“What time did you get up, love?” He looked surprised to see her so wide awake and so busy. She had been in the baby's room since six o'clock, folding clothes again and checking the suitcase she had packed for the baby. He hadn't seen her this busy in months, and then suddenly, as she made a funny face, he began to watch her. “Something wrong?” He said it as casually as possible, as she checked the supplies in the dressing table.
“That damned cup of coffee gave me cramps.” And then just as she said it her face pinched and she gently felt her stomach, and suddenly she understood what was happening. She looked up at Teddy in surprise, with a broad grin. “My God, I think I'm in labor.”
“What time did you get up?”
“About five o'clock. I was restless and I couldn't sleep, so I came in here and got busy.”
He grinned at her. “For a doctor you're not very smart. When did the cramps start?”
“About five thirty.” But they were so gentle, she hadn't even realized she was in labor.
“Why don't you give your doctor a call?”
“Already?”
He nodded. “Already.” She was forty years old. He was not going to play games and wait until the last minute. In fact he insisted on taking her to the hospital right away, even though she was barely in labor. But the whole thing seemed like an adventure, as she showered, put on a clean dress, and kissed him in the doorway.
“When we come back here, we'll be a mommy and a daddy.”
The thought of it made him smile, and he kissed her longingly. They hadn't been able to make love in weeks, and he was hungry for her body. “You'd better get your ass out of here, Doctor Evans, or I'm going to rape you right here in the hallway.” But as soon as he said it she had her first good pain, and she made a little surprised sound, as he supported her with an arm around her shoulders. “I think, my love, that we'd better go. The last baby I delivered at home was twenty-five years ago, and I'm not exactly dying to try that again.”
“Chicken.” She grinned at him.
By the time they got to the hospital, Linda was getting excited and the pains had begun to come at regular intervals, five minutes apart. She was smiling at everybody and exploding with energy and excitement. He helped her unpack her Lamaze bag at the hospital and then they prepared her, and when he came back, she was lying on her bed in a pink hospital gown, with a lollipop between her teeth, her hair tied back with a pink ribbon.
“Good Lord, woman, you look like you're starring in a movie, not having a baby.”
She looked proud of herself as she rode out another pain. “Isn't this how women look when they're having babies?”
“I don't know. Ask an expert.” The doctor had just come in, he examined Linda and declared that all was going splendidly. She was going to try to have the baby by natural childbirth, though he offered her medication if she wanted it. But both she and Teddy had agreed that it would be better for the baby if she tried not to.
A few minutes later the pains picked up in speed, and an hour later Teddy was telling her to pant softly. Her eyes had begun to look a little glazed and there was a faint veil of sweat on her brow, her hair had begun to stick to her face, and she was beginning to clutch at his hand when the pains came. “This isn't as easy as I thought.” She looked at him anxiously, and when the next pain came, she clenched her teeth and he had to shout to make her do her breathing. When it was over, he ran a damp cloth over her forehead, gave her ice, held her hand, and told her how wonderfully she was doing. Nurses came and went, and offered her encouragement, they told Linda she was doing great, and outside in the hall they all gossiped about Linda and Teddy both being doctors. They had seen Lamaze practiced before, and in 1971 it was already fairly common, but they had rarely seen it practiced with such devotion. Linda and Teddy were both working hard, and he was marvelous with Linda.