Anything but Normal - Melody Carlson [72]
“Aren’t you glad I didn’t let you take me to the prom?”
Sophie gasped as Wes drove her to the hospital.
“Keep breathing,” he told her. “Like your birthing coach told you to do.”
“I am breathing, silly. I’m just not having a contraction right now.”
“Oh, okay.”
“But can you imagine how embarrassing it would’ve been if we’d been out on the dance floor and my water had broken?”
He laughed. “Yeah, we would’ve been the hot topic of the evening.”
“It was bad enough having to leave the movie theater. I hope they can get that seat clean—” Suddenly her body was gripped by a giant vise that threatened to squeeze the very life out of her, and the next thing she knew, she was screaming.
“Breathe, Sophie, breathe!”
“Hee hee hee hee,” she hissed over and over just like Carrie Anne’s mom had taught her to do. She felt like her body was being ripped apart, like someone had taken a hot poker and stabbed her in the back with it. How did women survive this?
After what seemed hours but was truly just minutes, Sophie was being wheeled into the labor room. And that’s when the real fun began. Everything she’d felt from the beginning only intensified until she really did believe she was going to die.
“Do your breathing,” Mrs. Vincent told her. “Stay on top of it, Sophie.”
“Keep it up, sweetie,” her mom said, “you’re doing great.” Mrs. Vincent squeezed her hand. “This contraction is almost over.”
On and on it went until finally Sophie was ready for an epidural and a little bit of relief. “I can’t believe women actually choose to do this on purpose,” Sophie said hoarsely. “I swear I’ll never have sex again.”
“Childbirth,” Mrs. Vincent said, “the best form of birth control.”
Sophie sighed and closed her eyes.
“That’s right, honey,” Mom said, “get some rest.”
“Because you’re going to need it,” Mrs. Vincent added.
And she did need it. It took a full hour of back labor and pushing until she was certain her eyeballs were going to pop out before she heard Dr. Phillips say that the head was emerging. By then Sophie was in so much pain that even the sound of the baby’s cries went right over her. Apparently that’s when she passed out.
When Sophie came to, she had been moved to a regular room, and all was quiet. She reached down to touch her stomach and could tell that the baby was gone. Not that her tummy was gone—it still seemed abnormally big, only now it was floppy too. And she could tell that the living, moving life-form that had been with her for nine months was no longer there. To her surprise, she began to cry.
“These are from Wes,” her mom said as she came in with a bouquet of yellow roses. “And Dad sends his love, but you know how he is about hospitals. Are you okay?”
“I—I think I’m okay. But I miss her.”
“You miss her?”
“The baby.” Sophie clung to her stomach and cried even harder.
Mom looked shocked. “Do you wish you were still pregnant?”
“No, of course not.” Sophie firmly shook her head. “It’s just weird. I miss her and I feel sad.”
“Do you want to see her?”
Originally Sophie had told everyone that she didn’t want to see her baby. She had wanted to have her, sign the papers, and just move on. Now she was unsure. “Maybe so . . .”
Her mom nodded. “I think that’s wise, sweetie. She’s such a cutie pie too. She looks so much like you did.”
Within minutes Sophie was holding her very own baby in her arms. The baby was so perfect, so sweet, so complete, that it took Sophie’s breath away. She touched a soft cheek, and the baby turned her head and looked into her eyes. Sophie’s eyes filled with tears, and it felt as if someone had just slid a dull knife into her heart. “Here, Mom,” she said quickly. “Please, just take her.”
“But, honey, that wasn’t—”
“Just take her. Now.”
Her mom took the baby and left the room. Once again Sophie cried. She sobbed so hard that she got the hiccups. Even then she couldn’t stop crying. Why was this so