Page 58 of Rome
I stashed the pillow and bedding in the hall closet, then made a cup of coffee. I had just finished a bowl of cereal when it was time to get Ethan up for school. I jogged up the stairs to wake him, then knocked softly on our bedroom door.
“I’ve got E, so you just take it easy this morning,” I called through the door.
“OK, I’ll be down in a little bit then to tell him goodbye,” she called back.
Ethan was finishing his breakfast when Abby shuffled into the kitchen. She was wearing her fuzzy robe over her nightshirt, and she could barely get the belt tied around her middle. She looked adorable, but I didn’t dare tell her that.
I made her a cup of tea and toasted an English muffin for her, then packed Ethan’s lunch while he ran upstairs to get dressed.
“Don’t forget to brush your teeth,” I called up the stairs. “And wet your hair down before you comb it so it’s not sticking up everywhere.” His bedhead had been particularly bad this morning.
I kept glancing at Abby, who seemed lost in thought. I caught her rubbing her belly several times.
“Is Everly kicking up a storm this morning?”
She gave me a faint smile. “No, she’s pretty quiet actually.”
“I’m going to take E to school in Sinner’s truck, then swing by his place and switch it out for my bike. It’s going to be cold today, so I think it’s time to put the bike up for the season. I’ll stop back by here to park the bike and then drive my Tahoe to work.”
Abby just nodded at my explanation, then absently rubbed her belly again.
I dropped Ethan off at school about thirty minutes later, waving to Molly, who waved back and gave me a sweet smile.
Back at Sinner’s house, I took a few minutes to give him an update on our situation. I hadn’t really had a chance to talk to him since I’d requested a change to my road name.
“Your dad filled me in on what happened at Church. I’m glad it didn’t come down to you turnin’ in your cut.”
“Yeah, I am, too. Luckily, the only one who had a problem with it was Pic, and I think that’s just because he has a problem with me in general right now.”
“Well, he can just get the fuck over it,” Sinner stated bluntly, then he started laughing. “You’re just damn lucky nobody insisted on giving you the road name I wanted for you.”
I groaned, because yeah, that would have sucked. As little boys, Jag and I had been obsessed with the Toy Story movies. One day, Sinner and Grandma Frankie had taken us to McDonald’s for lunch, where you could pick a figurine from the movie, either Buzz or Woody, as your Happy Meal toy. Sinner had damned near pissed himself laughing when I yelled “I want a Buzz”, and Jag yelled “I want a Woody.” He and King had called us Buzz and Woody the entire summer, until Grandma Frankie made them stop. Sinner had suggested those as our road names when we patched in, but luckily, King vetoed them.
I left a few minutes later and froze my balls off riding back to our house. I parked the bike in the garage and dashed inside, intending to make a cup of coffee to go, in the hopes that I’d thaw out on the way to the shop.
That plan flew out the fucking window when I was met at the door by Amelia, who looked agitated as hell.
“Did you know she’s been having contractions?”
I almost tripped over my own feet as I whirled around to stare at her. “You mean like those Braxton-Hicks things?”
“No, dumbass. Like actualthe-baby-is-comingcontractions.” She was waving her arms as she spoke, clearly on the verge of losing her shit. I wasn’t too far behind her.
“Abby!” I bellowed, charging across the kitchen into the living room. She wasn’t there, so I took the stairs two at a time and burst into our bedroom. Abby was sitting on the edge of the bed, trying to slip her feet into a pair of loafers. She looked up calmly as I tried not to freak the fuck out.
“You’re having contractions? When did they start? How far apart are they? Have you called Dr. Chen?”
Abby rolled her eyes at me. “Calm down. Yes, I’m having contractions. They started about six-thirty this morning. They are six minutes apart now, and no, I haven’t called Dr. Chen. We’re supposed to call and head to the hospital when they are five minutes apart for one hour, and last for at least one minute, remember? I’m not there yet.”
I crouched down in front of her and helped her with her shoes. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me that you were in labor this morning, baby girl? What if it had gotten worse while I was gone, or I had stopped off at the store or something before I came home? What if – “
“I would have called you if any of that had happened. I didn’t say anything because I knew you would freak out – kind of like you’re doing right now – and I didn’t want Ethan to worry. Besides, my sister is here, so if anything had happened, she would have helped me.”
I heard Amelia’s voice behind me.
“I’m a cardiac nurse, Abby. I can help if you have a heart attack. I can’t help you deliver a baby! I did an OB clinical rotation back in nursing school, but I don’t remember any of it. I blocked it out of my mind because it was fucking gross.”
I glanced over my shoulder to see her glaring at Abby. Clearly, Lia wasn’t any happier than I was that Abby hadn’t told us she was in labor this morning.
