"Hey Petra," Jane Gloriana Villanueva said, almost regretting coming here as she watched Petra struggle with the pram in front of her. "Since we missed lunch the other day I was wondering if you want to get coffee today? Maybe we can look at… more functional strollers."
Petra Solano stood up and looked at the Hispanic woman in front of her. She put her hands on the small of her back, trying to support the weight of her ever growing stomach. "You know what, I would love that."
Jane nodded, almost awkwardly. She readjusted the purse slung from her shoulder and took a deep breath to calm her wildly beating heart. She shouldn't be feeling this way, she was engaged to Michael and had a son with the woman in front of her's ex-husband. She definitely shouldn't feel this way. Petra grabbed her purse off the long, wooden table and walked past Jane into the hallway.
"Are you coming or not?" she snapped impatiently.
"Uhh… uhh yeah," Jane stuttered snapping back into reality.
Petra raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Jane jumped to life joining Petra in the hallway and walking past her to the elevator and queuing it.
/||\\/||\\/||\\
"So this one worked great for Mateo," Jane said, pointing to swaddle wrap.
"I have silk blankets being imported from France," Petra said, buttering a roll and taking small bites of it.
"Well then, this breast pump is the best because it comes with an extra battery," Jane pointed out.
"I won't be breast feeding," Petra said, filing her nails with a file she miraculously seemed to produce.
"Even with all the proven advantages it gives to the babies," Jane asked, swallowing harshly to keep from saying something she would regret. A habit that was becoming more and more present on her life.
Petra thought about the words she was about to say. And how they could potentially hurt Jane, big time. "I'm not going to be an up close and personal mom like you Jane. I have experienced night nurses coming in with their own equipment. I just need cribs and rockers."
Jane gasped and suddenly she felt so ashamed for making this meeting and the flutters she was feeling in her stomach. "Well then, how about this glider. Knocked Mateo right out," Jane offered, not letting emotion come into this.
"Gliders are ugly Jane, I want rockers that look like chairs. Nice looking chairs," Petra said, in her normal insensitive, impatient, unrelenting and harsh tone.
"Oh." was all Jane could manage, turning her head so Petra couldn't see her face.
/||\\/||\\/||\\
"It's useless, Rafael. She won't listen to anything I say or suggest. She thinks I have low tastes and wants to buy thing just because they're expensive," Jane whisper yelled at Rafael in his office. She had him cornered and a finger waving dangerously near his face.
He knows she would never hurt him. But he thinks it's because she still harbours feeling for him. But in reality it was because Rafael meant a lot to Petra and Petra made Jane feel things that she know she shouldn't. She definitely shouldn't.
"...birthing classes," Petra said. She felt so out of place in the old Spanish home, especially with Alba and Xiomara's eyes piercing into her.
"So?" Jane asked, pressing her eyebrows together in a knot. She had no clue where this was going. She wouldn't even be at the birth of the twins.
"Well, you know, he's busy. With work. As always," Petra said choppily.
Jane nodded suspiciously. "You want me to take you?"
Petra startled and nodded. "Well yeah."
"Okay," Jane said, standing up and grabbing her purse. She walked over to where Mateo was in his highchair. "Good-bye Mr. Sweetface, Mommy will be home soon. She's going out with Aunt Petra." She pressed kisses all over his face ruffled his hair with her thin and slender hand.
They had been driving for a good ten minutes when Jane broke the tense silence. "We aren't going to birthing class are we?" Her heart was already pounding and stomach already twisting. Anything with Petra ensured drama.
"No we are not. I'm worried about Rafael." petra slammed her fist on the horn when a old Jeep merged in front of her.
/||\\/||\\/||\\
"That was fruitless," Petra admitted, shimmying into the car seat and adjusting the steering wheel.
"Mhm," Jane offered, looking at the clock. The book signing was going on right now, the one with her stolen idea.
"That's un-Jane-like. What's wrong?" Petra asked genuinely, but her tone unchanged form the usual one.
"There's a book signing going on and the idea is mine," Jane offered, twisting her fingers together.
"Well that's… that's nonsense. Let's go, you confront her and get your rights back, if we play this right, we could sue," Petra said her voice morphing into the business empress tone.
Jane giggled nervously. "Sueing is a bit extreme, Petra. Don't you think?" she was twisting her purse in her hands, the leather straps cutting into the flesh on her fingers.
"No, come on we can still make it," Petra said making a sharp right hand turn. "You have great ideas but that hag shouldn't be stealing them."
"Angelina Harper isn't a hag," Jane protested weakly, the idea of standing up to herself sounding more and more fun.
"Whatever."
/||\\/||\\/||\\
"Sorry, I just peed a little bit. Go up there I'll be right back," Petra insisted, huffing out a deep breath and putting her hands back on the small of her back. The long day of standing and driving was making her back ache incredibly.
"Are you sure your water didn't break? You're full term remember," Jane said, all want to scream at Angelina Harper fleeing her body. She put a hand on Petra's small wrist and looked her in the eye.
"No, no, don't be silly. My water didn't break," she insisted again, shaking her head a little bit and the pain in her pelvis intensified. She bent forward the tiniest bit and felt Jane's hand tighten around her wrist.
"We should get to the hospital." Jane flashed a smile at the crowd behind them and then gently dragged Petra through the parted mob of people and towards her new SUV.
"Distract me, Jane," Petra growled as a contraction geared up. She clenched the IV in her hand and tried her best to keep walking across the room.
"Umm, well Rafael and Michael aren't any closer," Jane offered running out of ideas to pitch to the cranky blonde.
"That's fantastic. You know what let's try the-" Petra's statement was cut of by a pained and blood-curdling scream.
"I want to invite you to my wedding," Jane screamed over her and all of a sudden Petra stopped.
"What? Why?" she asked breathlessly. For the reasons you think and not; she was in labor after all.
Jane thought about the real reason. She needed to see Michael and Petra in the same room, dressed up and smiling, and still be able to choose Michael. They were engaged after all. "We're growing closer. Your my friend and I want you there," Jane said instead.
And Petra's heart splintered a little. That wasn't what she wanted to hear.
/||\\/||\\/||\\
"Keep reading or talking or SOMETHING," Petra screamed, the pain in her lower half becoming paralyzing.
"Umm… umm… name one of the twins after me," Jane called.
Petra once again stopped all movement and noise. "We have the names picked out already."
"Who's 'we'?"
"Rafael and I of course," Jane said, her tone becoming cold and emotionless again.
"They're precious, Petra," Jane cooed, tickling the twin that she was holding's nose.
"Do you want to know their names?" Petra asked brushing of the compliment. She didn't really ever imagine Jane being there when her twin daughters were born but now that it had happened she didn't want it any other way. She wants Jane to be the second one to hold her babies, that's what she always wanted, she thinks to herself.
"Of course," Jane exclaims, but quietly so that the baby she is holding doesn't wake.
"Elsa and Anna."
"Like Frozen?" Jane asks, laughing the names off.
"Only you would think of that," Petra insisted, "Elsa Jane and Anna Magda."
"Awh!" Jane said, but it was more of a excited moan-grunt. "They named you after me." This was directed towards baby Elsa she was holding.
"Don't let it get to your head," Petra said, but she really, really wanted Jane to let it get to her head.
She named a baby after her arch nemesis/crush of sorts. She should be grateful.
"Babies are vetter off vithout vou," Magda growled into the prison phone.
"Mother?! How could you say that? I'm their mother," Petra cried into the phone. Her heels made an unnerving click-clack against the tile of her suite as she paced. She kicked them off unceremoniously and kept pacing, letting the cool porcelain smack against the bottoms of her feet.
"Vou are like me. Not mother material. Ve vere not vell off vecause I vas not meant to mother," Magda said patronizingly.
Petra didn't reply and hung up. But this got her thinking, would Anna and Elsa be off better without her. Could they thrive better under someone else? It didn't make up her mind exactly but it certainly got her thinking.