Crossroads

Chapter Eight

The phone rang and Annie checked the clock. She rarely had unexpected calls—she had no family who might suddenly decide to get in touch, no close friends who might ring with an impromptu invitation to go out, and no romantic pursuers who might call for a date. When her phone rang, it was always business. Eight thirty. Callie had been in bed a little while, and she’d just made a bowl of popcorn and picked out a book to read. Saturday night and she had big plans.

“Hello?”

“Annie,” Cindy Caprood said apologetically, “I know you’re off this weekend, but Donna Drake just called and she’s in labor. So is Felicia Simmons.”

“It’s got to be the full moon. They’re both a week early. I’ll find a sitter and head over to Donna’s.”

“I’d try to get there if Felicia moves along, but I know Donna’s really counting on you being there.”

“That’s okay. Your time will come.”

Cindy laughed. “Oh, don’t I know it, and it’ll be three in the morning.”

“Would you mind calling her back and telling her I’ll be there as soon as I can? They know what to do, and if she’s in early stages, she’s got plenty of time.”

“From the sounds of it, she’s not moving that quickly. I’ll make sure she calls me if anything changes before you get there.”

“Thanks.”

Annie rang off and sorted through her list of possibles for emergency childcare. Everyone who helped at short notice was part of her group. JoAnn and Andrea were both on call, so Suzanne was probably her best bet. Even better, she lived around the corner. She called, and Suz answered on the third ring.

“Suz? It’s Annie. I’ve got an emergency.”

“No problem. Bring her by. She can stay as long as you need.”

“There’s a good chance it’ll be all night. It’s Donna Drake, and even if she delivers before morning, I’ll need to stay until I’m sure she and the baby are both settled.”

“No problem.”

“Listen—I don’t know what you’ve got planned for tomorrow, but I promised Callie I’d take her to the barbecue at Linda and Robin’s. If I can’t get there—”

“Don’t worry. Just pack clothes for her for tomorrow. Dan and I were going anyway.”

“Great, thanks. She’ll be so disappointed if she doesn’t get to go.”

“If you need anything else, just give me a call.”

“You got it.” Annie grabbed the overnight bag she kept packed and stashed in her bedroom closet and added extra clothes for Callie for the next day. Then she wrapped Callie in a travel blanket and scooped her up.

Callie opened her eyes. “Where we going, Mommy?”

“To Suz’s.”

“Okay.” Callie’s head drooped against Annie’s shoulder and she went back to sleep. She smelled like sunshine and miracles. Annie kissed the top of her head. “I love you, baby. More than anything.”

Twenty-five minutes later, Annie pulled into the drive of a single-family Victorian in East Falls, a mile from PMC and three from her apartment. The first- and second-floor lights were blazing. She parked behind the old Volvo wagon, collected her equipment bag from the trunk, and climbed the wide wooden stairs to the porch that wrapped three-quarters around the house. The front door opened before she had a chance to ring the brass doorbell.

“You’re here,” Donna’s husband Mark said with just the barest hint of relief in his voice. Tall and broad-shouldered, he taught math at Textile and had a quiet, understated sense of humor. His dark brown hair was thinning on top, but his still unlined face and faintly rosy cheeks made him look boyish.

“Hi, Mark. The baby decided to make an early appearance, I understand.” Annie smiled and Mark smiled back, his joy warming her.

“We do everything early in our family.”

“Do you have the baby kit ready?” Annie followed Mark through the house to the screened-in back porch. Donna and Mark had decided they wanted to give birth outside, or as close to outside as they could get and still have a secure and sanitary place to welcome the baby. She’d given them a list of what they’d need to have ready for the birth a month ago—supplies, clothes for the baby, towels, and linens.

“Everything you asked for is there. If you need anything else—”

“Don’t worry. You go be with Donna. I’ll take care of the details, that’s why I’m here.”

Mark and Donna were second-timers—their first child had been born in the hospital, and though they’d had no problems, Donna had found the experience impersonal and a little alienating. They’d made the choice to have this child at home. Donna had no risk factors—she was young and healthy and had normal blood pressure, no familial or personal history of diabetes, no clotting disorders, nothing that might raise a red flag. Still, Annie was always on the lookout for problems so that complications might be avoided before they happened. She’d last seen Donna just a few weeks before, and she’d been progressing perfectly.

“Hi,” Annie said, walking out onto the back porch where Mark knelt by a lounger, holding Donna’s hand. The night was warm, and Mark had set up a portable heater to keep the area comfortable during the night. Donna, shorter than Mark by almost a foot, had flaming red hair and a spatter of freckles across her nose. Her loose T-shirt, one of Mark’s probably, said College of Textiles across her breasts. Her rounded belly rested on her thighs, her legs folded as she reclined on the lounger.

“Hi,” Donna said slightly breathlessly. “It’s good to see you. Thanks for coming.”

“Of course. Wouldn’t miss it.” Annie sat gently on the bottom of the lounger and rested her hand on Donna’s belly, lightly palpating the uterus as she talked. “How long have you been having contractions?”

“A little over an hour. My water broke right before that, but we waited to be sure before calling.” Donna’s face tightened and she took a long, slow deep breath. “I’m sure.”

Annie took the BP cuff from her bag and checked Donna’s pulse and pressure, then her temperature. “Everything looks just fine. The baby’s in good position, so there’s no need to hurry. Take your time and breathe through the contractions. If you want to get up and walk around, go ahead.”

“I feel like I have to pee every two minutes.”

Annie nodded. “That’s from pressure on your bladder. Don’t worry if you can’t. The urgency will go away once you deliver. Are you thirsty?”

“I had some juice a little while ago. I’m okay.”

“What about you, Mark? Have you eaten tonight?”

He frowned. “I was about to make supper when Donna felt the first contractions.”

“Where’s Lizzie?”

“My mother picked her up a while ago,” he said. “We thought she was a little too young to be here for the birth.”

Donna laughed. “Next time.”

He grinned. “That sounds good to me.”

Annie stood. “Okay. You two just relax and enjoy this. Mark, I’ll hunt around the kitchen and make you something to eat. If you need me, just come and get me.”

She left them to enjoy the process in private. They were both well versed in the stages of labor and knew what to expect. Her role was to monitor the labor and birth and anticipate any problems. She was also there to take care of the small things so they wouldn’t be distracted during this incredibly important event. She found her supportive role every bit as satisfying as her medical one—for the midwife, it was all the same. She put together a sandwich for Mark from cold cuts she found in the refrigerator and made a cup of tea. She carried both back to the porch. “Here. Tea probably isn’t your usual, but I find it relaxing.”

“It looks great, thanks.” Mark took the food and moved to an adjacent chair, and Annie sat beside Donna again. She rechecked her blood pressure, examined her abdomen, and after donning a sterile glove, did an vaginal exam. “The baby’s coming down nicely. You’re doing a great job. How do you feel?”

“Good.” Donna leaned back and looked out over the yard. The moon had risen above the treetops and glittered brightly in a cloudless sky. “It’s a beautiful night.”

“It is. It’s a beautiful time to be having a baby.”

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Donna said.

“I’m exactly where I want to be.” Annie smiled and squeezed Donna’s hand. “You’re going to have a beautiful baby, and I’m so happy to be part of that.”

Annie knew without a single doubt she was doing exactly what she was meant to do. She glanced at Mark, who’d set his dishes aside and was watching his wife with an expression midway between wonder and pride. Annie stood and gestured to the place by Donna’s side. “Go ahead and sit with her, Mark. I’ll be right here. Don’t worry about a thing.”

*

Zachary Allen Drake emerged into his father’s waiting hands at 4:32 a.m., just as the sun came up. He had a full head of dark hair and weighed in at seven pounds. When Mark placed him on Donna’s breast, he drew his first breath and began to suckle. Annie helped Mark cut the cord and did a rapid assessment of the baby. His lungs were clear, his color good, his suck reflex strong.

“He’s perfect.” Annie eased toward the foot of the lounger so the two of them could enjoy their new son while she waited for the placenta to be delivered. Once it had been, she put a clean sheet under Donna and cleared away the soaked linens from the birth. That was part of her job too, and she went about it quietly and efficiently so as not to disturb the bonding between the parents and their baby. When everything was squared away, she double-checked Donna’s pressure, examined her to be sure there was no excessive bleeding, and packed up her equipment.

“Call me if you have any concerns at all. I’ll be back later today to check you both.”

“You should get some sleep,” Donna said, holding Zachary.

“Don’t worry about me,” Annie said. “We just had the most wonderful night.”

Donna laughed. “We did, didn’t we.”

“I’ll see you later.” Annie let herself out and carried her bag to her car. She packed everything away and started for home. On impulse, she detoured to the park and walked to the bench where she had sat yesterday with Hollis. She was tired but not fatigued, and she wanted to enjoy the excitement of the night a little longer.

The park was deserted except for an early-morning runner on the far side of the park. The moon had not yet set and the sun was rising. Mist rose from the tranquil surface of the pond and drifted away in lacy fingers. She loved these moments when day and night intersected, and this morning, with the wonder of birth still filling her, she couldn’t help think of the timelessness of life and new beginnings. She thought of Callie, who wouldn’t wake for several more hours, and all the possibilities her life would hold. She traced the worn wood along the top of the bench where Hollis had rested her head and wondered if she’d let herself rest. She’d see Hollis that afternoon, and the thought made her heart skitter in a way that was foreign and confounding. Possibility had not been something she’d had growing up, and she’d learned to distrust it as an adult. Normally Callie and her work absorbed all her energy, but Hollis had somehow opened the door to new sensations, and she found she enjoyed not knowing what the day would bring. She’d learned to be cautious, and she would be, especially since Hollis’s professional philosophy was so at odds with her own. But she’d only had to spend a few hours with Hollis to see she cared deeply about her patients and took her responsibilities seriously. If they could come to terms with their professional differences, she could imagine having Hollis as a friend. After all, that was simple enough.

*

Following the murmur of voices and the pealing laughter of children, Hollis tucked the bottle of wine she’d pulled from her pantry under her arm and walked down the driveway next to a sky-blue Victorian with cream detailing. She’d slept twelve hours, cycled around River Drive at dawn, and worked on her porch all morning. She’d considered not going to the barbecue half a dozen times but decided that would be rude. Besides being rude, she wouldn’t see Annie. She should see her—they were going to have to find a way to work together, or at least to discuss issues without triggering each other’s defenses. A little social interaction on neutral ground wouldn’t be a bad thing.

She hadn’t looked forward to spending time with a woman since her one long-term relationship had disintegrated. Sonja had left her when she was at her most vulnerable, and the breakup just reinforced her determination to remain unattached. Once in a while she acquiesced to pressure from family or friends and went on a date, but those occasions had dwindled in the last few years too. She’d finally said no to enough people that they’d stopped asking.

Not that she had any thoughts about Annie beyond the professional, but she did like talking to her. She liked seeing her smile. She liked the way she interacted with her daughter. It just felt good to be around her. That was simple enough.