He shook his head, then squinted at me. “What happened to you? There’s a red mark on your forehead, and your nose is red.”
I hitched my chin toward the labor room. “I had a fight with that door. I’m okay.”
“How about we go to the cafeteria?” Lily suggested. “There’s not much we can do now but wait.”
We took the elevator two floors down to the cafeteria. It was past midnight, but everyone wanted coffee. We also got bagels and muffins. We needed energy. Sebastian checked his phone regularly for a message from Cam.
I yawned. How long had I been up today?
“It’s so hard to wait like this.” Ange took a sip of scalding coffee, wincing at its bitterness.
“Sue has excellent care. We have nothing to worry about.” Lily broke off a piece of muffin and placed it delicately into her mouth.
“Exactly,” Nikki added. “Her vital signs and those of the baby are well within normal parameters. She’s healthy and young; everything should go well.”
“Yeah.” I took a sip of coffee. God, it was bitter. I opened two packs of sugar and poured them inside. I looked over at Sebastian, sitting in the plastic chair next to mine. “How are you doing? You were up early this morning.”
He squeezed my thigh. “We both were. I’m okay. A bit shaken. The thought of being in Cam’s shoes is scary. Watching the woman you love in pain, knowing that you did that to her, and there’s basically nothing you can do for her now to help…”
The girls fell silent.
I shrugged. “She wanted him to do that to her. She was very vocal about it.”
Ange giggled. “When she decided to get pregnant, she turned the whole thing into a military operation. She made charts, monitored her ovulation, and had Cam perform like a trained monkey at any hour of the day and night.”
We laughed, the much needed relief turning us into a pack of hyenas. Heads turned to look at us, some making signs that suggested we were a group of unhinged junkies. We probably looked the part, since Cam had called at half past nine, and all of us were already in our pajamas. No one had stopped to change. We’d rushed to the hospital looking like a bunch of homeless hippies. Lily still had her hydrating gloves on. Nikki wore flip-flops and her favorite pair of mermaid socks, one with a pattern of mermaid fins and the other with mermaid scales. Her socks were always mismatched, although each pair had a common theme. She bought them from a store that advertised each sock as being unique. It suited her, since Nikki was definitely unique.
Even Ange was a bit disheveled. She wore a black pajama with drawstring pants and a lacy top, over which she’d donned a beige cardigan. Damn, she still looked fashionable though.
As for me and Sebastian, we couldn’t very well have worn what we had on when Cam called, since we’d been having sex on the sofa. We did manage to untangle ourselves, put on T-shirts and sweatpants, and rush out the door to Sebastian’s car.
As we sat there together, I reflected on the beauty of friendship. Not a single one of us had hesitated to be here for Sue and Cam tonight. How many families were this united? I didn’t know of any. I felt incredibly blessed.
As the minutes trickled by, my eyelids grew heavy and I dozed with my head on Sebastian’s shoulder. My head snapped up when I felt him stir. As I opened my eyes, I realized he was gazing at his phone.
“What?”
“Cam just texted. We have a baby. Meet Aylin.”
He held up the phone so that we could all see the picture.
When I laid eyes on Sue’s daughter for the first time, it was an overwhelming moment of pure sweetness. The tiny bundle of joy, swaddled in a soft pink blanket, was a perfect symbol of innocence and wonder. Those little fingers, the delicate features, and the peaceful slumber—it was as if a small miracle had unfolded a couple of floors above us. The photo had an undeniable aura of new life and pure love. A fascinating blend between two people I loved, Sue’s daughter had her mom’s tiny nose and Cam’s long dark eyelashes.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I stared at the newborn, awed by the miracle of life. As Sebastian passed his phone around, there wasn’t a dry eye at our table, including his. The girls cooed and sniffled, squashing together as they had on the couch at Sue’s bachelorette party, staring not at a stripper but at the sweet, beautiful Aylin.
Sebastian pulled me closer. I felt the emotion in his chest echoing my own. There was something magical about tonight. As we stared into each other’s eyes, the world around us faded away.
“She’s so beautiful,” I whispered.
“She’s perfect.” Sebastian’s eyes were damp, as were mine.
“Sue will make an amazing mom,” I managed before hiccupping.
“Yeah, but so will you one day.”
My heart skipped a beat. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying we should set a wedding date.”
