Slide

20

SLIDE

Slide’s skin broke out in bumps as the reality of what was happening finally struck him. He had just been calm, easing into Ember’s beautiful touch, and then was forced onto high alert from the call of Anne farther back in the cave.

Layla was in labor, in a f*****g cave.

Ember shot a look of dread at him as he adjusted her T-shirt. She motioned at the pack lying next to him, looking more and more aware of what she was going to have to do.

A dutiful look, Slide recognized, making him, somehow, even more attracted to her.

“What have you got in there?” she asked.

“What?”

“In your pack,” she said sternly. “We’re going to need blankets and any kind of medical supplies available.”

Slide gave her a dumbfounded look, and she pointed at the pack impatiently. He lifted it and handed it to her. She immediately began looking through it as Tjon ran up to them.

“Ember!” he called.

“I know,” she responded, rifling through Slide’s pack.

“We’ve got Jack on the case,” Tjon said, sounding out of breath.

Ember stopped rifling, then looked up with a smile. She turned to Slide to fill him in.

“I forgot, Jack is an ex-ARMY medic who works at the embassy,” she said, continuing to smile. “Everything is going to be all right.”

Slide was still feeling uneasy. He was not set up for anything that had to do with delivering a baby. He had a fair amount of experience in his life, but nothing like this. He felt lost, and he hated that feeling.

Ember placed a hand on his arm before making her way toward Layla.

“I got this,” she whispered.

Slide stood still and silent, and she gave him a wink. It was a cute, clever wink, making him want to take her in his arms and worship her all over again.

There will be time for that later.

Ember jogged forward with Tjon by her side. Slide crossed his arms, still not feeling completely assured, and he began pacing back and forth in the cave. Even if the labor went successfully, which he sincerely hoped it would, how were they going to deal with traveling with a baby? They were already having a hard enough time with Dean.

Slide could hear Ember calling out into the cave, her voice assertive and confident.

“Okay, everyone, let’s give Layla some space here.”

The pained echoes of Layla’s contractions howled into the depths of the darkness, filling the silence of the night with a deafening pitch that rocked off the stone walls.

“I’ve got you,” Ember whispered.

Slide took a few steps forward, wanting to be of aid but not wanting to get in anyone’s way. He walked until he saw the silhouette of a woman leaning against the wall while a man and another woman were by her side consoling her.

He flicked his eyes upward and saw the rest of the group standing nearby, gawking, eyes wide with panic.

Slide thought he could make himself useful at that moment.

“Alrighty, everyone,” he said, clapping his hands together, “let’s give Layla some privacy, okay?”

Slide held out his arms and blocked Layla in her vulnerable state, ushering the rest of the group into the night. He felt like a farm dog, filtering sheep back into the pen.

“Let’s give them some time,” Slide said. “They’ve got this figured out.”

“What if there are wolves, Slide?” Dean asked.

Slide frowned as he continued holding out his arms and backing the group out of the caves.

“You won’t be outside very long, Dean,” Slide replied. “We will make sure nothing happens to anyone until then.”

“But they come for the old and weak ones first, don’t you know that?” Dean said, his voice trembling.

Slide wasn’t sure where the fear had come from but assumed he was using it more as an excuse for his nosiness. He kept trying to see over Slide’s shoulder, but he was far too tall for anyone to surpass him, even at his elbow.

They were finally all outside, and Slide could still hear Layla’s anguished cries. The young man who was the medic, Jack, encouraged her to breathe slowly, just before making the extraordinary effort of pushing without any kind of medical aid.

Slide let his hands fall to his waist, and he leaned up against the cave. It was a dark, foggy night, so no moonlight or starlight provided them with any sufficient natural light. He motioned at Tjon with his chin.

“Can you help Dean take a seat? I promise you, this won’t take long.”

Tjon nodded and went over to Dean immediately. He held him by the wrist as he lowered his body onto a nearby rock while Slide continued to listen to the labor, his heart continuously slamming in his chest with concern.

They were outside for a few hours before hearing the pleading cry of a fresh, newborn baby. Sighs and chuckles of delight echoed through the stone, filtering out to Slide and the rest of the group, who began lightly clapping at the emergence of the sound.

Slide stood from where he had been sitting, feeling some form of relief wash over him.

“I’ll be right back,” he said.

Slide ventured into the cave and quickly came upon Layla, sweating from head to toe, holding a tiny human in her arms. Ember had tied her hair back and was using a towel to wipe the blood and excess juices from the baby’s face. Its limbs were jerking while it let out shuddered cries, but everyone around looked relieved.

“Hello, Mother,” Slide said.

Layla looked up at him, positively beaming. Tears streamed down her face and fell off of her chin. Ember laughed with her, then wiped her tears with the towel.

“He looks so beautiful!” Layla said through whimpering tears.

Slide crouched beside her and looked at the baby, wriggling and new to the world. His eyes were squinted shut, but he continued to move and shake, which was a good sign.

“He looks completely healthy,” Jack said.

The young man looked exhausted, films of sweat coating the ruffled black hair that fell over his eyes. He pushed it aside with a smile, then began rubbing the baby’s head.

“I think I’ll name him Jack Ember,” Layla whispered.

Ember and Jack looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Layla chuckled with them in response, mostly in delirium rather than any sort of hilarity.

“Maybe you better think about that for a bit,” Ember said with a smile.