CATER'S POV
I walked into my apartment and noticed that the light on my answering machine was flashing. I pressed the button and went into the kitchen.
Susan's voice came floating in from my living room. "Hey Carter, it's Susan. I, um. . .well, there's just something I think you should know about. It's about Abby. She doesn't know that I'm calling you. . .she'd kill me if she did. I shouldn't be the one to tell you this. Just. . .can you call Abby. Or come back to Chicago. That would probably be best. Come back to Chicago. OK, well, sorry I missed you. Hope you're OK. Bye."
I took a frozen dinner out of the freezer, unwrapped it, and tossed it in the microwave. Whatever it was that Susan had been talking about, I didn't care. Whatever was going on with Abby was none of my business. Not anymore.
I had already moved on and if she couldn't then that was her problem. Rosie and I had been on two dates already and had planned a third. Thing I liked most about Rosie was her confidence. Something Abby seemed to have lost at some point.
I turned on the TV and started flipping through the channels. Abby always hated when I did that.
I wondered what it was the Susan wanted to tell me. Maybe Abby had been hurt or was really sick or something. Maybe I should call. Just in case. I picked up the phone and dialled three numbers and hung it up again. I wouldn't be able to move on if I kept going back.
The phone rang. I hesitated before picking it up. It could be Susan again.
"Hello?" I said nervously.
"Hey!"
I sighed with relief. "Hey Rosie," I said, relaxing in my chair.
*********************************
8 MONTHS LATER . . . ABBY'S POV
"No, Mom," I said into the phone. "The baby isn't here yet. I promise I'll call you when it is."
Maggie had been calling for about a week. She was paranoid I wouldn't tell her when the baby was born. She had nothing to worry about. When this baby finally got out of my I was gonna shout it loudly from the roof tops. But not too loudly. I didn't want Carter to hear me.
I looked at the calendar hanging on my kitchen wall. On the block for September 18th, DUE DATE was written in big red letters. It was already the 23rd and still, no baby.
I walked slowly into the room that Susan and I had turned into a nursery. The walls were a pale yellow and the furniture was all painted white with little green and yellow flowers on it. There was a wallpaper border on top of the walls that also had flowers. I wasn't exactly planning for this baby to be a boy. God help the poor kid if it was a boy.
Without warning, I felt something erupt inside me. I looked down. My water had broken. I reached for the phone. Who did I call first? Susan or a cab?
I decided on the cab. Then I called Susan. "Hello?"
"Susan?" I was breathing heavily.
"Oh my God. Is it time?" she asked.
"Uh huh," I said. "It's time."
"I'm at work right now but I'll try to get upstairs to see you," she promised. "And I'll call and let them know you're on your way."
********************************
As I got out of the cab, an OB nurse helped me into a wheelchair. "Have you already called the father?" she asked. "Or would you like us to?"
Great. She had brought up the last thing I wanted to think about. "There is no father," I said through clenched teeth.
"OK then, we'll just get you comfortable." She helped me onto the gurney.
I started to scream. The contractions were coming fast. I started to cry. The doctor came into the room. "Ms. Abby Lockhart?" he asked brightly. "How are you doing?"
"How . . . the hell . . . does it seem like I'm doing?" I snarled.
He ignored me. "OK, well, if we can just get you into a gown. . ." he and two nurses began undressing me. I was thirsty. I wanted water. I wanted this goddamn baby outta me. I wanted Carter.
Once they had me in the gown, the doctor put on gloves and sat on his little stool. The nurses put my feet into the stirrups. "You're lucky," one of them said. "Looks like this is gonna be pretty quick. I wanted to smack her.
"OK, Abby. I need you to push," the doctor said.
I shook my head. "Hurts," I moaned.
"The only way to make it stop is to push. OK, with the next contraction . . . PUSH!"
I strained as hard as I could. I thought maybe I could get the baby out in one push.
I was wrong. "OK, it's crowning," the doctor said. "Keep going, Abby, you're doing great."
I pushed again. "Is it over?" I sobbed.
"Not yet, Abby. But the head's out now. The hard part is over. Just two more good pushes and you're done."
I could smell blood and sweat all around me. I turned my head to the side and threw up. I grabbed onto both sides of the gurney and pushed again. When I relaxed, I could hear a baby crying. "Congratulations," the doctor said. "You have a beautiful baby. . ."
But I didn't hear if it was a boy or a girl. I had already fallen asleep.
I walked into my apartment and noticed that the light on my answering machine was flashing. I pressed the button and went into the kitchen.
Susan's voice came floating in from my living room. "Hey Carter, it's Susan. I, um. . .well, there's just something I think you should know about. It's about Abby. She doesn't know that I'm calling you. . .she'd kill me if she did. I shouldn't be the one to tell you this. Just. . .can you call Abby. Or come back to Chicago. That would probably be best. Come back to Chicago. OK, well, sorry I missed you. Hope you're OK. Bye."
I took a frozen dinner out of the freezer, unwrapped it, and tossed it in the microwave. Whatever it was that Susan had been talking about, I didn't care. Whatever was going on with Abby was none of my business. Not anymore.
I had already moved on and if she couldn't then that was her problem. Rosie and I had been on two dates already and had planned a third. Thing I liked most about Rosie was her confidence. Something Abby seemed to have lost at some point.
I turned on the TV and started flipping through the channels. Abby always hated when I did that.
I wondered what it was the Susan wanted to tell me. Maybe Abby had been hurt or was really sick or something. Maybe I should call. Just in case. I picked up the phone and dialled three numbers and hung it up again. I wouldn't be able to move on if I kept going back.
The phone rang. I hesitated before picking it up. It could be Susan again.
"Hello?" I said nervously.
"Hey!"
I sighed with relief. "Hey Rosie," I said, relaxing in my chair.
*********************************
8 MONTHS LATER . . . ABBY'S POV
"No, Mom," I said into the phone. "The baby isn't here yet. I promise I'll call you when it is."
Maggie had been calling for about a week. She was paranoid I wouldn't tell her when the baby was born. She had nothing to worry about. When this baby finally got out of my I was gonna shout it loudly from the roof tops. But not too loudly. I didn't want Carter to hear me.
I looked at the calendar hanging on my kitchen wall. On the block for September 18th, DUE DATE was written in big red letters. It was already the 23rd and still, no baby.
I walked slowly into the room that Susan and I had turned into a nursery. The walls were a pale yellow and the furniture was all painted white with little green and yellow flowers on it. There was a wallpaper border on top of the walls that also had flowers. I wasn't exactly planning for this baby to be a boy. God help the poor kid if it was a boy.
Without warning, I felt something erupt inside me. I looked down. My water had broken. I reached for the phone. Who did I call first? Susan or a cab?
I decided on the cab. Then I called Susan. "Hello?"
"Susan?" I was breathing heavily.
"Oh my God. Is it time?" she asked.
"Uh huh," I said. "It's time."
"I'm at work right now but I'll try to get upstairs to see you," she promised. "And I'll call and let them know you're on your way."
********************************
As I got out of the cab, an OB nurse helped me into a wheelchair. "Have you already called the father?" she asked. "Or would you like us to?"
Great. She had brought up the last thing I wanted to think about. "There is no father," I said through clenched teeth.
"OK then, we'll just get you comfortable." She helped me onto the gurney.
I started to scream. The contractions were coming fast. I started to cry. The doctor came into the room. "Ms. Abby Lockhart?" he asked brightly. "How are you doing?"
"How . . . the hell . . . does it seem like I'm doing?" I snarled.
He ignored me. "OK, well, if we can just get you into a gown. . ." he and two nurses began undressing me. I was thirsty. I wanted water. I wanted this goddamn baby outta me. I wanted Carter.
Once they had me in the gown, the doctor put on gloves and sat on his little stool. The nurses put my feet into the stirrups. "You're lucky," one of them said. "Looks like this is gonna be pretty quick. I wanted to smack her.
"OK, Abby. I need you to push," the doctor said.
I shook my head. "Hurts," I moaned.
"The only way to make it stop is to push. OK, with the next contraction . . . PUSH!"
I strained as hard as I could. I thought maybe I could get the baby out in one push.
I was wrong. "OK, it's crowning," the doctor said. "Keep going, Abby, you're doing great."
I pushed again. "Is it over?" I sobbed.
"Not yet, Abby. But the head's out now. The hard part is over. Just two more good pushes and you're done."
I could smell blood and sweat all around me. I turned my head to the side and threw up. I grabbed onto both sides of the gurney and pushed again. When I relaxed, I could hear a baby crying. "Congratulations," the doctor said. "You have a beautiful baby. . ."
But I didn't hear if it was a boy or a girl. I had already fallen asleep.