Layla
As soon as the door closes, Nafisah clicks her tongue and sweeps me off from head to toe with her big black eyes.
"Looking lovely," she tells me with obvious sarcasm in her voice.
"I'm not afraid of you anymore," I reply. "I don't even care what you might say or think about me."
"Aw, that's too bad because it was really entertaining when you did," she walks past me and lets herself fall down to sit on one of the couches, as if she was in her own home. "What happened to Hamdan? He used to be a lot more fun before you showed up here again."
I turn to the side to see her. "Are you ever going to stop chasing him? He is married, see?" I show her my left hand and point at my ring with my index finger. "And I'm having his baby," my finger moves to point down at my very evident pregnant belly.
She scoffs. "I'm not chasing anybody, I'm here for the hor-"
"Ugh! Shut up, Nafisah!" I cut her off. "Not only are you chasing after a married man, you're also chasing after a man that over the years has shown absolutely no interest in you."
She bites her lower lip and tilts her head to the side. "I beg to differ. Like I said, things were just... different before you came back."
It can't be, that's not true. I try my best to hide the hesitation inside me because, why would I believe her instead of believing him? Besides, would I have the right to be mad about something that happened during a time where I wasn't even talking to him? I hold onto my belly - not sure if it is for protection or courage, perhaps both - and take two steps in her direction.
"Whatever it is that you're trying, stop it, now. You're only wasting your time," I spin around and head towards the door.
"Or what?" She raises her voice slightly. "What will you do about it?"
Her words make me stop and turn around once more. A small smile plays on her lips and the anger makes my pulse go quicker. I have to be smarter than this, smarter than her, no matter how bad I feel like running away. I got even closer to her than before and she doesn't flinch. I hate how she takes over the space, I hate how her fingers touch anything that is Hamdan's.
"You still don't get it, do you?" I wonder with pity in voice. "That was no threat, it was a piece of advice. To answer your question, I will do absolutely nothing because I don't have to. My husband loves me and he adores our little family, we are pretty much head over heels for one another and we trust each other. Me asking you to stop was so you could go back to Saudi Arabia with a little bit of dignity left."
Spinning around, I walk to the door as fast as I can. I don't want her to say anything else to me, nor do I have the energy or the courage to keep this conversation going. When I step outside, I see the men waiting but I don't make any contact with them and simply get into Hamdan's car. My husband and my uncle get the message and quickly get in the car as well.
"Are you okay?" Hamdan asks me when he starts the engine.
I breathe heavily through my nose and can't stop rubbing my bump while inside my head I keep repeating to my son that everything is fine, that we're okay.
"Just take me home," I request.
Not another word is spoken during the drive and I'm the first one to step out of the car and into our home. I don't know if it is emotions or hormones, but I feel all this energy rushing through my body and I hurry up the staircase.
"Layla!" Hamdan calls after closing the door.
I turn around and come down the very few steps I had already taken. "Why would you take me there?"
His face turns shocked. "You think I did that on purpose? I had no idea she was going to be there!"
"Then how can she simply enter your property? Is she going to show up knocking at my door one day? Huh?" I yell. "Why are people opening doors for her?"
He snatches his headscarf off. "Probably because she shows up looking nice, saying she is a princess, which is true, and well..." He lets out a sharp exhale. "My people made a mistake, that's it!"
It is hard to keep up with the wild river of thoughts that are rushing through my mind, which are also making it impossible for me to listen to what he says. The made up images of the two of them together make my skin crawl, they look happy and laughing while right now, I feel extremely vulnerable and unfit to attract my own husband.
"Were you ever with her?" I blurt out, cutting him off.
He freezes for a moment and then brings both hands to his head. "Wh- what did she tell you?"
I take one step forward. "Just tell me, Hamdan, because--"
The feeling of a warm fluid running down my leg makes me stop everything I was doing and thinking. I quickly cradle my bump with both hands and look down on myself.
"What's wrong?" Hamdan asks.
When I look up at him to tell him, more liquid comes down. Feels like I am peeing myself but I cannot make it stop.
"I think my water just broke," I say to him.
He takes one step closer and as I look down again, I see a clear puddle forming at my feet.
"We need to call Houyem," he says.
"Where's my phone? I think I left it in your car."
"Stay here," he instructs. "I'll be right back."
Houyem is my doula. She and Helen - the midwife - have been supporting me through my pregnancy and will be the ones assisting me during the delivery of our baby. They have helped me gain so much confidence about this entire process but now that it's actually happening and I'm starting to believe that nothing could really prepare you for something like this.
I hear steps and look behind to see Krisha passing by.
"Krisha!" I call.
She changes the direction where she was going and starts approaching me. "Hi, Layla," her face changes when she notices the puddle. "Do not move! Let me get some towels, I don't want you slipping on the floor!"
I nod my head and she leaves running. Just in time, Hamdan makes it through the door and hands me my phone.
"Layla! Hi!" Houyem answers my call right away.
"Hi," I reply with a somewhat shaky voice. "I- My water just broke."
"Are you having any contractions?"
"Uh... It's been kind of a hectic day, so I'm not sure. I've been feeling some tension though."
Krisha shows up again and sets a dry towel on the floor in front of me.
"How often?" Houyem asks.
"I have no idea."
"Okay, I'm coming over to check on you," Houyem announces. "Try to keep track of your contractions until I get there, okay?"
I begin my labor journey fighting with my husband and feeling guilty about not knowing whether I have been having contractions or not. Yeah, this is not what I had envisioned.
"Step onto this," Krisha tells me, kneeling on the floor.
"What did she say?" Hamdan wonders.
"She's coming over," I reply while I hand him the phone.
I take his hand to get rid of my sandals and step on the towel. Krisha helps me dry the rest of my feet and puts another towel over the puddle.
"Let's get you out of those wet clothes," she says while taking my other arm.
When we make it to the bedroom my bump gets so tight that it feels as hard as a rock.
"Contraction?" Hamdan asks.
I breathe out through my mouth. "Yeah."
He looks at his watch and starts typing on his phone. "I'll take note."
I take a quick shower and in our walk-in closet, he helps me put on a sports bra, dry underwear and a robe, while Krisha takes away all of my wet clothes. Hamdan also changes his clothes and I see him put on shorts and a t-shirt while I walk around in circles taking deep breaths.
"Are you okay?" He asks me when he finishes. "Do you want to lay down? Do you want to eat something?"
"I'm sorry," my eyes fill with tears. "I know you were never with her, I don't why I even asked you, but she still manages to put this ideas in my head and I-"
He shushes me and kisses my cheek. "It's okay, I don't want you thinking about anything else, I don't want you wasting any energy on anything that is not the birth of our baby, okay?"
I nod with a trembling breathing.
"You know I love you, right?" He asks me.
"Yeah, but it's nice when you say it," I'm feeling all the feels in the world and my voice breaks down.
Hamdan smiles and hugs me, slowly rocking my body from side to side. "I love you, so so much," he whispers.
"I love you too," I tell him.
I feel a contraction coming, a bit more intense than the one before. He notices right away and writes down the time on his phone.
"Ten minutes apart," he says.
They're still not lasting long and the pressure quickly dissolves away.
"We haven't decided on a name yet," I remind him.
"I'm pretty sure, once we see him we will know what his name will be," he smiles with a glowing face.
Krisha knocks on our door to let us know that Houyem is here and she comes in to check on me on the bed. This time, we can answer all the questions she asks.
"Okay, I'm going to stay here with you," she says, adjusting her brown hair behind her ears. "Just to figure out how fast you're going. Things could progress very quickly or take a little bit more time. Like we talked before, your contractions will get closer together, more intense and they will last longer."
I nod in understanding.
"So, I'm going to head outside to call Helen," she carries on. "Just to let her know where we are at the moment so she can be ready for when we need her."
Houyem excuses herself and Hamdan turns to me.
"Should I let the family know?" He wonders.
"Yeah," I reply, leaving the bed. I'm more comfortable while standing up and moving around.
Hamdan stays seated on the edge of the bed, tapping on his phone while I go through another contraction.
"Another one," I let him know.
He takes notes again. "They're getting closer together."
"And more painful," I add.
"Can I get you anything?"
I lick my dry lips. "Just very cold water, please."
He makes the call to order the water and when he's done, I extend my hand to bring him close to me. His hands end up going up and down on my back while I rest my forehead on his chest.
"I wish I could do more for you," he tells me.
How did I get so lucky with this husband of mine? No wonder there's a psycho after him. I'm a mess at times, I get emotional and insecure, I cry and I yell and he's always so cool, calmed and collected. The only times he reacts is because I started something and in the meantime he carries Dubai, his family and myself on his shoulders. His father's health keeps deteriorating and I'm afraid he might become the Emir sooner than expected. What if it becomes too much for him? I don't think he even considers the possibility.
"You're doing great," I assure him, looking up and pecking him on the lips. "You're doing more than enough."
---
The baby is coming! The baby is coming! Cannot wait to see these two become parents, the name is still a mystery though...
Thank you for reading!
Sophie.