Homebound
Page 30
Sure enough, I glance up to see a brigade of English literature students following the trail of amniotic fluid.
“Get back to class!” I shout.
Mrs. Parsons appears. “The janitor’s on his way, the midwife is gonna meet ya at home, and I done called Mrs. Wheeler to pick up Anne from school.” She squeezes Nora’s arm. “Good luck, honey.”
All the commotion draws a crowd, students and teachers alike abandoning their classrooms to see what all the ruckus is about.
Nora bears down and lets out a wail that echoes off the lockers.
I sweep her up into my arms. “This is the kinda pain only a married man and woman should share,” I tell the wide-eyed students.
Nora grabs onto my shirt collar with fisted hands. She grits, “Not a teachable moment.”
Mr. Sayre holds the door open for me. “We’ve got it covered here. Good luck to ya!”
I grin at my vice-principal who's ready to retire and never look back. “This here’s your school for the next month. Good luck to you.”
Nora pants and moans and leaks all over my truck. Ten miles never seemed so far away. Every time she tenses up, I nearly put us into a ditch.
By the time I pull into the drive, she’s practically tearin’ at her clothes.
“Let’s go to the medical center,” I plead when I open the passenger side door.
“Bed,” she grits. “Now.”
Kenny appears beside me. “How many minutes apart?”
Kenny?
“Two,” she pants as I lift her into my arms.
He whistles, keeping pace with me up the sidewalk as he checks her pulse. “Damn, girl. What’d ya do? Wait ‘til the last minute?”
“Water broke. Came on fast.” She’s breathless now.
He holds the door open. “Won’t be much longer. Better git upstairs.”
“Kenny?”
He pushes me toward the staircase then leads me up like I’m a stranger in my own home.
I lay Nora on our bed as she moans and writhes, pain etched into her beautiful, fine features.
“Git her undressed,” Kenny says.
That’s it.
“No,” I tell him in no uncertain terms. “Ya will not be seein’ my wife naked. Not then, not now, not ever.”
He smirks. “The midwife’s deliverin’ a baby across town. I’m all ya got for now.”
“This is madness!” I fist my hair in my hands then turn toward Nora. “Let’s go to the medical center!”
Kenny chuckles. “You’re right lucky it’s my day off from there.”
She grabs me by my shirt and hauls me down to her eye-level with a surprisin’ amount of force for a woman who’s been racked with pain for the past forever. “I done asked him to be here to assuage your fears. I delivered Anne in a sterile hospital alone. I ain’t deliverin’ this one the same way.”
“All right,” I murmur, kneeling at the bedside and smoothing her hair back from her sweaty forehead. “All right, darlin’. We’ll do it your way.”
“Where’s the birthin’ towels?” Kenny asks.
“In the hope chest.” Nora’s panted voice is muffled as I work her dress over her shoulders. Her bra’s soaked with sweat, and her panties are soaked with…all kinds of things.
“Kenny!” I yell, stars dancing in front of my eyes as the room spins. “She’s bleedin’! We gotta go!”
He glances down between my wife’s legs, his arms full of pristine white towels that Nora labored to wash and bleach and wash and bleach and wash and bleach…
“That’s normal, Jess. That’s what the birthin’ towels are for. Ain’t ya got no idea how babies are born?”
“No,” I choke out around a ball of nausea. “Well, sorta, but…This is actually my first rodeo.”
He slaps me on the back and raises his eyebrows. “Well, then. It’s a good thing I’m here, ain’t it?”
Nora reaches for my hand. “Jess. Ya look downright peaked. Sit down before ya pass out.”
She aint wrong, so I do just that. I keep her hand in mine and sit on the floor beside her while Kenny manhandles my woman, coverin’ the surface of our bed and all beneath her with thick, white towels that turn red. He slides her panties down her legs as I glare at him.
“I’m gonna ask ya not to kill me now,” Kenny says in all seriousness as he snaps on latex gloves. “I gotta perform an exam and see how far along she is.”
I don’t like the looks and sounds of that one bit.
“Jess,” Nora moans. “I need ya.”
I kneel beside her as she pulls me closer, breathing rapidly as she nuzzles my face.
“Might be a good thing I wasn’t around for the first time,” I whisper against her cracked lips. “I ain’t very much use to ya.”
She laughs, but it ends on another, longer, more pitiful moan.
The door flies open. “I’m here, angel!”
“Mama.” Nora reaches for her.
“Mommy?” Anne stands behind her grammaw, her eyes wide as saucers as she takes in the gruesome scene.
I’m ready to usher her away from the carnage, but Nora beckons Anne to the bedside and seems to transform into someone else as she manages to lean over and place a kiss on our daughter’s forehead.
Her voice is clear and even as she speaks, “It’s all right, baby. Your brother will be here soon. Why don’t ya go on downstairs and put on some cartoons and have a snack?”
Anne kisses her mother’s cheek. “Can I name him?”
Nora laughs then winces as she obviously tries to control her reaction to the intense pain. “We’ll see.”
That’s parent code for not a chance in hell.
“Ya gonna take her down, Jess?” Mrs. Wheeler asks.
“I-I’d like to stay if Nora wants me.”
Mrs. Wheeler smiles. “Good thing I brought reinforcements then.”
My mama walks through the door, her smile and eyes equally bright. “Come on, sugar. Maw-maw will make ya supper while your mama labors. Ain’t nothin’ to be afraid of. All the best things in life come with a few growin’ pains.”
I kiss Nora’s hand quickly before stridin’ to the doorway to wrap my mama in a big hug. I can squeeze as hard as I feel now. “I’m so glad you’re here for this,” I whisper to her.
She pats my cheek. “Me, too, baby. Me, too.” She pushes me back toward my wife and extends her hand to Anne who happily takes it and skips away.
A flurry of activity’s been goin’ on behind my back.
“What can I do?” I ain’t never felt so helpless and stupid in my whole life.
“Ya can attend to your wife and let us ole pros worry about the birthin’,” Kenny says. “Might wanna take off that fancy suit though, or you’re liable to ruin it.”
“How messy is this gonna get?” I pull off my jacket and tie, throwin’ ‘em in the corner of our bedroom before rollin’ up my sleeves. To hell with the pants. I ain’t the one givin’ birth, so no reason for all present to see my baby maker.
Mrs. Wheeler and Kenny exchange a knowing glance then burst out laughing.
“Jess, it ain’t pretty,” Nora wheezes. “It’s all right if ya wanna go.”
“Not a snowball’s chance in hell.” I climb onto the bed beside her and take her hand in mine. She just about breaks every one of my bones as she squeezes through another contraction.
“I’m here!” The door flies open again.
“Liz?” Nora and I question in unison.
“Who the hell are you?” Kenny demands.
Mrs. Wheeler spins to face the open doorway. “Honey, you’re right on time!”
“Liz?” Nora questions again, seeming bewildered, probably on account of the mind-numbin’ pain.
I’m just right glad I’m not the only one whose mind is spinnin’ on account of today’s events and participants.
“I was already on my way, but Mrs. Wheeler called and told me you were in labor, so I took twenty minutes at a rest stop to prepare. I’m just lucky I didn
’t get pulled over for putting the pedal to the metal the rest of the way.” She barrels into the room with an armful of supplies, shoving Kenny out of the way as he gapes at her with an open mouth. “I’ve never driven roads like these before! So many hills and twists and turns, I thought for sure I wasn’t going to make it one piece!”
Kenny and I exchange a baffled glance even while Nora continues to do her best to break my hand.
Liz barrels on, completely oblivious to the reactions surrounding her. She snaps on latex gloves then breaks out all sorts of instruments from a black bag that I can’t even name. “How far apart are your contractions?”
“A minute,” Nora pants.
I don’t know what kind of sorority Nora joined while we were in college, but Liz gets up in my wife’s business in ways my fraternity brothers and I would never have done even at our drunkest. I never reckoned I’d be so jealous of another woman.
She grins as she pulls her hand away. “Nine centimeters. It’s almost time for the big finale. You remember what the transition phase is?”
Nora nods. A bone in my finger cracks under the pressure.
“Who the hell are you?” Kenny demands again.
Liz rises from her position on our bed with a wide smile. She offers her bloody, gloved hand—which he takes and shakes like it’s a reflex, much to the displeasure of my gag reflex. “I’m Liz! You must be Nurse Kenny! Be a good boy and go grab the jugs of distilled water from my Jeep, would you?”
Kenny’s eyes widen, and his jaw falls to the floor. “What the fuck?”
“Kenneth Randall Lawson!” Mrs. Wheeler reprimands as she exchanges bloody towels for clean ones beneath Nora’s legs. “Watch your language! Liz is a certified physician’s assistant, and ya need to mind her with all due respect!”
“And I’m a nurse practitioner,” he yells, his arms spread wide. “She ain’t got no business comin’ up in here and orderin’ me around like her servant boy!”
“Oh,” Liz demures, patting him on the shoulder and leaving a bloody handprint in her wake that makes me want to puke all over my laborin’ wife. “Lenore told me so many stories about mountain pride, but it’s been so long, I must’ve forgotten. I’m so sorry, Kenny. Would you please be so kind as to fetch the clean water from my vehicle, so we don’t have to worry about contamination? I promise I’ll reward all your hard effort later.”
Nora huffs out a surprisin’ laugh, labor on the back burner for the moment.
Even Mrs. Wheeler seems frozen in place.
Me? I ain’t got time for this circus.
“Kenny, go and do as she asks. Liz, if you’re here, then you’re gonna get put to work because Nora don’t want no parts of the medical center, and the midwife is busy across town. Mama, please tell me what I need to do.”
Thank the Lord, they all follow orders without their pride gettin’ in the way.
Instincts I didn’t know I had kick in as I climb behind Nora, proppin’ her against me and cradlin’ her body with mine.
Hours of contractions and pain I feel in my own body and draggin’ a damp cloth over her sweaty skin and feedin’ her ice chips and lettin’ her damn near break my hands go by.
Kenny and Liz fight for position of head doctor, but Mrs. Wheeler keeps ‘em in line, and thank the Lord, too. I got my hands full attendin’ to my wife.
My best friend is a warrior. How she ever did this alone in a room full of strangers, I’ll never know. I understand more than ever her desire for this one to be born at home like she was. Like I was.
The midwife arrives with a bright smile but weary eyes. She’s been busy today. Must be the full moon. “Did I miss the party?”
Liz rises from her position at the foot of the bed while Kenny glowers at her from the corner of the room. “You’re right on time. We’re just about to start pushing.”
“Stay,” I call to him as he turns to leave. “Just…” I won’t let myself say it, but I’ve escaped too many worst-case scenarios not to be cautious. “Stay.”
He nods, an understanding in his eyes that he doesn’t share with Liz.
She’s right there between my wife’s legs with the midwife, too busy to notice anything other than her singular focus. I’m grateful for that, too.
Nora screams and cries and uses every last bit of her strength, and then the most beautiful wails I done ever heard fill the room.
“As I live and breathe,” the midwife declares. “Seems we’ve got a surprise for ya.”
She places the most perfect baby girl on Nora’s chest.
“I don’t understand,” Nora says, even as she places our newest daughter to her breast. “The ultrasound showed a boy.”
“Mistakes happen,” Liz says, holding a stethoscope to her tiny body. “The most important thing is this girl is perfectly healthy.”
I swipe a careful finger across her soft, gooey cheek, forgettin’ my disgust from earlier. “She ain’t a mistake. Neither of my girls are.”
“Lord help ya, Jesse,” Mrs. Wheeler laughs. “You’re a lone man in a house full of women.”
I kiss my wife’s temple. “I’ll take it. Gladly.”
“You’re never touchin’ me again,” Nora whispers.
“Ya don’t mean that, darlin’.”
She laughs as our little girl blinks her eyes. “No. I don’t. I want plenty more.”
Lord help me, indeed.
Ten Years Later
“Mr. Yates!” The secretary pounds on my door. “Ya better get out here!”
The more thing’s change, the more they stay the same.
I glance at the pictures on my desk as I prepare to tackle the next problem in an already long day. My girls smile back at me. All four of ‘em. I reckon I’m gonna be gettin’ home late to ‘em tonight.
Soon as I open my office door, I hear it without my secretary sayin’ a word.
There’s a fight goin’ on in the hallway and plenty of students watchin’ it happen.
I push my way through the crowd to get to the center of the ring, grabbin’ each of the contenders by the shirt collar.
“As I live and breathe,” I mutter. “Anne Shirley Yates, just what do ya think you’re doin’?”
“He started it, Daddy!” she yells.
The boy drags an arm across his bloody nose. “Did not!”
“Ya most certainly did!” my daughter squeals.
“That’s enough,” I say in my sternest principal voice.
I shouldn’t be handlin’ this alone, but my vice principal is on leave for the birth of our fifth daughter.
“Anne, go to your mother’s office and wait there until I come for ya.”
She pulls away from me in a snit. So much like her mother. “Fine!”
Livin’ in house full of women, I know dang well that word should never be taken at face value.
She stomps into the main office as the other students watch her with awe and more than a little jealousy. Not everyone can get away with talkin’ to the principals like she can. I might not kiss my wife senseless in the halls, but it’s awful hard not to act like Anne’s daddy when we’re at school. Nora is much better at bein’ unbiased than I am.
I sigh and roll my eyes skyward where heaven’s newest angel is surely laughin’ at me.
“Come on, Mr. Westfall. Ya can tell me what happened. Everyone else, back to class!”
They scatter like leaves on the wind. My sorrowful ward follows dutifully into my office.
He sits in the chair across from my desk, stone-faced and silent.
“Well?” I sink into my seat, makin’ sure to keep my posture open. “Ya gonna talk?”
“What’s the point?” he sniffles. “She’s your daughter. I ain’t got a chance.”
“I’m her father, but I’m both your principal. I’ll be fair. So long as ya tell me the truth. You’re both facin’ serious disciplinary action, regardless. Fightin’ is not tolerated for any reason in this school, and ya both know it. It’s in the student handbook.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, Mr. Wheeler’s definite laughter echoin’ in my ears. “Why’d she punch ya?”
“’Cause I wouldn’t kiss her! She says she loves me! I don’t want no parts of no snobby smart girl! She’s the daughter of both the principals! What would all the other guys think of me, then?”
Lord, help me.
Also by Kata
Moving the Chains series
First and Goal
Second Down
Third and Long
Fourth and Inches
Standalone Novels
Revenge Love
Keep the Beat
Acknowledgments
I can’t believe book 7 is, well…in the books! Is it really 7? I’m honestly not sure anymore. It feels like so many more and yet fewer all at the same time! As always, this book you’ve (hopefully) enjoyed would not be possible without a tribe of hard-working ladies behind the scenes.
To my PA, Catherine Anderson, you are THE amazingest! (No, it’s not a word. I made it up.) Thank you for always holding my hand even though you don’t think I need it! I can’t wait to hug you when this is all over!
To my author besties, KC Enders and Ryan Ringbloom, I’m laughing even while I type this. You know why. Thank you, thank you, thank you for putting up with me even in my most neurotic Costanza-like moments!
The first readers of this novel were Danielle Hinson Haley, Lisa Salvucci, and Mary McCormack. Without their invaluable feedback, this book wouldn’t be what it is today. Thank you is not enough for your time and help! And for the playlist recs, too!
My proofreader, Alison, is always an absolute pleasure to work with! I hope I don’t have to see you in November! wink, wink; nudge, nudge
Sarah, your cover absolutely knocked my gibberish descriptions out of the park. In my wildest dreams, I would never have expected something so perfect when I gave you so precious little to work with. My marriage proposal stands.