Secret Santa (7 page)

"Well, let's take a quick look. Just sit
there on the chair. When are you due?"

"Not for another week," she told Dr.
Francis.

"Ahmed, bring me the flashlight." Ahmed
brought it over and tried to hand it to her. "I need you to hold it
right here so I can take a quick peek. Let me just do a fast exam
and make sure everything is okay."

"Sure." Annie turned to Ahmed, "You say one
thing, Ahmed, and I don't care what kind of soldier you are. I will
kill you."

Ahmed just grinned and bent down to hold the
flashlight for Dr. Francis. Annie felt as Dr. Francis started the
exam and then with a whoosh her water broke. Dr. Francis just
grinned as she pulled off her gloves. Ahmed's eyes fluttered and
then rolled back into his head. With a crash he fainted to the
ground, the flashlight falling from his hand.

"It's always the toughest men that fall
first. "Wimps," Dr. Francis said nonchalantly. "I passed a spare
room, someone go make it up. We’ve got two at once here."

Cade helped her to her feet and she stepped
over Ahmed's unconscious form to follow Miss Lily into the guest
room.

"Go get Katelyn. She has medical training."
Marcy suggested.

"She'll do better than Soldier Boy over
there and I'll need the help." Emma said as she ripped off her wet
top and pulled on one of Paige's old t-shirts.

Katelyn stood with the rest of the now
excited group anxiously waiting to hear if Paige had her baby. Miss
Lily opened the door and smiled as she hurried down the stairs. She
just bet Miss Lily and her sisters loved this. They'd retell the
story at least a thousand times before the New Year.

"Katelyn, dear. Do you have your bag with
you?" Miss Lily asked as she quickly walked toward her.

"Yes. Is Emma out of gauze or
something?"

"No. We need another doctor. Annie's gone in
labor too!"

"I don't think I can be much help. My
patients all have four legs."

"A baby is a baby. Come on, let's go." Miss
Lily pulled her arm as Marshall ran to the car for her bag.

Katelyn ran up the stairs as the gossip
below grew to deafening levels. She had no idea what to do. She
guessed it was somewhat similar to the dogs and the one or two
horses she had delivered, but there was no way that qualified her
to deliver Annie's baby. It wasn't until she was halfway upstairs
that she even realized Chrystal had followed. Good. Annie would
need family support to get through this.

When she got to the room, Dr. Francis had
everything spread out. The second Emma saw her she started a
straightforward diagnostic. She was fully dilated and ready to
push. The baby's head was close to crowning.

"What do I do?" Katelyn asked as she took
note of the equipment on hand and added her own to it when Marshall
shoved her medical bag in her hand.

"Catch." And with that Dr. Francis left the
room.

Emma pulled on a new set of gloves and sat
at the foot of the bed. "Come on Paige, push."

"It hurts!" she screamed.

"Of course it does, that's why it's a
woman's job," Marcy joked quietly.

"Here's the dad!" Cy pushed Cole into the
room.

Cole raced to his wife's side and picked up
her hand. "I'm so sorry I panicked. I just went blank. I couldn't
remember a single thing they told us in the birthing classes." He
placed a kiss on her forehead and didn't even scream when Paige
squeezed his hand so hard it nearly broke a bone during the next
contraction.

"Push! Hold it, hold it." Emma looked up at
the sexy, rippled six-pack of Cy. "Oh for the love of god, put on a
shirt. I can't concentrate with all that right here. Okay, good
Paige, one last push."

Katelyn scrubbed her hands and arms in the
bathroom down from the guest bedroom. If only Annie could hold off
until after Paige had her baby so that Dr. Francis could handle the
delivery. By the screaming going on in the room, she didn't think
that was going to be the case.

"Okay Katelyn. You got this. Just catch.
That's easy enough, right?" She looked into the mirror and saw the
doubt on her face.

"Doc, you better hurry!" she heard Cade call
from the room.

She didn't have time to be insecure. Annie
must be terrified and she had to at least appear like she knew what
she was doing. Miss Lily and Miss Violet were in the room with her.
Miss Violet, with her grandmotherly appearance, worked hard along
with Chrystal to sooth Annie. Cade was doing everything he could to
not get yelled at. He was facing his wife's head and coaching her
to breathe. At the end of every contraction he'd pump her up,
telling her how great she was doing and that she was almost there.
It was the sweetest thing Katelyn had ever seen.

"You ready to meet your baby, Annie?"
Katelyn asked as she pulled on her gloves.

"You. Bet. Your. Ass." Annie panted.

"Then let's do this. Push hard for me with
the next contraction."

Jake Davies stood at the bottom of the
stairs with Pierce and Marshall. He took a sip of his drink and
looked at his sons. They were all grown up and now he was about to
become a grandfather. He didn't feel like a grandfather. When he
looked at his wife he still felt like the teenager he was when they
met.

Now his wife, ever so strong, quiet, and
secure, was upstairs helping his daughter have a baby. She was so
amazing. He knew the second he saw her holding his grandchildren
he'd cry. He'd have to make sure he stood behind everyone, but he
knew Marcy would see. She saw everything.

He took a seat at the bottom of the stairs
and waited. After six times, this waiting felt like an old hat.
Pierce and Marshall paced back and forth and he smiled to himself.
He did that too when Miles and then Marshall were born. For Cade
and the rest, he was in the room with Marcy from start to finish.
Before he had been kicked out during the hard labor and only
brought back in for the birth. His sweet girl had a mouth on her
and used it to full force during the first two births and had
kicked him out of the room for 'doing this' to her. When Cade came
it was so fast she didn't have time to get mad at him or kick him
out.

Cole had fallen apart there for a minute,
but he stepped back up. He was a good husband to his little girl
and he knew he'd be a good father. What else could Jake ask for?
Thank goodness Cy was here though to maneuver him back upstairs,
after giving him three fingers of bourbon.

Marcy had thought she was so clever, that
she was the only one who knew Cy was Santa. Did she not expect a
father to know his own son? But he let her have her enjoyment of
relishing that she thought she was the only one to know who it was.
More importantly, he was glad Cy was here for Paige. They were the
closest of siblings and maybe being part of something like this
would finally bring him home to them. He missed his son fiercely,
but all boys needed their own time to become men. It was just hard
to watch them go and hang on to the hope that they'd come back.

Jake stood up when he heard Paige's scream.
Everyone downstairs went quiet. There it was. It was faint, but he
heard it nonetheless. His first grandchild was crying. He looked
down at his watch, it was 12:01 am. It was the best Christmas gift
he'd ever received. The town erupted in cheers, but was cut short
by Annie's shout. Again, the town went quiet, inching their way
closer to the stairs. He strained his ears but didn't hear
anything.

He looked down at his watch. It had been
thirty seconds. He should've heard crying. He placed his foot on
the stair, the feeling that he had to save his grandchild so strong
it was pulling him up the stairs until he heard it. It started off
as a whisper but within seconds his grandchild's wails could be
heard throughout town. He or she must take after Annie. He felt the
first tear slide down his face.

Chapter Eleven

Cole stared at the round face snuggled
against his wife's chest and feelings of love and happiness
overtook him. He reached out and slowly ran one finger over his
son's soft cheek. He had a head full of black hair and hazel
eyes.

Paige was soaked with sweat, but still
managed to pull off a look of pure serenity. It was amazing how
fast it had come. The second their son was placed in her arms she
transformed. She was glowing. She was beautiful and he couldn't be
any prouder of her.

"Do you want to hold him?" she asked quietly
as she stroked his hair.

"Can I?"

"Of course, Daddy." Paige held up their son
and placed him in his arms. "Cole, meet your son, Ryan Parker."

"Hi, Ryan. I'm so glad to finally meet you."
His son reached out and touched his nose and he felt a joy he never
knew was possible.

"What happened?" a voice from across the
room asked.

"You fainted like a girl, hot shot." Dr.
Francis answered as she took off her gloves.

"I don't faint," Ahmed said with a chill to
his voice, challenging anyone to say otherwise.

"Oh yes you did. Don't worry, I have video
on my phone to prove it," Miss Daisy laughed.

"We'll discuss that later."

Annie bit her lip and watched as Katelyn
cleaned off her baby. She was exhausted, but now the fear set in.
Would she drop the baby? Annie had no clue what she'd do with it.
Katelyn wrapped a towel around the red-haired bundle and handed her
to Annie.

Annie looked down into her daughter’s eyes
and felt peace. Her fear went away as her daughter screamed like a
banshee only to stop when she grabbed her mother's finger and stuck
it in her mouth.

"You were amazing sweetheart," Cade
whispered as he sat next to her in bed.

"I couldn't have done it without you. I
didn't even have to shoot you."

She placed their daughter in his arms and
saw the love in his eyes. Cade was going to be the best father. She
looked up when she heard a quiet knock on the door and then saw
Marcy and Dr. Francis walk in. Marcy already had tears in her eyes
as she saw her son holding her granddaughter.

"Mom, meet Sophie Davies. Sophie, meet your
grandma." Cade placed Sophie in his mother's arms and pulled Annie
against his chest. "How's Paige?"

"I'm pleased to tell you that you're a proud
aunt and uncle to a beautiful baby boy named Ryan," Marcy told them
as she kissed her granddaughter on the forehead.

Dani, Mo, Kenna and Will were talking to
Katelyn's father and grandparents when the door at the top of the
stairs opened. Miss Lily hurried to the top of the stairs along
with a still shirtless Cy wearing nothing but Santa pants and
hat.

"Honey, you're staring," Mo whispered to
her. "Do I need to take you home and remind you who you're married
to?"

"Hmmm. Yes, please." She blushed when she
felt his hand slide down her back and squeeze her ass all while his
face betrayed nothing.

Kenna elbowed her and leaned toward her.
Dani lowered her head and waited for Kenna to say something, but
her friend just kept staring at Cy. She knew the feeling.

"I mean, come on. That is just not fair to
the other Santa Clauses around the world," Kenna whispered.

"Why doesn't he have a shirt on? I could at
least lend him my pullover," Will responded while the girls giggled
as he and Mo shared an eye roll.

Miss Lily clapped her hands and the crowd
went silent with anticipation. Of course, most of the crowd had
quieted when the naughty Santa made an appearance. "I am pleased to
say that Keeneston has two more residents tonight. What a perfect
Christmas miracle! I'll let Uncle Cy here tell you about it, but
just know that babies, mothers, and fathers are all doing well.
Also, sorry to those of you who bet that Annie would shoot, stab,
or otherwise injure Cade during labor. Come to the café on the 27th
to collect any winnings." Miss Lily stepped back to the groans of
the losers and the cheers of the few victors. Apparently most
people bet in favor of maiming or other violence.

"Merry Christmas everyone! I'm sorry I
didn't get a chance to speak to each of you before the action
started. I love being back in Keeneston and so thrilled that for
the short time I'm back I got to see all of you," Cy began. "More
importantly, I couldn't be happier to be here for the birth of
Paige's son, Ryan, and Cade's daughter, Sophie. It was the best
Christmas present this Santa could ever have."

Cheer erupted. Toasts were made. Betting
lines at the café were being discussed all around them. Dani hugged
Kenna and then she and Mo quietly excused themselves when Ahmed
made his way downstairs.

"It's okay sweetheart, our time will come,"
Mo whispered into Dani's ear. He kept her pulled tight against him
as they made their way to their car.

Dani just nodded. The pressure was
overwhelming. She took a deep breath and looked down Main Street.
She pulled up short, causing Mo to stop too.

"It's so peaceful." She looked down the
snow-covered street. Christmas lights shone in every window,
casting a soft colorful glow on the snow. The snow muffled the
noise from the party and it felt as if they were the only ones in
the whole town right now.

The door to Southern Charms opened and the
moment was lost as people spilled out onto the street to look at a
Keeneston Wonderland. Will walked out with his arm around
Kenna.

"Good night Dani! Mo! Ahmed!" Kenna waved as
they made their way to Will's huge black Ford F-250.

Dani waved back and slid into the backseat
of their car followed by Mo. She was exhausted. She snuggled
against her husband's chest and as soon as he pulled her tight
against him she felt her eyes close.

Chapter Twelve

Church bells rang along the snow-covered
streets of Keeneston. Families were waking up from the night
before. Kids were running downstairs to find what Santa had left
for them under the Christmas tree.