Two days later….

Another hospital, another waiting room, but this one was fuller and nicer.

Better furniture.

Newer magazines.

Less old batty women in spandex.

Even the bathrooms were nicer, which I only saw once, but they were clean.

Though I gave the kids inside a scare when I ran in and threw up in the trashcan, nerves. I washed my face and gurgled some water in the sink.

But I stayed at the sink.

Unable to move away from the water, not even when some old man came up beside me. He looked at me a little too closely, "Sir? Are you ok?"

I nodded, not wanting to talk to anyone really.

"You look a little pale."

Shit. I'd come in the bathroom not only to throw up, but escape Albert's constant glances in my direction. Checking on me.

I looked up at the old man, with a bad wig and large tri-focals, in jeans a tad too tight and his plaid shirt had three buttons down. Holding onto his youth. Perfect. "I'm fine."

He looked at me oddly, as if he couldn't place me, and then he asked, "Your a Ranger? From the base."

I shook my head.

But the man was adamant, "I saw you training Tuesday night."

That shocked the hell out of me. I stood up and towered over the shorter man, "And you are?"

He held out a hand to shake mine, "Bill. I live on the Mountain, in Swiss Colony."

I still didn't take his hand, instead I told him, "Good for you."

"Your not a Ranger?"

Good God! What was this? Social hour at the zoo? But it was either this nut or my brother the armed nut with a badge.

Before I could demand what the mans problem was, Sanderson peeked in the bathroom, he lifted his eyebrows at me. I made a face that pleaded with Sanderson.

Who thank God took the hint, he pointed to the cell phone on his hip and told me, "Hey baby, the sitter just called and said little Ming Lee is up. Did you want to tell her we're adopting a baby sister, or keep it a surprise?"

I turned to the man, whose eyes were as round as marbles, and told him, "I have to go."

As I walked to Sanderson I mouthed, 'Thank you.'

Sanderson put his hand on my back and rubbed it as I walked out, I lead him out into the hall that lead to the waiting room, once the door closed he dropped his hand. "Who was that?"

I couldn't go back to the waiting room.

Diana had an hour left in surgery. I couldn't have Albert staring at me, McKnight going up to the nurse every ten minutes, Humera flipping through a baby name book, the Doc. Wandle.

"Some nut from the Mountain the other night."

Sanderson stopped, "Oh." He fell back against the wallpapered wall and commented, "You know, this waiting will kill you."

I nodded and mirrored him on the other wall, across from him. Though my head fell back on the wall. I stared up at the ceiling. Which had pictures for the people on stretchers to look at.

Sanderson looked at his watch, then sighed.

Offhandedly I asked, "Do you realize, I've spent more damn time in hospitals with you, then anyone else in my life?"

"I know. It's cause I'm so pretty to look at."

I thought about flipping him off, then decided I didn't have the energy. He laughed at me. So I told him, "Your gonna be in one'a these rooms soon when your wifie delivers that lil'one of yours."

Sanderson nodded, "Yeah."

I looked at him, "What?"

He looked confused.

"The last damn time I heard you say 'Yeah' like that, we was gettin at."

Sanderson nodded, then checked his watch again, "I'm kinda hoping they'll have to do a C-section."

"Why? They'll giver drugs for tha pain."

He nodded, but then added, "I know…but it's still gonna hurt her a little. And I'm partly to blame for it. I'd deliver our child if I could….I just don't want her to feel any more pain. She's been through enough."

I understood that.

"I know," I told him, then added, "But not enough for her ta name it Abdullah?"

"Fuck No!"

"Did you ever write to the makers of those three pills she was on?"

Sanderson nodded.

"And what'd they say?"

Sanderson stood up straight as a small family walked between us, waiting until they were in the waiting room, "They asked if I used a condom."

I lifted my eyebrows in surprise.

"Yeah! That's what I thought, if she's on the pill I didn't have to use one of those things….after we have Remington, what pill is Diana on?"

I shrugged, "Dunno. I'm only incharge'a birth control when she switches pills."

The door to the waiting room opened, out came Albert, pulling out a carton of cigarettes from his jeans pocket.

"You're not allowed to smoke in a hospital," Sanderson told him, to which Albert replied, "That's why I'm goin in tha stairwell." Sanderson looked to me and I rolled my eyes.

Once the stairwell door down the hall closed Sanderson opened his mouth, I held up my hand, "Not'a word."