“I will,” she smiles sleepily.
What I don’t tell her is I’m going back to the house first. In our haste to get Zoe to the hospital, I left something behind. Something I need.
Answers.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Layne
It’s been thirty-six hours since Zoe’s water broke and we’re still at the hospital. Her contractions are too sporadic to make much progress, and the doctor is now talking to her about inducing labor with medication.
“So what do you think, Zoe? Are you ready to have this baby?” the doctor asks.
“I’m beyond ready,” Zoe replies. “Let’s do it.”
“Okay. I’ll put the order in, and the nurse will be in here with the medication as soon as she can. It may take her a little while to check on the other patients in her rounds.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Zoe laughs. “I’ll just watch TV some more until it’s time.”
The doctor leaves and I slide into the bed beside Zoe. “You know, if you’ve changed your mind about the adoption, you can just tell me. You don’t have to hold the baby hostage inside you.”
She bursts out in laughter, and it’s like music to my ears. My sweet girl is happy, healthy, and for the first time since I first met her, lighthearted. “I haven’t changed my mind. Actually, there’s something else I need to tell you that I’ve been thinking about and I’ve finally made up my mind.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“Marcia asked me about my plans after I have the baby. I told her about the private school and my plans to apply to the University of Georgia. She thinks it’s a great idea and she wants to help, too. I know I still have a few years to go, but we talked a lot about their School of Law and how many people I can help with a law degree. That’s what I want to do, just like you.”
“I’m so proud of you, Zoe.”
We enjoy our time chatting and giggling while Ace takes a nap on the converted chair. He hasn’t had much sleep in the last few days with everything that happened with Margot, worrying about my health, and taking care of both Zoe and me. I watch him while he sleeps and wonder what he’s dreaming when his eyes move rapidly under his closed eyelids.
Suddenly, Zoe grips the sheet in her fists and tries to suppress a cry of pain. “What’s wrong?”
“Pretty sure my contractions just kicked up to about one thousand on the pain scale.”
“But the nurse hasn’t even been back to start your drip yet.”
“Yeah, the baby isn’t going to wait for her either.”
I hit the call button and tell the nurse when she arrives that Zoe has started active labor. Again.
She laughs and asks Zoe, “Are you just trying to make me look bad?”
“It’s not me,” Zoe replies. “This baby definitely has a mind of her own.”
“Don’t they all,” the nurse chuckles before donning gloves to check her progress. “You’re definitely on your way to having this baby now. You’re almost fully effaced and dilated several centimeters. As long as she cooperates, it shouldn’t be too much longer now.”
I lean over and kiss Ace to wake him so I can tell him the good news. Instead of sitting up like I expected him to, he wraps his arms around me and pulls me down on top of him. “That’s great news. For future reference, this is the way I prefer you to wake me up, though.”
Laughing, I push up on his chest and kiss him again. “Careful what you wish for. Now wake up, we’re about to have a baby.”
We try to keep Zoe’s mind occupied through the increasing intensity of her contractions, but they eventually win and the anesthesiologist is called in. Once the epidural takes effect, she’s relaxed and back to laughing and joking with us. When the nurse comes in this time, Ace and I have both joined Zoe in the hospital bed to watch TV with her. The nurse stops and looks at us like we’ve lost our minds.
“Can you talk to her about this?” Ace asks the nurse as he points to Zoe. “She’s hogging the bed.”
“That’s so insensitive of her,” the nurse replies with a humorous, sardonic tone.
“I’ve been telling her that exact thing the whole time we’ve been here.” Ace shakes his head.
We move out of the way to give the nurse room to work. My heart races and my lower abdomen flurries when she announces it is finally time. “You’re fully effaced and dilated. Let me grab the doctor, and before long, the four of you will be fighting over the hospital bed.”
An hour later, Zoe has pushed and grunted and complained, and our baby girl has finally been born. She’s beautiful. She’s the epitome of perfect. One look and I’m completely and totally in love with her.
“I understand she’s to be adopted. Is that correct?” the nurse asks.
“Yes,” Zoe replies. “These are the adoptive parents.”
“Would you like to hold her before you sign the consent to adopt form?”