Detours (28 page)

“As I’ve said so many times, I don’t know how good I’m going to be at this parenting thing. I might not be much of a nurturer.” She eased onto one of the kitchen chairs. “What if I stink at it?”

Mary caressed her shoulders. “Not a chance. You’ll be a natural. Besides, Nat will be monitoring our every move. How far wrong can we go with our own live-in baby police?”

Ellis laughed. “Yeah, she’ll keep us in line.”

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

“I’m gonna get a baby! I’m gonna get a baby!” Natalie careened around the living room like she was riding an electric pogo stick. “Finally I’m gonna get my baby sister.” Natalie hugged her mother, hugged Ellis, hugged Sam, hugged Swiffer, then hugged her mother again.

As Natalie clung to her mother’s stomach, ear pressed tight to the abdomen wall, Mary looked over her daughter’s head at Ellis. “Now you know why I insisted we wait until school let out for the summer to tell her. If we’d told her back in April, she would have been the death of us. As it is, the next six months will feel like a century.”

Natalie relaxed her grip, patting her mother’s tummy as she drew away. “When’s my sister going to get here?”

“The baby is due on Christmas Eve,” Mary said, “but maybe it’ll wait a day and come on my birthday.”

“Or maybe she’ll come early and get here for my birthday.”

“Let’s hope not, Nat. We don’t want the baby coming in early November. It needs time to grow and develop.” Mary flexed her biceps. “We want heap strong baby.”

“All right. I’ll wait for her ’til Christmas Eve.”

“You know, Nat, it could be a boy,” Ellis said.

“I hope it’s a girl.”

“So you’ve mentioned a time or two,” Mary said, “but either way, we’re all going to love this baby and do our part to help out around here, right?”

“Right.” Natalie started for her room.

“Where are you going?” Mary asked.

“I need to call Ruthie and Jordan and MacKenzie to tell them about our baby.”

“Maybe you should wait a while on that,” Mary suggested.

“Why? We’re not ashamed of the baby, are we?”

A look passed between Mary and Ellis. “Of course not.” Mary waved Natalie on her way. “Go call your friends.”

Once Natalie was safely out of hearing range, Ellis asked, “Should I be hauling out the hoses to douse the flames when the locals plant the burning crosses in our front yard?”

“I don’t think there’ll be much reaction to the news of our expanding family.” Mary rubbed her belly. “If anything, the worst of the Bible-thumpers will cast dirty looks my way when they see me at the grocery store or hustle their children away from my evil presence, but most people are so wrapped up in their own lives, they won’t pay much attention to ours.”

“I hope you’re right, little Mama.”

“I’ve told you I hate that name. Why do you keep calling me that?”

“Because you’re so darn cute. And you are a little mama.”

“I’ll be a big mama in a couple more months. And I sure as heck hope that now that I’m past the first trimester, I’ll feel better.”

“Me too, sweetie. Not the big mama part so much as the feel better part.”

“This isn’t at all how it was when I was pregnant with Nat. I remember feeling energized and excited. This time, I feel punk. I’m not sick, really, just drained and blah.”

Ellis pulled Mary into a warm embrace. “At the risk of getting my face slapped, remember, you’re ten years older for this pregnancy than you were for the first one. And you’ve had a heck of a time over the past year-and-a-half, what with selling the house in Decatur, moving up here, Nathan’s accident, and all the other changes you’ve been through.”

Mary led her to the sofa. “Thank goodness some of those changes have been good ones—like picking you up off the side of LaVista Road and dragging you and your dog home so I could nurse you back to health.”

“Ah, yes, the first of our many detours.”

“Would you rather have traveled a different road?”

“And missed all this gorgeous scenery?” Ellis kissed Mary deeply. “Not a chance. Best trip I’ve ever taken.”

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

“Ellis. Wake up, wake up right now.” Mary shook Ellis by the shoulder.

Ellis squinted at the clock. “It’s only five o’clock. What’s wrong?”

“I’m having contractions.”

“The baby’s not due for another three months. It’s got to be something else.”

Mary spoke through gritted teeth. “I’ve done this before. I know what this is. We need to get to the hospital.”

Ellis jumped from the bed. “What about Nat? Should I get her up?”

“No, let her sleep. Call Naomi and ask her if she can come over and stay with her.”

“Don’t you mean Gloria?”

“I want Gloria to come with us. It’ll have to be Naomi.” Mary clenched her fists around a handful of blanket. “Oh, God. Here comes another one. Hurry, Ellis. These are coming five minutes apart.”

Ellis snatched up her cell phone from the nightstand and called Mary’s doctor’s answering service. Then she called Mary’s sisters. While waiting for them, she raced to the bathroom, splashed some water on her face, ran a brush through her hair, and yanked on some clothes. Within fifteen minutes, both sisters were standing in the bedroom. Naomi looked like she’d rather be in at least the fifth circle of Dante’s hell.

With quick instructions to Naomi about what to say—and not to say—to Natalie, Ellis and Gloria guided Mary out of the house and helped her lie down on the backseat of the Xterra. Gloria hastened into the passenger seat, and Ellis peeled out for Gainesville, a very long thirty-five miles away.

Out on Highway 365, a road crew was setting up for some repaving work. Ellis slowed down long enough to make sure there were no cars in her way, then darted around the dump trucks and graders. “No more damn detours,” she shouted. “Gloria, call the hospital and tell them we’ll be there in about ten minutes. Tell them to be sure Doctor Jenkins is on her way and that she’ll meet us there. She knows Mary is only twenty-six weeks along. She’s got to do something.”

“Honey, she’s only a doctor,” Mary said quietly. “There might not be anything she can do.”

Even though Ellis made the drive in record time, she felt as though it had taken hours. At Lanier Park Hospital, she swung under the canopy at the emergency entrance.

Ellis sprinted around the Xterra and helped Mary from the backseat. An emergency room nurse with a wheelchair hastened to meet them.

“Is this Mary Moss?”

“Yes,” Ellis said. “Is Doctor Jenkins here?” She watched as Mary gingerly eased herself into the wheelchair.

“She’s not answering her page, but one of her partners is on his way. Doctor Grizzard should be here any minute.”

“I feel a contraction starting.” Mary gasped in pain. “This can’t be happening.”

“We’ll take you to the OB ward and get you set up in a room,” the nurse said as she pushed the wheelchair into the ER. “One of you needs to get her checked in.”

“You probably should be the one to do that, Ellis,” Gloria said. “You’ve got all her insurance information and everything.”

“Okay. Will you park the car while I do that?”

“But one of us should stay with Mary.”

“I’ll be all right.” Mary said. She wrapped her arms around her midsection. “Just hurry, though.”

“I’m taking her to the third floor,” the nurse said. “Someone from Admitting will meet us there. Checkin will be quick. Both of you can meet her in her room in a few minutes.”

Ellis stood beside the admissions person and her computer on a rolling cart and answered what had to be about six hundred questions. She carried a copy of Mary’s insurance card in her wallet, so that helped speed the process a bit. By Ellis’s estimate, two weeks later, she was at last free to rejoin Mary.

“Hi, how’re you doing?” She sat on the edge of the bed, pushed a lock of Mary’s hair back from her face, and tucked it behind her ear.

“Awful. They gave me a shot that’s supposed to delay labor. I think it’s mostly a sedative, though. It’s all I can do to stay awake. I keep having contractions, so I don’t think it’s working.”

“Don’t fight it. Sleep. It’s probably the best thing for you. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

Mary swallowed twice, then slipped into fitful slumber.

Ellis stole a quick kiss and went in search of Gloria. She found her in the waiting room, cell phone in hand.

“What’s the big idea?” Ellis demanded. “After you parked the car, you were supposed to stay with Mary while I got her checked in.”

“I went straight to her room from the parking lot, but she insisted I call Natalie to tell her not to worry. The nurses wouldn’t let me use my phone in there, so I had to come out here.”

“Oh, okay. Sorry to snap at you.”

“We’re all on edge, Ellis. It’s all right. Besides, that drug the doctor gave her really knocked her flat.”

“I know. She could barely talk when I was in there a minute ago. I think she’s sleeping now.”

“This is all so different from when I had my babies. Everybody seems so tense, so bossy. When I had Erin year before last, it was like a big party in my room. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“Don’t even say that. I mean it, Gloria. She’s going to be all right.”

“Sorry. I’m a little worried, I guess.” She momentarily gripped Ellis’s hand.

“I don’t have anything to compare it to,” Ellis said. “Promise me you’ll help me get through this.”

“I will,” Gloria said. “Maybe there won’t be anything to get through, and we can all go home in an hour or two.”

“Maybe.” Ellis smiled weakly. “Did you talk to Natalie?”

“No, but I reached Naomi. Natalie’s already awake and hopping mad that we didn’t bring her to the hospital with us. She said you promised she could cut the umbilical cord.”

“Let’s hope there’s no cord to cut. It’s way too early for that baby to come. Maybe this is just false labor. What do they call that—Braxton Hicks or something?”

“Maybe.” Gloria glanced up the hall. “That’s Doctor Grizzard. He’s the one who gave Mary the shot. Looks like he’s going into her room.”

Ellis jumped up. “I need to talk to him.” She raced up the hallway and caught him before he went inside.

“Doctor, what can you tell me about Mary’s situation?”

“She’s already dilating. The contractions are long and strong and coming close together. Anything closer than twelve minutes apart before thirty-seven weeks means she might be in for some bad news.”

Ellis fought the nausea that assailed her. “What about the baby?”

“It’s too soon to know.” He pushed the door open and they both stepped inside. “Let’s hope the drug works and that we don’t have anything more serious to deal with than keeping Mary in bed for the rest of the pregnancy.” He did a quick exam and asked the nurse for Mary’s vitals. Mary barely roused from her stupor. He paused in the doorway. “Sit tight for now. She’s in no immediate danger. The drugs are doing what they can. The rest is up to God.”

Ellis lingered by Mary’s bedside. The nurse spoke to her. “You’re welcome to stay in here with her if you want to, but she’s pretty well out of it. It might get to be a long day for you and your sister.” She straightened the sheet on Mary’s bed. “Maybe you should get something to eat and try to get a little rest yourself out in the waiting room. We’ll come get you if there’s any change.”

“She’s not my sister,” Ellis said matter-of-factly, “and I have no intention of leaving her, not even for a minute.”

∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

Ellis flew down the hall to where Gloria was sitting, cell phone pressed to her ear. “Mary’s awake, and it looks like the baby is coming. Hurry. She needs us.”

Gloria jammed her phone in her purse and raced along beside Ellis. “The baby is coming so early.”

“Gloria, what if… if…”

“Don’t even think that way, Ellis. This is a good hospital. Doctor Grizzard knows what he’s doing. Like you said before, Mary and the baby will be just fine.”

Gloria put her hand on the doorknob. “Ready?”

“No, but I don’t think I have a choice.”

The delivery suite was stuffed to overflowing, complete with an incubator. “Who are all these people?” Gloria asked.

“We’ve brought in a team of neonatal specialists to help,” Doctor Grizzard said. “Given the degree of prematurity, every second immediately after birth will be crucial.”

Mary was still half-doped from the drug that had failed to delay the delivery. The doctor went on with his preparations for delivery and peppered them with questions: Had there been any bright red bloody discharge from Mary’s vagina? Had they noticed any swelling or puffiness of the face or hands? Had she complained of pain during urination, or had they seen any other signs of urinary tract, bladder, or kidney infections? Any sharp or prolonged stomach pain? Acute or prolonged vomiting? A sudden gush of clear, watery fluid from the vagina? Low, dull backache? Intense pelvic pressure?

Ellis answered each question with a no. Mary groaned her concurrence.

The doctor pressed on. “I saw from the records that the mother is nearly forty-two and that Doctor Jenkins referred you to a geneticist.”