Rachel Weeping (20 page)

Outside the storm was growing and coming even closer, if that was possible. Flares of lightning and the crack of thunder that followed were almost simultaneous now. As Michelle went into the kitchen she saw that the blinds were still up and she had also forgotten to close one of the windows beside the back door. The rain was coming in. She could hear it tinkling into the empty fruit bowl on the table in the breakfast nook. Treading carefully so as not to slip on the wet floor, she went across and closed the window. Another flash of lightning momentarily blinded her and she stopped while her eyes adjusted before she turned around. Then she made her way to the broom cupboard where Rachel kept her mops and brooms. She'd remembered this was also where the electrical box was. Flicking the switches up and down, she waited for light to return to the house but nothing happened. ‘Shit,' Michelle said again.

She knew there were candles in the drawer by the sink and she turned around to make her way back towards it. A vicious bolt of lightning slashed violently through the sky, eerily lighting up the back garden, and Michelle's heart began to beat faster. For a moment she felt dizzy and disorientated and she put out a hand to steady herself on the cupboard door. Hugo was whining and frantically running around her legs in circles while the thunder crashed and boomed and the house felt as if it was being shaken to its foundations.

As she took a sideways step to avoid the terrified dog, Michelle tripped on something solid and stumbled forward, only to feel her ankle caught in something else. The bloody vacuum cleaner! She screamed as she went down and just before she slammed into the tiled kitchen floor, instinctively she tried to twist her body to the side but landed belly first instead on the hard floor. She felt a sharp stab of pain rip through her stomach and gasped.

Michelle immediately rolled over onto her side in an attempt to take her weight off the baby and then lay where she was, exhaling slowly as she tried to assess the state of her body. Hugo was by her side, licking at her face. Michelle pushed him away and, groaning painfully, began to push herself up. She seemed to be intact.

She leaned forward and climbed onto her hands and knees, letting out a sharp cry as a sudden wave of pain moved through her body. She must have hurt herself. She hoped she hadn't hurt the baby too.

Using the counter for support, Michelle pulled herself up and just then she felt a pop between her legs. When she looked down she could see that her pants were stained dark and soaking wet. She gingerly touched the area, the texture of the liquid revealing that this was not from the rain that had come in from the open window.

Her water had broken.

 

 

 

Rachel had climbed into bed as soon as the power had gone out, wrapping the blue blanket around her head as she listened to the heavens open and the rain descend on the property. She flinched with every lightning bolt and buried herself deeper into the safety of her bed, trying every trick she could think of to distance herself from the chaos raging outside.

She forced her mind to focus on her vague plans for the next day – Friday: the day she would be leaving the Jordaans' home for good, taking all that she owned with her. She had been instructed to be gone before midday. In a few hours it would be morning and, God willing, the rain would have stopped by then. At least she had a roof over her head tonight.

Thunder boomed again, reverberating through the room, and the wind shrieked, a long high-pitched wail. Rachel thought it sounded just like someone screaming.

 

 

 

Michelle shifted her stomach heavily and made her way to the landline. She had better call Dr Pieterse. Maybe even an ambulance. But first she needed reassurance from her gynaecologist. Luckily she had written her number down on a piece of paper and stuck it next to the phone. She picked up the receiver and put it to her ear.

The phone was dead.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Then another wave of pain hit and she dropped back down to her hands and knees in an attempt to alleviate it. Somehow she would have to get to the study, where her iPhone was charging. She started to crawl towards the passage, gasping for air and having to stop every couple of minutes. It was very dark and her progress was slow. Eventually, however, she made it into the study. Outside the rain beat down on the roof and lashed at the windows. Managing to pull herself up onto her knees, her fingers scrabbled on the desk for her phone. Using one hand, the other holding her belly, she disconnected the phone from the charger and sank onto the carpet. She pushed the home button to activate the phone but the screen didn't light up. She hit the instrument against her palm and tried again. Still the screen remained dead. She got down onto her knees again and followed the length of the cable and, in the dingy recess of the desk, saw that while it was plugged into the wall she hadn't turned the plug switch back on after she'd used the adaptor for the vacuum cleaner.

‘No, no, no, no, no,' Michelle pleaded. ‘Not now.'

She tried pushing the button one last time in the hope that by some fluke the phone would start up again but her hope was rewarded only by another searing pain that caused her to double over and cry out for relief from what she could only assume now were contractions.

The baby was coming whether she was ready or not.

 

chapter 24

Michelle looked up
from her laptop. Bored with the camera game, Maia was standing staring at her. She was also clicking her tongue against her teeth, a sound that was making it impossible for Michelle to focus on the email she was trying to compose. Her phone started ringing and she reached across for it, smiling as she saw on the screen who it was.

It was Dr Pieterse's office.

Hugo started barking at the persistent ringtone. Michelle looked over to Maia, who had stopped her tongue-clicking noise and had replaced it with flicking her Mermaid Barbie's long hair at Hugo's nose, which made his barking shriller.

‘Maia,' Michelle said, ‘why don't you take Hugo outside so that I can answer this call?'

Maia perked up at the idea and, nodding enthusiastically, called for Hugo to follow her to the front door. Michelle called out after her: ‘Make sure you stay in the front garden by the tree' – she pointed in the direction of the main entrance.

‘Hello, Michelle speaking.'

‘Michelle, hi. It's Dr Pieterse here. How're you doing?'

‘I don't know,' Michelle responded, waving at Maia as she skipped out of the room, Hugo skidding behind her on the polished floor. ‘I guess I'm waiting for you to tell me.'

Dr Pieterse chuckled. ‘Well, I have your test results in front of me,' she said.

‘And? The suspense has been driving me crazy!'

Michelle stood up and began pacing around. In the kitchen she noticed that the door to the back garden was open. She walked towards it and pulled it closed while she waited for Dr Pieterse to give her the news. After a weekend of waiting, she was ready for some certainty. She walked slowly back to the big wooden table.

‘I'm happy to say that, according to your blood tests, you're between five to six weeks' pregnant,' Dr Pieterse said.

A rush of joy filled Michelle's heart. Her hands trembling with excitement, she almost dropped the phone. The years of trying, the hopes and the prayers – now it was finally happening.

‘What?' Michelle exclaimed. ‘Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?'

Dr Pieterse laughed. ‘Well, that's what the tests say.'

‘You have no idea what this means to us.'

‘I think I do, Michelle, and I'm glad I could be the bearer of good news this time. Now, before you go, we need to set up an appointment within the next week so that we can do a proper examination and see how the baby is doing. I'll let you do that with Gill in a moment, when we're done here, shall I?'

‘Thank you so much.'

‘Only a pleasure. I'll patch you through to Gill shortly. In the meantime I want you to start taking a pregnancy vitamin and mineral supplement. You'll find a range of these at your local pharmacy. Whatever brand you choose, just make sure it has folic acid and calcium in it.'

Hugo was barking loudly outside, the annoying yapping making it difficult for Michelle to hear. She walked down the passage to the other side of the house.

‘Sorry, Doctor,' she said. ‘I didn't hear that last bit? Our dog was barking. You said it must have folic acid and …?'

‘Calcium.'

‘Got it. Anything else I should do?'

‘Nothing right now. I'll put you through to Gill and she'll set up your appointment.'

Michelle thanked the doctor again, a broad smile spreading across her face as she waited to be connected to the front desk. Hugo was still barking manically in the garden. Something was upsetting him. Michelle started back towards the kitchen to see what the fuss was about.

‘Hugo!' she shouted on the way, the phone pressed against her thigh. ‘Shut up!'

She was almost at the window when Dr Pieterse's secretary came on the line and she shifted her attention back to the call, changing direction at the same time. It would be a little quieter in the lounge.

‘Hi, Gill, it's Michelle Jordaan here.'

‘Congratulations, Michelle, I heard the good news just now,' Gill said. There was a genuine and heartfelt tone in her voice.

‘Thank you, Gill. Dr Pieterse said I needed to book an appointment with her. Can you tell me what's available next week?'

‘Sure.' Michelle could hear pages being turned. ‘How is Thursday at 10:30?'

‘That's perfect,' Michelle said, without needing to check the calendar on her laptop, which was still on the table. Whatever she was doing next Thursday could be cancelled. ‘Do I need to bring anything?'

‘Just yourself.'

They said goodbye and Michelle hung up the phone. She saw that her hands were still trembling. Excitement bubbled up in her chest as she scrolled down to Chris's name on her call list.

Outside Hugo was not letting up, the over-excited yapping close to fever pitch. This barking wasn't funny. If the habit wasn't curbed, it wouldn't be long before the neighbours began to complain. Michelle made a mental note to order the shock collar that she'd seen online and if Chris didn't like it, he was going to have to take the dog for training.

‘Hugo!' Michelle shouted again as she hit dial. ‘For goodness sake!'

There was a mirror on one of the walls in the lounge. She gazed at her reflection trying to see if she looked any different. She certainly looked joyful and she smiled at herself unashamedly.

‘Hello, babe.'

The sound of Chris's voice caused her suddenly to choke up with emotion and she almost couldn't speak.

‘
Lief
…' she began.

‘What's wrong? Has something happened?'

‘The tests came back today,' Michelle said and she started to laugh. ‘We're having a baby.'

‘What?'

‘Dr Pieterse just called … She said – ' Before she had a chance to finish her sentence she heard Chris let out a whoop that was followed by a laugh filled with life and pleasure.

‘We're having a baby!' Chris called out to the people around him before returning his attention to Michelle. ‘We're having a
baby
?'

‘Yes.'

‘We're going to be a … wait a second. Are you okay? Do you need anything?'

‘No, I'm fine. Really.' Michelle replied, laughing at his concern. ‘Maybe just some rat poison to shut your damn dog up.'

Chris chuckled. ‘I'm coming home right now,' he said. ‘What do you want to eat? Something strange, right?'

Michelle just kept laughing. She thought this was probably the happiest day of her life.

‘I'll see you now,' Chris said.

‘Don't say anything until we've told my – '

Michelle was cut off by the dial tone and she shook her head, smiling.

‘ – parents,' she finished. As she said the word, the news began to sink in. ‘We're going to be parents,' she whispered to her reflection in the mirror.

Hugo had finally stopped barking and Michelle used the moment of peace to allow everything to take shape in her mind. It was happening for them at last. She scrolled through her contact list again and went straight to her mother's number. She hit the green call button and waited.

‘Mom …'

 

chapter 25

Michelle crawled towards
the front door. When she got there, she reached up onto the cabinet beside it to grab her car keys. With great effort, she pulled herself up and got the door open. Hugo hovered closely, whimpering, trying to work out why his mistress was in such distress.

A blast of wind and rain hit Michelle in the face. Fumbling with the house keys and doing her best to keep Hugo inside with her foot, she unlocked the steel security gate and stepped out into the rain. She hobbled up the driveway towards her car.

Then another contraction hit, stopping her in her tracks and causing her to gasp in pain. She waited for it to subside and then, gritting her teeth, she resumed her journey to the car, deactivating the alarm with the key as she approached it. She was already soaked to the skin. Heavy drops of rain stung her cheeks and she could hardly see where she was going. Taking deep breaths, she opened the car door, settled herself into the driver's seat and tried to put the key into the ignition. Her hands were shaking from cold and pain and her fingers felt numb and clumsy. She missed the slot and the keys fell from her hands. She heard them clatter onto the driveway and cursed herself for not closing the car door first.

The rain was really pelting down and the sloping driveway was awash as water flowed down it in steady rivulets from the road outside. Michelle got out of the car and crouched down to feel beneath the car for the keys. Mercifully, she saw them just within reach and took hold of them firmly, concentrating on slow, deep breathing and willing the next contraction to stay away until she was safely on the road to the hospital. This time she managed to start the vehicle without any problem and she put the car into reverse, activating the access remote, and watching in the rear view mirror for the electronic gate at the top of the driveway to slide open.

It didn't.

Michelle pressed the button again and began to reverse slowly. She looked over her shoulder.

The security gate hadn't moved an inch.

Moaning in frustration and fear, Michelle slammed her hands against the steering wheel, causing the horn to go off with loud insisting hooting. She put the car in neutral and pulled up the handbrake. The motor for the gate must have been taken out by the lightning too. She turned off the engine and sat thinking. Probably she should have been timing her contractions; or maybe it was just as well she hadn't been. She was scared enough now as it was.

Wearily, she climbed back out of the car, not even noticing the rain this time. She plodded up towards the electronic gate, her shoes splashing through the river that used to be their driveway. Chris had shown her how to bypass the motor when they had first moved in but she hadn't paid much attention to his instructions. And now, as she peered through the darkness at the mechanism, she realised that she had no clue how to get the gate open manually. There was a large lock on the motor cover anyway to prevent thieves from accessing it. In vain she tried to fit one of the keys on her keyring to the lock. None of them worked, nor even fitted into the lock.

Bracing herself, she tugged on the gate with all her might, hoping that brute force would cause the barrier to move along the sliding rails. The gate did not budge. Perhaps it was the physical exertion that triggered it, but another sudden contraction took her breath away and she screamed in pain and frustration. Grabbing onto her stomach, Michelle tried to make her way back to the car but the pain was too much. Once more she dropped onto her hands and knees and just stayed there, head hanging, her sodden hair and the relentless pouring rain completely obscuring her vision. She let out a primitive moan. She couldn't move. Her body was paralysed by the pain. And she had no way of getting help.