by Lisa Bilbrey
“Oh, wow,” Elle murmured as she climbed out of her mother’s car. “It’s incredible. Look at how open it is with all the windows and glass. Makes the place seem twice as big. They really utilized the open space, don’t you think?”
“Look, Mom, she’s turned architect nerd on us again,” Ivy teased.
“Yeah, yeah; whatever,” Elle scoffed, her hand sliding over her round stomach. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you criticize badly colored hair. Or bad haircuts. Remember when we were at that mall and that woman with green and yellow hair.”
“The one that looked like a peacock,” Ivy said. “Oh, God, that was horrible.”
Helina laughed. “A peacock? Seriously?”
Ivy nodded. “It was really bad.”
“Oh my …” Helina shook her head as she placed her hand on Elle’s elbow, carefully nudging her toward the entrance.
They were greeted by a young, petite woman with shocking, hot-pink hair and bright blue eyes. “Hello and welcome to Senspa. You must be the Fisher party.”
“Yes,” Ivy said.
“We’ve been expecting you,” she said, softly. “I’m Ida, and I’ll be your host today. Now, we have you signed up for the pre-natal massages, correct?”
“Yes,” Ivy told her. “And manicures and pedicures.”
“Of course.” Ida smiled. “If you’re ready, I’ll take you to your suite.”
“Thank you.”
The three of them followed Ida through the lobby and down a long hallway. After passing a dozen doors, the young woman stopped in front of a set of double doors, smiling as she pushed them open.
“There is water in the fridge. Please help yourself to the chocolate covered strawberries, cheese, fruit, and crackers. If you’ll change into the robes that are located in the bathroom, your team will be along in a few minutes.” Ida pointed toward a room on the left before she turned and faced the three of them. “If you need anything, please do not hesitate to let me know. We here at Senspa want your experience to be magical.”
“Thank you,” Helina said. “We’ll let you know.”
Ida’s grin grew as she strode out of the room, closing the set of doors on her way out.
“This is …” Elle whistled under her breath as she gestured her hand around the room. “Kind of unreal, huh?”
“Only the best for my sis,” Ivy snickered, walking toward the bathroom. “Holy crap, this place is bigger than my apartment!”
Elle and Helina hurried across the suite to the bathroom, each gasping. The bathroom was indeed enormous, though Ivy’s statement was overdramatic. Marble tile and granite countertops. A large glass shower with multiple massaging showerheads, a Jacuzzi tub, and warm, welcoming colors. It was a designers dream, and Elle knew Sadie would have loved it.
“Oh, she’s blushing, Mom. Must be thinking about Derek, Callum, or Sadie. Maybe all three,” Ivy snickered.
“Am not,” Elle lied.
“Stop teasing your sister,” Helina chided, though the smirk on her face made it clear she wasn’t serious.
“Okay, Okay.” Ivy huffed, but the smile made it clear that she wasn’t angry.
Five minutes later, the three of them were seated in the most comfortable chairs Elle had ever sat in. It felt as if it was molded for her body, supporting and nurturing her back and legs. For the first time in weeks, Elle felt relaxed.
Her eyes had just started to close when the door to the suite opened and three people walked inside. The first two were men — one in his early forties, with thick blond hair and large blue eyes, and the other in his mid-fifties. His black hair was sprinkled with grey. The third was a woman with short brown hair, who seemed closer to Elle’s age.
“Hi,” the older man said, his lips curving upward as he shifted his attention between the three women. “I’m Eddie. These are my partners Steven and Kierra.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Ivy stood, holding her robe together as she gestured toward Elle and Helina. “I’m Ivy. This is my sister Elle and our mother Helina.”
“Beautiful names for beautiful ladies,” Eddie cooed. “Now, if you’re ready, we’ll get started with massages.”
Anxiety filled Elle at the thought of being alone with them, the feel of their hands caressing her body. She shivered and tears burned the corners of her eyes.
“Yeah, sure,” Helina said, reaching over and placing her hand on Elle’s elbow, almost in an effort to remind her that she wasn’t alone.
“Great.” Eddie grinned as he walked around them to the massage tables near the windows, adjusting the middle table so that the back was propped up. He turned back to the women, his eyes flickering to Helina and Ivy before landing on Elle. “You’ll get this table, Elle. Ivy, Helina, you can have your pick of the other two. We’ll give you a minute to get settled on the table. Sheets covering you from your chest down. Need anything?”
“Um.” Ivy looked around at them. “I don’t think so.”
“Great.” Eddie followed his partners out of the room, closing the doors behind them.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Helina asked, looking at Elle. “We didn’t think about … you know, how you’d feel with people touching you.”
“It’s … It’s fine,” Elle lied. “I’ll be okay.”
“Are you sure?” Ivy fretted.
“Yes.”
She blew out a heavy breath as she hobbled over to her table, bracing herself against the table as she untied her robe. She could feel her legs trembling as she slid the robe down her arms, laying it across the bottom of the bed before climbing onto the table and covering herself with the sheet. Her hands automatically came to rest on her abdomen.
Helina and Ivy followed her lead, removing their robes and climbing onto their tables with Ivy to her left and Helina on her right. At nineteen weeks, Ivy had just begun to show, her belly appearing tiny compared Elle.
The door to the suite opened once more and Eddie, Steven, and Kierra walked in with Ida right behind them, a tray with orange juice.
Ida placed the tray on the bottom of Elle’s bed, pouring all three glasses. “This is a special blend of the best California oranges, packed with tons of calcium and folic acid.”
She held out one of the glasses to Elle. “Go on. It’s delicious.”
“Um, okay.” Elle bit her lip as she took the glass from her, taking a small sip.
“Well?” Ida asked.
“It’s good.”
“Right?” Ida laughed before handing Helina and Ivy their glasses. “Now, I’ll stop being a nag, and let you get on with your massages.”
“Thanks, Ida,” Steven said, winking at her as she scurried past them.
She giggled as she shut the doors to the suite.
“All right, Elle, how far along are you?” Eddie asked, stepping up to the side of her table.
“Thirty-eight weeks, three days.”
“Do you know if you’re having a boy or girl?” he asked, sliding the sheet off her belly, but keeping the rest of her body covered.
“A girl,” she murmured.
“Ah, a sweet baby girl.” He smiled. “Steven and I have three. Though they aren’t little anymore. Our oldest is almost thirteen.”
“You and Steven?” Elle asked, shifting her eyes from him to the man preparing Ivy for her massage.
The younger man grinned, the balls of his cheeks turning red. “For almost twenty years.”
“Aw, that’s amazing,” Helina gushed. “How old are your other two girls?”
“Ten and seven,” Steven replied.
“Cherish it while you can,” Helina told them, her voice thick and tight. “They grow up fast, and before you realize it, they’re having babies of their own.”
There was an air of regret to her words that Elle hated. She had changed so much over the last couple of years, but in the end, there would always be a part of Elle that worried about her mother’s acceptance of her lifestyle.
“Okay, Elle, I’m start you on your
back, and then depending on how you feel, we’ll roll you onto your side. Sound good?”
“Yep,” she replied.
“All right.”
It took Elle a few minutes, but as Eddie began his massage on her stomach, she began to relax. Though, when he fingers grazed the scare beneath her breast, she automatically tensed. No matter how hard she tried to ignore them, they always seem to stand out.
Elle had almost drifted off to sleep when Eddie pulled her sheet back over her belly and then moved so that he was standing at the head of her bed.
“I’m going to lower this just a bit,” he told her before she felt the bed jar and the top half of her body being lowered. “You good, Elle?”
“Mmhmm,” she hummed, keeping her eyes closed.
“Good, good.”
Eddie placed his hands on her shoulders, gently massaging up her neck and down her arms.
“Wow, your shoulders are tight,” he commented. “Do you have a lot of headaches?”
“Not really,” she said, unsure she was telling the truth or not. “I mean, a few, but hello, pregnant.”
“Pregnant or not, the tension on your shoulders isn’t helping,” he chided.
“I’m sure it’s not,” she murmured.
Eddie didn’t press the issue, which she was grateful. Yes, she dealt with a lot of stress, but she had a company to run, a family to take care of, people relying on her.
“Okay, let’s roll you onto your left side first,” Eddie instructed, lowering the top of her bed even more.
Elle placed her hands on the side of the table as she shifted her hips to the side, but she’d barely moved when she felt an excruciating pain wrap around her stomach followed by gush of fluid between her legs, soaking her and the table beneath her.
“Oh, my God!” she cried, looking at her mother. “My water broke and I just had a contraction.”
“What?” Helina snapped, sitting up so fast, the sheet covering her dropped down to her waist.
“I’m … I’m in labor,” Elle whimpered. Though she’d taken birthing classes, the sudden realization that today she’d have her baby hit her like a ton of bricks.
“Okay, calm down, sweetheart,” Helina said, covering herself with her sheet as she climbed off the table. “Labor can take —”
Before her mother could finish another band of pain wrapped around Elle’s center of gravity and she screamed.
“Or maybe labor won’t take hours,” Helina muttered. “I think we’d better call an ambulance.”
“On it.” Eddie immediately had his phone out and was making the call before Elle could do anything more than cry.
“Okay, sweetheart, you need to breathe,” Helina said, grabbing her robe and pulling it back on. “Ivy, get our clothes.”
“Yeah, all right,” Ivy muttered, rushing into the bathroom, coming back moments later with their clothing.
“Ambulance is on its way,” Eddie told them. “I’m just going to run out to the front desk and let Ida know to prepare the way for us.”
While Elle tried to breathe through the near constant pain radiating through her body, Helina and Ivy quickly threw their clothes on, neither of them seeming to care that there were two strangers in the room with them.
“Someone needs to call home,” Elle wept, her fist tightening on the sheet as another contraction raged through her.
“You’re okay, sweetheart,” Helina cooed, trying to rub her back, but all Elle wanted was Derek, Callum, and Sadie.
“I need to talk to them!” Elle screamed. “Please, Momma, please!”
“Okay, shh, I’ll call them,” Helina told her. Elle sucked in a lung full of air and blew it out as her mother made the call. “Callum, it’s Helina … Well, no, she’s not okay. Her water broke and she’s in labor … Okay, hang on.”
Helina held her phone toward Elle. “He wants to talk to you.”
Elle’s hand was shaking as her fingers wrapped around the cell phone and she brought it to her ear. “Lover.”
“We are on our way,” he promised. “Derek, Sadie, and I are on our way to the hospital. You’re going to be okay. We will call Dr. Kemp, you just focus on our beautiful baby girl.”
“I’m trying, but …” Elle cried out again as another contraction ripped her insides open. Or at least that’s how it felt.
“Elle!” Callum yelled as she lost her grip on the phone and it fell to the floor.
Ivy scooped it up. “Hurry … Yeah, I’ll tell her, just make sure you’re at the hospital.”
As Ivy ended the call, the doors to the suite were thrown open and Eddie led two paramedics into the room. They were by Elle’s side before she could blink.
“How far apart are your contractions?” one of the paramedics asked, sliding his fingers over the inside of her wrist.
“I don’t know,” she said, panting. “Close. A couple minutes at the most.”
He hummed, but didn’t say anything as he pulled on a pair of gloves and pushed her legs apart. Before she could protest, he pushed his fingers inside her, causing her to scream.
“She’s almost eight centimeters dilated,” he said, not caring that he’d caused her pain.
“Let’s get her loaded,” the other paramedic stated, her eyes flickering down to Elle. “We’re going to take care of you and your baby.”
She wanted to believe them, but her body hurt too much and all she wanted was to feel her lovers’ arms around her.
The paramedics wasted no time in getting her strapped to the stretcher and rolling her out of the spa. Dozens of people gathered in the lobby, gawking at Elle as she passed by. Helina and Ivy were right behind them.
“Easy does it,” the male paramedic said as they lifted her stretcher into the back of the ambulance.
Helina grabbed the inside of the door and tried to pull herself up, but the female paramedic grabbed her shoulder, pulling her backward.
“I’m sorry, Ma’am, but there isn’t room.”
“No, I am going with her. She’s my daughter, and she needs me.”
“I’m sorry, but there just is not enough room,” she said again.
“Please let her come with me,” Elle sobbed, reaching for her mother. “Please don’t leave me.”
The paramedic sighed and shifted her attention to her partner. “Kenny?”
“She can ride up front with you, Janine, but we’ve got to move.”
“All right, Mom, you heard him,” Janine said, pulling Helina away and closing the doors.
A moment later, Elle felt her mother’s hand on her shoulder and she was able to tilt her head back enough to see her mother sitting in the passenger seat.
“It’s going to be okay, sweetheart,” Helina assured her. “I promise.”
A tear slipped down Elle’s face as another contraction ripped through her and the ambulance sped off, the sirens blaring.
“Elle, right? That’s your name?” Kenny asked.
She nodded while gritting her teeth.
“Okay, Elle, I know they hurt. I’m not going to lie to you, but you need to breathe or you’re going to pass out.”
Elle tried. She did, but each contraction lasted longer, were more intense, more painful than the last, and there was barely half a minute between each one as they sped down the interstate to UCSF Medical Center.
The ambulance felt like it was barely moving as they crept along. Contraction after contraction after contraction struck, causing her to cry and scream. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. She was supposed to be sitting in a hospital bed with an epidural. Sadie should have been perched up behind her. Derek and Callum on either side, her hands clenched in theirs, pulling her legs backward as she brought their daughter kicking and screaming into the world.
“Oh, my fuck!” Elle screamed, lurching against the straps holding her against the stretcher. Intense pressure pressed against the bottom of her stomach. “I need to push.”
“What?” Helina snarled, turning in her seat to look at Elle. “How m
uch further?”
“Three minutes at least,” Janine replied. “Kenny?”
“Give me a sec,” he said, pulling on a clean pair of gloves before sliding his fingers into Elle again. “Oh, we don’t have three minutes. Pull over. The baby is crowning.”
“All right.”
Elle felt the ambulance stop as Kenny unbuckled the straps from across her legs and arms, pushing them up and outward.
“Push, Elle!” he ordered, grabbing some blanket off a top shelf and stuffing them under her.
“AAHH!” Elle screamed, throwing her hand out for something to grab.
Helina grabbed her hand, wrapping her fingers around Elle’s. “You’ve got this, sweetheart.”
“Momma,” Elle growled, squeezing her mother’s hand as she pushed yet again. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!”
“Heads out,” Kenny announced. “Just a little more, Elle. A little more.”
“I can’t,” Elle whimpered.
“Yes, you can.” Helina shifted so that she was kneeling next to Elle. She slid on arm beneath her, propping her up. “I’ll help.”
“Momma,” Elle cried.
“You can do it, sweetheart. You’re strong enough, brave enough. Now, dig deep and push.”
Elle screamed once more as she lurched forward, pushing as hard as she could. Burning and pain filled her, but seconds later, the sweetest sound she had ever heard filled the ambulance: her daughter’s cry.
“It’s a girl!” Kenny announced, placing the baby in her arms before he clamped and cut her cord. “She’s perfect, Mom.”
“She is,” Elle murmured, kissing her messy head as tears saturated her face.
A few minutes later, Janine pulled up in the ambulance bay of the hospital. The back doors were thrown open and Kenny, holding the baby, leapt out.
“Bring her back!” Elle called, her lips dry.
“She’s fine,” Janine said, climbing into the back. “He’s just handing her to the doctor so we can take you inside.”
“Dr. Hendricks. That’s her doctor,” Elle mumbled, her eyes closing.
“He’s here,” Janine stated.
Just as Elle thought she was drifting to sleep, she was startled awake when her stretcher began to move. And opening her eyes, she saw Kenny at the bottom of her stretcher. As they rolled her into the emergency room, Elle found Derek, Sadie, and Callum waiting with Ivy and Dr. Kemp.