“What do you mean you’re in labor? You’re not due for another month!” Sophie dropped her chopping knife onto the cutting board and raced into the den to her sister, who sat doubled over.
“Try and explain that to the baby. She’s on her way.” Joanie groaned as she heaved herself off the sofa.
“Okay. I’ll call Dave.”
“No time. He’s in class for another hour, and he’s got another one right after that. You’ve gotta take me to the hospital. I’ll call and leave a message in the department office and he can come when he’s done. With Joey I was in labor for a day and a half, so I don’t expect this one to be here any time soon.” She picked up her cell phone and waddled toward the front closet.
“Let me help you.”
“I can get myself to the car. Would you please grab the suitcase at the foot of the bed? I think it’s all packed. I’ll meet you at the car. You can drive my SUV — it’ll make it through the snow better.”
Sophie raced to Joanie and Dave’s room and found the overnighter. She double-checked and found her sister had indeed packed everything she’d need, including a cute little pink outfit to bring the baby home in. There was also a small framed photograph of the family: Joanie, Dave, Joey, and Sophie. She cracked a smile, seeing herself included. Mitch had stopped by one evening at Joanie’s request and taken the picture. Joanie planned to have Mitch take a photo of the new baby and include both pictures on their Christmas card.
Hearing the front door open, she quickly closed the suitcase. Showtime.
Holland was on the Lake Michigan shore, and the lake-effect snows were even deeper than those in Zutphen. Joanie’s car had front-wheel drive, so it was a safer choice than her own vehicle, but Sophie said an extra prayer as she started the ignition. Despite the urgency, Sophie decided to take the main plowed roads rather than the interstate to the Holland Community Hospital. She’d experienced the helplessness of losing control on icy highways more than once, and she didn’t intend to do so now, with her sister and unborn niece on board. Joanie groaned as another contraction hit, and Sophie wondered if she’d made the right decision. Would they make it to the hospital in time?
The drive to the hospital seemed to take forever. Much of the previous night’s snow had been plowed, but deep drifts still covered some of the road leading into town. Joanie conversed with her doctor, explaining how far apart the contractions were.
How can she remain so calm? If I were in her shoes, would I remember what to do? She pushed those thoughts away. Nate’s abandonment had quashed her dreams of having her own family.
As soon as Joanie hung up, she called the college history department office and left a message for Dave. And then she called a neighbor, asking her to please pick Joey up after school. Good grief. Sophie hadn’t even thought of that. Poor Joey might have been waiting outside a locked house. Joanie made another call to Kathy Sikkema at the school, explaining the circumstances and giving her permission for Joey to leave with the neighbor.
Sophie reached for the radio controls, flipping through her favorites until she found a calming country ballad. Then she took a deep breath and concentrated on the road. Beside her, Joanie hummed along with the melody. Apparently the music calmed her, too.
At last, they rounded a bend in the road and the towers of the hospital came into view. Only a few more miles to go. Sophie breathed a little easier knowing they were closer to help. She pulled into the drive and made her way to the emergency drop off, where a burly attendant came up to the passenger door with a wheelchair. He helped Joanie into it while directing Sophie to the parking structure.
She parked the car and ran into the hospital, stopping at the information desk to ask, “My sister is here to have her baby. Where can I find her?”
She plowed through an endless maze of hallways, pausing only to remove her jacket when the sweat began to pour down her face. On the second floor, she spied a sign directing her to the birthing center. Good. She had to be close. A friendly receptionist checked her ID and gave her directions to Joanie’s room.
Joanie sat on a hospital bed, already changed into a gown. A nurse took her vital signs, hooked up the fetal monitor, and adjusted her pillows. Sophie stood back, unsure what she should do. With nurses coming and going, it was a challenge just to stay out of their way. Should she go to a waiting room? No one had told her to leave, and she didn’t want to leave Joanie alone. She decided to sit in a chair in the corner until someone told her to do something else.
Dave burst into the room, his face white, his hair a mess. “Baby, I’m so sorry it took me so long. The roads from campus are deadly. I thought I’d never get here.”
“I didn’t expect to see you here so quickly,” Joanie remarked as Dave enveloped her in a tight embrace. “You’re supposed to be in class for another hour.”
Dave’s head reared back. “You didn’t think I’d be able to teach knowing you’re in labor, did you? I had the secretary cancel my classes for the rest of today and all day tomorrow. They know I need to be here.”
“I wasn’t sure you — oh!” Joanie’s face scrunched as another contraction hit.
Dave hugged her again, murmuring his encouragement. He held her tight until the pain passed and her breathing returned to normal. A nurse entered and checked her and assured them that things were progressing normally.
Sophie stepped away from the scene. She wasn’t really needed.
“Joanie, do you want me to call Mom and Dad?”
Joanie’s eyes opened wide. “No! Not yet. We can call everyone afterward. Mom would drive everyone here nuts, especially me.”
Sophie understood Joanie’s reaction. Joyce Gardner was a loving mom, but she could be a mama bear when it came to her children and grandchildren. If she felt Joanie wasn’t getting the best care, she would make sure everyone in the hospital knew of her displeasure. Best to let her know after the fact.
“Umm, do you want me to go back to your house and stay with Joey?” She waited while Joanie dealt with another contraction.
“Sure,” she said between pants. “He’s with Grace Talsma. It’s Thursday, so she’s probably got her book club there at her house. Or maybe it’s her gourmet cooking class. Anyway, she’s usually got plans every night of the week, and she’d probably appreciate it if she didn’t have to bring Joey along.”
“Joey would probably appreciate it, too,” added Dave. He reached for his wallet and took out a twenty. “Here, take him out for pizza. That’ll soften him up about having had to spend the afternoon at Grace’s house.”
Sophie was torn between relief and guilt at leaving. It was difficult, watching her sister go through such agony. As her sister, she felt she should be there with her. On the other hand, she’d gotten Joanie to the hospital, and Dave was there. She could do her part by taking care of their older child.
Once again, she navigated the roads back to Zutphen. In spite of the rush hour traffic, the trip was easier than the one going to the hospital. The day’s sunshine, in addition to the county salt trucks, had cleared the roads. Sophie followed the speed of the traffic and made it back to the village before she knew it. She stopped at Grace’s house to pick up Joey and headed to Pizza Barn. Maybe spending time with an energetic seven-year-old boy would cure her longings for a family and remind her why she’d wanted a career.
~~~~
Mitch stared at the charred mess in front of him. He’d burned dinner again, even after reading the instructions and setting the timer on his phone. The authors of Fifty Foolproof Dinners had apparently underestimated his ability to make the easiest meals inedible.
“Daddy, what’s that smell?” Angie stood at the doorway, clutching her book. She’d been reading to him when Mitch realized that his timer should have gone off several minutes earlier. “It kinda smells like when Grandpa Carson burns the marshmallows in the campfire in their backyard. Kinda yukky.”
Mitch grimaced. “Yeah, sweetness. Dinner turned out kinda yukky. How would you like to get some pizza tonight?”