Royal Holiday Baby (19 page)

“Hello,” Zach said, sounding out of breath. “What do you need?”

“It's time,” Tina said.

“For what?” he asked, sounding distracted.

“For you to take me to the hospital. My water broke,” she said. “I need to go now.”

“Damn,” he said. “Hell,” he said, then swore again. “I'm on my way,” he said and hung up.

With trembling fingers, Tina called her doctor and was put on hold. She stepped away from Hildie, who was watching her like a hawk. Finally a nurse came on the line.

“Dr. McAllister is with a patient,” the nurse said. “How can I help you?”

“This is Valentina Devereaux. I'm in labor. My water has broken.” She lowered her voice. “And I'm bleeding.”

“Go to the hospital immediately,” the nurse said. “The doctor will meet you there as soon as you arrive.”

Go to the hospital immediately.
As if she were planning to go shopping or get a pedicure on the way.

Hildie walked toward her, face wreathed in concern. “Would you like some water? A cup of tea?”

“Thank you, but I'm fine. On second thought, perhaps I should take a bottle of water with me.”

“I'll get it right away,” Hildie said as a vehicle screeched in front of the house.

“That must be Zach,” Tina said, feeling a sliver of relief. She walked toward the door, feeling another trickle run down her leg. Was it water or blood?

Determined to keep herself together, for her sake and Zach's, she carefully descended the steps. Zach jumped out of the car.

“I'll get your suitcase,” he said.

He was speaking of the bag she'd packed in anticipation
of this day, but Tina didn't want to wait one moment longer. “I'd rather leave now,” she said.

He stopped in his steps and stared into her eyes. She tried with everything inside her not to show her fear. He gave a slow nod. “Okay, let's go.”

Hildie scrambled down the steps with a bottle of water in each hand. “Here's one for both of you,” she said, shoving them at Zach. “Call me the second you have any news.” Hildie turned to Tina. “You're going to do great. You're going to be fine. I know it,” she said and gave Tina a tight hug. “Now go have your baby.”

“Thank you,” Tina said, feeling a sudden knot form in her throat, but not giving in to it. Then she slid the towel under her seat before she stepped inside the SUV.

Zach got into the driver's side and put his foot on the accelerator. “Are you in pain?”

“I'm having contractions,” she said. “My water broke.”

“That's why you brought the towel?” he said. She nodded.

“That's the last thing you need to worry about,” he said.

She shrugged and focused on the pavement in front of them. She felt the moisture seep into the towel. Was it blood? Why was she bleeding? She steeled herself not to panic.

She cleared her throat. “Can you please go a little faster?” she asked. “Not too fast, but faster.”

She felt him shoot a look at her. “Yeah, I can do that. I'll get you to the hospital.”

“I know you will,” she said and felt herself grow light-headed.
Oh, God, she couldn't lose consciousness.
Adrenaline pumping through her, she used her fear to stay awake and aware.

The contractions grew more intense and she struggled to remember the breathing techniques she'd learned during her two private prepared childbirth classes. Drawing deep
breaths, she wondered if they would ever get to the hospital. The trip seemed to be taking years. She fought dizziness.

“We're close,” he said.

She glanced over at Zach. His face was grim and taut. She could easily imagine what was going through his mind, the agony of his memories as his wife and son died on the way to the hospital.

Fear clutched at her. Please let her baby be okay. Please let everything be okay.

She saw the sign for the hospital and a spurt of relief rushed through her. Zach swerved into the half-circle in front of the E.R. entrance.

“Thank you,” she whispered, pulling at her door before the vehicle even stopped.

“Whoa, whoa. Wait,” he said, slamming the car into Park and running around to her side to help her out of the car.

As soon as she stood, Tina wove on her feet. Zach caught her against him, but he must have seen the towel on her seat. “You're bleeding.”

“Sorry,” she said, but the weakness she'd fought during the drive took over, and everything went black.

T
hey took Tina away.

The same way they had taken Jenny away.

Zach had an ugly feeling of déjà vu. Why hadn't she told him she was bleeding? He would have driven faster. He would have gotten her to the hospital sooner.

Pacing from one side of the waiting room to the other, he checked with the receptionist twice. The hospital worker shook her head in sympathy. “I'm sorry, sir. She's in surgery. Why don't you go up to the fifth floor waiting room? Someone will give you information as soon as it's available.”

Zach rode up the elevator, racking his brain for how he could have handled things differently. What could he have done to keep her and the baby safe? Maybe he should have kept a helicopter on call. Maybe he should have kept a nurse at the house.

“Mr. Logan?” a woman in scrubs asked.

He nodded, bracing himself for the worst. “Yes?”

She gave a tentative smile. “You have a baby girl. She's healthy and screaming her lungs out. As soon as we get her cleaned up, I'll bring her out to you.”

Zach slumped in relief. “Oh, thank God. Thank God. Tina, she's okay, right?”

The woman paused. “Dr. McAllister is still working on her. There were complications.”

His gut clenched. “But—”

“He's doing everything possible, but Miss Devereaux lost a lot of blood. She's weak, but she's fighting,” the woman said and patted his arm. “I'll bring your daughter out soon.”

His mind spinning, Zach sank onto the couch in the waiting room. Tina? Weak? Fighting? Oh, what if he'd lost her? What would he do?

His heart felt as if it was being ripped from his chest. His mind flashed through poignant images of the baby without her precious mother. How would little Kiki survive without her mom?

How would he?

The question shook him to the core. Tina had become as vital to him as oxygen. He couldn't imagine life without her.

He began to pray, awkward, begging prayers. He didn't want to lose her. Before he told her that he loved her.

A nurse brought his baby daughter to him. She was wrapped in a flannel blanket and wore a pink cap. He took her soft weight into his arms.

Staring into her little face, he was filled with wonder. She had Tina's lips and his hairline. Her stubborn chin might give him trouble. Oh, how he wished he could share this moment with Tina. He glanced away for a second, feeling his eyes burn with unshed tears.

The baby screwed up her face and gave a cry. Scared, he
surmised. So was he. Zach began to pace, trying to comfort his brand-new daughter and himself.

After a while, a nurse came and took the baby to the nursery. Zach waited. He paced and sat, turned off his cell phone because he couldn't bear to try to explain the situation. Hours passed and it felt like days.

Sometime in the middle of the night, he leaned his head against his hand as he sat on the waiting room sofa.

“Zachary,” the doctor said.

Zach looked up, fighting fear and dread. “How is she?”

“She's had a rough time. Stabilizing her was a bit tricky, but she's going to make it. We've put her on a monitor for observation and moved her to a private room.”

“I can't tell you how grateful I am,” Zach said.

The doctor nodded. “Everyone was rooting for the princess. She's made an impression on this community.” Dr. McAllister shook his hand. “You can go into her room, but try to let her sleep. She needs her rest. She fought hard. With the way she demanded an epidural the first time I met her, I would have never imagined her to be such a warrior.”

Zach felt his spirits lift a bit. “She's stronger than she lets on. Can I see her now?”

“Of course,” the doctor said.

Zach went directly to her room. The sight of her so pale, her skin matching the white sheets of the hospital bed, twisted his gut. Monitors beeped in the background. He tried not to give in to his fear, but she was so very, very still.

He wanted to touch her, but more than that, he wanted her to rest. She'd earned it. He resisted the urge to put his hand on her arm and took comfort in the steady beat on the monitor.

“Hang on, darlin',” he whispered. “Kiki and I need you. Kiki and I love you.”

Sinking onto the chair beside her bed, he rested his chin
against his hands and watched over her. Looking at her, he realized she'd changed him. She'd forced him, kicking and screaming, out of his tomb of grief. She'd inspired him to look outward instead of focusing inward. She made him want to be different, better.

 

Hours later, a sound awakened him. He opened his too-dry eyes and saw Tina twisting from side to side. She gave a soft moan. Pain, he suspected. The nurse had told him they'd performed a C-section.

He rose and punched the call button for the nurse. Minutes later, a young man entered the room. “Hey,” he said. “How's our little mama doing?”

“She seems restless,” Zach said as Tina rolled her head. “Is she hurting?”

The man checked her chart and took her blood pressure. “I bumped up her pain relief so she'll rest a little longer. When she wakes up, though, she's going to feel like she's been run over by a truck.”

“And my face will be the first she'll see,” Zach said dryly. Zach sank back into the chair and watched over the woman who had stolen his heart.

The sun finally rose the next morning, peeking through the window blinds. Zach rubbed his beard-roughened face and stretched to get the kinks out of his back. His gaze automatically went to Tina. She still looked too pale.

Her eyelids fluttered and Zach stared at her in disbelief. She blinked again, opening her mouth as if she wanted to speak.

Zach jumped from his chair and gently touched her arm.

She stared into his eyes. “Zach,” she whispered. “Our baby. Where is our baby?”

“She's fine. She's perfect,” Zach said quietly, his eyes filled with tears.

She closed her eyes and tears ran down her cheeks. “She's perfect. I knew she would be.”

She drifted off again before he could tell her how much she meant to him. He called the nurse to check on her and she confirmed that Tina was stable.

An hour later, Tina awakened and turned her head toward Zach. “I'm thirsty,” she whispered.

He immediately rose to her side. “I'll take care of that, but in the meantime, I need you to know that I love you, Tina. More than anything. More than I ever dreamed.”

Tina smiled and lifted her hand to his strong jaw.

“Marry me. We'll work out the visits to Chantaine. We can work out anything that comes our way,” he said.

“I believe you,” she said. “And I love you, too.”

 

On Christmas Eve, Zach tucked Tina and their baby, Katiana Elizabeth Valentina Devereaux Logan into his SUV to bring them home. Since she'd gotten her strength back, Tina had barely been able to keep her hands off her new daughter. Every time she looked at Katiana, she was overcome with joy.

“She's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen,” she said to Zach as he pulled away from the hospital with Katiana already falling asleep in her car seat.

“Yes, she is,” Zach agreed, his lips twitching. “You've mentioned that a time or two, and so have I.”

Tina laughed, because the fact was she'd said the same thing at least twenty times during the last few days.

“How are you feeling? Really?”

“Better. Moving around doesn't take my breath away quite as much,” she said, although she knew she still tired easily. She'd quit most of the pain medication as soon as possible
because she hated having a fuzzy head. “Have you heard anything from Stefan today?”

Zach had turned off the phone in Tina's room so she could rest. Since then, Stefan and Tina's sisters had been calling him constantly to check on her and the baby's condition.

“I e-mailed the photographs of you and the baby, like you asked. It was nice of you to share all the flowers you received with the other patients,” he said.

“The least I could do,” she said with a frown. “Think how miserable it would be to be in the hospital over Christmas.”

Her comment didn't surprise him. He just hoped she would be amenable to the surprise he had waiting for her back at the ranch. Tina had told him she didn't want a big wedding, just a few witnesses. She'd also agreed that the sooner the better.

His palms itched with a trace of nerves, but he brushed them aside. “You should try and rest,” he said.

“I'm too excited to get out of the hospital to rest,” she said.

“Well, give it a try,” he said, thinking about his plans for the rest of the day.

A little while later, he pulled toward the front of the house. Several cars were parked in the driveway.

She glanced at Zach. “Did Hildie do this? Don't tell me they're holding another shower for me.”

He pulled the car to a stop and shook his head. “No, but you can be sure Hildie helped a lot.” He turned to her, feeling his gut twist. “You said you would marry me.”

Her eyes softened and she nodded. “And I will.”

“Then you surprised me and said you didn't want to wait. You were ready to get married in the hospital.”

“Well, I was. I want everything legal for Kiki and I feel like I waited forever for you to realize that you loved me.”

“Well, darlin', love-of-my-life, inside our home, there's a minister waiting to do the job.”

Her eyes rounded and her jaw dropped. “Now?”

He nodded. “Now. I knew you would be tied up with recovering from the C-section and taking care of the baby, so I asked Keely and Hildie if they would do the planning. Are you ready?”

Tina lifted her hand to her throat, her eyes turning shiny with unshed tears. “I am. I can't believe you did this. Why didn't you tell me?”

“I didn't want you to think about anything but getting better. If I'm moving too fast for you, then we can just have a holiday party and send the minister on his way.”

“No,” she said. “Let's do it. Let's make it real.”

 

Starstuck, Tina accepted Zach's gentle assistance from the car. As soon as he collected Katiana from the backseat, Hildie rushed out the front door and down the steps. She gave Tina a big hug then turned to Zach.

“Omigoodness, she's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen.”

Tina and Zach exchanged a knowing look and laughed.

“Let me hold that baby,” she said to Zach. “You help your wife. Everything and everybody is ready and waiting.”

After slowly navigating the steps, Tina walked past the foyer into the den. She immediately spotted Daniel, Sienna, Eve, Keely and Brent and her sister Ericka and her husband.

Tina gasped in surprise and extended her arms. “Ericka, how did you get here?”

Ericka laughed, quickly moving to embrace her. “The usual way. By jet. Of course I couldn't miss my sister's wedding after you took care of me during mine. And I got first dibs on seeing your baby. Stefan's pouting like mad. I promised to
talk you into visiting Chantaine as soon as possible.” Ericka pulled back and clasped her hands around Tina's. “Thank goodness you're okay. We were all so worried.”

Tina greeted several of the others, then Keely introduced her to the minister, Reverend Wilhelm.

The kindly-faced man shook her hand. “It's my pleasure to meet you, your highness.”

“Please call me Tina,” she said, feeling her heart flutter. It was really going to happen now. She was really going to marry Zach.

“I told your fiancé that I don't perform shotgun weddings, but he insisted you were going along with this completely by choice.”

She laughed at the notion of a shotgun wedding. “I am.”

“Then shall we begin the taking of your vows?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said. “I would like that very much.”

Zach was at her side in a heartbeat, taking her hand in his. The minister led them in the promises to each other. The words and the small ceremony were important, but what was far more vital to Tina was the fact that Zach had totally opened his heart to her and that she knew he loved her and needed her. Just as she loved and needed him.

 

Six weeks later, after traveling across several time zones, Tina was excited to share Chantaine with Zach, Katiana, Hildie and Eve. Eve was still toying with Stefan's offer to manage the royal stables and had waited to take this trip before making such a big decision.

Hildie, who hadn't traveled farther away than Amarillo, was taking in every new experience with gusto, including a few cooking lessons from the chief chef.

Tina coaxed Zach into enjoying a day at the beach, just
the two of them, while her sisters and brothers fought over who could hold Katiana.

Zach closed his eyes as he relaxed under the beach umbrella. He slid his fingers through hers. “I could probably stomach visiting here a few times a year,” he said and shot her a sideways glance.

Tina gave him a playful punch. “Yes, I know it's been torture being fed gourmet food, sleeping in that shack my family calls a palace and shooting skeet with my brother.”

“Seriously,” he said lifting up on his forearm. “Why would you trade this for Texas?”

“Besides the fact that
you
are in Texas?” she asked.

He gave a shrug of his strong shoulders. “I guess there's that,” he said. “But—”

She put her finger over his lips. “No buts. My home is with you and Katiana. It was time for me to move away.”

“Your brother still doesn't agree with that,” he said and returned to his back.

“True, but did you see him melt when he held Katiana for the first time? My cranky brother turned into a complete marshmallow.”

“Don't tell him that,” he said.

“I'm glad we took this time out today,” she said, inhaling the salty scent of the ocean and enjoying these moments with Zach. “With Stefan performing the public formalities, tomorrow will be very busy. You'll be meeting tons of people. Are you sure you're ready for it?”