Stupid, stupid. When was she going to learn? “Ahhhhh!” she cried as the third and final spasm passed through her.
And then, just as quickly as it had come, it left. Nina rolled to her side and rubbed her lower back viciously. If it wasn’t one part, it was another.
“Hello!”
Nina and the nurse both turned to the door, where an unfamiliar man in a lab coat entered the room.
“Who are you? Where is Dr. Jenkins?” Nina asked.
“Oh, she’s on vacation in Belize, lucky girl,” the doctor replied. “I’m Dr. Conrad, the on-call obstetrician here this evening. I’ll be helping you through this birth, and I promise, Mrs. Gardner, we’ll take good care of you.” Dr. Conrad turned to the nurse. “Is, um, Mr. Gardner here?” he asked out the side of his mouth.
The nurse shook her head mutely and made a covert sign across her mouth, signaling it was a no-go subject before she darted out of the room.
Internally, Nina raged.
“Looks like it will be tea for two, then!” Dr. Conrad turned with an over-jovial grin as he sat on a stool at the end of the bed. “Let’s have a look, shall we?”
Nina forced her awkward, massive body onto her back and pushed herself to the end of the bed so the doctor could measure how far along she was. Still trying to catch her breath, she found it much harder to ignore the fact that she was effectively on display to a complete stranger. And a man, at that. It was funny, though. She was having a hard time caring either way.
“Seven centimeters!” cheered Dr. Conrad. “And you refused an epidural, that’s right?”
“Yes,” Nina said wearily. She was almost regretting that decision now, but was too stubborn to say anything.
“I’d say at this rate, you’ll be ready to push in three hours or so, hon.” He pulled down his mask and grinned at her. “Are you ready to meet your little one?”
Nina slumped into her pillow and pushed the tiny, sweat-soaked hairs from her forehead. “Can I have some ice chips, please?”
The doctor frowned at her lackluster response. “Ah, yes. I’ll get a nurse.” He pushed away from the bed as Nina folded her legs back together. “Chin up, Mrs. Gardner. It will be over sooner than you think.”
As the doctor left, Nina pressed her face into the pillow, trying not to cry. Would it be over soon? And what would that look like? She’d have a daughter…a baby…and what in the world was she going to do after?
She had finished the letter to Peppe but never sent it. It was on her desk. His face, thin and mournful, rose in Nina’s mind. She choked back a sob. Another contraction began.
“Oh, God,” she wailed into the coarse cotton.
That same vise grip wrenched her belly even tighter than before. She gasped at the ceiling, then rolled onto her side. The pain throbbed in harsh, consistent waves for thirty seconds, forty-five. Nina squeezed her eyes closed, but tears came anyway.
“Peppe,” she gasped, again and again. “Where are you?”
And then, as suddenly as it had arrived, the contraction faded. Nina’s tears did not, but as soon as she decided to really let go, she was started out of her misery by a knock at the door.
“What?” she snapped, wiping viciously at her face. “Who the fuck is it?” Who could possibly be here for a social call at a time like this? Who could possibly think this was important? “Calvin, I swear, if you are knocking right now—”
“It’s not Calvin.”
The door opened, and instead of Nina’s husband, another familiar face popped in: Caitlyn Calvert.
Immediately, Nina relaxed some. “Oh, it’s just you.” She lay back on her pillow, suddenly conscious of the fact that she was half-drenched in sweat in a rumpled hospital gown. “I thought it was another insipid idiot from the hospital board or something like that. Someone trying to kiss Grandmother’s ass. At least two have made appearances since I checked in.”
Caitlyn chuckled as she slipped into the room. “You’re a dear. And you were swearing at Calvin, not them, so you can’t fool me. N, I’ve never heard you speak like that before, you beast.”
Nina grunted, still catching her breath‚ both from choked sobs and the remnants of the contraction. “Well, I’ve never been in labor before. I think I’m allowed a pass.”
Caitlyn laughed again as she sat down in one of the bedside chairs. “Agreed. I’m sure if I were in your shoes, every bit of Jersey in