[Intertwined Souls 05.0] No Good Deed

by Mary D. Brooks

  ***

  Debbie was calm when she got off the phone with Tessa and then called Doctor Pappas, Zoe’s obstetrician. She took a deep breath and headed to Eva’s office. They were located at a temporary office in town whilst their main office at Lambros Estate was being completed. Eva didn’t like the location because it was further than she liked to be from the house. The call had confirmed Eva’s unease all morning. Debbie would go in and tell Eva that Zoe was going to the hospital. She knew exactly what was going to happen next—her normally unflappable boss would get flustered. Eva had come back to the office and Wilbur had gone to a meeting with Percy Hester. Eva did not want to go anywhere near the Foreign Department building, so she had begged off.

  “Excuse me, Eva…”

  Eva took one look at Debbie and she was out of her chair. She grabbed her coat and rushed out of the room. Moments later, she reappeared.

  “I can’t drive without the keys.”

  “I’m driving.”

  “Great, you drive slower than a tortoise,” Eva replied and left the office once again.

  “I don’t think a tortoise can drive,” Debbie muttered and followed Eva.

  “I’m driving,” Eva said as she bolted down the steps, taking them two at a time. Debbie sighed deeply and tried to keep up with her. It was going to be quite a challenge.

  “Slow down.”

  “Keep up,” Eva replied. She reached the car park, nearly bowling over the parking attendant in her haste. When she got to her car, she cried out in frustration and let fly with a few choice German curses, which totally scared the parking attendant, and then she turned around to head back up to her office. She was met at the stairwell by Debbie, who held up her keys.

  “Thank you!” Eva practically ripped the keys out of Debbie’s hand and did a mad dash for the car, only to be stopped by her secretary.

  “You are not driving.” Debbie took back the keys.

  “What?”

  “Oh, get in, will you? I’m driving. The last thing Zoe needs is for you to have an accident.” Debbie noticed Eva’s surprised look. “Do you want to go or stay here and give me the evil eye?”

  “Drive!” Eva ordered.

  Debbie drove the car slowly out of the car park and onto the main road. “Where are we headed?”

  “Saint Margaret’s Private Maternity Hospital, left and right, down the side,” Eva replied. “Dr. Pappas?”

  “You are not making a lot of sense right now.”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “No, you’re not. You are talking in your head and I’m getting snippets of it,” Debbie replied. “I already called Dr. Pappas. She knows and was headed out there.”

  “Can this car go any faster?” Eva leaned over and looked at the speedometer.

  “No, not unless you want me to have an accident. I’m already going over the speed limit.”

  Eva kept looking at her watch, staring out at the traffic, and checking the speedometer. “You know, if I got out, I think I could run faster than the speed you are doing,” she muttered.

  “Yeah, sure. You do know that babies take a long time to get here, right?” Debbie said. “AJ took eighteen hours to get out.”

  “Hm.”

  “What’s wrong? Other than the obvious,” Debbie asked Eva, who was nervously nibbling on her fingernail.

  “They’re early. They’re not ready yet.”

  “Twins tend to come early. It’s going to be a long wait for you in the waiting area.”

  “No, it’s not.” Eva shook her head and turned to Debbie. “One of the nicer things of being an heiress is that I can dictate what happens.”

  “Can you now? What are you, Mrs. Rockefeller?” Debbie teased her as she stopped at the lights.

  “Yes, that is exactly what I am. I’ve inherited half the Muller fortune,” Eva said quietly. “I don’t want to be excluded from the birth of my babies, and I’m going to make sure my money makes it happen. Society may want to tell me how to live my life but my money talks louder.”

  “Zoe said something similar when you got injured. She said that if you were in a public hospital, she wouldn’t be able to stay with you or take care of you.”

  “This is true. She wouldn’t have been able to do anything. If David got injured you would be able to do everything for him that you wanted. No one questions you about that. You are his wife.”

  “But you can’t because you are not...um...”

  “Yes. You remember what happened when Zoe got hit by that car? I wasn’t allowed to see her or know what had happened.”

  “That was heartbreaking.”

  “More than you will ever know. Earl had to step in, and even then it was not easy. I didn’t have the means to make sure that nothing like that ever happened again. We had to draft up a Power of Attorney paperwork with Friedrich so that wouldn’t happen to us again, but we don’t need that now. Money trumps any legal paperwork.”

  “That was just horrible.”

  “There’re a lot of things money can’t buy, Debbie, but there are things it can buy. Rich people are eccentric,” Eva said with a smile. “If a rich woman wants to keep a younger female lover and watch while she gives birth, that’s perfectly acceptable.”

  “Because she’s rich.”

  “That’s right. Money can make everything more socially acceptable, even being a lesbian,” Eva said with a slight shrug. “For the moment I wish I had a helicopter so we could get out of this traffic. Can you please hurry up?”

  “No,” Debbie replied, only to have Eva scowl at her. She smiled and returned to watching the slow moving traffic.

  CHAPTER 55

  Eva opened the car door long before Debbie actually came to a stop. She ran from the car to the hospital lobby and was halted by a group of people who blocked her path. She groaned with frustration while she waited for them to clear. She avoided the lift and took the steps two at a time, only stopping to take a deep breath. The pain in her back was like an old friend to her; she knew it well. She stopped, put her hand on the small of her back, and stretched. After taking a deep breath, she started running up to the sixth floor private ward, passing several people along the way. Her only concern now was Zoe and their babies. Upon opening the stairwell door, she was met with a near-empty waiting room. She felt totally lost, and she swiveled around trying to find someone to ask where Ward Six North was.

  “Eva!”

  She turned around to find Tessa waving at her, and she ran to her with a relieved sigh.

  “Darling, you are soaking wet.” Tessa put her arms around her. “Are you alright?”

  “Where’s Zoe? “ Eva asked, not bothering to even greet her aunt.

  Tessa sighed. “I want you to sit down.”

  “What’s happened?” Eva nearly yelped.

  “Nothing. Now sit down.” Tessa led Eva to a chair and forcibly sat her down. “I want you to wash your face and just calm down. Zoe is fine. She’s got a long way to go yet.”

  “Oh,” Eva said with relief. She put her head down and sucked in a couple of deep breaths. The pain in her back made her feel like throwing up.

  “Did you drive?”

  “No, Debbie did,” Eva replied. She got up from her seat and went into the small bathroom. After splashing some water on her face she felt a little better, more in control of herself. She was quite sure she would have to apologize to the car park attendant for her behavior.

  “Now do you feel better?” Tessa put her hand on Eva’s back.

  Eva nodded. “I’m just worried.”

  “Alright, welcome to the not-so-much-fun part of being pregnant.” Tessa ran her hands through Eva’s hair to straighten it. “You need to calm down. Zoe doesn’t need you to be worried right now. She’s got enough to deal with, alright?”

  Eva nodded. “I know.”

  “I know you know, but you are excited and you’re worried. You want these babies to come and you want Zoe’s pain to end. You have to be patient,” Tessa said in a measured tone. �
��This is going to take some time. You need to be calm and you need to focus.”

  “I can do that.”

  “I know you can. You can be very focused, and this is one time when you need to put aside your fears.”

  “I’m terrified, Aunty Tessa. Absolutely terrified.”

  “I know you are, but so is Zoe. She’s giving birth and it’s one of the most incredible experiences of her life.” Tessa tenderly tucked Eva’s dark locks behind her ear. “Let her experience this fully without worrying about you.”

  “I don’t want her to worry about me. That’s the last thing I want her to worry about.”

  “I know you don’t, but she will. You are in a great deal of discomfort right now.”

  “How do you know that?” Eva asked.

  “It’s the way you walked in here. Your back is hurting and your walk reverted to what it used to be before Theresa healed you.”

  “You noticed that?

  “I have two good eyes, and yes, I noticed that. Zoe will notice as well even if she is in pain.”

  “There’s nothing I can do about it.”

  “Yes, there is.” Tessa nodded. “Tommy is with Zoe right now, and when he comes out, he is going to give you a painkiller.”

  “No, I’m not taking drugs. I can’t. Not now.”

  “Eva Theresa, you listen to me. I know you hate painkillers, but darling, this is going to be a long day and your back will get worse. You are experiencing part of the labor. You can’t be with Zoe if you are curled up in pain.”

  “I have a high pain threshold.”

  “Yes, you do, but you’ve never been through labor. You will thank me for this.”

  “I will?”

  “Yes.”

  “What if I end up being the village idiot again?”

  “Tommy won’t be giving you anything that strong. Just enough to dull the pain. Alright?”

  Eva took a deep breath and nodded. “Alright.”

  “Good. Now you can go in and Tommy will get the medication.”

  “Thank you, Aunty.” Eva leaned over and gave Tessa a kiss on the cheek. She took a deep breath and pushed the door in to be met by a room full of people. In the center was Zoe, who was engaged in an animated conversation with Tommy.

  “Hey, look who decided to show up!” Tommy teased.

  Everyone decided now was a good time to disappear, and they left Eva and Zoe alone. Eva grabbed a chair and dragged it over. She gave Zoe a kiss, and then sat down.

  “Sorry I took so long,” she said quietly.

  Zoe leaned back against the pillows as a contraction hit. “Oh boy, Evy, I think these twins want to come out!”

  “Let them, love. I think it’s time.”

  “You think it’s time?” Zoe asked. “Really?”

  “The book says—” Eva said and got the desired result from Zoe, who smiled grimly.

  “The book says my wife is a smarty-pants.”

  “That’s me!”

  “Why is your shirt wet?”

  “Uh...I kinda did the miracle mile thing.”

  “Miracle mile?”

  “I raced down the stairs at work and then I raced up the stairs here.”

  They sat in silence for a few moments while they held hands. Reading the books hadn’t prepared Eva for this. She hadn’t realized she would be totally scared witless of what was to happen.

  “Are you scared?” Zoe asked. “I’m scared.”

  Eva gazed at Zoe, who knew her better than anyone in the world. “Yes, but we have been scared before. Remember when we first kissed in Larissa? I was so scared I shook like a leaf and my legs wouldn’t hold me up,” she said quietly. Zoe’s face lit up. “Kissing you was more important to me than anything at that moment.”

  “Your lips were so soft, and holding you was the perfect thing.”

  “I remember looking down into your beautiful green eyes and just being in awe that you found me attractive.” Eva tenderly stroked Zoe’s cheek. “I lost my heart to you up there. We’ve always done things that scared us. Having babies is the most exciting scary thing we’ve done so far.”

  “Together,” Zoe replied as Eva leaned forward and kissed her.

  “We’re going to have the most beautiful babies in the world.” Eva placed her hand on Zoe’s belly. “You are going to be a mama soon. I am so proud of you.”

  “We will both be mothers. Now tell me how bad you are feeling this labor.”

  Eva grimaced. “It feels like someone is sticking a spear up my spine.”

  “Oh, it’s that good for you. Lucky girl.”

  “I’ve had worse, and I think you are about to experience the worst,” Eva replied. She took Zoe’s hand and kissed it. “Much worse, but this is the first time I don’t care if I feel like razors are running across my back.”

  “I think you’ve had enough pain to last you a lifetime. Can you please take something for it?”

  “Yes,” Eva succinctly replied.

  “Will you? You’re going to take some pain medication?”

  “Yes. Tommy is going to give me something.”

  Zoe grimaced when another contraction hit her. They groaned in unison before it passed. Eva rested her head on Zoe’s lap and waited for her back spasm to end. She almost purred when Zoe ran her hand through her hair. She looked up to find Zoe had laid back against the pillows, already exhausted.

  “We make quite a pair.” Zoe laughed lightly and Eva leaned in for a kiss.

  “You take the drugs this time. You keep telling me I need to take them; I want you to take them.” Eva gazed at Zoe for a long moment. “I don’t want you to hurt.”

  “Having babies hurts, Evy.” Zoe shut her eyes as another contraction hit. “Oh, boy, does it hurt.”

  CHAPTER 56

  The hours slowly ticked by and Zoe got more and more exhausted. She was beginning to wonder if the nurse’s offer of a painkiller wasn’t a good idea after all. She wanted to be alert when her babies came into the world, but the pain was incredible. Every time a contraction hit, she felt like she was being torn asunder.

  Eva was right beside her, holding her hand, wiping her brow with a damp cloth. For the last seventeen hours Eva had been there, along with Tessa and Stella. She didn’t want to leave, she didn’t want to sit down to take a break, and she never went anywhere other than Zoe’s side. Zoe forced her to go eat and that lasted ten minutes before she was back.

  “Evy?”

  “Yes, love?”

  “We’re going to have our babies soon.”

  “They’re putting their mama through hell right about now, but they will be with us soon.”

  “All mothers are saints to go through this ord…” Zoe stopped and groaned loudly when a contraction overwhelmed her. She cursed under her breath. “Oh god, I’m definitely going to take drugs.”

  “Is it too late to ask Dr. Pappas to give you something?”

  “I think so.”

  The door opened and Dr. Pappas came into the room. “Well, well, well, what do we have here?”

  While Dr. Pappas examined Zoe, Eva fidgeted and tried to stretch. Tessa put her arms around her in a comforting embrace. Eva wordlessly accepted the embrace and leaned back against her aunt, who also massaged her lower back.

  “Oh,” Eva whispered as the pain dissipated.

  “Well, I think it’s time to take you to the delivery room.” Dr. Pappas patted Zoe on the arm and gave her a smile.

  “This is it,” Zoe said, looking up into Eva’s sky-blue eyes. She was scared and the pain so far had been incredible.

  “I love you,” Eva whispered and gave her a kiss.

  Eva followed the nurse and the doctor out of the room when they pushed the gurney to the delivery room.

  Zoe flopped down on the bed, gazing up into the lights, and cursed under her breath when another contraction hit. She tried to calm down, but the pain was the worst she had ever experienced. The other people in the delivery room were Dr. Pappas, a nurse, Stella, and Tessa, and th
e most important person present was Eva.

  “You’re doing wonderful,” Stella said as she took her hand.

  Zoe glared at her and didn’t think she was doing anything remotely close to wonderful. She didn’t feel like she was doing well at all. She felt like she had been ripped apart for the last seventeen hours, and there was more on the way.

  “Did you say that to Tessa too?”

  Stella kissed Zoe’s sweaty forehead. “Yes, darling, I did, and she was doing a great job.”

  “For all of twenty hours,” Tessa added with a light chuckle. She turned to Eva, who looked anxious. “It’s all right. It’s going to be over soon.”

  “I’m going to be sick,” Eva whispered before being engulfed in a hug by her aunt.

  “You’re doing a great job. I’m very proud of you.” Tessa said.

  “Zoe, how you doing there, sweetie?” Dr. Pappas brushed away the sweat-soaked bangs.

  “Oh, just great,” Zoe muttered and grimaced again when another contraction came.

  ***

  Eva closed her eyes and leaned against the wall for a moment while Zoe was being readied. Her back was killing her, and her anxiety about Zoe had increased exponentially with the passing of the hours. She tried to stay calm, but seeing Zoe in pain made her sick. She took a deep breath and quickly joined Zoe’s side.

  “Hey, love,” she said quietly. Zoe looked up at her with such a pathetic look on her face that Eva almost cried. She kissed her gently.

  “It hurts,” Zoe said and gritted her teeth against the pain.

  “I know, love, but a little bit more and our babies will be here.”

  “Almost there,” Dr. Pappas said as she sat, ready to deliver the babies. “Eva, do you want to help deliver the first one?”

  “Uh...me?”

  “Ah, Evy, I love you, but do you think you can get over there? Let’s hurry this up.” Zoe yelled at her. Tessa stepped up and took hold of Zoe’s hand when Eva left her side.

  “I’ve got you, sweetheart,” Tessa said. “Eva’s just going over there to deliver your babies.”