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Chapter Forty-Three: Welcome To The World

"Considering Guadalupe's health complications, it isn't that bad."

Focused on the road, Jane frowned and bit her lower lip. They had rushed out of Ikea as soon as Maura had put an end to her phone call with Lisa. "Then why did you sound so scared when you were talking to her? She's probably freaking out right now. You'd reassure her if everything's fine!"

Guadalupe was in labor. A month before her due date. It was early, too early.

"Because Haumea will nonetheless be a premature baby which means that she could suffer from a lot of complications, right from her birth or later in life." Subconsciously, the medical examiner rested a hand on her stomach and started caressing it. As much as she was eager to see the twins, she wanted them to take their time. They didn't have to be in a hurry.

"How did Lisa sound? By your inflection, it was like Guadalupe was about to die or something!" Jane swallowed hard – honked at an idiot who was mistaking the road for a snail contest – and turned to her right to avoid the traffic at this hour of the day. They had time. A labor could be long, endless. Yet Lisa was alone and they wanted to be there.

"I am not sure..." Maura squinted her eyes, trying to remember the conversation she had had with their friend. Everything had happened so fast that she had barely had time to register what was going on.

Except for this cinammon cookie. She hadn't had time to eat it as they had left the restaurant of Ikea as soon as she had told Lisa that they were on their way to the hospital.

"I would say that she was someway between ecstatic and terrified." But Maura's satisfaction didn't find an echo in Jane. Not at all.

The brunette chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Now don't you think this leaves quite a lot of room – like a whole freaking range of emotions – to interpretation?" And she's pouting. Great. You've offended her.

"There is no need to mock me, Jane. You know that I hate guessing... And slow down, please. We didn't fix all the cardboard boxes. They are moving from right to left dangerously. If you don't slow down, we might end up with a broken window on the backseat."

Mumbling between her teeth, Jane nonetheless obliged because she had to recognize that Maura was – kind of – right. They had thirty boxes in her Subaru and the last thing she wanted was a stop at some mechanics. She had no time – and even less patience – to deal with Giovanni right now.

"You know, I'm surprised you haven't packed your maternity bag already."

Silence. A long one before Maura turned her head around to look at her wife and raised an eyebrow. "Are you mocking me again?"

"No!" Jeez, why is she so susceptible, today? Be careful, Riz'. She could knock you out with one of the boxes that have a funny Swedish name on them. "I'm serious. You're... Very organized... So how come you haven't packed it yet considering you have the list of things you need for D-day?"

"Oh." Moving uncomfortably on her seat, Maura decided to focus the streets that were speeding past in front of her eyes. She liked Boston in the winter. It looked icy, beautiful. "I haven't found the right bag yet, as a matter of fact. I have put an option on a few of them but I am afraid that the Hermès one I was hoping for won't be available yet by the time I give birth."

Don't roll your eyes, Riz'. Keep it all for yourself. Unless you want to be killed.

"Maura, honey... You already have a whole bag collection that would make Barney's green with envy. Do you really think you need a new one?" Jane made a face, fearing a fireback. But it didn't come.

"It is going to be a special day so I would like to have one that I have never used so far. And one day I will tell our daughters that I got this bag the day of their birth. Don't you like the symbol?"

It was asked so genuinely that Jane nodded and enjoyed the warmth that embraced her heart as she let a smile play on her lips when Maura's hand landed on her thigh. End of the conversation. The building of the hospital appeared in front of them. Hopefully the parking lot wouldn't be full. She didn't see Maura walk two blocks in this weather. Not with all this snow and strong wind.

Luckily, she found a spot just by the main entrance and it only took them thirty seconds to step into the overheated hospital. The place was crowded but Maura had this advantage to feel right at her place and at home in this labyrinth of corridors. As they arrived on the right floor, a nurse brought them to a room but Lisa and Guadalupe were nowhere to be seen. Their belongings were in it, though. Jane stopped the woman just as she was about to leave again.

"Where are they?"

The nurse shrugged. "I'm going to check. She isn't my patient. But if she's not in the labor room then she must be having a c-section by now."

Without any further detail, the woman left.

"Wait. Maur'... Did Lisa tell you that Guadalupe was taken to surgery?" Jane turned around and bit her lips – worried - at the honey blonde. This was not how she had seen things. She should have been close to their friends – if not just in the same room – hearing Lisa saying to Guadalupe that she had to push while the painter would lose her legendary calm to ask her wife to shut up.

Wasn't it how it worked?

Maura sat down on an armchair and grabbed a magazine abandoned on a table nearby. "No, she didn't tell me anything like that. Just that Guadalupe was in labor, that it was early but the medical staff had assumed that it was better for the baby now if they wanted to avoid some complications. She has been here since December... She must feel relieved."

Hello?! "But it's surgery!"

Jane's panicked remark pushed the scientist to look up and – surprised by the reaction of her wife – she burst out laughing. "Yes, it is... But it isn't more dangerous than anything else, Jane. You know that it is what could happen to me, don't you? Multiple pregnancies..."

Worried – not amused the slightest bit by such possibility – Jane grabbed a chair and sat by Maura. She hated waiting. Especially when she had half of Ikea waiting in her car to be assembled. At least she was on a day off. But still... What was it that – lately – she had the feeling to always spend her free time in a medical environment?

"But if she's having an emergency c-section then that means something went wrong! Shouldn't you be freaking out the way I am?"

Leafing through the magazine, Maura shrugged. How could she be so calm? It was frightening. "There were a lot of chances for it to happen considering her medical background. You know that she is a bit weaker – because of her disease – so it actually seems logical to me."

Jane pondered the words. Maura was right. Not that it was reassuring at all. Unsure of the way she had to say it without sounding like a kid of five, she crossed her arms against her chest and chewed on her lower lip nervously. "I don't want that to happen to you."

Her whisper floated in the air rather heavily. Maura froze, remained silent for long seconds as if she did not know what to say; how to react properly.

"But you will be with me... I mean, unless something very wrong happens. Jane, look at me." Maura – as peaceful as ever – locked her hazel eyes with the brunette's dark ones and smiled. "You know that I want to give birth naturally but at times you have no choice. It can be too dangerous for the babies and for me. A c-section can save lives."

"I know but I don't like it. I'm not very... Comfortable with all of this." Chewing her thumb, the Italian avoided her wife's gaze and grabbed the first book she found on the table. Unfortunately, it was a novel in Spanish.

The gesture made Maura laugh lightly; sweetly.

"I didn't know that you mastered Cervantès' language to the point of reading a whole book in Spanish."

The detective was about to reply when the door opened and Lisa came in. She looked exhausted. Was she happy or sad? Jane frowned, unable to say. Their friend simply looked drained.

"So?" Not even bothering to say 'hi', the brunette stood up and offered a timid smile to the art dealer. It seemed like the passing of time had been suspended, clutched to the blurry strength of fate that not a single person really controlled in the end.

Maura stood up as well – with more difficulty than Jane – and approached Lisa. Why was she so quiet? If she didn't speak soon enough, the medical examiner would start panicking once and for all.

But just as Jane opened her mouth to ask again, Lisa finally reacted and looked up at both women. She let a few seconds fly away; not more for the effect than because she needed time to come back to life – to reality – after what she had just been through.

"We are mothers... Haumea... Haumea and Guadalupe are doing fine. Everyone's fine!" She burst out laughing – as if suddenly realizing – and threw herself in Jane and Maura's arms.