Warning: Things could get a little dicey for some of the more squeamish readers. Expect swearing, yelling, unkind thoughts, blood, and sweaty firemen.

Red Sox: Believe.

FEEDBACK: is welcome at p.phair@comcast.net

It took a while but Nikki managed to convince her mother the contractions were only Braxton Hicks. As well they should be. Her little girl, Harriett, was not due for another ten days. Everybody knew the first baby came late so there was no way she could be in labor.

Nikki eased her mother’s mind then feigned a change of heart regarding Lindsey. Nikki encouraged her mother to chase after her father’s bastard brat. Shortly after her mother pulled out of the driveway, Nikki went to the guest room to search Lindsey’s things. The hunt was a big let down. No booze. No pot. No drug paraphernalia. The two items she found remotely interesting were Lindsey’s keys and mailing address. It took her only a moment to decide to confront the young woman on her own turf. In the fifteen minutes it took her to drive across town, Nikki called Uncle Mark to go stay with Stu until her mother got back home. She didn’t give the man any chance to say no before hanging up.

“Okay you little shit, let’s see what you’re made of!” Nikki grunted out loud as she slammed her car door shut in the parking lot of the Shangri La Boarding House.

She waddled across the black top to the garage’s side door numbered Apt 5. Using the key she snatched from Lindsey’s things, Nikki unlocked the door. The heat in the stairwell was overwhelming. Nikki had to stop to catch her breath. Another pain lanced across her gut. Her anger was the only thing keeping her on her feet. Gritting her teeth, she started up the steps. It was a battle of wills between her brain and her body but Nikki managed to burst through the door of the upper room before she was stopped in her tracks by the unrelenting pain in her stomach. She stood still, gasping for breath, as her eyes settled on a stunned Lindsey sitting up on the bed. Before Nikki could say anything, Lindsey was on her feet and sneering in disgust.

“What kind of a friggin’ pig are you? You came here to piss on my floor?” Lindsey shouted.

“So on top of everything else, you’re stupid too? Labor…I’m in labor, you idiot,” Nikki cried out anger. “Water broke. Help me.”

“I…ah…shit…I’ll get Mrs. Ng,” Lindsey tried to scoot passed Nikki but the woman caught her hand and the sight of the staircase caught Lindsey’s attention. She thought, “Even if I get by the death grip on my arm, I’ll never make it down two steps never mind fifteen.”

“Please…don’t leave…hurt…scared…stay…,” Nikki begged and rested her head on Lindsey’s shoulder.

Lindsey readjusted the hand hold so she could take more of Nikki’s weight. The pregnant woman’s knees almost buckled with the next contraction. Lindsey held firm and kept them both upright.

“Move to the bed when you can,” Lindsey said and shifted her stance to encourage Nikki to step and she did.

The pair made it the three steps to the bed and collapsed in a heap. Lindsey quickly disentangled herself. She helped Nikki get settled on the bed. Lindsey managed to pull free and ease towards the door.

“I’m going to get Mrs. Ng. She’s got a phone. Be right back,” Lindsey panted with the effort and worry over the staircase.

“NO! Stay. Phone’s in my bag,” Nikki cried out and pointed to her purse on the floor. “Call Mom. Please don’t leave. Help me. Help the baby.”

Lindsey reluctantly nodded agreement. She went for the purse and up ended it. The phone was a tiny silver oblong. Lindsey had never seen one quite that small. She had no idea how to use it.

“Call her,” Lindsey knelt next to her own bed and offered the phone to Nikki.

Nikki could only shake her head and grunt out, “Push pound nine. Pound nine.”

Lindsey obeyed as Nikki took Lindsey’s free hand. On the first ring, Lindsey felt the grasp tighten. One the second ring, the pain of the hand hold brought tears to Lindsey’s eyes. Once Beth answered, Lindsey heard a snap and screamed at the same time Nikki screamed, “MOMMY”

“Lindsey? Nikki? Girls? What’s wrong?” Beth’s voice echoed over the phone’s speaker feature.

“Mommy, the baby’s coming. Hurts, it hurts!” Nikki was reduced to whimpers.

Lindsey managed to free her hand from Nikki’s clutches. The forth finger was bent at an odd angle. The throbbing pain left no question for the type of injury suffered.

“She broke my freakin’ finger,” Lindsey muttered to herself.

“Where are you two?” Beth asked.

“Ah, she’s at my place. You better hurry, Beth,” Lindsey supplied as Nikki sputtered through another contraction. “The pains are really close together. That’s bad right?”

Beth was silent for a moment. “Nikki, you’re not at the hospital?”

“Beth…,” Lindsey groaned in need of a better response.

“Okay, okay, I’ll call 911…”

“DON’T HANG UP!” Both women screamed.

“Relax girls, I’m here. Let me get…bear with me…, Lindsey, if Nikki isn’t laying down then get her on her back with her knees up and apart. If her pants and panties aren’t off yet then get them off.”

Lindsey shook her head with her reply, “No way in Hell am I gonna strip her bare assed.”

“Lindsey, please, honey, I need your help. The baby will smother…,” Beth pleaded.

Lindsey was on her feet and tugging at the pants in the next instant. She heaved as hard as she could until the garments were off. Her finger throbbed with the effort but she ignored it.

“Sorry Beth, I wasn’t thinking. I got her pants and underpants off. Eeeyoo, Beth, there’s all sorts of goop oozing out of…her…you know, privates…,” Lindsey fought down her rebelling gut with each word uttered.

“That’s all right. Everything is good so far.”

“Good she says,” Lindsey rolled her eyes. “Slime all over my brand new sheets.”

“Hang on, just give me a second here. Dad, Dad, I need you…,” Beth’s voice faded a bit.

“Oh no, she’s getting Grampa Stu…,” Nikki winced.

Lindsey squirmed at the thought, “That might not be the best thing to do.”

“No shit. Did they teach you Assessing The Demented 101 in prison? Or maybe you come by it naturally so you can con them better?”

“You know what, screw you. You’re on your own,” Lindsey got up to walk away.

“Okay,” Beth’s voice was back on the phone, “Lindsey, Nikki, Stu’s gonna stay on the line with you. I’m getting on the other cell phone to call 911 while I driving over there. Then I’ll patch back into this call. Stu, when you hear the beep hit the red button.”

“Oh my God! I’m gonna die!” Nikki cried out in real terror.

Lindsey stopped. She could not stand the anguished sound behind her. She turn around and walked back to the woman who hated her yet had somehow become her responsibility in the last few minutes.

“Drive carefully, Beth. Okay, girls we’re gonna have a baby. Nikki, how many fingers are you?” Stu asked.

Nikki frowned, “What are you talking about, old man? What do you know about having babies anyway? Where’s Mom? I want my Mom.”

“Nikki, I’ll have you know, I was a medic in the army.”

Nikki sneered, “Terrific! My baby’s getting delivered by a World War 1 orderly and a punk assed convict!”

“I was in World War 2 but that’s not important at the moment. Lindsey, Nikki can’t help us anymore. She’s in transition, I should guess by the sound of her. Where are you?”

“I’m at the foot of the bed.”

“Good. Now, get on the bed between her legs and get her thighs as far apart as you can,” Stu instructed.

Lindsey shook her head no. “What?”

“Get onto the bed. Do it!” Stu commanded.

Lindsey climbed onto the bed and pushed Nikki’s legs apart.

“Fuck you, you little do nothing no good spit of a sperm fertilized hunk of membrane…”

“NIKKI,” Beth scolded as she patched back into the conversation.

Nikki wept, “Mom, I can’t help it. It hurts so much.”

“I know, honey,” Beth consoled. “I’m on the way with the fire department right behind me.”

Stu announced, “Hush, everybody! Lindsey and I have work to do. Lindsey, what do you see?”

“Well, her…ah…cu…, I mean her snatch, you know, and blood and…wait…a round thing, a head, Stu, it’s a little head is coming out…oh crap, it’s turning…,”

“Good. We want that. Lindsey, you’re there to catch more than guide. This babe’s coming on its own terms. So, catching is going to be the most important part…,”

Lindsey sighed, “Thank God.”

“…unless it gets stuck.” Stu finished.

“Great,” Lindsey sighed, “just great.”

“MOMMY!”

“I’m still here baby. I’m only a block away,” Beth answered calmly but pushed her foot down harder on the gas peddle.

“Girls, please,” Stu reprimanded. “Lindsey, tell me what you see. Keep it coming. What do they say on the internet, ‘streaming’ is it? Keep it streaming so I know what’s going on.”

“I got eyes, closed, nose, mouth, open, chin,” Lindsey giggled, “face, so beautiful…, shoulders, chest…, it’s really moving fast…,”

“Catching Lindsey, you’re catching,” Stu reminded.

Nikki let out a long strangled scream. Her body sagged wearily with her efforts.

“I’m here, baby. The ambulance is right behind me. We’re near the parking lot. Hang on, Nikki,” Beth said.

“Come on, Nikki. Keep pushing when you need to. Your body knows what to do. Don’t wimp out. We’re almost done here. If you want to cuss me out go ahead. I’ve got my hands full so I can’t kick your bloody ass,” Lindsey taunted the exhausted woman.

“You dream,” Nikki spat back. “As soon as my kid is delivered, I’m gonna slap you into next week. Oh, cripes, it hurrttss!!”

Stu broke in, “Lindsey, what do you see?”

“Long body…, hips, penis, Nikki, you’ve got a son, he’s a boy!”

Nikki screeched in anger, “Wrong, stupid. Ultra sound said girl. I’ve got pictures.”

“Oh yeah, stupid me. Well your daughter has a penis, Sweetheart. Congratulations!”

Grampa grumbled, “Lindsey stay with me. Ignore Nikki.”

“Right. Sorry. Thighs…, knees, and wait, wait, wait feet! He’s out,” Lindsey’s narrative paused for a moment. And, then a longer moment. “Grampa, he’s not breathing. Tell me what to do! Tell me how to make him breath. Help me!”

“Oh God, no,” Beth muffled her cry with her hand. She slammed her car into park and jumped out to race across the parking lot.

“Stick your index finger in his mouth and get the crap in there out,” Stu instructed.

Lindsey hesitated, “My hands are dirty…,”

“Lindsey, I said put your finger in his mouth and I mean now!” Stu’s voice was commanding. “Get all the crude in there out. Then wake that boy up! Flick his toes, pinch his cheeks, rub his chest, I don’t care, just wake him up!”

Beth was racing for the stairway behind the firefighters and praying, “Please God, please, let them live.”

Silence filled the phone lines until Lindsey begged, “Come on, boy. Wake up, boy. Please, for me. Let me do this one thing right. Please wake up, boy. Come on, give me a friggin’ break, why don’t you? For once in my life, let me do something important right!”

At first it was a wrinkled brow. Followed by a tiny snort. And then, it was a tentative sob.

“That’s it, cry harder!” Lindsey shouted at the baby in her arms.

Finally, it was an indignant yelp and cry. Nikki’s son was completely unhappy with his change in circumstance. The round of screams and cheers that surrounded him could only have incensed his annoyed state more so.

When Beth entered the room behind the rescue crew, she saw Nikki cradling her crying newborn at her breast and Lindsey cradling a weeping Nikki. Stu’s voice was still sounding over the phone. He was not frantic just questioning the outcome.

Beth pick up the phone, shut off the speaker feature, and answered, “Dad, it’s me. All three of them seem fine. We’re going to get to the hospital. Can you stay there with Mark until I get back? No fighting? Thanks, Dad. I love you. I love you so much. Thank you, thank you. Put Mark on, will you? You okay, bro. They look good but it could be a long night. Could you sleep over? No, use my bed. I changed the sheet this morning. No, don’t sleep on the couch…Mark…please…be comfortable…okay, I won’t worry. Thanks. See you later.”

Beth looked back at the bed and saw it was empty. The EMT’s had removed Nikki from the bed and she and the baby were on a stretcher heading for the door. Beth stopped them briefly to kiss both their heads. She assured them that she would be right behind them.

As the emergency personal were getting Nikki and the baby out of the loft, Beth looked to find Lindsey. The young woman was by the sink. The faucet was running and Lindsey seemed to be scrubbing furiously at her hands. Beth approached slowly. She waited until she was a mere foot from Lindsey before she spoke.

“Thank you.”

Lindsey whipped around. Her eyes were red rimmed. Tears were streaking down her stark white face. Her shirt front was smeared with blood and sweat.

“Huh.”

“Lindsey, thank you for saving my daughter and my grandson,” Beth said as she stepped closer and opened her arms.

Lindsey fell into the embrace. She wordlessly sobbed her fear. Wrapping her arms around Beth, Lindsey clung to the only thing that felt stable at the moment.

“I was so afraid, Beth. Anything could’ve happened. I could’ve dropped him. Or not helped or I don’t know. I could’ve screwed up like usual. What if…?” Lindsey said in fits and starts.

“It’s okay, Lindsey, I’ve got you. Just like you caught your brand new nephew, I caught you. That’s what families do, you know? And we are a family, Lindsey. Trust me, we’re safer together than apart.” Beth buried her face in Lindsey’s shoulder and surrendered to her own tears. “Please Lindsey, come home with me. You belong at home tonight with Stu and Mark and me. Please, come home.”

“I will. I want to,” Lindsey replied. “But, could we go to the hospital first.”

“You want to see the baby?” Beth gather her wits and pulled back to look Lindsey in the eyes.

“Um,” Lindsey hesitated, “I need to go the emergency room first. Nikki busted my pinkie and it’s killing me.”

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