Chapter 61

Baby is Coming to Town!(Part 1)

After dropping Seunghyun off at the airport, Dara hurried back home. She had just enough time to get ready before the doorbell rang, announcing Cheondung and Sooyoung’s arrival. Fifteen minutes later, Sooyoung swung into Cheondung’s driveway. He was insistent on driving them in his brand new Range Rover sport SUV.

 “Nice ride, Dongie,” Dara said as she climbed into the backseat.

“Thanks. I like it.”

 “And I like it too,” Sooyoung said, buckling her seatbelt. “So where are we off to eat?” Sooyoung asked.

“There’s a new restaurant just opened last week.Joon hyung said it was great and the food is great too,” Cheondung said. He glanced back at Dara to gage her response.

She wrinkled her nose. “It’s okay as long as it’s not crowded ?”

 “Well, it’s your night, Unnie, so you can pick,” Sooyoung said.

 “Good. I’m excited,” Dara said with a grin. When they got to the restaurant, they had to fight their way through the teeming crowd.

“Why this place is so crowded!” Dara shouted over the noise.

“It’s Friday night. It’s going to be crazy anywhere.”

Thirty minutes later when they finally got a table, Dara’s feet were screaming in agony. As she flopped down in the booth, pain shot up her lower back. “Ow!” she yelped.

“Are you okay?” Cheondung asked.

She giggled. “Yeah, I was expecting a little more cushioning—not that I don’t have enough

padding back there.” When Cheondung started to open his mouth, she wagged a finger at him.

“I don’t need any comments about how I’ve always had junk in my car either, thank you very much.”

“You’re such a prude,” he replied with a wink.

By the time they finished their meal and Dara had gorged herself on her favorite Chocolate with vanilla filling Cupcake, she was exhausted.

She wanted nothing more than to go home, get into her pajamas, and curl up on the couch. She just hoped that her brother and Sooyung didn’t have anymore big plans for the evening.

As they got up, Dara winced as her hand flew to rub her back. What had been a dull throbbing during dinner was now pulsing. She hobbled out of the restaurant and tried desperately to keep up with her brother and Soo.

“ Would you slow down!I’m Pregant just so you know !” she called.

“God, noona, just when I thought you couldn’t be any slower,” Cheondung remarked, walking back to her.

“My back is killing me.”

Cheondung snorted. “Do you have a  back sprain?”

Dara narrowed her eyes. “It isn’t a back sprain. It started back in the booth.”

Thankfully, they made it to the car. When she got up into the SUV, a strange feeling rippled through her back and belly before a deluge of water swept down her thighs. At first, mortification filled her that she was experiencing pregnancy incontinence.

But then the revelation hit her. She had gone to the bathroom before their meal arrived… and before dessert.

“Oh God,” she murmured.

 “What’s wrong?” Sooyong asked, checking her reflection in the mirror and applying more lip stick.

Dara drew in a ragged breath. “Um, I think my water just broke.”

Both Cheondung and Sooyoung whirled around in their seats, shock and horror etched across their faces.

“What?” Sooyoung demanded.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure. It’s all over me.”

“Oh , noona, don’t tell me you just ruined my new leather seats?” Cheondung moaned.

Sooyoung smacked his arm hard. “It’s not like she can help it.”

Embarrassment warmed Dara’s cheeks. “I’m so, so sorry, Cheondung. I promise I’ll pay to have it cleaned.” The moment the words left her lips raging pain crisscrossed its way through her abdomen, causing her to cry out. She pinched her eyes shut and breathed in deep, trying to ride it out.

“Unnie?” Sooyoung questioned.

Once the pain passed, she opened her eyes. Both Sooyoung and Cheonduung stared expectantly at her.

“Yeah, um, I think we need to get to the hospital. Now.”

*******

“Goodnight!” Seunghyun called as he left his business dinner. Rolling his shoulders, he fought the fatigue that filled him. He wanted nothing more than to get back to the hotel and call it a night.

When Dara’s familiar ring tone came on, he dug his phone out of his pocket. “Miss me already,baby?” he joked.

“You have no idea,” she replied, her voice strained.

He froze on the sidewalk. “Dara, is there something wrong?”

“Um, well, don’t freak out—”

“Too late.”

“My water broke, and I just got admitted to the hospital.”

Seunghyun’s eyes closed in agony. “You can’t be serious.”

“Trust me, I wish I was joking.”

“But you’re not due for three more weeks. I would have never, ever left.”

“Listen, it’s okay. You just need to get to the airport.”

“Dara, there’s not a single flight out of Jeju back to Seoul tonight.”

“I know. That’s why I have Plan B.”

“And just what does that entail?”

“Jaejoong is on his way up to get you in his plane.”

“You have got to be kidding me.” When she didn’t respond for a minute, he said, “Dara, are you there?”

He heard her draw in a ragged breath. “Having.a.really.bad.pain.”

He winced. “Oh . I’m sorry. I want to be there so bad to hold your hand...to help you.”

It took her a few seconds to respond. “Good. Then you’ll meet Jaejooong at the airport—”

“Dara, you know I have a thing about small planes.”

“Seunghyun,” she growled before huffing and puffing. When she groaned in agony, he knew he was in trouble. “Let me guess, at the moment, you don’t give a about my fears or what I want or don’t want to do, right?”

“Exactly!” she snapped.

“Okay, okay. I’ll get to the airport, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Good.”

“I love you, baby.”

“I love you, too.”

With fear and nervousness rocketing through him, Seunghyun raised a shaky hand to call down a cab. Screw his bags back at the hotel. Ming Joon was on the way, and he desperately needed to get to Dara. He had just slid across the cab’s leather seat when his cell phone rang again. Even though it was an unknown number, he had an idea who it was.

“Hello, this is Jaejoong,” the familiar voice echoed on the other line.

“Um, hey.”

“Listen. When you get to the