squeezing my fingers and when I look at her, I see her smiling nervously.