Little Do You Know

Chapter 21

1992

"Munson? You got a call!"

Eddie turned, pulling his safety goggles off, to see his plant supervisor standing there, phone held out in his hand. He pulled his gloves off, tossing them down, making his way across the floor and up the stairs to take the phone.

"Hello?"

"Eddie, Dani's water just broke," came Robin's voice through the phone.

"Oh shit!" Panic flooded his brain. This was what he'd been scared of, that she would go into labor and he wouldn't be there when it happened. All these stupid hours he worked at the plant, it was bound to happen. His supervisor raised his eyebrows. "I have to go! My wife...the baby...it's coming!"

"Calm down there, cowboy," Robin told him calmly. "She's fine. The contractions are eight minutes apart which means she has plenty of time. Dani said her doctor told her to not even come into the hospital until they're five minutes apart."

"Five...eight...what?" he demanded. "What do you mean wait? She's about to have a kid!"

Robin sighed, "Yes, but if she goes in too early she's going to have to wait anyway and your house is a hell of a lot more comfortable than a hospital room. She's got some time. So, just clean yourself up, gather your shit and come home. You can take her up to the hospital and I will stay here with Lyric, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. That's good. That makes sense," he muttered, struggling to get his thoughts unjumbled and in a sensible order that he could navigate. "Tell her I'm on my way! I'm coming!"

"Okay, Eddie, I am going to need you to just take some deep breaths and calm the hell down. She doesn't need you getting in an accident and winding up in an adjoining hospital bed."

"I got it, Robin," he hissed. "Just tell her I'm coming!" He slammed the phone down, glancing over at his supervisor.

"Go! You're about to be a dad, man. Go!"

Eddie didn't need telling twice. He pulled off his gloves, washed his hands in the sink, and dropped his safety goggles in the bin for sanitizing. He rushed to his locker, grabbing his keys and his wallet as he pulled off his coveralls. Just as he was heading for the door, Gareth spotted him.

"Eds, what's up? Everything okay?"

"Dani's having the baby!" he called out to his friend.

"No shit! Go man! Go!" Gareth yelled with a grin. "You're gonna be a dad again!"

"I'm gonna be a dad again!" Eddie shrieked, arms over his head as he raced out the door and to his van.

The drive home was a complete blur. Eddie couldn't even tell you what happened in those fifteen minutes, his mind completely focused on just getting to Dani and getting her and his unborn child to the hospital where they would be safe. He flew into the parking lot and leapt out of the van, leaving the door wide open as he raced up the steps and into the house.

Dani was walking slowly back and forth in the living room. Robin was walking with her, hand gently underneath her elbow, watching her closely. Lyric was sitting on the couch, watching a Care Bears VHS. Dani paused, eyes shut tight as she breathed slowly, like they'd learned in the childbirth classes Dani had made them both take, something they'd missed the first time around. Robin held her hand, letting Dani squeeze, as she breathed along with her. When it passed, they both looked up at him.

"Alright, I'm passing her over to you," Robin told him. "The contractions are only six minutes apart now so you still got time. Don't drive like a goddamn maniac, Munson. You have double the precious cargo right now speedracer. Anything happens to my girl or my baby and you're dead meat."