Page 56 of The Artist

“Wait here,” he told her when she tried to get out of the car.“I’ll get a wheelchair.”

“I don’t need a wheelchair.”But he’d already turned and she said it to his back.She held her breath as another pain hit and she could feel the baby starting to come.Maybe she needed a wheelchair after all.

Peter returned quickly and got her into the chair.He shut the SUV’s door and locked it, then pushed her into the ER.He rolled her through security and then to the check-in desk.

“My wife is having a baby and it’s coming now.”

“Okay.What is your name, ma’am?”asked the middle-aged brunette behind the desk.

“Alexis Kincaid.I’ve been here in the hospital before.You should have all my information.My doctor is Doctor Samantha Bennett.”

“Yes, I see you here.I’ll get you all checked in, and we’ll get you right back.Just have a seat in the waiting room for a few minutes.”

Alexis nodded.“Let’s go, darling.I hope she’s right and they get me into a room in a hurry, or we’ll be having this baby here in the waiting room.”

Peter wheeled her in an open spot next to a chair.He sat next to her.

“Ohhh.That’s another one.I can feel her head.She’s coming.”

“Hold on, sweetheart.They will come for you shortly.Just hang on as best you can.”

Finally, after about ten minutes and four contractions, two orderlies entered.

“Mrs.Kincaid?”asked the blond man.He was tall but stocky.

“Right here,” said Peter.

“Okay, let’s get you in back.We don’t want you having the baby here, now do we?”said the shorter red-haired man.

“We certainly do not.”Alexis agreed.

When they got into the area with the curtained off rooms, Alexis saw Doctor Bennett.

The doctor walked over.“I hear you’re ready to make me work.”

As yet another pain hit, Alexis grimaced.“That I am.I thought they’d have to call you in from home.”

The doctor shrugged.“You got lucky.It is my day for rotation in the ER.But it looks like you might get me out of here to the OB department.”

“I think when you look, you’ll be delivering right here,” said Alexis.

Peter walked beside the chair as the blond orderly pushed it into a room.

The other man pulled a gown out of a drawer.“We need to get you into this, Mrs.Kincaid.”He turned toward Peter.“Can you help her, or do you want one of us to do it?”

“I can do it,” growled Peter.

Alexis placed a hand on top of Peter’s.“Calm down.We’ll make it.”

Everything happened really fast after that.

Heather was in a hurry to make her appearance and soon the nurse was handing her the baby all cleaned up and swaddled in a blanket with yellow ducks.

Alexis stared down at the pink bundle that was her daughter and grinned.“Hello, my darling daughter.”She was wrinkled and had a shock of red hair, just like Alexis’s, and she was the most beautiful baby Alexis had ever seen.

Heather blinked and turned her head toward the sound of her mother’s voice.

“Hi, Heather.Hi, baby girl.”