Highest Bidder

Part 21: Cleaning Up Messes

"My water broke..." Her face is pale and I look back at Max.

"Helen, Casey and Jessup- take the car and head to the Dam. Myself and the others will clean this mess up and deal with Reynolds." Max say as he sits up. Casey nods and Iggy tosses the van keys at him. He and Valerie help Lauren out of the apartment and I look back at Max. His face is a bloody mess. "I'm fine baby, go."

"I love you." I kiss him and then kiss Luna before racing out of the apartment to catch up the Casey and them. We get in the elevator and Lauren seems fines. No contractions or pain. Just fright. "Val, no contractions, but broken amniotic sac..."

"PROM." She says and Casey looks at us- slightly unaware of the term. "Preterm Rupture of Membranes. Her sac broke but she's not having contractions."

"She's also 4 weeks early." I say and give Jessup a look of concern.

"We'll have to see if she started dilating or not at the Dam." Valarie says and the elevator opens up to the parking garage. We find Iggy's van and get inside. I sit in the back with her as Casey drives. I look at her and she seems pale and clammy.

"Sweetheart? Are you okay?"

"That whole thing was a mess..." She starts to cry and I just push back her hair.

"He was drunk and stupid. Don't think about him."

"I've ruined everything..." She cries louder and I notice Casey looking worried in the mirror at her.
I go to console her, but am beat to the punch.

"You didn't ruin anything baby. Okay? You didn't. You just focus on breathing and the baby. Okay? I love you. We got this." Casey calls from the front and her lips quivers.

"You still love me...even after I lied?" I feel that's her main concern- is that she'd hurt Casey in all of this.

"Woman, I have loved you since the first time you yelled at me on my first day in the E.D. You're crazy as Hell and I love you." Jessup and I swoon and Lauren cries out of relief.

"See, nothing to worry about. That's a man if I ever knew one." I say smiling. Lauren's face becomes scrunched and she squeezes my hand. "Val, we have contractions."

"Owwwwwwww!!!!!!!!" She cries and slides her arse down the seat. I'm siting on the floor between her seat and the baby seat.

"How many centimeters?" She turns back and I look at Lauren.

"Babe, I'm pulling your knickers down. I apologize in advance." I says as I reach up her dress and tug at her soaked undergarments. Not good. "Um, we're currently in the process of crowning. Baby Maxwell is ready to vacate."

Casey looks up in the mirror briefly and Jessup turns around.

"Shit...we gotta move." Val says and Casey presses down on the pedal as we start across the bridge.

"Fuuuuuuucccccckkkk!!!!!" Lauren cries out and squeezes harder on my hand and the holy shit handle attached to the car. "Fuuuuuuuuuucccccckkkkk!!!!!"

"Breathe Lauren! I need you to breathe." I say as I find the lever to move her seat as far back as it can go. I then find the button for the back of her seat and lay that back all the way. There's enough space between her and Casey's seat that I kneel between them. "Lauren, take a deep breath for me."

"It's too soon!!!!!! It's too soon!!! Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!" She yells and the head is a third of the way out.

"I know baby. I know. But you're almost there. Almost." I push my hand gently to the opening of her sex to help avoid tearing as she pushes. We get part way across the bridge and we come to a stop. "What the fuck?"