“Hello, Mr. James. How can I help you?” Jason answers my call on the second ring.
“I need to find Joyce McFarlin. She’s my wife’s midwife. She should be here by now.”
“She had a flat tire. She is waiting for an uber.”
“How fast can you get her here.”
“With ninety-five percent accuracy, I believe I can get her here in five minutes”
“Please, do it. Do whatever it takes.
I turn to my wife, staring at me aghast. “You can’t use Jason for personal reasons.”
“I just did.”
She laughs then her face contorts. “Don’t tell jokes, oh my God, it hurts.”
“Breathe. Remember our class?”
“You fucking breathe. It doesn’t help. Who the fuck thinks breathing helps? It’s ridiculous. Shit!”
When the next contraction comes, she says to the nurse. “It feels like I need to push.”
The nurse checks then runs out of the room. “I’ll get the doctor on call. It’s time.
Alone with Callie, I wipe her brow. “You’re doing great, sweetheart.”
“I don’t want a doctor. What if he has a golf game and gives me a C-section.”
“I won’t let him, honey. Relax. Let me worry about that.” My heart pumps. In a few short minutes, I’m going to hold our baby. To think, had I reenlisted, I wouldn’t be here. Some other bloke would be holding her hand, talking her through the pain.
I was a bloody idiot.
Thank God she did the intervention. It was lame but it helped me recognize how all my friends are here for me. Despite what I thought at the time, I was not alone.
“Loch. Get the doctor. Owww… She’s coming.” I step into the hall where a dark man in scrubs is rushing our way.
“Well, well, well. What’ve we got here? He checks my wife and says, “You’re right. It’s time to push. Next contraction, bear down and push your baby to me.”
I wipe the sweat off Callie’s face and give her hand a squeeze. “Almost there, luv.”
“Joyce?”
“On her way.”
“I’m Doctor Pawar, by the way. Weren’t you the woman who got kidnapped?”
“Nice to meet you. Oh shit. Here we go.” She grips my arm tight while I rub her back.
“Push.”
“I’mampushing dammit.” She grits her teeth then asks, “You don’t have a golf game scheduled, do you?”
He chuckles. “No. My t-time isn’t for another couple hours.”
She moans.
“I’m kidding. Good girl. I see her head. Give me another push exactly like the last.”
