The waiting room of the maternity ward of New York’s finest hospital held only two occupants save the nurse at the desk watching them with interest.
One man was dressed in a very expensive suit, the kind developed on London’s Savile Row in the thirties. He was as elegant as Fred Astaire, except his tie was loosened. His only jewelry was a leather-strapped watch and a wedding band.
The other man wore black jeans and a black leather vest. His hair was back in a ponytail, revealing an ear stud. He had on dark glasses and a wedding band.
Both men were pacing the waiting room while waiting to join their wives. Brothers-in-law, they’d been trading war stories while they waited.
“What time is it now?” Tucker asked, after looking at his bare wrist.
“Past two,” Ethan answered, glancing at the watch Brittany had given him for his birthday.
“How long have you been here?” Ethan asked.
Tucker shrugged. “Beats me. Forever, I think.” He went to the water cooler for something to do.
“You nervous?” Ethan asked.
“No. You?”
“Yeah.”
“Me, too.”
Ethan laughed. “You ought to think about wearing a watch.”
“So Francesca keeps telling me. But then what would I use as an excuse for being late?”
“Diamonds. I find diamonds work really well,” Ethan said with a grin.
“I don’t know about Brittany, but her sister has been more into pizza and ice cream of late. Especially about this time of the morning.”
“Would you believe I’m the one with the cravings for Mexican food?”
“Really?”
“It’s true. At least I didn’t get morning sickness.”
“How did it go in there with Francesca? Did she tell you she was going to put out a contract on your life, like Brittany did me?”
“Yeah, I think seeing me dead about now is the only thing that would please her. How do they stand the pain?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I came out here. I was feeling faint.”
“Me, too.”
Ethan eyed the box of cigars Tucker was carrying around under his arm like a football. “I see you came all prepared.”
“Yeah, but you might want to rethink that,” Tucker said, looking at the videocam Ethan held. “I brought the idea of filming the birth up casual like, and Francesca said no way.”
“I don’t think anything is going to make them happy until they have their shapes back. Have you been going through the ‘This makes me look fat’ shopping trips?”
“For a while. Finally Francesca stole all my shirts.”
“That’s where mine went—”
“Man, we aren’t going to have a chance against them, you know. I couldn’t believe it when the ultrasound tests said they were both having girls.”
“Yeah, isn’t it great?”
“How’d the two of us get so lucky?”
“I don’t know. They planned this, you know. We should have known when they made us have a double wedding. And you thought you were going to get off easy by eloping, pal.”
“That reminds me. Francesca told me the other night it was never her dream to run off to Las Vegas and get married, though she went willingly enough at the time. What’s the deal?”
“Maybe after this is all over, we’ll meet for a beer and I’ll tell you the whole story.”
“Deal.”
“Uh, gentlemen,” the nurse at the desk called out, motioning them over. “You’re wanted inside.”
The two men exchanged nervous glances and went off to become real men.
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A Kiss in the Dark Page 14