The Other P-Word(55)

"I'll take her back," he said. "I'll meet up with you guys."

"Call Rick for me," Marley said.

"Okay, I'll call him and everyone else."

"Tell him not to speed."

"Okay."

"Tell him I love him with all my heart."

"Okay already."

"And also … "                       
       
           



       

"Pull away, Billie, before she asks me to have phone sex with her husband."

Dillon took Mrs. Garcia's arm. I had no idea what he said, but I  breathed a sigh of relief when she let him lead her back toward our  subdivision.

"How do you feel? Are you in pain?" I asked, when they wheeled Marley into the hospital.

"It's not bad. I'm nervous more than anything else. Stay with me," she said, clasping my hand.

"You know I'm not moving from you."

My cell phone chimed. "Hi, Rick."

"How is she?" he asked, the desperation in his voice apparent.

"She's fine. She can tell you herself."

I handed the phone to Marley. They had a conversation full of loving reassurances-on her part.

She handed the phone to me. "He wants to talk to you."

All I heard was heavy breathing. I wondered if he was pranking me for a second. "Rick?"

His voice sounded strained and out of breath. I could hear the roar of people and traffic.

"Take … care of her …  for me." Deep sigh. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Are you running here? You sound like you're competing in a marathon?"

"I would if I had to, but no. I'm just trying to get to my damn car."

"Tell him not to speed," Marley said.

"Don't speed."

He stopped for a second. Coincidently, his breaths required the same  countdown as Marley's contractions. They might not have been together,  but Rick and Marley were in perfect sync nonetheless. "Billie, she is my  life. Please make sure that she has everything she needs. Especially  those things she feels too proud and stubborn to ask for. Namely, an  epidural."

"I will."

"And call me with any updates."

"Will do, boss."

"Thank you, Billie."

"She's my sister, Rick. You know she's in safe hands."

"I wouldn't have left if I believed otherwise."

The doctor announced that Marley was three centimeters dilated. She  gripped my hand so hard I wondered if I'd ever be able to hold a pen  again. I made her laugh with my impressions of Dillon's heavy breathing.  Between the contractions, we had snippets of conversation. She tried to  work through the pain of pushing life out of uterus. I tried to push  through the pain of having permanent carpel tunnel, thanks to her strong  grip.

"You are freakishly strong," I said.

"I'm sorry. Give me your other hand."

"No way, that's my writing hand."

"Dillon texted. He's here. Mom and Stevie are too. They only allow one person at a time. Do you want me to send Mom in?"

"Soon."

She didn't say it but she kept looking at the door, waiting for Rick.

"He'll be here."

"I can't believe I'm going to be a mother."

"You're going to be a great mother, Marley."

I went to waiting room. Mom went in. We all checked on Rick's progress,  but as it would happen, it was rush hour and all major roads were piled  with traffic. Not surprising, but no less annoying. Stevie went in for a  while afterward and even Dillon.

"Marley's asking for you," Dillon said.

I shook out my palm for another go-round. Dillon did the same and we  gave each other a high-five, like baseball players in a batting  rotation.

Rick burst through the door as Marley started pushing. His hair was  disheveled beyond repair and his eyes blazed with worry as they zeroed  in on his wife.

"I'll go," I said. The doctors and nurses all looked too busy to notice there were two of us. Rick took her hand.

"I'm sorry, baby."

"It's okay, you … shit," she screamed, her face stretched in pain.

I wiped her face with a damp cloth. "Stay, Billie," she whispered.

I looked to Rick for confirmation. He nodded. "Stay."

"I think something's wrong," Marley said.

"Nothing's wrong, sweetheart."

But the doctor confirmed that Marley was right on this. Never underestimate a mother's intuition.

"Marley, you need to stop pushing," the doctor said, his voice calm yet assertive.                       
       
           



       

"I can't do that."

Three things happened at once. Marley turned to me with an expression of  fear. Rick walked toward the doctor. I gripped her hand tighter.

Rick looked at me, a flicker of something in his face that spoke  volumes. I watched helpless as his normal composed expression faded away  replaced by cold panic.

He came back to her side, reaching for her other hand. He brushed her  hair back tenderly. "Sweetheart, listen to me. You have to stop pushing.  The baby's caught in the umbilical cord."

She shrieked. He soothed. I tried not to cry.

"No, this can't be happening."

"Look at me," he said. "You know one C-word that you remind me of?"

Was he really going to strike up a sexual conversation right now? Marley looked as confused as me.

"Courageous, because that's what you are. You're strong, baby, and I  wish to God I could take some of this from you, but I know you don't  need me to. I know you can do it on your own."

"I have to push, Rick. I can't do this … "

"Hey, hey …  Wanna hear a funny story?" Her mouth gaped, but he continued  on, distracting her from doing what was natural. "I was telling my  client about how we're pregnant and how nervous I was. He said not to  worry. His wife's labor was so quick, they didn't even make it out their  driveway. She kept yelling for him to call nine-one-one. And this  guy-this corporate CEO-completely froze. He actually asked her what the  number was for nine-one-one."

Marley laughed harder than the joke required. We all did.

"Marley, you have to stop laughing because you're pushing," the doctor  said, although his voice was less tense too. "We're almost there. In all  my years as a doctor, I've never had to tell a patient to stop laughing  in the delivery room before."

We all got quiet. Rick whispered in a low voice, telling Marley how  proud he was of her, how much he loved her and how she was his hero. He  kissed all the fingers on her hand. Lucky guy, she wasn't crushing his  like she was mine. In that short time, I managed to say a prayer to  every god I knew and even the ones I didn't.

"One more strong push, Marley," the doctor ordered. She delivered both literally and figuratively.

Then the most beautiful sound happened-a tiny but strong cry. Okay, so  it was more like a wail, bursting forth from a small body which seemed  too fragile to create it.

"It's a girl!"



* * * *



We all gathered around the hospital room. Rick sat with Marley on the  bed cradling the baby-our newest family member, dressed in a delicate  soft pink blanket.

"We named her Isabella after my mother," Rick said. "Sorry, Emmie, we deviated from your tradition."

Mom smiled, wiping a tear. "It's perfect. She's perfect."

Rick nodded. "She is. Let me make the introductions. Family, allow me to  introduce Isabella Ann Mason Randy. Bella, this is your family. You're a  very lucky girl because you're not just going to be loved by every one  of them. You're going to be cherished." He took the baby from Marley,  handing her to Stevie first.

"Careful," he warned.

"I know how to hold a baby, Rick," Stevie said, but her voice quivered.

"Of course you do, Stevie. I just meant be careful of her, not with her. She has her mother's strength, after all."

We all laughed. She had hair so gold, it looked like fine threads woven  together. She would have natural highlights like Marley. She had the  largest blue eyes I'd ever seen. I wondered if they'd turn green like  her daddy's. Her lashes were long. Her skin was flawless and soft. Her  tiny hands curled into fists and she held them up as if ready to take on  any fight. Don't worry, baby girl. We all got your back.

Stevie kissed her head. "I'm going to buy you your first pair of  designer shoes. Don't ask your mom for help. She'll have you in combat  boots. And then one day, when you're old enough, I'll lend you my magic  shoes."

"A very long time from now," Marley said.

Mom sang Three Little Birds to Bella, her eyes tearing up. Welcome to  our family. "Hi baby, I'm your grandma and trust me, in this family,  you're going to have music in your life and more importantly in your  heart. You're such a beauty. I can't wait to teach you how to cook."