Chapter 81

Less than twenty-four hours after the magnesium sulfate was stopped, my contractions had increased. The nurses were in and out of the room more often than I cared for to see how I had progressed. The baby had dropped into position a couple of days prior, and I was begging for narcotics.

I had tried like hell not to lean on Liam or Hayden; I would have to be able to get through all this alone. But the pain on top of the ongoing lack of sleep was more than I could handle. My face was puffy and red from crying-which seemed to be all I did these days-and I'd kept myself wadded up in the smallest ball I could manage. But nothing worked.

When the nurse came in, Liam barked at her. "When can she get an epidural? She's in agony, and this has been going on for days." It might have been anger or fear in his voice, but either way, it was a tone I didn't care for.