"Perfect." She sat up and he placed the tray on her lap.
"A glass of water." Springing up, he hurried back into the kitchenette to fill a glass and brought it back.
And sat there watching as she sipped the tea and nibbled on the biscuits.
"Better?"
"Hmm. What kind of tea is this?"
"It's called Sencha."
"It's very strong."
"Too strong?" he asked concerned.
"No, just right. It's settling well in my stomach."
"Good. Finish up and let's get some sleep."
Chapter 15
It felt like forever. And he was pretty certain that as the hours slid by, so did several years of his life. The waiting room was filled to overflowing with family and her best friend. His family had flown in as soon as they knew she was near to her delivery date. Even her mother, the irascible Dr. Victoria Landan was present.
It was going on six hours, with the bloody doctors telling him that it was natural for such a long labor.
"It's her first pregnancy and with twins, it can be a little unpredictable. If the babies have not crowned in the next hour, we will be thinking of doing a C-section. Your wife is completely against it. Just as she is against using an epidural."
"She's been reading up on it a lot." Oscar dragged agitated fingers through his hair as he paced the length of the private waiting room. "I want it over. She's in pain."
"She's a trooper." Dr. Jane Greene said with a reassuring smile. "She's cracking jokes, which has the medical team laughing."
He shot her a cool look. "It's not comedy central. I want you to do something."
"Perhaps you can talk her into taking the drug."
"How much longer?"
"Hard to say. The babies are positioned, so it's only a matter of time."
He paced the halls, restless and unable to find comfort in any chair, his thoughts playing over every possible outcome. Every so often, someone would offer him reassurance. Her mother with a stern nod, her best friend with a gentle squeeze of his hand. But nothing truly settled his nerves.
The hours seemed to blur together, marked only by brief updates from hurried nurses and the muted hum of anxious conversation around him.
"How are we doing?" he asked as soon as he stepped back inside the room.
"Wonderful. I'm keeping the doctors and nurses entertained. They are suggesting that I take a walk. The exercise might urge our babies to make an appearance." She reached for his hands. "Walk with me."
He looked up at the doctors who nodded in approval.
"Easy." Gripping her hands, he helped her out of bed and waited for her to slide into the comfortable fuzzy slippers he had brought to the hospital.
"Where do you want to go?"
"The nursery." She responded promptly. "Macy, that girl that came in after me, had a son."
He had to force himself not to mention that the woman she was referring to had come in after her.
"Are you hurting?" He had noticed that she was running her hand up and down the small of her back the minute they started walking.
