No Matter What (91 page)

“I
am
still here you know.”
 
She looked at Reece.
 
“And nice try, dad, but the only place I’m going is home ... oh, Jesus ...”

“What?
 
What is it?” Michael was definitely on the brink of panic now, he couldn’t help it.
 
He had no control over this and that made him nervous.

“Contraction ...”
India
breathed, clutching her bump.

“Ok, looks like we haven’t got time to hang around here ... can everyone just stand back, please!”
 
Michael’s voice was raised now as he tried to get the growing crowd under control, security finally arriving and doing the job for him, pushing back the press, photographers and reporters that had honed in on the activity.
 
India
and Michael Walsh were about to have their baby and they wanted every bit of the action they could get.
 

And then Bobby finally arrived, exuding calm as he ran over, taking
India
’s handbag from her, grabbing her pager and tapping in the number needed to alert Dr Goldman of this baby’s impending birth.

“Did anyone even
think
to do that first?
 
Honestly, it’s a good job I’m here ... you’ve made a bit of a mess there, haven’t you, angel?
 
Talk about attention grabbing, you’ll do anything to take the spotlight won’t you?
 
Right, can we have some order round here
please
?”

Michael watched in amazement as Bobby took control of the whole situation, issuing orders to security, a brief statement to the press who were still hanging around - stating the obvious and that more news would be given when there was any - and then finally moving everyone to a private room while he organised the cars to take them back to the Hollywood Hills.
 
India
had declined any ambulance or paramedics, anything that was going to bring any more attention to the situation.
 
All she wanted was to go home and have her baby, whilst Michael was just grateful to Bobby for taking charge because he was nothing short of useless.
 
He was lost here, he really had no idea what to do, except be there for
India
.

“Bobby ... thank you.
 
I just went blank; I had no idea …” Michael sat India down, taking her hand as she closed her eyes and lay back, stroking her bump, glad to be away from the circus she’d inadvertently created next door.
 
“If you hadn’t been here ...”

“It’s my job, Mr Walsh,” Bobby smiled, taking out his ‘phone.
 
“And, believe me, I’ve been on stand by for this for a while now.
 
Are you ok angel?”

India
opened her eyes and smiled at him.
 
“I’m fine.”
 
Which was a lie.
 
She wasn’t.
 
She was terrified.

“Well, I’ll just go and make a few calls and see where those cars are.
 
Dr Goldman and his team are on their way to the house and I’ve called ahead to security to let them in.
 
By the time we get there everything will be all set to go.
 
Any preference on the music you want while Junior makes his appearance?”

“Rock.
 
A lot of AC/DC, some Thunder, a bit of Aerosmith, and The Eagles.
 
Definitely The Eagles.
 
Oh, and The Foo Fighters.”

Bobby rolled his eyes again, writing all of that down.

“Some women would want calming birdsong or the sounds of summer breezes and trickling streams but not this one.
 
She’d probably give birth in a mosh pit given half a chance ... right, that’s all noted.
 
Does madam want candles?
 
Seeing as we’re obviously going to be up all night.”

“Lots of candles, yes.
 
But no scented ones, Bobby.
 
I’m feeling a bit queasy as it is.”

“Ok ...
 
anything else?”

Michael was taking all of this in, amazed at how calm his wife had become.
 
He was aware that the real work hadn’t even started yet, but still, he was a nervous wreck.
 
She looked like she was planning a party not the birth of her son.

“No.
 
I think that’s everything.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll let us know if you need anything else.”
 
Bobby leaned over and kissed her gently, stroking her bump.
 
“We’ll have you home in no time, princess.
 
Back in a minute.”

India
looked at Michael, smiling at him, and he squeezed her hand.
 
“I love you Michael, and I’m telling you that now because if this is a painful birth I may hate you later.”

He smiled too, kissing her slightly open mouth.
 
“I can take it, beautiful, and I love you too.
 
For what you’re about to give me, I love you so much.”

“You’re going to stay with me, aren’t you?”
 

“Every step of the way, baby.
 
I’m going to be there every step of the way.”
 
He gently stroked loose strands of hair away from her face and kissed her again, putting his hand on her bump.
 
“We’ll do this together and it’ll be fine.
 
I promise.”

She smiled again, then grabbed the hand he had resting on her bump as another contraction hit her out of the blue.

“Oh, God, that hurt!” she said, leaning into Michael until it subsided, and all he could do was hold her and stay with her and hope they got her home soon.
 
He wasn’t going to feel calm until she was in the hands of Dr Goldman and the medical team.
 
All of this made movie making seem like a walk in the park.

 
“Was that another contraction?” Bobby asked, rushing over and flipping his ‘phone shut.
 

Michael nodded.

“Is she going to sleep?”

Michael kissed the top of
India
’s head again, pulling her close.
 
“Looks like it.”

“She can’t go to sleep!
 
She’s about to have a baby!”

Michael couldn’t help smiling.
 
This was the first sign of panic Bobby had shown and it was faintly amusing.

“I need a stiff one,” Bobby sighed, fanning himself with his notebook.

“Yeah, I could do with one of those myself,”
India
said, opening her eyes for a second.
 

Bobby looked at her.
 
“That’s what got you into this state in the first place, princess.”

She couldn’t help laughing and he winked at her.

“Ok, I’m off to grab a quick drink before we head home.”

And he flounced off in search of a shot of anything strong enough to get him through the next few hours.
 
Something told him he was going to need it because this wasn’t just the arrival of any old baby.
 
This was the arrival of
Hollywood
royalty.
 
This was the arrival of baby Walsh.

***

Kenny had stayed away.
 
He’d seen what had happened, he’d seen
India
’s waters break and he knew that was his cue to take a step back.
 
No matter how much he wanted to be with her.
 
He wouldn’t be welcome, not by Michael anyway, although it looked very much like Bobby was running the show from where he was standing.

It wasn’t going to be easy though, knowing what she was going through and not being able to be near her but it wasn’t his place.
 
It just didn’t feel right somehow. Not after what had happened between them.
 
Not with the way he felt about her.
 
This was a time for her family and that didn’t include him.
 
He didn’t think he could stand by and watch and not feel something that would hurt like hell anyway.
 
He was in love with her, he knew that, and he couldn’t fight it any longer so to stand by and not be a part of what was happening now - he couldn’t do it.
 
He doubted Michael would be pleased to have him hanging around anyway.
 
She’d let him know when there was any news, he knew she would.
 
But it wasn’t going to stop him from worrying.

“What’s going on over there?”

Kenny turned round to see Layla Boyd beside him, champagne flute in hand, all puffed out blonde hair and pink lipstick.

“It looks like
India
and Michael are about to become mom and dad.”

Layla’s over made-up eyes widened.
 
“The baby’s coming?”

“Well, not right this second, no.
 
Her water’s have just broken.”

Layla looked over at all the commotion and pulled a face.
 
“Oh my God! That’s disgusting!”

“It happens, Layla.”

“I know.
 
But in the middle of a party?”

“I don’t think she planned it.”

Layla took a sip of champagne, looking at him over the rim of her glass.
 
“Don’t you want to go over there?
 
See how she is?”

Kenny looked over, watching as security dealt with the crowd, Michael protectively holding
India
close as they left the party and headed for somewhere more private.

“I think they’ve got everything under control.
 
She’ll be fine.
 
They don’t need me hanging around.”

But Kenny ached to be with her, he ached to be close to her.
 
This baby had a faint possibility of being his after all; he wasn’t going to let that one go.
 
But tonight wasn’t for thinking about that.
 
Not yet.
 
That could wait.
 
Tonight he just wanted
India
to be ok.

“Do you fancy moving on somewhere then?” Layla asked him and he looked at her, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Sorry?”

“Do you want to go grab a drink?
 
Maybe move onto a club or something?”

Kenny didn’t find her attractive in the slightest but tonight he didn’t care. Tonight he needed a distraction.
 
He needed to not think about what was going on with
India
.
 
He needed to not think about Michael being with her as she gave birth to a baby that just might be his.
 
He needed to not think about any of that, and if spending an evening with Layla Boyd distracted him from all of that then that was fine with him.
 
He could deal with that.
 
It would mean nothing.

He smiled at her.
 
“Yeah.
 
Ok then.
 
Let’s get out of here.
 
It looks like the party’s over anyway.”

***

Once
India
was home everything kicked into action, although most of felt like a movie happening around her that she wasn’t really a part of.
 
She felt almost calm as she changed out of her dress and into an AC/DC t-shirt, despite the sheer enormity of what lay ahead.

Michael had taken off his jacket and tie but he hadn’t bothered getting changed, he was too nervous, too pre-occupied with making sure India was alright but she seemed remarkably on top of everything to him.
 
More so than he was.
 
She was up and about, walking around and apparently that was fine, she could do that until she felt ready to come into the delivery suite that had been set up in one of the larger of the downstairs rooms at their Hollywood Hills home.
 
Even if it was all making him feel incredibly on edge.

The room in question had tea-lights and candles dotted around the sideboard, tables and window-sills, giving off a warm and cosy glow; vases of white and cream flowers filled almost every surface, and if it wasn’t for the incubator, machines and various members of medical staff that were also present, you’d have thought it was nothing more than a relaxing bedroom.
 
But Michael knew that in just a few short hours it was where he’d be saying hello to his son.
 
And he was still trying to get his head around that.

He still couldn’t believe it was happening, so crazy was everything going on around him.
 
But when he remembered the pain they’d felt at losing their first child, then the battle that had followed to get India to even think about trying again, when he remembered all of that it made him realise that tonight was going to be one of the most special nights of his life.
 
A night he was never going to forget.