by Cora Brent
“Con?” my brother practically yelled into the phone.
“Stone,” I whispered.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
I swallowed and took a deep breath, trying to control my voice. “We’re okay but we’ve had a little accident. Roslyn’s fine, the baby’s kicking. The ice. The goddamn ice.” I tried to laugh but it sounded more like a sob. “We’re a few blocks from Cord’s place, corner of Sage and Dust.”
“I’m coming, man. I’m coming.”
The old guy was back, hunkering down to speak to us through Roslyn’s window. He was dressed strangely, wearing what looked like several layers of bright red sweaters and a matching knit cap. He blew on his cold hands
“Damage doesn’t look too bad,” he said with confidence. “Although I expect an ambulance will show up whether you want one or not since I told the dispatcher a pregnant woman was involved.” He scratched his head thoughtfully. “I was just out for a walk, thinking about how everything was so quiet I could almost hear the thoughts forming in my head. You know, it’s a good thing you didn’t run into another car, or worse, you could have slipped across one of these lawns and wound up crashing into someone’s living room. All in all, I’d say you got lucky.” He squinted up at the sky. “Maybe you had a Christmas angel looking out for you.”
Thinking of the half forgotten memory that had flashed through my mind I picked up my wife’s hand and kissed it. “Yeah,” I said softly. “Maybe we did.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
STONE
Though the entire Gentry family was instantly on the move the second they heard the news that Conway and Roslyn had been in an accident, I reached the scene before anyone else. Evie barely had time to hop into the passenger seat of my truck before I took off. Since the crash had occurred less than a mile from Cord’s house I got there even before the ambulance.
Both Conway and Roslyn were standing beside Con’s boxy SUV when I drove up. A nearby streetlight looked rather dented at the base and I could guess that’s what they’d run into. Even though my brother had assured me on the phone that they were both okay I exhaled with relief when I saw the two of them standing there. Evie managed to jump out of the truck before I did and she went running over to Roslyn.
“You scared the shit out of me,” I told my brother as I grabbed him up in a hug. “What happened?”
Con wasn’t wearing a jacket. “A dog or something jumped in front of the car and we hit a patch of ice.” He crossed his arms and shivered, either from the cold or in residual terror over how bad this could have ended. No one needed to remind either of us how tragic a car accident could be.
“And Tadpole’s okay?” I asked, looking at Roslyn.
She gave her stomach a loving pat. “Fine and kicking,” she said.
After that it seemed like half the state showed up. There were cops, an ambulance and a wide and varied collection of Gentrys. Truly and Stephanie had remained at Cord’s house with the younger children but the triplets, Deck, Jenny and Saylor had all arrived, along with Cord’s older daughters who had apparently insisted on coming.
Once everyone in the family took their turns hugging and fussing over Roslyn and Conway they started returning to their cars. After all, it was bitterly cold, there were way too many people around and there wasn’t anything for them to do here. Deck and Creed remained and examined Conway’s car, which was dented but drivable. Meanwhile, Con dealt with submitting to a Breathalyzer test and answering questions for the officer’s report while the paramedics tried to usher Roslyn into the ambulance.
“I really don’t need an ambulance,” she protested.
“Honey, you really need to get to the hospital and get checked out, just in case,” Evie urged.
“But I didn’t get so much as a bruise.”
Conway paused in his conversation with the officer and looked over with a frown. “Go to the hospital,” he ordered.
“I really don’t-“
“GO!”
Roslyn shrugged. “Fine,” she grumbled, “but I’m not traveling in an ambulance only to receive a thousand dollar bill to travel down the street. It will literally take five minutes to get there.”
Conway ran his hands through his hair and let out a hiss of exasperation. I walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry,” I told him. “We’ll take her and we’ll stay with her the whole time until you’re finished here.”
Conway looked at the officer, a rather severe-looking fellow who rivaled Creedence in size and muscle. The harsh muscles of his face relaxed a little when he glanced at Roslyn and then back at Conway. “This won’t take too much longer,” he promised.
Conway nodded. “Okay. Yeah, if you could take her there now Stone, that would be great.”
“Of course.” I gave him a comforting pat on the back. “Don’t worry.”
Roslyn gave her husband a kiss and followed me to my truck, Evie in tow. Once we were there we realized there would be a little bit of a space problem since there was no rear cab in the pickup truck. Evie was petite and might have been able to squeeze into the front but Roslyn’s big belly required some extra room and it seemed hazardous to crowd us all in there. In the end I was reluctant to take any chances at all in light of tonight’s near miss.
“I’ll get a ride with the boys,” Evie said, gesturing to where Deck and Creed waited for Conway to finish talking to the police officer. She hugged Roslyn. “So glad you guys are safe. I swear my heart stopped when I heard you’d been in an accident.” Evie blew me a kiss. “Take care of her.”
“Naturally.”
I drove slowly and carefully through the dark streets, past all the cozy homes brilliantly illuminated for the season.
“Thanks for driving me,” Roslyn said, a little shyly.
“You’re welcome.”
In truth, Roslyn and I were still rather quiet around each other. I’d known her a little, back in ancient times when we were all living in Emblem. Even after she moved away she remained best friends with Erin, the girl next door. Yet she always seemed standoffish, unapproachable. Con and I used to joke about her, ‘Erin’s snooty, snobby, stuck-up friend’. Then everything turned to shit and I didn’t give Roslyn a second thought for years, not until she got together with Conway. And their romance was such a whirlwind there just hadn’t been much time for us to get to know one another. Even so, she was my brother’s wife and I loved her for loving him.
“Is that what I think it is?” Roslyn asked, pointing out the window.
“If you think it’s a ten foot inflatable elf squatting beside a saguaro cactus then yes.”
“No, not that. Look.”
I looked. A small white dot landed on my window and then promptly dissolved.
“Oh my god!” Roslyn yelled and I looked at her sharply.
“What’s wrong?”
She was breathing hard, looking down. “Stone,” she said with a soft groan, “I think my water just broke.”
Those words had certainly been uttered a billion times by a billion women but the sound of them caused every cell in my body to launch into full hysteria. I kept saying “Holy shit, holy shit,” as I tried with all my might to resist the urge to floor the accelerator and get to the hospital NOWNOWNOWNOW. Then, as if they were summoned, the emergency room lights of Southwest Desert Regional Hospital were in view and I was able to let out a breath.
I barely gave myself time to set the brake in front of the entrance before I leapt out of the driver’s seat and ran around to Roslyn’s side, flinging the door open.
“Come on,” I said wildly but she just sat there. I extended my hand but she stayed put and stared straight ahead. “Roslyn! We’ve got to get you inside.”
She looked at me with wide eyes that began to fill with tears. “This is it. I can’t believe this is it.” A tear fell down her cheek.
“Roslyn,” I said gently and her lip trembled. “Everything will be all right. Conway will be here any minute. Now pl
ease, let me help you.”
She nodded and then accepted my hand as I assisted her out of the truck. When her feet were on the ground she grimaced and squeezed my hand. Hard. Damn, she was stronger than she looked.
“Um, breathe through the pain,” I said because that’s what people say in movies to women who are in labor.
“Yeah, right,” she muttered but she laughed a little.
The hospital staff had noticed us standing out here and two nurses arrived with a wheelchair. As I helped Roslyn get settled she looked up and her face switched from anxiety to awe.
“Stone,” she whispered, “it really is snowing.”
I looked up. Tiny white pieces of the sky drifted down out of the darkness and landed harmlessly.
“It is,” I agreed, instantly sure that the fact would always be an important part of this memory, equally sure that I was destined to retell it over and over again in the coming years. “It’s definitely snowing.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CONWAY
Even though the officer on the scene was being as nice and efficient as he could be I was growing anxious. Evie was still here and when I caught sight of her trembling with cold as snowflakes started falling, I felt bad.
“Why don’t you have Deck or Creed take you back to Cord’s house?” I suggested. “No sense having you stand around out here in the icy air.”
Evie was never easily persuaded though. “No,” she said stubbornly. “Stone’s looking after Roslyn and I’m looking after you. He’d want it that way. I’m not leaving until you get to leave.”
I tried not to chuckle over the idea of being protected by my five-foot-tall sister-in-law. Truthfully though I did feel better when she touched my arm in comfort because I was still shaking like a leaf on the inside. It was kind weird to think about how I used to get off on the fast life adrenaline but now an encounter with a streetlight left me ready to pass out. But back then I didn’t have anything to lose. Now there was so much to lose I couldn’t even stand to think about it. I just wanted to get the hell out of this snowy night, retrieve Roslyn from the hospital and tuck her safely into our bed.
“We’re about done here,” the cop finally said as he tucked his clipboard under his arm. “You need me to call a tow truck?”
Creed and Deck had rejoined us. Deck shook his head at the officer’s question. “Thanks, but we can get it home ourselves. Damage appears to be superficial.”
The officer nodded curtly and started to walk away. “Drive safe tonight, everyone.”
“Merry Christmas, Officer!” shouted Evie and the cop turned around long enough to flash a smile at her because it was nearly impossible not to smile at Evie.
“You okay there, bro?” Creed asked he gave me a friendly slap across the back. He probably didn’t mean to almost knock me over but he was a strong bastard.
“I’m fine,” I said, starting to walk toward my dented car. “Let’s go check out the damage and then I’ve got to get over to the hospital.”
Vaguely I heard the sound of Evie’s phone ringing and turned around, thinking it was probably Stone telling her he’d made it to the hospital with Roslyn. The hospital was just a precaution but I knew we’d all sleep better tonight if a doctor looked Roslyn over and confirmed all was well with the baby.
Evie gasped and said, “Oh my god,” and just like that my heart was in my throat again as I ran back to her. But she was smiling a mile wide.
“Conway,” she said, “it’s time.”
“Huh? What time?”
She shook her head, laughing. “No, Con. It’s time!!!”
Even though my car could have gotten me to the hospital, ugly dents and all, Deck handed over his keys and insisted that I take his van. After hesitating for a moment I agreed because it really was no use saying no to Deck, particularly when he had hulking Creedence there to back him up.
“Do me a favor,” I said, even though my mind was running in seventy-six different directions. “Hand out all those presents stacked up in the back. Roslyn would want to make sure the kids all get their gifts.”
Creed nudged me. “You realize the whole collection of us are showing up at that hospital in a little while, right?”
I shook my head but I couldn’t stop grinning and babbling like a jackass. “You don’t have to. It’s cold and it’s Christmas and it’s snowing for crying out loud. Besides, all the articles I read said early labor can last for like, hours. Days even. And you need to wait for Santa.”
Creed stared at me like I was an idiot and shrugged. “Just the same, we’ll be along shortly.”
Evie insisted on riding along with me and I was glad to have her company. She was unable to contain her excitement. She wondered out loud if the baby would be large or small, if he would have dimples, if he would have Roslyn’s dark red hair or be another Gentry blonde. Her stream of happy chatter actually kept me focused on the ride to the hospital.
“I’m going to be a Dad,” I said suddenly. The months of waiting and worrying were going to be over. There was going to be a flesh and blood result. Nothing would be the same after tonight.
The hospital parking lot was pretty empty. As Evie and I walked toward the entrance she paused for a moment, staring at the rare sight of snow falling on the outstretched arms of a large brightly lit cactus tree.
“Look, Con,” she said. “It’s a sign. This is a freaking magical night.”
I opened the door. “And it’ll be more magical indoors. Let’s go.” Any other time I would have been glad to stand outside for a minute and admire the snow but not now.
Stone had told Evie to come straight up to the maternity floor. As soon as the elevator doors opened I ran out and started poking in my head behind every curtain I could find. I didn’t get far before an irate nurse yelled and finally pointed me in the right direction after I stammered out who I was looking for.
I found Roslyn already hooked up to some machine that monitored the baby’s heart rate. True to his word, Stone was right there at her side.
Roslyn smiled at me serenely and accepted a kiss before she suddenly gasped and clutched her stomach. “Mother fucker this fucking hurts like a fucking bitch!” she bellowed. I had to admit I was a little startled. Roslyn wasn’t exactly a chronic cuss machine. She settled down after a few seconds and then remained calm until the next contraction hit.
Nurses floated in and out and the contractions kept coming. Stone and Evie stuck around until there was a commotion outside the room and Chase, still in his Santa costume, poked his head in.
“Ho ho ho,” he said, grinning around his awful fake beard. “Santa heard a Christmas baby was on the way and all the elves insisted on coming down to see.”
Creed hadn’t been kidding when he warned that the whole crew would show up, snow be damned. A crowd of Gentrys filed in and the noise level increased a thousand fold. We received countless hugs and a general outpouring of love. It was a little overwhelming but Roslyn’s face was shining. One of Cord’s daughters approached with a small object in her hand.
“This is for the baby,” Cassie said, timidly handing over a handmade Christmas ornament.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Roslyn said softly as she accepted the sweet gift. Then another contraction gripped her and she bit her lip to stop from unleashing a vulgar outburst in the presence of children.
Chase clapped his hands. “Santa says anyone who moves this party out to the lobby will receive the vending machine treat of their choice.” He herded most of the crowed out and then approached Creed, who was leaning against the far wall.
“Move along, Big C,” he said, poking his brother in the stomach. When Creed threw him a surly glare Chase held up his hands in a mock gesture of peace. “Look, I saw a bag of M&M’s out there. You ought to move fast and claim them before the kids do.”
Creed rolled his eyes, waved at us, then followed his six-year-old son, Jacob, out the door. Chase, still half-heartedly immersed in his Santa persona, announced that he had a busy
night ahead but he was sure we’d been good this year and would be receiving our precious gift soon.
Stone and Evie stuck around for a little while longer. While they were trying to make Roslyn laugh, I excused myself and used Roslyn’s phone to call her father. I left out the details about the car accident because there was no point in worrying him even more. The man sounded beyond excited to hear that he’d be a grandfather in the coming hours.
When I returned, Roslyn was in the grips of another painful contraction. She was doubled over, eyes screwed shut and moaning while Evie murmured words of sympathy and rubbed her back. I held her hand until the pain subsided and she flopped back on the hospital bed, her face sweaty and pale.
“Where’s my epidural?” she groaned.
Stone and Evie finally decided to excuse themselves when the doctor arrived to check on Roslyn’s progress. Evie clutched us in turn and excitedly whispered that she couldn’t wait to meet her brand new nephew. Stone shook my hand and lingered by the door for a moment after his wife left. We locked eyes for a long moment and he looked a little uncertain. I thought he was going to say something about our earlier fight, even though right now it seemed like something that had happened ten years ago to two different people.
“Good luck, Conway,” he said quietly. “You’re going to be a great father.”
He turned and started to walk down the corridor and I watched him, the person who had been with me since my earliest memories. Even during the long, awful years when we were estranged I never doubted that he loved me as much as I loved him.
“What the hell-“ Stone sputtered when I tackled him from behind with a ferocious hug.
“Thank you,” I whispered and squeezed tight before letting him go. He turned around and his blue eyes were a little watery because he knew everything I meant in those two inadequate words.
