Struggling up into a sitting position in bed, Mia put her face in her hands. Her subconscious was having a field day. It was better to be awake than to continue having nightmares, she thought. She looked at the clock. 4:27 A.M. Seth wouldn’t be there for another four hours.
Grabbing her water bottle, Mia groaned. It was empty. Slowly swinging her legs out of bed, she made her way to the kitchen. As she approached the breakfast bar, she stopped at the sound of someone cracking their knuckles — except no one was cracking their knuckles and the sound was emanating from deep within her.
As she started again toward the refrigerator, there was no mistaking the immediate and considerable wetness in her underwear. They quickly felt soaked. With each step, a small gush seemed to release. “What the fuck?” Mia steadied herself with one hand on the breakfast bar and attempted to reach down with her other hand. Her fingertips were able to swipe at her inner thigh. Bringing her hand to her face, there was no odor to the wetness. “Holy fuck,” she said to no one.
Heading back to the bedroom, Mia grabbed her cell. She hit dial.
“What’s going on, Mia?”
“I think my water just broke. It sounded like when someone cracks a knuckle and then my underwear got all wet and it has no odor.”
“Yeah, that’s what it sounds like. How many weeks are you now?”
“Thirty-three.”
“Ok, I want you to grab a cab to the hospital, that’s going to be your quickest way to get there, and have the cab driver bring you right to the ER entrance. I’ll be waiting there for you.”
“Is he going to be ok, Gary? He’s only thirty-three weeks.”
“He’s going to be little, Mia, but we have no indication at this point that he won’t be healthy. And if he takes after his father, he won’t be little for too long. Now get your stuff together and meet me.” It sounded to Mia as if he were already on the move.
Mia quickly threw things into a small overnight bag. “Guess I should’ve had this packed,” she thought. Slipping on a comfy maternity dress and flats, she grabbed a big colorful sweater and her cell and left the apartment.
The night doorman was surprised to see her when she reached the lobby.
“It’s time,” she announced.
“You’re having the baby?”
“I am.”
“Where is Mr. Schooner?”
“He’s still in California.” Mia’s heart broke as she verbalized it.
“Well, I hope he gets home in time to see his boy born. It’s all he’s been talking about for months. Let me get you a cab, Miss Mia.” The elderly gentleman went out to the curb.
Mia watched him standing at the curb with his hand raised in the dark night. She pulled out her cell and started to text.
Mia: Water broke. Heading to hospital. Gary’s meeting me there.
She sent the message to Seth Shapiro, Charles Sloan and Kami Townes.
The cab pulled up in front of the building’s awning and Mia went out. Thanking the doorman, she slid into the back seat and gave the cab driver the hospital’s address.
As he pulled away from the curb, she lovingly stroked her belly. “I will always be there for you, Nathaniel. Always. You can count on me. I won’t let you down. You will always have me,” she promised him, as the cab sped through Manhattan’s empty pre-dawn streets and brought Mia Silver closer to meeting her son.
End of Part Two
Author’s Note:
What is it with those two and cabs? Next book, let’s hope they finally get into one together.
On a more serious note, in Moore to Lose, you witnessed Mia’s self-destructive behavior before she finally sought the help she desperately needed to deal with the PTSD that resulted from the sexual abuse she suffered during her freshman year in college. While Mia Silver is only a fictional character, rape and sexual abuse and the trauma and post traumatic stress disorders that victims suffer are very real. If you, or anyone you know, is in need of help or want someone to talk to, please seek out that assistance. Following are a couple of resources:
RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) www.rainn.org 1-800-656-HOPE
The Rape Crisis Center — www.rapecrisis.com 1-210-349-7273
Both organizations also provide online hotlines.
I’ll see you soon for the rest of Schooner and Mia’s journey.
Till we meet again,
— Julie
Endnotes
i David Bowie, “Ziggy Stardust,” The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, 1972, RCA Victor P8S-1932
ii Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land, (New York, NY, Putnam Publishing Group 1961)
iii Woody Allen, Without Feathers,(New York, NY, Ballantine Books (1972)
iv Woody Allen, “Match Wits With Inspector Ford”, Without Feathers, (New York, NY, Ballantine Books 1972) Pg. 115
v Stephen King, The Stand, (New York, Doubleday 1978)
vi Ellieism, Ellie LoveNBooks, 2013.
vii The Moody Blues, “The Story in Your Eyes,” Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, 1971, Threshold Records 42284 4772-2
viii Marc Anthony, “I Need to Know,” Marc Anthony, 1999, Sony 79251
ix Supertramp, “Hide in Your Shell,” Crime of the Century, 1974, A&M SP-3647
x Nelson DeMille, Plum Island, (New York, NY, Grand Central Publishing, (1997)
xi Bruce Springsteen, “The Brokenhearted,” The Promise, 2010, Columbia Records
About The Author
Author Julie A. Richman is a native New Yorker living deep in the heart of Texas. A creative writing major in college, reading and writing fiction has always been a passion. Julie began her corporate career in publishing in NYC and writing played a major role throughout her career as she created and wrote marketing, advertising, direct mail and fundraising materials for Fortune 500 corporations, advertising agencies and non-profit organizations. She is an award winning nature photographer plagued with insatiable wanderlust. Julie and her husband have one son and a white German Shepherd named Juneau.
Contact Julie
Twitter @JulieARichman
or
Website www.juliearichman.com
or
Facebook www.facebook.com/AuthorJulieARichman
For The Reader
Thank you for purchasing and reading this ebook. If you enjoyed it please leave a short review on book-related sites such as Amazon and Goodreads. Readers rely on reviews, as do authors.
Moore to Lose Page 27
