Page 116 of A King’s Obsession

"Baby, I am! I swear I'm coming!"

"YOU DID THIS SHIT TO ME! I HATE YOU FOR THIS!"

"Okay, baby. You can hate me when I get there."

"NO, I'M GONNA HATE YOU RIGHT NOW!"

Yara pressed her lips together, but I caught her shoulders shaking.

"AND AIN'T SHIT FUNNY!" I snapped, pointing at her.

Her expression immediately straightened. "Wasn't laughing."

"YES, THE FUCK YOU WAS!"

Malachi's voice came through the speakers again, softer this time. "Ash, listen to me. Yara's gonna get you there, and I'm gonna be right behind y'all. You hear me?"

I opened my mouth to cuss him out again, but my chin started trembling instead.

"I need you," I whispered.

"I'm coming, beautiful. I promise."

Tears slipped down my cheeks before I could stop them. I'd spent months complaining about swollen feet, backaches, and not being able to sleep, but now that it was actually happening, all I wanted was my husband beside me.

Yara reached over and squeezed my hand when we stopped at a red light.

"We almost there, Ash."

I nodded, wiping my face.

Then another contraction hit, and I nearly ripped the damn seat belt off.

"OOOOOOH! FUCK! YARA!"

"I'm going! I'm going!"

By the time we pulled into the hospital's emergency entrance, I was crying, sweating, and threatening to sue everybody responsible for childbirth.

Yara barely got the car into park before waving down an employee near the doors.

"My friend is in labor! She's having twins!"

A nurse appeared with a wheelchair, and between the two of them, they helped me out of the car. My legs trembled as I lowered myself into the seat, another contraction forcing me to grip the armrests.

"How far along are you, sweetheart?" the nurse asked.

"Eight months," I managed through clenched teeth.

"Has your water broken?"

"YES, MA'AM! AND I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT IF SOMEBODY COULD GET THESE BABIES OUT OF ME!"

The nurse remained calm, which irritated the fuck out of me. How was everybody acting normal when I felt like my insides were trying to relocate?

They wheeled me upstairs to labor and delivery while Yara hurried behind us carrying both our purses. After getting me into a room, the nurses helped me change into a hospital gown and attached monitors to check the babies' heartbeats.

I watched their expressions while they worked, terrified somebody was about to tell me something was wrong.