ceiling.
“You’re at seven centimeters,” Dr. Camp said, snapping off his rubber gloves. “We’ve still got a ways to go.”
Chloe nodded and swallowed, trying very hard not to let her terror show.
“Don’t worry,” the doctor said, patting Chloe’s ankle. “You’ll do great.”
“I keep telling her that,” James said, grinning proudly at Chloe. “It’ll be a piece of cake.”
“Easy for you to say,” Chloe grumbled, and James laughed, as she knew he would.
The door swung open, and Anna and Juliet came in. Anna was carrying a big plastic cup and looking back at Juliet, who was saying, “Yes, really, I don’t find Brad Pitt attractive. He’s too pretty for me.” But then Juliet saw Dr. Camp, and she grabbed Anna’s sleeve to pull her back.
“Oh! Sorry,” Anna said. “Should we wait outside?”
“No, come on in, I’m just finishing up,” Dr. Camp said.
“Dr. Camp, these are my—” Chloe was about to say friends , but then worried that would be presumptuous. “Juliet and Anna,” she said instead.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” Dr. Camp said genially.
“We were all at a party together when my water broke. Juliet was nice enough to drive us to the hospital,” Chloe explained.
Dr. Camp laughed. “Sounds like you’ll have a good story to tell your little one about the night he or she was born,” he said.
“You know, you’re right!” James said, clearly delighted with this idea. “It was a great party too.”
“With a dramatic ending,” Anna added with a laugh. “It was like something out of a movie.”
“That’s true! And I played the part of the idiot husband, who’s so freaked out, he can’t drive,” James said. “So we had to hop into Anna’s wagon—”
“Which didn’t start,” Anna interjected. “Piece-of-crap car.”
But then another contraction hit Chloe, ripping her attention away from the story. It felt stronger than the ones she’d had before, and the force of it took her breath away. She curled her hands around the rough white bedsheet and squeezed hard. She had a vague memory that this was when she was supposed to start her breathing exercises, but she didn’t know how she was supposed to breathe when it hurt so damned much. It felt like Baby was using a pickax to tunnel his or her way out of the womb.
“So then we had to move Chloe over to Juliet’s SUV,” James continued. “And then we hit every red light on the way here.”
“Don’t forget the train!” Juliet reminded him, laughing.
James cracked up. “That’s right, the damned train.”
The contraction started to ebb, leaving Chloe feeling weak and gasping for breath. Why wasn’t anyone paying attention to her? Shouldn’t James be sitting with her, holding her hand, helping her breathe through the contractions, and bullying the anesthesiologist into coming in and juicing her up with an epidural, rather than joking around with her friends and distracting the doctor?
“The crossing gate came down, and I was going to try to make it, but James screamed and scared the hell out of me, so I stopped,” Juliet continued.
“I did not scream. I just…yelped a little,” James said. He was laughing so hard, he had to lean against the wall to keep from falling over.
“It was a full, horror-movie scream,” Juliet said, shaking her head in mock disgust.
Dr. Camp was laughing now too. Chloe wondered if she’d somehow turned invisible; she tried to swallow back her mounting frustration. Didn’t they understand that all this chatter was holding up her epidural? She wanted to stop them, interrupt their story, demand they take notice of her and how much pain she was in.
“Excuse me?” Chloe said apologetically. “Dr. Camp? About that epidural?”
Which was about as demanding as Chloe was ever able to get. Why , she wondered miserably, can’t I just once be poised and self-assured and articulate? Because if there was a time for me to take charge, this would be it. And yet she
“You’re at seven centimeters,” Dr. Camp said, snapping off his rubber gloves. “We’ve still got a ways to go.”
Chloe nodded and swallowed, trying very hard not to let her terror show.
“Don’t worry,” the doctor said, patting Chloe’s ankle. “You’ll do great.”
“I keep telling her that,” James said, grinning proudly at Chloe. “It’ll be a piece of cake.”
“Easy for you to say,” Chloe grumbled, and James laughed, as she knew he would.
The door swung open, and Anna and Juliet came in. Anna was carrying a big plastic cup and looking back at Juliet, who was saying, “Yes, really, I don’t find Brad Pitt attractive. He’s too pretty for me.” But then Juliet saw Dr. Camp, and she grabbed Anna’s sleeve to pull her back.
“Oh! Sorry,” Anna said. “Should we wait outside?”
“No, come on in, I’m just finishing up,” Dr. Camp said.
“Dr. Camp, these are my—” Chloe was about to say friends , but then worried that would be presumptuous. “Juliet and Anna,” she said instead.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” Dr. Camp said genially.
“We were all at a party together when my water broke. Juliet was nice enough to drive us to the hospital,” Chloe explained.
Dr. Camp laughed. “Sounds like you’ll have a good story to tell your little one about the night he or she was born,” he said.
“You know, you’re right!” James said, clearly delighted with this idea. “It was a great party too.”
“With a dramatic ending,” Anna added with a laugh. “It was like something out of a movie.”
“That’s true! And I played the part of the idiot husband, who’s so freaked out, he can’t drive,” James said. “So we had to hop into Anna’s wagon—”
“Which didn’t start,” Anna interjected. “Piece-of-crap car.”
But then another contraction hit Chloe, ripping her attention away from the story. It felt stronger than the ones she’d had before, and the force of it took her breath away. She curled her hands around the rough white bedsheet and squeezed hard. She had a vague memory that this was when she was supposed to start her breathing exercises, but she didn’t know how she was supposed to breathe when it hurt so damned much. It felt like Baby was using a pickax to tunnel his or her way out of the womb.
“So then we had to move Chloe over to Juliet’s SUV,” James continued. “And then we hit every red light on the way here.”
“Don’t forget the train!” Juliet reminded him, laughing.
James cracked up. “That’s right, the damned train.”
The contraction started to ebb, leaving Chloe feeling weak and gasping for breath. Why wasn’t anyone paying attention to her? Shouldn’t James be sitting with her, holding her hand, helping her breathe through the contractions, and bullying the anesthesiologist into coming in and juicing her up with an epidural, rather than joking around with her friends and distracting the doctor?
“The crossing gate came down, and I was going to try to make it, but James screamed and scared the hell out of me, so I stopped,” Juliet continued.
“I did not scream. I just…yelped a little,” James said. He was laughing so hard, he had to lean against the wall to keep from falling over.
“It was a full, horror-movie scream,” Juliet said, shaking her head in mock disgust.
Dr. Camp was laughing now too. Chloe wondered if she’d somehow turned invisible; she tried to swallow back her mounting frustration. Didn’t they understand that all this chatter was holding up her epidural? She wanted to stop them, interrupt their story, demand they take notice of her and how much pain she was in.
“Excuse me?” Chloe said apologetically. “Dr. Camp? About that epidural?”
Which was about as demanding as Chloe was ever able to get. Why , she wondered miserably, can’t I just once be poised and self-assured and articulate? Because if there was a time for me to take charge, this would be it. And yet she
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