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Chapter 146: Hope's Arrival

Author: Smart.T
last update Last Updated: 2025-12-14 07:52:48

Blake's POV

Aloe's water broke at two AM on a Tuesday. I'd been having anxiety dreams about missing the birth stuck in traffic, unable to find the hospital, arriving too late. Reality was both better and worse: awake instantly, adrenaline spiking, mentally reviewing the hospital bag checklist while Aloe timed contractions.

"Six minutes apart," she said, remarkably calm for someone about to give birth. "We should go soon, but there's time."

James woke up when he heard us moving around. "Is the baby coming? Right now?"

"Right now," I confirmed. "Sofia is on her way to stay with you. Be good for her, okay?"

"Can I come to the hospital?"

"Not yet. Once Hope is born, we'll call you."

Sofia arrived within twenty minutes, still in pajamas but alert. "Go. I've got James. Call me when anything happens."

The drive to the hospital was surreal empty streets, Aloe breathing through contractions, my hands gripping the steering wheel too tightly. We'd done this before with James, but that felt like
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