Chapter 15

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Warning, not Beta’ed.

 

The Island 

 

Eric
Day 2025
Day Home, 204

My fingers ran through Sookie’s blonde locks as she lay sleeping peacefully, her ass pressed up against my groin, snuggly. I groaned as she wiggled closer in her sleep, my hand shot down and gently stilled her squirming hips.

I grinned into the darkness of our bedroom. I ran my hand up from her hip and over to the swell of her belly. My heart expanded, joy-filled me as our child moved against my palm. At thirty-seven weeks, Sookie tired pretty easily, she slept a bit more and occasionally got an energy burst that left her pestering me to rearrange the furniture, or paint a wall, help her start a garden.

I placed a reverent kiss to her temple before slipping out of bed, carefully not to wake her. I closed our window, shut the blinds, so the sunlight wouldn’t bother her, before making my way down to the kitchen to start breakfast as the sun started to rise.

I couldn’t help but sit and watch it rise over the horizon as I sipped my coffee. I enjoyed the quiet and the comfort our home surrounded us with. I finished cooking and waited for Sookie to join me, I could hear her puttering around upstairs.

I smiled as she came down the stairs as I placed my mug in the sink, “morning,” she mumbled, pouring herself a glass of orange juice. A drink she couldn’t seem to get enough of throughout her pregnancy.

“Good morning, Babe,” I replied as she made herself at home in my lap. I grinned as she turned and faced me expectantly. I chuckled and leaned forward to capture her lips in a kiss that she quickly turned heated.

She groaned against my mouth in protest as I pulled back reluctantly, “Sook, I made your favorite.” I offered, in way of apology.

She shook her head, disappointment creasing her forehead, “I’m not very hungry,” she took in my frown and added, “but I’ll try a small bite,” she murmured to ease the worry that must have washed across my face.

I nodded appeased. I watched her fondly as she moved to settle into her chair as I fetched her a small plate of eggs and berries. She wrapped her lips sinfully around a strawberry and moaned, causing me to harden. I shook my head and looked away as I caught the smirk on her face.

“Eric,” she sighed, trying to regain my attention like the sexy siren she was.

I kept my head stubbornly turned towards the lake, I wasn’t going to fall into her sinful trap.

She let out a huff, “Eric.”

When I still didn’t turn to look at her, she pelted me with a strawberry. My head snapped around to look at her, she had a smirk plastered across her face, her beautiful eyes blazed with annoyance.

“I have been sending you signals for days, I practically dry humped your leg last night, what’s going on with you?” She demanded, with a growl of annoyance as her eyes watered.

I swallowed and blinked at her, dumbfounded.

“You don’t want me?” She huffed, “Well … What? You don’t think I’m attractive, am I too fat for you?”

I blinked at her twice, “no, Babe, never. I just, you’ve been uncomfortable and in pain, I didn’t want to hurt you.” I tried to rationalize my actions.

“You’re hurting my feelings you giant oof,” she grumbled and threw another berry at my head. I caught it easily and popped into my mouth.

I scooped her out of the chair and carried her to the bedroom, ignoring her victorious smirk, “I never meant to make you feel that way,” I apologized, tugging her nightgown over her head and laying her back against the mattress.

I couldn’t help the male pride that swirled inside my chest at the wonderful sight she made, sprawled out across our soft creme colored sheet, round with my child.

“Close your eyes, I’m going to take you to your favorite place.” I teased her, biting her thigh playfully.

…

I smirked as she let out a sweet sigh and curled up against me. She drifted off into a peaceful sleep rather quickly. I allowed myself time to lay next to her for awhile before dragging myself out of bed to work on the cabins. We had our first round of campers that would be coming in six weeks.

I frowned down at my phone, Sookie hadn’t text me back. I had messaged her about missing lunch over an hour ago. I put my toolbox away and took the ranger back to the house, driving as fast as the recreational vehicle would go.

“Sook,” I called as I stepped into our house, “babe?” I tried again, my voice filled with a bit more worry when she didn’t answer my call. I searched the house, my frown deepened when I called her cell only to find it still on the charger in the bedroom.

A note hung under our on the fridge, “need a little sunshine, went for walk, lunch is in the fridge.” I bolted out of the house, calling her name as I headed down her favorite path, lunch had been hours ago.

“Eric,” she called back to me, my heart leaped in my chest as I caught sight of her by the creek bank, she was trying to free her foot that was tangled up in a mix of rocks and tree roots. It was swollen and bruised as I settled her on the bank to look over her injuries.

I folded up her blanket, picked up her basket and started to carry her towards the house. “Eric,” her fingers tightened around my wrist painfully, stopping me.

“Honey,” she stressed the word, “I’m not going to make it back to the house,” she tried to warn. I blinked at her confused.

“What?” I stuttered. I felt her stomach tighten and become hard as a rock and the pain written across her face, clued me into what was going on.

She let out a long breath, “I need to push.”

“No you don’t,” the words fell out of my mouth, making us both laugh at the ridiculousness of my statement.

“My water broke over an hour ago. I was on my way back to the house to call you when I slipped and got caught up in the creek,” she explained, her painful cries I had heard as I rushed to her suddenly made more sense, she was in labor, very active labor. “Oh, Lord. Eric, I need to push.”

I sprawled the blanket out quickly in our backyard. My fingers fumbled as I tried to dial 911 as Sookie laid down and I helped tugged her jeans off.

I spoke to the operator on autopilot, giving her our address, situation as I stared at my crowning wife. It was the most horrifying thing I had ever seen. I nearly dropped my phone.

“Breath, Eric, I really need you here with me,” I snorted, shaking my head. Only my wife would try and give me some of her strength and comfort, as a human tried to evacuate her body.

Fuck I was a selfish asshole. I sucked in a deep breath and nodded. “I’m here,” I kissed her hand, pushing back my panic and letting a foreign calm settle over me, “this is not how we were supposed to do this, Sook. A hospital. Normal. Safe.”

She let out both a cry and a laugh, “I know.”

“Try and keep from pushing if you can. They’re coming,” I promised, my gut twisted, “I delivered calf once, on my Uncle’s farm.” I told her, trying to be reassuring.

I hid a smirk when she shot me a nasty look not at all reassured, “you did not just go there.”

I chuckled, “sorry,” I kissed her knee in apology.

“It hurts,” she cried, I wiped her face and settled between her legs. “I can’t, I need too.” She pleaded with me and I gave her a nod.

“Yeah, you’re definitely crowning babe. Breathe in through your nose then hold it and push. One long push. Let’s see our baby, Sook.” I coached, my earlier horror and panic fled.

I felt calm, confident as she sucked in a deep breath and bore down with a howl. A war cry.

“That’s it, Sook,” I said, excitement creeping into my voice, “you’re doing fine, one more good push.”

An agonized groan spilled from her lips and I hurt for her. I could feel her effort, the strain, fuck I wished I could take her pain.

“Rest for a second.”

I yanked my shirt off, another push followed, “the head is out,” I told her in amazement.

“I need to push again.” She told me urgently, panic in her voice as if she wasn’t sure, but following her instincts.

I squeezed her hand, “go on, baby. One more time and you’ll be done,” I promised.

She arched and cried, swore my name and I smiled, she fell back, limp with exhaustion and I stared down at the squealing, slippery, squirming bundle.

I cried as I stared down at her precious, bloody red face, “we have a daughter.” I told her, wrapping her in my shirt.

The love I felt for Sookie seemed to amplify as I placed our girl into her arms, I held them close as the sirens grew louder as the ambulance got closer.

“I think this was how it was supposed to be. Just us,” Sookie chuckled softly, resting her head against my chest as I waved the paramedics over. “We’re over here.”

I snorted at her and placed a kiss on her temple, “next time, normal, safe, hospital. We’re not on the Island anymore.”

…

I watched as Sookie slept in the hospital bed, peaceful, medicated.

I rocked our girl, “Lilah,” I spoke her name softly, watching as her bright blue eyes opened to stare up at me like she was waiting for an explanation, hours old and she already had her mother’s curiosity, “it means, from the Island, you’ll find the humor in that when your older, beautiful girl.”

The End

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