Carina froze. Max held his breath. Mama Conte rose from the sofa with a serene smile. Her dark eyes glowed. “You are going to have your babies, Margherita,” she said. “And everything will be fine.”
Tears swam in Maggie’s green eyes and she shook her head hard. “Michael’s not here,” she whispered. “I need him.”
Mama Conte took both her hands and squeezed. “I know. Your labor will go for many hours with twins. He will be here. If I know my son, he will do what he needs so he is beside you when your babies come.”
“I’m scared.”
Her mama laughed. “But of course, you are scared! This is one of the scariest things you will ever do in your life. We are all here with you, Margherita. You have a family now, and we are not leaving.”
Maggie took a deep breath. Nodded. Then reached for her phone. “Okay. Let me call Michael, and the doctor. Max, can you get the car ready? Carina, can you go upstairs and find some things for me to bring? Toothbrush, robe, T-shirts, that sort of thing?”
“On it.” Carina rose from the couch and tugged Max with her. Her husband wore the comical expression of a man terrified to move, as if one word would elicit contractions and screaming from Maggie. “Max?”
“Huh?”
“Try to do better than Nick, okay? Get the car and call Alex and Nick for us. Let them know what’s happening. Can you do that?”
“Sure.”
“Don’t leave without us.” His panicked eyes made something inside soften. She grabbed his hands and interweaved her fingers within his. Max blinked in surprise, and she smiled. “We get to see our nieces or nephews born today. Let’s not forget a moment, okay?”
He lowered his head and kissed her. Just the softest touch, a whisper of lips sliding over hers and reminding her she wasn’t alone.
“You’re right. Thanks for reminding me.”
He released her and disappeared down the hallway.
Chapter Fourteen
“I want drugs!”
Maggie never wailed, or screamed, or whined. She demanded in her pissed-off, snarky manner until every nurse in the place was afraid to go into her room. Max held her Rubik’s Cube as her focal point and Carina gave the man credit. As each contraction rippled across the screen, he urged her to breathe through the pain and concentrate on her focal point. He took her curses and insults in stride and never wavered.
When he left to get her a glass of ice, she found the Rubik’s Cube on the side of the bed and hurled it across the room.
The only person her sister-in-law seemed to listen to was Mama Conte. Her mother never coddled Maggie, and did not let her get away with bad behavior. But she never left her side, and spoke with her in a low soothing voice, telling her about the birth of each of her children and their special story. In the spaces between contractions, Maggie calmed and listened. Until the next wave hit.
Carina dragged Max out of the room for a moment. “Is Michael going to make it?” she asked. “It’s been hours and the last time they checked she was almost dilated enough to push.”
Max tunneled his fingers through his hair and shifted from foot to foot. “He texted me he should be here within the hour. This is a nightmare. Michael and Alexa gone on the same damn day. I suck at this, Carina. She wants to kill me bad.”
“No, she’s in pain and scared and her husband’s not here. But you’re the next best thing, Max. You’ve been friends since childhood.”
He groaned. “What happened to the days when men got to wait in the waiting room? Crap, I don’t have to look down there when she pushes, do I?”#p#分页标题#e#
“Listen, buddy, you’re not spitting two humans from your vagina. Suck it up. She needs you.”
Her words penetrated his brain. He straightened up and nodded. “Sorry. I got this.”
Maggie snarled between the rapidly increasing waves rocking the monitor. “I signed up for a fucking epidural and I want it now.”
“Language, Margherita,” her mother said. “You are past that point and it’s almost time to push.”
“Not without Michael.” She gritted her teeth and panted. “I’m not pushing till Michael gets here.”
Her mama wiped the sweat off her forehead. “He will be here.”
“I’m never having sex again. I hate sex!”
Carina bit her lip and turned away. Her mother nodded. “I don’t blame you.”
Max’s voice cut through the room in sharp demand. “Maggie, look at me. Concentrate on my face when the contractions come. I’m going to tell you a story.”