A Dance of Life

63

"How long was that one?" Diana asks from the backseat as I stop groaning, the contraction fading.

"Forty seconds," Pat tells her.

"And the last one was seven minutes ago," Diana adds, scribbling in a notebook.

"Come on!" Nathan presses on the horn, shocking me a little.

The roads aren't as free as I imagined and we've been in traffic for the last twenty minutes, the car filling with moaning at closer intervals. Thank God Naomi convinced me; we'd have regretted it if we left any later.

I wipe the sweat from my forehead, practicing the breathing exercises from the birth class. The pain may come every now and then but the discomfort remains, and I can't wait to get these kids out.

"You're going to be okay, Lise," Nathan says, blaring the horn some more. "If only this guy would move his damn car! Green. Do you not know what green means?"

I put a hand over his, willing him to calm down. "Can you play some music, D? It'll help me calm down."

"Yeah, sure, what do you want?" she asks, leaning to the front to grab the aux.

"Play the soundtrack for The Greatest Showman," I hear Pat say and I smile.

As the music fills the car, I close my eyes and pray for peace. I imagine myself dancing. Dancing in Nathan and I's bedroom. Dancing in the kitchen. Dancing with my family in the fields. Dancing with my husband. Dancing with my children.

~~~

"How far apart are the contractions?" Dr. Davis asks as Nathan pushes me in a wheelchair into my designated room, my pregnancy bag slung over his shoulder.

"Five minutes," Pat answers, her and Diana scurrying in after us.

"And they last about a minute long," Diana chimes in, "for almost an hour now."

"Glad I was on duty tonight," the OBG-YN says, writing on his clipboard. "Alright, Annelise, let's get you hooked up and see what we have. Hospital rules only allow two extra people in the room during delivery, so you might want to think about that."

We all nod as a nurse wheels me away, changing me into a hospital gown. They hook me up to all the necessary machines once they're done, and the babies and I's heartbeat fills the room.

"Those look like good rates," Dr. Davis comments.

He checks how far apart I'm dilated as another contraction hits, not giving me a chance to feel embarrassed with Nathan beside me.

"Have you felt them move?" he asks, putting my legs back down.

"Yeah, they move every now and then," I answer, rubbing my tummy.

"Okay. You're about four centimeters right now," he says, "I'll be down the hall and notified of any changes. Get as much rest as you need, Annelise, there's still a while to go."

"You're doing great, babe," Nathan tells me as the doctor leaves, kissing my forehead and squeezing my hand.

"Charles said they left seven or so minutes after us," Pat announces. "He said they might not be here for a while because of the traffic."

"You guys just had to come out at Thanksgiving, didn't you?" I laugh, massaging my sides.

Nathan sits at the corner of the bed, massaging my bare feet. I hold onto one of the hospital pillows, remembering what the birth class instructor said about movement making the labor easier.

"I can massage your back like the first experience," Nathan suggests, "it helped you sleep last time, right?"

I nod, putting another pillow between my legs and turning to my side. Diana starts to play another soundtrack, this time from Beauty and the Beast, as Nathan starts the massage. Exhaustion takes over and I'm able to fall asleep before the next contraction comes.