Delivery After Dark

(Gansett Island Series, Book 28)

Chapter 1

She’d come to despise the words bed rest. Abby McCarthy was slowly going mad from being stuck in a Providence hospital bed for eight weeks. It was unbearably boring and oddly exhausting despite how it might sound to those who craved more time in bed. A person could lie around only so much, and then they had to get up and get on with it. Except she couldn’t get up or get on with anything until she safely delivered the four baby boys competing for space in her belly. 

The lack of activity had made her feel weak and useless. She couldn’t even help her husband, Adam, take care of their son, Liam. Thankfully, Adam and Liam were staying nearby at Adam’s uncle Frank’s house and came to visit every day, which was the highlight of Abby’s endless days confined to bed. Their visits were never long enough for her, though, because Adam could entertain Liam in a hospital room for only so long before their almost two-year-old got antsy.

One day this week, or maybe it was last week — who could keep track when every day was the same as the last one? — Liam had fallen asleep in her arms and taken a two-hour nap. Poor Adam never got a break, though. He couldn’t leave Liam with her in case he woke up.

As of tomorrow, she’d reach the thirty-week mark, which was a significant milestone for a quad pregnancy. The longer the babies “cooked,” the doctors had said, the better their chances for avoiding numerous scary complications. They were giving her two more weeks to percolate, and if the babies didn’t come on their own, they’d be delivered by C-section.

While she didn’t relish the idea of major surgery, she also wasn’t thrilled with the idea of giving birth to four babies naturally. Neither option was particularly appealing, especially since she’d have five little ones to care for afterward.

She couldn’t imagine fourteen more days of this tedium, so she was hoping her baby sons took mercy on their mother and decided to get the heck out of their increasingly cramped accommodations sooner rather than later.

The days had begun to run together weeks ago. She couldn’t recall what’d happened when, such as what day Liam had napped with her. Hopefully, the pregnancy brain would let up by the time she had four new babies to care for.

Four. New. Babies.

Even with thirty weeks to prepare, the thought of welcoming four infants at the same time was incredibly overwhelming. She’d been told a while ago that it was likely she might never conceive. Well, she’d shown “them.” She’d conceived, all right, and then some.

Her body was so swollen as to be obscene. She was careful to keep her belly covered when Adam was there so he wouldn’t run away in horror. If he knew she was thinking that way, he’d be angry. He told her every day how proud he was of her, how amazing she was and how lucky they were to soon have five sons to grow up together and be the best of friends.

Five sons.

Five more McCarthy boys.

Just what the world needed.

Her mother-in-law, Linda, had teased her about what she was in for. “I had only four, and they nearly killed me,” Linda had said when she and Big Mac had come to visit last week.

They’d shared a big laugh because Abby was well acquainted with the original four McCarthy boys, as she’d dated Grant for more than a decade before marrying his brother a couple of years ago. Adam and his brothers were capable of a ridiculous amount of mischief, separately and together, which she often found entertaining. Would the nonsense be as entertaining if her own children were perpetrating it? Probably not.

Her goal in life was to raise five respectful, well-behaved boys. The fact that mischievous McCarthy DNA ran through them would make that goal more difficult to achieve, but she was up to the challenge.

Or so she hoped…

Her favorite McCarthy boys came strolling into the room, cheeks flushed from the December chill. In addition to all her other complaints, she’d missed autumn, her favorite time of year on Gansett Island. They’d go home to winter in full swing and the holidays looming, on top of everything else. She’d done some online shopping for their nieces and nephews, as well as for Liam. Thank goodness for her laptop, a Wi-Fi connection and Netflix, which had helped to keep her entertained.

“Mama, we go to the park and play on the slide!” Liam’s brown eyes were big with excitement.

Adam lifted him onto the bed so Abby could hug her baby. She missed taking care of him more than just about anything. She also missed snuggling with her handsome husband, which was all but impossible due to her massive belly.

Liam allowed her to hug him for close to a minute before he squirmed free, ready to move on to the next thing. They had some toys for him in the room, and he ran over to play with his trucks while Adam bent to kiss her.

“I’d ask you what’s new,” he said, smiling, “but your updates have gotten really boring lately.”

Abby laughed. “I’m the most boring wife ever.”

“I’m just teasing, and you know it. You’re growing four little men in there. Nothing boring about that.”

“How are you guys doing?”

“We’re okay.” He gave her a guilty look before adding, “He slept with me again last night.”

“Adam! We talked about that.”

“I know, but I can’t be mean when he’s crying.”

“It’s not being mean. It’s being firm. There’s a difference.”

“I suck at that.”

“At this rate, he’ll sleep between us until he goes to college.”

“No way. Trust me, he’ll want his privacy by the time he’s twelve.”

“That’s ten years from now. Do you want him between us every night for that long? And besides, what’ll it be like when there are five of them between us? These boys will do whatever Liam does.”

“I’ll try harder tonight.”

“Yes, you will.”

“He’s just so damned cute and snuggly, and I’m lonely without you.”

“Adam…”

“I hear you, honey. I’ll work on it.”

“Do that before we have a baseball team in bed with us.”

He laughed. “I love when you’re stern with me. It’s hot.”

“Oh please. Nothing about me is hot except a body temperature set to roast because these boys of yours are overheating me.”

With Liam occupied with his toys, Adam sat on the edge of her bed, took her hand and brought it to his lips. “You have no idea how beautiful you are. In fact, you’ve never been more beautiful than you are now, full of maternal power as you prepare to give birth to a rare double set of identical twins.”

Though she felt like an ugly whale, she appreciated his efforts to raise her self-esteem. “If you say so.”

“I say so, and I’m the husband, so whatever I say goes.”

Her scowl made him laugh again. “I can’t wait to be home with you and our boys. I miss our life on the island.

“Same. I miss sleeping with you.” He waggled his brows. “Among other things.”

“Speaking of that, you should use the remaining time on the mainland to get yourself a vasectomy, because now that I know you’re packing super sperm, you’re not coming near me again while that thing is still active.”

He made a sad face. “I’m deeply offended on behalf of my thing and my super sperm.”

“Whatever. Get the snip. Have your parents or mine come over to watch Liam. They’re always happy to help.”

Adam released her hand and put his over his package, as if protecting it. “I take back every nice thing I said about you.”

Abby laughed hard and then burped, which made her laugh even harder. The heartburn, burping and flatulence had been ridiculous as her pregnancy progressed.

Adam laughed with her and then kissed her. “Even if you’re planning violence against my manhood, I still love you.”

“You’d better still love me. This is all your fault.” She curled her hand around his. “Won’t be much longer. I have a feeling we’re getting close to the finish line. There’s nowhere left for them to go in there.”

“I hope so for your sake. I’m afraid you’ll go loco before they arrive.”

“I’m hanging in there, thanks to you and our families and the visits from our friends. Everyone has been amazing. My girls on the island call or text every day. They’re planning a shower for when we get home, since we left somewhat abruptly.” In a Life Flight helicopter, no less, after she went into early labor.

“That’s very sweet of them.”

“The theme is Four of Everything.”

“Ha, good idea.”

“I sure hope we’re home in time for Christmas.” The only way they wouldn’t be home by then was if there were complications with the babies, which neither of them wanted to think about.

“I hope so, too, but if we’re not, I’ll make sure we celebrate right here.”

“I know… I just miss everything.”

“Home stretch, love.”

Abby rested her hands on her massive belly. “Literally.”

Laughing, he kissed her and rested his forehead against hers. “I’m so ridiculously proud of you.”

“I’m ridiculously proud of you, too.”

“What? Why?”

“It’s not easy taking care of a two-year-old completely on your own for weeks on end, while also working.”

“That’s nothing compared to what you’ve been doing.”

“It’s not nothing. Knowing he’s with you makes it possible for me to get through this.”

“How about we be proud of us?”

“Yes, that works. We’re going to have to stick together to get through the next eighteen years.”

“I’m here for it. I’m here for all of it.”

And he would be. She knew that without a shadow of a doubt. A long and difficult journey had led her to this moment with this man, and even as she went nuts from the boredom, she couldn’t wait for their babies to arrive and to watch their five sons grow up with Adam by her side every step of the way.

 

Sierra Mancini hated funerals, but of course, everyone did. No one got up in the morning, gave a good stretch and thought, Today would be a great day for a funeral. Since she’d lost her mother and two much-loved grandparents in the span of eight months a few years back, she’d avoided them and the memories of deep grief whenever possible.

Today, however, she’d pulled herself together to support Billy Weyland’s older brother, Morgan, who’d lost the last of his immediate family when Billy died during Hurricane Ethel. Sierra had been friends with Billy and had been part of the island-wide effort to support Morgan in the months since the tragic loss of his brother.

For a time, it’d been assumed that Morgan wasn’t going to have a funeral for Billy, but then he’d decided there needed to be something, hence today’s gathering at the island’s nondenominational church, presided over by Pastor Joshua Banks, who’d also been a source of comfort to Morgan since Billy’s body was found in the Salt Pond.

The whole thing was so dreadfully sad that it would’ve been much easier to sit it out, to schedule appointments at Refresh and Renew, her massage studio, to do anything other than sit in the pew next to her friend Duke Sullivan and his fiancée, McKenzie Martin. The two of them were stupid in love, holding hands even in church. For a time, she’d had “feelings” about the way they’d fallen madly in love over a couple of weeks in the fall.

Duke had been Sierra’s backup plan. She’d thought that if neither of them ended up with anyone by the time they were forty, maybe they’d try to make a go of it. Except Duke had harbored no such thoughts, and when she’d shared her vision of the future with him… Suffice to say the entire exchange with one of her closest friends had been mortifying. Especially since McKenzie had been waiting for Duke in his bed while she talked to him outside.

Ugh. She couldn’t even think about that night without wanting to cringe. Thankfully, neither Duke nor McKenzie had held Sierra’s drunken confession against her, and they’d gone on as friends as if nothing had ever happened.

But for Sierra, that night had served as a wake-up call. For one thing, she’d all but stopped drinking after that, limiting herself to an occasional glass of wine to be sociable, but no more whiskey or vodka, which was what had gotten her into trouble that night. She’d also decided to get real about her love life and stop looking for reasons to avoid men and relationships and everything that went with them.

Over the years, she’d been on a lot of first dates, a few second and third dates and even dated one guy for a month before he got tired of being “stuck on an island” and set out for more exciting parts. That disappointment had been followed by a go-nowhere relationship with Kyle, one of the deckhands on the ferries. Was it any wonder she’d become bitter about all things dating and men and was sick of looking for something she was probably never going to find?

In addition to cutting back on alcohol, she’d been listening to self-help books while she worked, hoping to find the secret to a happy single life in one of them. So far, the answers remained elusive, but she wasn’t giving up. If she was going to be by herself for the rest of her life, she was going to find a way to be content in that life, even as everyone around her was blissfully in love, pregnant and raising kids—or planning to be soon.

Not that she was dying to be married or anything like that. However, it would be nice to have someone to hang out with after work, someone who was hers and hers alone. That wouldn’t suck, as long as it was the right guy and not another in a string of noncommittal idiots who were looking for a mother, not a partner.

Was it too much to ask to find a grown-up man who knew who he was and what he was about and wasn’t looking to her to take care of him or fix all his problems for him? She’d found that, yes, it was too much to ask.

There’d been an outbreak of love in her group of friends, and she’d gotten to see Duke so happy with McKenzie, as well as her friend Jace Carson with his love, Cindy Lawry, and even Dr. Kevin McCarthy and his wife, Chelsea, who were expecting their second child together… Each of them had taken enormous risks with their hearts and well-being and had hit the jackpot with amazing partners.

She wanted what they had and had hoped to find that special connection for herself but wasn’t willing to leave Gansett to make it happen. That was the last thing she wanted to do. She loved her island home and had a nice business running the only massage studio, but the lure of true love had her considering her options as another long, lonely winter loomed before her. Sierra was fine during the madness that invaded the island in the spring and went on until well into October. But it was this time of year, when everything slowed down, that the loneliness set in, and she expected that to be worse this year without Duke to hang out with the way they used to when he was single, too.

Sierra knew a lot of people who’d found their person on Gansett, so that gave her hope that she might find someone right there. But if not, she wasn’t willing to shake up her whole life, even if it meant finding her soul mate. No, if he was out there, he needed to come to her, because she wasn’t going anywhere.

Before she’d had a front-row seat to Duke falling so hard for McKenzie, she would’ve scoffed at the notion of soul mates. Whatever that was. But now she’d seen it and felt the palpable energy between the two of them, and damn it, she wanted some of that for herself, even as she acknowledged the unlikelihood of finding it on a tiny remote island miles off the coast of the smallest state. What were the odds?

Not great…

She was stirred out of her thoughts when the service began with a rousing rendition of “How Great Thou Art,” sung by Julia Lawry, bringing back childhood memories for Sierra of going to church with Nana Ann, who’d had a beautiful singing voice. Tears filled her eyes as she remembered holding hands with her nana and singing along to songs with familiar tunes, including “Amazing Grace,” which had been a particular favorite of her nana’s. Julia’s voice was so beautiful, it took Sierra’s breath away.

Pastor Banks led the congregation through a series of opening prayers. Some of Billy’s friends from the gym did Bible readings. It was almost comical to see the muscular dudes, decked out in poorly fitted suits as they attempted to show decorum and respect for their late friend.

Billy’s friend Niall Fitzgerald performed “Danny Boy,” one of Billy’s favorites of the songs the Irishman regularly performed at the Beachcomber.

Sierra had heard that Billy was cremated and that his ashes were contained in the urn on the altar, giving the whole concept of “dust to dust” new meaning. She was glad no one could hear her thoughts as she tried to pay attention to the lessons to be found in the readings and in Pastor Banks’s comforting words. As always, her ADD kicked in, and her mind wandered in a thousand different directions.

“Are you okay?” Duke whispered.

Sierra nodded. “I’m fine.” That was a lie, as it was impossible to sit through a funeral without thinking of the funerals for her mother and grandparents. The emotions were like muscle memory, built into her wiring now, even if the loss of Billy wasn’t as difficult for her as those had been. He’d still been a friend and far too young to die, which was the hardest part of this for her. He’d been only a few years older than her, and his death had served as yet another reminder that life wasn’t a dress rehearsal.

When Morgan stood and walked to the lectern, his wavy dark hair combed into submission and a black suit showcasing his broad shoulders, Sierra sat up a little straighter, eager to hear what he had to say.