Grace Falls

by H. P. Munro

  The group of friends stood up from their various positions around the waiting room, Sully cradling a sleeping Jessica in his arms. Maddie held her hands up, “You might as well all go home. Her waters have broke, but there’s no sign of labor pains yet so it’s going to be a long night.”

  Sully shifted Jessica on his shoulder. “Okay, well this one needs her bed. Alex, you taking her home or will I?” he asked looking over the top of Jessica’s head towards her mother.

  “I’ll take her,” Alex smiled as Sully started to walk out. “But you’re carrying her to mine,” she added following him towards the door, her hands clasped in front of her, as if she were holding them close to stop her from reaching out. “Have a good night Madeleine,” she said quietly. She cocked her head to the side and looked as though she was going to say more before giving a smile then flicking her hair from her face.

  Maddie felt her body move forward as Alex turned to leave, it was as if she were being pulled by a powerful undertow; a force connecting Alex to her. When there was a change in the physical distance between them, she was unable to stop herself from trying to reduce it.

  “Okay, everyone enjoy your sleep,” Maddie said, ushering them out of the clinic. She was standing watching their departure with her head leaning on her hand, which was pressed against the wooden doorframe when a door opened in the clinic behind her.

  “Sam!”

  Peter’s head appeared round the examination room door, Sam turned with an expectant look and climbed the stairs to look back into the clinic.

  “Ruth says tonight. Fix it, tonight,” his head disappeared before Sam could respond.

  “Looks like I won’t be getting any sleep,” the mechanic grumbled to himself shaking his head as he hopped back down the steps.

  Alex paused at the end of the pathway, moving out of the way as Sam brushed past her. She brought her hand up into a small wave before setting off in pursuit of Sully.

  “Night,” Maddie called, then closed the clinic door and checked her watch. “Nine o’ clock,” she said aloud. “And I’m going to need my body weight in coffee,” she murmured heading off towards the small kitchen area.

  ***

  “Is there a reason I’m only now finding out that we have a baby coming?”

  Maddie looked up from the paperwork she was completing, towards the doorway of the office. Mack was standing with her hands on her hips regarding Maddie with one of her infamous stares. Maddie sighed, put her pen down and ran her hands through her hair, her eyes closing in pleasure as she scraped her nails against her scalp.

  “Mack, it’s…” she checked the clock. “Eleven p.m. She’s not in labor, we’re waiting it out.” She blinked to focus her tired eyes on her nurse, “You can go home, I’ve got it.”

  “Ummm-hmmm,” Mack said walking into the room. “When was the last time you helped a woman give birth?”

  Maddie closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. “She’s in exam room one, you take the bed in room two and I’ll stay here,” she replied, her voice tinged with resignation.

  “Knew you’d see it my way,” Mack chuckled as she headed out of the room in a cocky waddle.

  Picking up her pen Maddie scowled. “I’m not afraid of her, I am not afraid of her,” she chanted under her breath. “Much,” she chuckled inwardly with a shake of her head.

  ***

  Maddie peeked around the doorway into the exam room; Ruth was lying awake, her hands resting on her swollen stomach. Soft snores were coming from Peter who was lying at an impossible angle on one of the seats in the exam room. Maddie smiled at the pregnant woman and came quietly into the room. “He’s going wake up sore from that,” she whispered nodding towards the sleeping man.

  “Yeah, well, he deserves it. He put this lazy ass baby in here,” Ruth muttered glaring over towards her husband. “What time is it?”

  “Two o’clock,” smiling, Maddie took her temperature. “All still normal, no sign of fever or anything. Baby still moving?” she asked quietly.

  Ruth nodded. “Yeah and I’m getting this tightness in my stomach,” she grimaced as the sensation came again.

  Maddie raised her eyebrows. “How often?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure maybe every half hour,” Ruth replied, trying to guess how long it was since the last time.

  “Okay, looks like your labor is starting,” she moved around to the base of the bed and pulled a stool over to sit on while she examined her. “Let’s just have a quick look,” she positioned Ruth’s feet into the stirrups and pulled on gloves.

  “Do you like her?” Ruth asked.

  Maddie looked up from her position between Ruth’s legs, “Like who?”

  “Alex. You’ve been spending time together and I just wondered…”

  After taking Ruth’s legs back down and pulling the covers over her, Maddie stood up and stripped the gloves off. “Everything looks fine, and we’re not going to have that conversation,” she gave a terse smile and left the room.

  The door clicked behind her and she let her back press against it, sighing as she tried to process her feelings for Alex. She wanted to respect Alex’s wishes, however, the attraction that she felt for her was stronger than anything she had experienced before and Maddie knew it went beyond being just a physical attraction.

  “I’d say that was a yes,” Peter muttered from his seat opening one eye to look at his wife.

  ***

  Maddie stretched her back. “What have we got on in the clinic today?” she asked Mack as they shared a bag of potato chips.

  “Nothing that can’t be moved,” the nurse replied, holding up a chip and looking at it thoughtfully. “Have you ever noticed that things taste different in the middle of the night?”

  “How often do you eat potato chips at three in the morning?” Maddie asked crunching a chip in her mouth.

  Mack laughed, “Not often thankfully.”

  They heard a loud yell coming from the exam room and both women abandoned their snack before running at full speed along the corridor. They burst into the room where Ruth was screaming as her labor pains finally took a full grip of her body. Peter looked at them wide-eyed as his wife transformed from a mild-mannered woman into a beast from another world. They grabbed gloves and settled down to work.

  “Okay Ruth, I need you to breathe for me,” Maddie smiled. “Mack there has the gas and air and, if you’re lucky, she might give you a hit of it.”

  Holding the mask up Mack smiled, “Only if you do what you’re told though.”

  Ruth looked between them, then released the breath that she had been holding since the wave of agony hit her unlike any of the previous pains she’d had. The air blasted out from her mouth.

  “Okay it’s usually about another six hours or so from here,” Maddie said giving Ruth an apologetic smile as the woman’s face fell at the news. “Hopefully we’re going for a sprint finish with this little one though,” Maddie smiled looking up at Mack. “Six centimeters,” she said towards the nurse, receiving a nod in reply.

  “Ruth, you need to relax at the top of the contractions, breathe like your jogging.”

  Peter snorted at the instruction. “Sorry,” he said noticing the unimpressed look from the three women. “I’ve just never seen Ruth jog…ever.”

  “You want me to hit him for you?” Mack said in a flat tone.

  Ruth started to laugh, the action turning into a grimace as another contraction took hold.

  “Peter, now’s the time for you to tell your wife how much you love her and remind her to breathe,” Maddie said.

  Peter nodded and gripped Ruth’s hand placing his lips against the side of her damp forehead.

  “I love you so much,” he whispered.

  Maddie and Mack exchanged a quick smile then focused on their work.

  ***

  At seven a.m. any tiredness that Maddie felt was quickly swept away as the first glimpse of the head of Ruth and Peter’s baby appeared. “We’re almost crowning,” Maddie s
aid watching intently as Ruth’s body adjusted to the baby’s new position.

  “I need you to listen very carefully to me Ruth,” Mack instructed. “You have to fight the urge to push just now, pant with me,” the nurse started to pant loudly urging Ruth with her eyes to follow suit. “Seriously you’re not gonna want the consequences of you pushing right now,” she continued to pant gripping Ruth’s hand as the woman fought against her body’s desire.

  “Okay you can push now,” Maddie said looking up with a broad smile on her face. She looked back down as the baby started to emerge and swept around the baby’s face to clear its airways before checking that the umbilical cord hadn’t become wrapped around its neck.

  The baby turned as Ruth groaned into another push, its shoulders popped out, followed quickly by the rest of its body.

  “It’s a boy,” Maddie announced lifting the baby up so that his parents could see him.

  She handed the boy over to his crying mother’s waiting arms and indicated to Mack that she should help Peter cut the cord while she finished with Ruth.

  Once the cord was cut and Ruth had finished the delivery, Maddie lifted the baby from her and took him across the room to get him cleaned up. As she wrapped him in a blanket she felt the emotion lay thick in her throat. “These hands were the first to touch you in this world little one and they will be the first to smack you back in line,” she murmured unaware of Mack standing beside her until she heard the other woman laugh.

  “I haven’t heard that line for a looong time,” Mack said smiling as she thought about Alex’s grandmother. “You did a great job Doc,” she gave Maddie a pat on the shoulder and headed out to see what she could do about freeing up some time from the clinic to give them both a much deserved rest.

  Chapter Seven

  At five p.m. a weary Maddie flopped down onto the sofa and kicked her shoes off; she and Mack had ended up running a full clinic during the day and now exhaustion was hitting her with all its force. She groaned as her cell phone rang, grimacing as she stood up to retrieve it, her mood lightened when she saw the photo of Zoe’s face appear on the screen.

  “Hey you,” she said, walking back to the sofa and flopping down.

  “Hey you too,” Zoe replied, the smile evident in her voice. “You sound beat.”

  “I am, a long labor followed by a day’s clinic,” Maddie rubbed the heel of her hand against her eye and yawned loudly.

  “Labor? Clinic?” Zoe asked bemused. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Oh God, it’s been a mad couple of days. They don’t have a doctor here, their last one took early retirement. So I agreed to provide some medical cover while my car is getting fixed.”

  “Who the hell do they think you are…Michael J. Fox?” Zoe snorted. “How the hell did you get yourself involved Maddie?”

  “I wasn’t going to then Alex came to the door with Jessica and she was having an asthma attack and Alex looked so helpless, I couldn’t say no,” Maddie shuddered as she recalled the events. “You would have helped too had you been here,” she shivered again for a different reason when she remembered Alex in the sweltering bathroom.

  “I hope he thanked you.”

  “Who?”

  “Alex.”

  Maddie let out a soft chuckle, “Alex is all woman.” She could almost hear Zoe’s brain working down the phone line.

  “Ahhh, and there we have it. Is she cute?”

  “Mmm, hadn’t noticed,” Maddie replied smirking.

  Zoe laughed loudly, “You are so full of shit. Is she gay?”

  “As a pride march in Provincetown. Oh God Zo, she is amazing. She’s gorgeous, funny, kind. Her kid is adorable. She has a lovely smile. And boy can she can kiss.”

  “What’s the catch, other than she’s living in bumfuck nowhere?”

  “She doesn’t want a hump and dump and I’m just drifting through.”

  “What do you want?”

  Maddie sat quietly for a moment, her mind flashing through memories of her time with Alex, “To keep feeling the way I do when I’m around her.”

  “Oh sweetie,” Zoe sighed. “I’m happy that you’re finally letting yourself feel again, but this can’t end well. Like you said you’re just drifting through, that little fragile heart of yours needs to be protected.”

  “I know,” Maddie said miserably. “This sucks ass.”

  Zoe laughed, “Yes it does. Now you go get some sleep, you sound like crap.”

  “Thank you Mom,” Maddie laughed.

  “Love you, let me know when your car is fixed.”

  “Will do, love you too.”

  Maddie thumped her head against the sofa after hanging up the call, bemoaning her bad luck at meeting someone who had slipped past all of her defenses and not being able to pursue it. There was a knock at the door and she contemplated getting up for it before sinking back into the sofa and yelling to whoever was there to come in. She heard the door open, soft footsteps in the hall and suddenly she was looking at the source of her disquiet.

  “Hey,” Alex smiled looking at the tired woman sprawled on the sofa. “I’m sorry to interrupt. I brought you some food.”

  Maddie flashed a grateful smile and willed her body to move from its prone position, “Thank you.”

  “Did you sleep at all?” Alex asked concerned.

  Shaking her head Maddie slowly rose from the sofa. “Not much,” she took the container from Alex and started to walk into the kitchen. “Thank you for this,” she brought the box up to her nose and inhaled deeply, her nose filling with the smell of the pasta dish. “Have you eaten?” she asked moving around the kitchen looking for a plate.

  Alex bit her lip, she could see how tired Maddie was, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave, “Not yet.”

  “Wanna share?” Maddie grinned, holding the box up as if she was in a commercial.

  “I’d love that,” she moved to collect cutlery and carried it behind Maddie as they walked to the table. “So they’re calling him Ben.”

  “I heard,” Maddie smiled. “He’s beautiful, you manage to see him?” she asked passing Alex a plate.

  Alex nodded taking the plate, “I did. I popped in earlier, you were with a patient.”

  Maddie nodded an acknowledgement while taking a mouthful of pasta and moaning. “This is just what the doctor ordered,” she said, pointing towards the plate with her fork.

  They ate in silence each stealing quick glances at the other as they ate. All too soon despite their best efforts to prolong the meal, their mutual hunger meant that the food was finished and Maddie picked up the cleared plates, placing them into the dishwasher.

  “That was…Heaven,” she said, closing the dishwasher.

  “It was only pasta,” Alex shrugged.

  “It was the thought that I was talking about.”

  Alex gave a soft laugh, she looked into Maddie’s eyes which looked weighted with the lack of sleep. “Well I should let you get some sleep,” she paused beside the back door, her mind replaying the kiss they had shared. Her heart was beating so hard in her chest that she was sure that Maddie could hear it as she opened the door; its journey halted as Maddie placed a hand against it.

  “I’m tired.”

  Alex looked round, “I know, you had a long night.”

  Maddie shook her head, “No, I’m tired of pretending that I don’t want to feel you, kiss you and now I know that you feel the same. I can’t…” she held onto the door preventing it from opening further.

  “We said-”

  “I know,” she interrupted. “But I can’t stop Alex.” Maddie dropped her head and started to pepper Alex’s neck with kisses. The smaller woman tipped her head back, her eyes closing as she allowed herself to drown in the sensation of Maddie’s lips on her skin.

  “Please…don’t,” Alex said pushing Maddie away; she looked into the brown eyes that were still heavy with tiredness but now also arousal. She swallowed hard and closed the door, the noise of the latch sounding
impossibly loud in a kitchen where only the fast breaths coming from the two women overshadowed the sound of a distant ticking clock.

  Alex looked down at Maddie’s hand resting at her side, she threaded her fingers through the taller woman’s and, licking her lips, let her gaze travel up Maddie’s arm until her vision was once again fixed on brown eyes. “Not here,” she moved around Maddie’s body tugging gently on the hand she held and led her through the kitchen into the hall. She hesitated before starting to climb the stairs slowly, Maddie following as Alex led them towards the bedroom.

  Maddie closed the bedroom door behind them as Alex kicked off her shoes, dropping down in height as she walked towards the bed in her bare feet.

  She perched on the edge of the bed, her hands placed either side of her, watching as Maddie approached.

  Maddie smiled, “I’m not going to have Sully burst in here and haul me off you am I?”

  Alex laughed, reaching out to grip the hem of Maddie’s T-shirt. She pulled the standing woman closer, with Maddie stumbling slightly at the action. “God I hope not, ’cause then Jessica would have to see her mama kick her daddy’s ass several shades.” She wrapped her arms around Maddie and looked up, “I’ll take tonight. If that’s all I have you for, then I’ll take it.”

  Her resolve not to sleep with Maddie had weakened the moment that they had kissed and even if her life had depended on it, she still could not have stopped herself.

  She pushed Maddie’s T-shirt up and kissed the soft olive skin of her stomach. Maddie reached down and in one swift movement, removed her shirt before allowing it to fall to the floor. She pushed gently on Alex’s shoulders, pressing the woman down onto the mattress covering her body with her own as she brought their lips together in a slow sensual kiss.

  Pulling back to look into blue eyes, darkened with arousal, Maddie smiled as she repositioned her weight to allow her to remove Alex’s top. Their eyes never left each other as Alex lifted her torso and let Maddie’s strong hands slide her shirt over her head; as soon as it was removed the warmth of Maddie’s skin was immediately on her. Lifting her hands, Alex pulled Maddie’s face towards her and kissed her with an intensity that surprised both of them; suddenly languid movements took on more purpose as fingers fought to remove remaining clothes quickly, the desperation to rid themselves of any barriers overtook their actions. Soon they had moved to the center of the bed, Maddie held her weight on her elbows placed either side of Alex’s head. As their naked bodies pressed tightly against one another their legs entwined as they kissed.