If anyone knew how unhealthy it was to go weeks, or even months, with barely any sleep, it was me. Ever since I was first plagued by this godforsaken nightmare about eight weeks ago, I haven't been able to fucking sleep. All I could manage were cat naps here and there. Even then, that fucking nightmare was there. Rewound and ready to destroy my fucking life. Tonight was the final straw. Reliving Harper's death for the hundredth time caused a desperation in me to think of something, anything to make sure she survived the labor if she became pregnant. Which was why I was currently standing in the backyard of one of my most trusted friends. And why he was looking at me like I sucker punched him. 

Ayden's voice sounded almost as hoarse as mine. "Jackson...what the hell are you talking about?" 

"It needs to be you in the delivery room. You have to be the one to deliver our baby."

He started shaking his head before I finished my damn sentence. "Jackson, that's crazy. I can't do that. I won't."

Already on edge, I snapped, my anger causing me to reach out and grab Ayden by the shirt. "Fuck. You. You will do this for us."

His stare never wavered from mine. "Jackson, you can't ask this of me. You can't put this on me."

A very small part of me knew I was asking too much. But this was Harper. All sanity went out the window when it came to her and her safety. I didn't care who was pissed at me or what friendship was ruined if it meant that she would survive this. 

"You got reinstated," I pointed out to him. "You're a doctor again." 

"Yes, but—"

"And you've delivered babies before. Lanie told me so herself. So, you know what you're doing."

To be honest, there was no one I trusted more with my wife. I needed him. Because if she died...it would be the end for me. I knew there would be a piece of her inside our child, but she wouldn't be here. How the hell could I live without her? Just the idea was unfathomable. There would be no me without her. 

"Please," Ayden rasped, "brother, don't ask this of me." 

My grip on his shirt lightened but I didn't let go of him. "I have no one else to ask. I know you believe this nightmare is just that—a nightmare. But I can't shake this...feeling. If she gets pregnant and someone else delivers her baby, I'm going to lose her forever." I inhaled a shaky breath before I continued. "I know I'm putting an insurmountable amount of pressure on you, Ayden. But I can't leave this to chance. Even if it is just a nightmare." 

If there was any chance that I was going to get rid of this nightmare, even for a little while, I needed to know that my friend was willing to do what I asked of him. If Ayen agreed to do this, then maybe they would stop. Maybe I could actually sleep beside my wife, holding her in my arms like I've done for over three years. 

And it wasn't just about lessening my stress, it was about Harper's also. Somehow, she always knew when I woke up and wasn't in the bed. I was sure she knew I was gone now. But she hasn't been pressing me for details. She's been giving me my space because she knew me better than anyone and she knew that right now I was like a fucking powder keg waiting to go off. And regardless how much I tried to hide it from her, she always knew when something was off with me. That's what happened when you found your soulmate. They knew every little thing about you. 

 "I need to hear it, Ayden." Staring at him, I begged with pure desperation in my voice, "Please promise me you will do this for me." 

As Ayden stared back at me, I was so sure he was going to say no. That he was going to tell me what I was asking was too much and he couldn't do it. I would have put money on it that he was going to tell me everything except what I needed to hear right now. 

But he didn't. 

His expression changed to one of strong resolve and divine purpose. "I'll do it, Jackson. I'll deliver your baby. When the time comes." 

The relief I felt was overwhelming. The fear and despair seemed to seep out of me. With a choked sob, I pulled Ayden into a tight hug. "Thank you, Ayden. I just...Thank you." 

The walk through the house then up the stairs to the master bedroom where I knew Lanie was waiting anxiously for me was a long one. My brain still felt like someone put it in a blender and hit puree. Fuck. Out of all the things Jackson could have come to me for...I was not expecting this. Yeah, I knew that if Harper did get pregnant and went into labor and we couldn't make it to the hospital then I would be the one to step in a deliver the baby. But this...this was different. 

When I got to my bedroom door, I paused. I knew what I was going to see when I opened it. Lanie was going to be pacing back and forth, her mind going from one crazy scenario to another as she tried to figure out what had Jackson knocking on our door after midnight. Taking my twelfth deep breath in the past half hour, I reached for the knob and opened the door. 

And there she was. Even given the mind-fuck I just went through; the sight of Lanie still took my breath away. Just like I assumed, she had been pacing a new path in our floor. She was wearing her dark purple robe while she chewed incessantly on her fingernails. 

She stopped and turned when she heard me open the door. "Ayden! Ohmygod, what happened? Is Harper—" Her brows dropped into a deep scowl. "Why does your face look like that? What the hell is going on?" 

Holding my arms out to her, I said, "Come here, goddess. Let me hold you."

Lanie's emerald green eyes held a thousand questions. And if this was coming from anyone other than me, she probably would have thrown a fit and demanded to be told what was going on with Harper. But she came into my arms immediately, melting into my body as I embraced her. 

"You have no idea how much I needed this, baby," I whispered, brushing my lips over her light brown hair. "I love you." 

Pulling back to meet my gaze, she said, "Please tell me what's going on. You're scaring me. Is Harper okay? Did...did she have a miscarriage? Oh God. That's it, isn't it? I know she said she was just ovulating, but she could have had one, right? I need to go over there right now." 

When she went to pull away from me—no doubt to go get dressed and break every traffic law to get to Harper and Jackson's condo—I reached for her hand to stop her. "No, Lanie. She wasn't pregnant and she didn't have a miscarriage."

Her frown deepened. "Then what is it?" 

Curing under my breath, I said, "This has to stay between me and you unless I tell you otherwise. Do you understand? No running to Harper or anyone. Me and you." 

"Me and you," she replied softly before stepping forward and offering me her pinkie. "I promise, Ayden." 

Another deep breath from me. "Apparently Jackson's been having this nightmare for a while now. It's always the same. Every night. Harper's pregnant and it's time for the baby to come. They're in the hospital in the delivery room. And after the baby comes..."

When I didn't continue, Lanie reached out to stroke my arm comfortingly. "What happens after the baby comes, Ayden?" 

I tried to keep my voice steady. Really, I did. But instead, it came out harsh and broken. "She bleeds out and dies in his arms." Lanie's gasp had my eyes lifting from the floor to meet hers. "Every night for the past eight weeks, Jackson keeps dreaming that she's going to die in that delivery room." 

Lanie covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my, God. Ayden, that's terrible. Poor Jackson. That has to be torture for him. He loves her so much. So that's why he was here? To confide in you about it?" 

"Kind of," I murmured. 

"Kind of? Ayden, what the hell does 'kind of' mean?" 

I ran my hands over my face. "I tried to explain to him that it was just a nightmare. That it's normal in times of great stress or fear. Like it was for me when I got back from Afghanistan. But he's convinced it's going to happen. That he's going to lose Harper in that delivery room." 

Lanie turned away from me. I knew she was trying to hide her tears. She knew I hated to see her cry. "What are we going to do, Ayden? There has to be something we can do to help him. Both of them. Jackson did so much for me when..."

"I know," I told her softly as I walked up behind her to wrap my arms around her. "He's done so much for both of us. And I think I already helped him."

Lanie turned around in my arms. "How so?"

"He asked me to do something for him."

She chuckled nervously. "Ayden, you can't leave me on a cliff-hanger like that. What did he ask you?" 

A part of me felt like I was betraying Jackson if I told her now. But I trusted the love of my life to keep this all between us. At least until Jackson wanted others to know. "He was so convinced that the nightmare was real, so he told me he was going to make sure it didn't come true. He said in the nightmare, their OB was the one delivering the baby. And he thinks that if someone else delivers the baby, then Harper will survive."  

"Ayden..."

"He asked me to deliver the baby for them." 

Lanie gasped and stepped back. "You can't do that, Ayden. It's not that I don't believe you're capable, because I know you are. It's just way too much pressure on you. God forbid if something happened beyond your control, you would never forgive yourself." 

Reaching out, I cupped her cheek. "I already gave him my word that when the time comes, I would do it, Lanie. I'm not breaking it." My own eyes watered against my will as I tried to get the next part out. "If the roles were reversed, and I was convinced I was going to lose you, and I thought Jackson was the only one who could save you...I would ask him. And I know he would do it. So how could I not?"

Lanie nearly tackled me with a fierce hug. "Everything is going to work out just like it's supposed to, Ayden. And everyone is going to be fine. I promise."  

She meant every word of it. I know she did. I just hoped and prayed that she was right. Because if I did what Jackson asked and we lost the baby, Harper, or both...then I wouldn't be able to live with it.