Debt

30: Born

Bri panted as wave after wave of debilitating pain hit her. She had been in labor the last six hours. She had slept through the first half and woke up to pee the second.

The midwife informed her that right now, she was about three centimeters dilated and at the rate she was going, it looked like she was going a half centimeter an hour.

When the contractions passed, Abrielle lay on Shawn for support. He rubbed her back, whispering how great she was doing. But she didn't feel like she was doing great. She felt anxious to get this kid out and have her body back to herself. She missed her organs.

The past month, Abrielle had been wanting to do nothing more than have her baby. She loved him from the inside, but she would love him so much more when he was out. He was wreaking havoc on her poor organs. He had caused her to almost pee on herself once on Easter when she was helping make dinner.

"Why don't I make you something to eat," Shawn suggested.

"Hey, give her something easy to digest. Her body is not giving up any resources while it's laboring. No meat," Nurse Carla ordered.

Shawn nodded and he went to make her some leftover pasta. Larielle entered the kitchen through the back door, a little bag in her hand. "Oh, hi, Shawn," she greeted. "How's Bri doing?"

"She's tired," he told her. "She went into labor early this morning. It's been a long day."

Larielle nodded. She had been out of classes for a week, but she had stayed home with her mom and uncle, working on that relationship. She had spent Mother's Day with her mother. And then she got Bri's text and drove out. Evan had let her in.

"I got her something. Well, her and the baby."

Shawn smiled just a little bit. And then Larielle moved and the scent of her perfume came to him.

"Larielle, you gotta do something about that perfume. It'll make her sick. She yelled at her mom for lighting candles earlier."

"Oh. It's just in my clothes, but I'll shower."

"Thank you."

"Where is she?"

"Up in our room. I'll tell her you made it and you're in the shower."

"Okay. Maybe you should run my gift through the washer?" she wondered, passing him the little blanket she had made the baby. It had her perfume in it. It wasn't that Shawn didn't think Larielle smelled good. It was that her friend wouldn't. And she would yell at her to get out of her room.

"Yea, I'll do that."

"And these."

Larielle passed him a bag full of baby's clothing: hats, mittens, booties, onesies, bibs, socks. Shawn looked up at her. She had been dropping clothes off like a mad woman. Someone would believe that Larielle was the one going to have a baby. Abrielle didn't even feel the need to shop for baby clothes.

"Geez, Larielle. Are you expecting?" he asked looking at all the clothes she had made his son.

"I believe the phrase you were looking for is thank you," she said, looking up at him expectantly. It had taken her a lot of time and dedication to make those clothes for her godson.

"I don't know if he's mine, yours, or Shayla's. But that Abrielle got some explaining to do."

"You're welcome," Larielle sang in annoyance as Shawn headed to run the clothes through the washer.

"Thank you, Larielle."

Satisfied, she picked up her duffle bag and had it lifted from her shoulder when Evan took it.