"Now let me pray to keep you from
The perils that will surely come
See life for you my prince has just begun "
Omniscient
"Mmmmm...," Jhene groaned rolling over to onto her side. She rubbed her belly soothingly while taking deep controlled breaths. She had been experiencing Braxton Hicks for the last couple of days. Her doctor assured her that this was normal, considering how far along in her pregnancy she was.
"Ahh...!" a startling scream cut through the air as Jhene looked down at her now soiled sheets and shorts. Her water had broke. She hastily scrambled for her phone. She dialed her mom and sister only to get their voicemails in response. She took a few more deep breaths to keep herself from panicking. It was twelve in the afternoon, so she knew that they both were at work.
In desperation, she called on her former best friend. Once the phone picked up on the fourth ring, Jhene was groaning from yet another passing contraction. "Xo, I need you! I'm in labor, and it's way too early for her to come," Jhene yelped while cradling her stomach with the palm of her free hand.
" The fuck you call me for. Call your baby daddy or your new butt buddy, Elise. Hell call 911 because I ain't coming to save your trifling ass," Xorielle screamed and then hung up in her face. Jhene chucked her phone across the room, where it bounced off the wall and hit the cream carpeted floor.
She pushed herself from the bed, willing her feet to guide her to the bathroom to shower. On her way there, she picked up her phone with the now shattered screen and took it into the bathroom with her. Once in the confines of the tile-walled room, she turned on the shower adjusting the temperature. As the water began to heat, she called Cam, only to be met by his voicemail, not once, not twice, but five times.
She plopped herself on the toilet as the steam from the shower began to seep beyond the curtain and fill the room. She pondered on who to call. She could call for an ambulance, but the truth was, she was scared shitless and didn't want to be alone. She decided to call the one person who had been the most supportive of her. She dialed the number and nibbled on her nails as it rung. Once the voicemail picked up, she feverishly tapped at the end call button, nearly cutting her finger on the cracked glass. It was her birthday, so she knew less trivial things probably consumed her.
Jhene cradled her head in the palms of her hands as she wept. She wept because for once she was utterly alone and afraid. No More Drama by Mary J. Blige startled her and halted her weeping briefly. She wiped hastily at her tears as if the person on the other end could see.
Once she answered the phone, there was the sound of chatter and shuffling followed by the sound of the wind whipping at the speakers.
"Hello," Elise's soulful but light voice finally was heard. "Jhene are you there? Are the children okay," Elise pushed.
"They're fine. I'm in labor," Jhene stuttered followed by the outpouring of the faucets attached to her heart-shaped face. "I'm scared," Jhene choked out, "my mama isn't answering, my sister or Cam either. Xorielle cursed me out and hung up in my face. This bathroom is hot as fuck, and my press out is reverting. Elise, I can't do this. I can't do this by myself. I'm not built for this shit," Jhene ranted as she sobbed loudly into the phone.
"You can and you will," Elise asserted, "I'm on my way," was all she said before the line disconnected. Jhene's phone had finally met its untimely demise.
Across town, Elise returned to the birthday luncheon her colleagues had put together for her. She apologized profusely stating that she had a family emergency that she had to attend to. Zach was working in the field today, and more than likely did not have his phone on him, so she shot him a text explaining the dilemma.
Against her better judgment, she unblocked Cam and sent him a text as well letting him know that his baby girl would soon be making her grand entrance into the world.
By the time she made it to Jhene's mother's house she doubled parked in front of the townhome and ran to the door as fast her heels would carry her. She rammed her fists into the door several times with no response before remembering Jhene's mom gave her a key. Elise patted herself down, only now remembering she left the keys in the ignition.
One would think Elise was coming to save a loved one or close friend with her level of panic. However, Jhene's tone and fright had shaken her to her core. She thought to brush her off just as everyone else had done for all the hell she caused but she wasn't built like that. If anything were to happen to Jhene or that innocent baby girl, the guilt of it all would surely send her to an early grave.
Elise finally retrieved the key and her phone and ran through the house screaming Jhene's name. She remembered her saying something about a bathroom, so she ran to the one closest to Jhene's room. She was not prepared for what she saw.
As the steam filtered out of the room, she saw Jhene perched on the side of the tub with a pink spaghetti strap shirt with the front pulled up and around her neck with her Nike sports bra on display. Her hair was an atrocious mixture of curly and straight, and her gray shorts and zebra printed panties lie loosely around her ankles. She was panting like a dog that had been left out on a blistering summer day.
"I have to push," Jhene grunted as her fingernails dug into the seafoam rug underneath her. Elise stood there with her mouth wide open.
"Fuck," Jhene screamed as he bared down and pushed with all her might. The sound snapped Elise out of her stupor.
"No, No, No," Elise chanted. She was nowhere near prepared to deliver a baby. "I'm here! Let's get you to the hospital," Elise all but yelled as she placed her arms underneath Jhene's armpits to help lift her from the floor.
Jhene popped her hands as if scolding a child as she shook her head vehemently.
"There's no time! She's coming," Jhene panted as she slithered her right hand towards her opening. Against Elise's better judgment for the second time in under an hour, she followed Jhene's hand with her eyes to the curly bush that was peaking from her waxed clean entrance.
Elise almost fainted and was almost sure she had thrown up in her mouth a little bit. Her hands trembled as she hastily dialed 911. While waiting for the line to connect, Jhene took a deep breath and pushed with everything she had. Elise looked down and saw a sliver of what she believed to be skin just as the operator came on the line.
" Shit! She's about to have this baby right here on this bathroom floor," Elise shouted into the phone.
"Calm down mam. I'm right here with you," the operator cooed.
"Calm down! How the fuck am I supposed to calm down when I see this baby's head coming out of this lady's pussy," Elise bellowed. Jhene, on the other hand, was tickled as Elise's choice of words.
"How much of the head do you see," the dispatcher calmly asked despite Elise's erratic speech.
"I see a head full of hair and what looks like her skin. Shit, I don't know. I'm not a doctor!"
" It seems like she is already crowning. I have dispatched EMT's to your location, but you need to prepare to deliver this baby," the dispatcher stated calmly but firm.
"I think the fuck not," Elise protested.
"Mam, I need you to get some towels to wrap the baby in once she arrives and a blanket to keep her and mom warm until the paramedics arrive."
Elise let out a frustrated breath while looking around. She spotted a linen closet at the door. She went to it retrieving towels and a sheet. That's the best she could do under the circumstances. Just as she turned back to Jhene, while half listening to the dispatcher, she saw Jhene bearing down with her hands between her legs poised to catch her baby. Elise hurriedly ran over to her and replaced her hands with her own.
She watched the baby's head slide out and immediately began to freak. "The head is out," she screamed hoping the dispatcher heard her because she's not sure where she dropped her phone in haste to help Jhene.
" Okay. Don't pull on the baby. Mommy when you feel the next contraction, let us know, and when she does, mam I want you to tilt the baby's head downward and slowly guide her out," the dispatcher coached.
Elise nodded as if she could see her. The back of the tips of her fingers was already against Jhene's vagina so how much more fucked up could the situation get. Here she was trapped in a bathroom helping her husband and ex-best friend's baby mother give birth. This was one sick joke God was playing on her. She couldn't birth her own son but her she was helping the woman who dug her heels into her wounds bring her daughter into the world.
"Here it comes, " Jhene said before she let out a grunt pushing down with all her might. Luckily Elise snapped out of her thoughts before baby girl slipped entirely out. Elise hurried wrapped the baby in the towels. Before she could react to pop the baby's bottom, as she had seen on tv, the sweet girl wailed a soft but wretched wail.
Elise hurried to hand over the hollering baby to her mother. Jhene unwrapped the towels and held her against her skin as she kissed and cooed her baby into pacification. They were both startled our of their baby trance by the paramedics coming into the room. Elise stepped out of the way and made her way to turn off the shower that had been running the entire time. Elise rinsed her hands int the cold water before she turned off the spray.
"Elise," Jhene called out as the paramedics lifted her onto the stretcher.
Elise turned to Jhene, answering with her eyes because she could not find her voice.
"Carmen Eliza Simmons," Jhene said with a smile.
"Huh," Elise questioned not realizing Jhene's implication.
"Carmen Eliza Simmons, that's her name," Jhene said as she was rolled out by the paramedics.
Elise watched in awe as they rolled away Jhene and Carmen, who was now not only her birthday twin but to some extent her namesake.
Thoughts?
I swear I'm trying to wrap this book up but I have some things I want to explore and don't want to do it in a second book?
What are some things you're hoping to see?