In a Book Club Far Away

by Tif Marcelo

  The nurse guided the transducer over her belly in search of the baby’s heartbeat.

  “Is everything okay?” Regina asked.

  “Absolutely.” She moved the transducer to the right side of Regina’s belly, and smiled. “Your baby’s active.” Then suddenly the heartbeat thudded on the monitor. “There he or she is. Did you find out the sex?”

  “No, we want it to be a surprise.”

  The nurse applied a second transducer toward the top of her bump to detect contractions. “All right. I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes”

  Regina stared up at the ceiling, at the square tiles and the tiny holes. Where was her husband? She checked her phone again, as if she hadn’t been clutching it all this time, and then tested the volume. Anger zinged through her, then concern, and then suspicion.

  She pushed it out of her head. There’s nothing to be suspicious about, Regina. Still, she sent another text to Logan: Where are you?

  And then, as if her friends knew that she was in a state of confusion and frustration, a text flew in.

  Sophie

  I hope your appointment goes well today.

  Thank you!

  Adelaide

  OMG, I almost forgot! Matt’s flight is landing tomorrow, and it’s all I can think about. Good luck today.

  Sophie

  So excited for you, Ad.

  YAY for redeployment!

  Adelaide

  I took bets. Everyone says it’s a girl. Only one person said it’s going to be a boy.

  Sophie

  That one person is me. C’mon, I’m right about these things. I’ve got the touch.

  <3

  Regina’s eyes watered—goodness, her emotions were everywhere. She was grateful for these women, that they had intuited to text. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

  Sophie

  What does Logan think? Boy or girl?

  Oh God, Regina actually didn’t know.

  We just pray that the baby is going to be healthy.

  Sophie

  Aw, I like that. Priorities.

  Adelaide

  I still think she’s a girl.

  Regina heard footsteps and the sound of voices, but none were Logan’s. Her mood crashed.

  Gotta go. Not supposed to be using my cell phone.

  The door jiggled and Ms. Samson came in and looked at the monitor. “Baby looks great on the monitor, but it seems like your body is trying to gear up for labor.”

  “Really?” She turned her head toward the machine, where Ms. Samson lengthened the narrow strip of paper.

  “Contractions are coming every three minutes. You’re not feeling it?”

  “I am. They feel like tiny cramps.” She put her hands on her belly, keeping clear of the equipment, and, yep, it was tightening. “That is a trip.”

  “We might need to admit you if we see cervical changes.”

  “Okay.” She watched Ms. Samson type information into the computer, and her heart sped up. Was her bag packed? Did she need to do anything at work? Oh God, she hadn’t shaved her legs in days. She had been planning the hair-removal ordeal this weekend complete with pedicure so she wouldn’t frighten everyone in the delivery room.

  Then, she felt a gush of warmth between her legs. “Um.”

  “If you’re in the latent stage of labor, we could also send you home, where you’ll be much more comfortable—”

  “Ms. Samson?”

  “Yes?”

  “I…” God, Logan, where are you? Her belly tensed, much harder than in the past, and—“I feel something, down there.”

  Ms. Samson’s eyes widened. “Well, let’s see.” She lifted the blanket. “Ah, it looks like you’re definitely staying. We’ll have to swab to make sure, but I think your water broke.” She patted Regina’s knee. “Did you get a hold of your husband?”

  “No, but…” She felt like a fool having to explain. Because she didn’t have an explanation. What would she say? That her husband simply forgot, and apparently didn’t know how to answer his texts or phone calls? She stuttered an excuse. “H-he’ll be here soon.”

  “Great.” Ms. Samson continued the barrage of mundane questions, which Regina was thankful for, because focusing on her answers kept her from crying. This was supposed to be the happiest time in her life, but she felt lonelier than ever.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

  Adelaide

  T minus twenty-four hours until Matt’s arrival, and Adelaide was in her apartment enjoying a glass of rosé. The house was clean, the menu planned for the rest of the week. She and Matt’s block leave plans were all set—they were taking a trip to Sedona, his way: camping. While her choice had been a Greek vacation with the best their money could buy, at this point, any time with her husband would suffice.

  In the last two weeks, Adelaide’s life had gone from bustling to quiet. With two of her best friends’ spouses returning, her daily social calendar was as stark as Texas on a blistering summer day.

  Not to say that events weren’t happening. All around her, the majority of the neighborhood had awakened. With troops slowly returning, though not exactly back at work because of block leave, the neighborhood streets teemed with people. Families were catching up, taking walks, having informal barbecues in backyards, gathering under porches and at the playground. Through the evening, the sounds of laughter permeated the air. It was like summer vacation for adults.

  Adelaide was happy for these families. She loved to hear them celebrate; she relished in the happy smiles, and watched nostalgically as couples held hands.

  She just wished it was her turn.

  And tomorrow, it would be. There were only a few spouses left who were expecting their loved ones, which meant a small formation, an informal drop-off. A bummer for her husband, who liked a little bit of fanfare. Who didn’t, when they hadn’t seen their family in months?

  She had finally cracked open The Sky Is Everywhere for book club at Sophie’s next week. At the moment, snuggled into her couch with a blanket over her legs, with Scout lying over the covers at her feet, she’d rounded out the first twenty pages. The book’s content was heavy; it was about death, and offered a sharp contrast to what she was feeling. But she was connecting with the seventeen-year-old main character, Lennie, who lost her sister. She empathized that changing tides always brought a little bit of grief.

  This was why she loved book club—it required her to read books she wouldn’t have picked herself. This year, she and her friends had read seven books together, exceeding her expectations. She might not have a child but she had book club. That was her baby. Her offspring, and she would forever hold that as her legacy.

  The doorbell rang, and she frowned as she put down her book. In the front foyer, where she had a mirror hanging, she checked her hair and her lipstick, puckering and then wiping the lipstick from under her lip. She opened the door and stuck her head out. Through the grate was Sophie.

  “Hey!” Adelaide pressed the buzzer.

  Sophie was free of children.

  “Where are my babies? Are they okay?”

  “With their father.” She grinned.

  Adelaide pressed her palm to her forehead. “I keep forgetting!”

  “Isn’t it weird? Honestly, I almost took them with me and then remembered that I can rely on someone else.”

  “Well, don’t just stand there.” She opened the door, wide. “What’s up?”

  “You’re coming with me.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “The hospital.” Sophie’s face fell. “You haven’t seen the text traffic?”

  “What?” Adelaide rushed to where her phone was plugged in and realized that she’d left it on silent. Her fingers couldn’t seem to work fast enough on the buttons. “Damn wine.”

  “Forget the phone. Regina’s water broke. C’mon.”

  “Oh my God!” Adelaide rushed to her boots next to her hallway tree. “Are we allowed in? Did she say?”

  “She texted that she ca
n’t find Logan. So it’s going to have to be us until he gets there.”

  Once both her feet were snuggly in her shoes, she looked at Sophie, and for a moment they both didn’t speak. Understanding passed between them. Matt had continued to be tight-lipped despite Adelaide’s curiosity, but it was becoming more evident there was some truth to her suspicions.

  In the car, finally, Sophie spoke up, though her voice shook. Her face was wrinkled into a disturbed expression. “I’ve got something to admit. I don’t know who to talk to. And everyone I trust is involved somehow,” she began.

  “This doesn’t sound good.”

  Sophie shook her head.

  “Christ on a cracker.” Adelaide leaned back in her seat. Maybe she should have had more wine.

  “I witnessed something. Something that could be innocent, or… not. Something that I might have had suspicions of but did not believe until I saw it with my very own eyes. I don’t want to name names, Adelaide.”

  “Okay. But what did you see?” Adelaide asked. “But before you start, put on your seat belt.” She was stalling, because whatever Sophie had to say was ultimately in confidence. Then again, there were ethics involved. Friendship ethics, Army ethics, and the fact that secrets never remained so.

  Sophie put on her seatbelt, then started the car. She backed out of the space. “I saw one of our friends’ spouses in an intimate conversation with another woman.”

  “Oh God.”

  “I saw it.” Sophie clutched the steering wheel. “At the festival, while waiting in line for the bathroom. The husband was there, with another woman. They were arguing, about ending things. About not wanting to end things. I wanted to tell him that what he did was wrong, because his wife was already… in a state. I went up to the couple, and they were jumpy. The guy was shaking like a leaf. He knew I saw. Then, the wife arrived.”

  “Oh my God.”

  “But by then the other woman was gone.”

  Finally, all the pieces came together for Adelaide in an undeniable fit. Why Logan was home early, and why Matt refused to talk about the situation. The swirl of rumors that followed Logan at redeployment. How Regina had pulled away, just ever so slightly.

  “Here’s my question,” Sophie continued. “Do I tell this woman, my friend, first? Do I tell her and be the person to ruin their marriage? Would I want her to find out from someone else? Because this thing, this indiscretion, is all made worse by the fact that…”

  Adelaide read her mind. “It’s not over between them.”

  “No, I don’t think so,” Sophie said.

  Adelaide’s foot tapped of its own accord as anger built inside her. How could Logan? How could he do this to his pregnant wife? Did he know how lucky they were to be starting a family? “Well, we can’t just sit by and…”

  “But how am I supposed to tell her? And should I even? Is this my business? And this woman… she’s going to kill the messenger.”

  Adelaide now looked ahead at the busy street, packed nose to tail waiting for entrance through Fort Fairfax’s gate. “We’re stuck,” Adelaide declared. “In more ways than one.”

  CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

  Sophie

  When Sophie and Adelaide arrived at the labor and delivery ward, the secretary stationed in front of the locked double doors directed them to the waiting room. “We have increased security here. Labor coach or significant other only, with identity bands.”

  “She just called us,” Sophie said, taking the lead since the hospital was her arena. “She’s alone—could you double-check, please?”

  Without fanfare, the woman picked up the phone. And while Adelaide wrung her fingers together, Sophie made sure that she kept the smile on her face. The ward secretary was the key to the L & D world; that person held the power to open the locked unit.

  The secretary turned in her chair, presumably to speak without being spied upon. After a few moments, she spun back around and hung up the phone. “I’m sorry. They want privacy at this time.”

  “What does that mean? Does that mean she’s in labor?” Sophie asked.

  “And wait a minute, did you say ‘they’? She’s not alone?” Adelaide interjected.

  “I’m not at a liberty to say otherwise. Perhaps one of you can call her.”

  “We did call her. She’s not answering.” Adelaide raised her voice. “Can we get her room number, at least? Don’t you have a board back there with their names?” She got on her tiptoes.

  “Ma’am!” The secretary stood.

  Sophie grabbed Adelaide by the elbow. The last thing they needed was for the secretary to call the MPs. “C’mon, tiger, let’s go.”

  Thank goodness, her friend followed, and they reconvened near the elevators.

  “So I guess she’s okay?” Adelaide asked, taking out her phone. “It doesn’t look like she texted, though.”

  Sophie had an idea. “Here, turn on your camera.” Adelaide had a new iPhone 4 with a camera that was unbelievably sharp compared to her BlackBerry. “Let’s take a picture together.” They snapped a selfie. “Go ahead and send it.”

  “Okay. I texted her and told her we’re here,” Adelaide said.

  “Let’s wait a second to see what she says.”

  They commandeered seats in the packed waiting room, where the tension was thick with worried family members. Still, after thirty minutes, there was no return text.

  “What do we do?” Adelaide asked.

  “We should just go home.”

  The ride back to the apartments was long despite being only a short five miles, the car filled with silence. All the while, Sophie worried for Regina. Even single active-duty soldiers who were in labor had company, either by their choice, or assigned by the unit—a woman should have support in every step of the baby birthing process.

  It physically pained her that she couldn’t be there, at this moment. Alongside that pain was anger, at Logan.

  When she dropped off Adelaide at her apartment, Sophie asked, “What do we do? About the conundrum I’m in… with that couple?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What would you do?”

  Adelaide shrugged. “I’m stumped, too. Let’s think about it. We can’t be rash.”

  “Okay.”

  After they said goodbye, Sophie headed home. She entered her apartment and went straight to make herself a cup of chamomile tea, in the hopes it would give her the clarity she needed to unload this guilt. At the counter she felt arms around her waist, and she girded herself to keep from jumping. It was Jasper, of course, and it was silly to be startled, but she’d gotten used to not being touched so intimately. Sure, she was always ready for the kid tackle, but she was still reacclimatizing to having her man at home.

  But the next second, she melted into his arms, especially as he kissed her on the back of the neck, all the while being heckled by their girls from their bedroom.

  “Aren’t you all supposed to be sleeping?” Sophie said as she turned to face Jasper. She wrapped her arms around his neck. She needed this hug, to help lift the weight she was carrying.

  “I didn’t want to go to bed without you.”

  They were still in the honeymoon phase of reunion, and she was intent on enjoying it to its fullest. Soon she would be tired of the laundry on the floor, and him forgetting that the dishes were his to load, too. There was more to catch up on, like the nitty-gritty of his deployment not covered in their emails or phone calls, things said in the dark that couldn’t be repeated.

  “You okay?” he asked. “How’s Regina?”

  “Okay, I hope?”

  He frowned. “What does that mean?”

  Sophie realized her faux pas. “I’m sorry. I’m sure she’s fine. No need to call the cavalry.”

  “Infantry, babe.”

  “That’s what I meant.” She grinned. “We couldn’t get in to see her, which means she’s either in labor or just had her baby. I’m sure she’ll call soon.”

  “All right. Well, I’m glad you’re hom
e because”—he glanced over his shoulder—“can we talk?”

  Sophie’s sixth sense rang a bell so loud that she blinked repeatedly at him, to steady herself. His language the last few days had been of feelings and emotions. They’d talked about their future, their children’s lives. His hopes for them, and of building a life together. There had been no real talk of work. “Aren’t we talking now?”

  “It’s about our plans.”

  She took a step back. It was a purposeful move, to remind herself that she could stand on her own two feet. Because she could sense that what he was going to say was going to rock her world.

  “I had a physical today.”

  “Jasper?”

  “It’s… nothing.”

  “If it were nothing, then you would have already said it.”

  “Okay, okay.” He leaned back against the counter. “The doc found something. A lump. In my testicle.”

  Sophie watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed. “Cancer?”

  “I don’t know yet. I have an MRI next week.”

  She threw her arms around his waist. “Oh God.”

  “Soph.” He pushed her away, gently. He was asking her to be strong with his eyes. “But if I do. Have it, I mean. I can’t do what I promised. I can’t get out. I won’t. The health care, the life insurance. The girls and you.”

  “I don’t care about that. I only care about you.” Sophie said, definitively, scooping up all the strength in her being. She changed out her partner-hat for her nurse-hat. To her surprise, her voice emerged without any trace of fear. “If this is cancer, we stay in and we will get you well.”

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

  Regina

  The next morning in the hospital room Regina was awakened by the sound of knocking. “Come in,” she said reflexively, while pressing her hand against her cheek. Her eyes darted about her surroundings. She was, momentarily, discombobulated. She was lying in a quiet and dark room, free of monitors and machines, and at her bedside table was her copy of The Sky Is Everywhere, a tray of food, and a bottle of sparkling apple cider. Then she looked down to her belly, which was decidedly no longer taut and round.