Rooms on Fire

Fifth.

I am swimming in the large pool in Stevie's backyard, enjoying the sensation of being able to move through the water freely and the feeling of the watery morning sunlight on my skin. It has become my daily ritual since I have moved here. I have always been a water baby but as my due date has approached the water has become a sanctuary, soothing my aches, I love the feeling of weightlessness. I have become so awkward as my pregnancy has progressed. I'm short, a little over 5'2" and the baby throwing me off balance. I am never entirely sure of where my body is in space and that is evident in the random bruises on my arms and legs from where I have misjudged the position of doorframes or furniture. A contraction ripples through my abdomen as I continue my slow laps of the pool and it is strong enough that I find myself needing to stop, lean against the side of the pool and focus on my breathing until it is done. I go back to swimming once it passes only to find myself needing to stop and breath through another contraction a about 10 minutes later, and another one ten minutes after that. I finish my swim and decide to stay in the water a while longer, just floating around. I am feeling a lot of pressure in my hips today, even while I am in the water and I'm fairly certain that I might be in early labor, the contractions aren't going away like the Braxton-Hicks contractions do when exercise and they are more regular and intense than I am used to, not unbearable by any means, they just require my focus in a way that Braxton-Hicks contractions don't. I was already three centimeters dilated at my last appointment with Alex, my midwife on Friday and my cervix was ripe, it was only a matter of time she had told me.

I lay in the water floating, breathing deeply, evenly, deliberately as another contraction begins, I am starting to worry that Stevie won't make it back in time and that I will end up doing this on my own. She isn't due in until tonight, her morning being spent doing press for the second leg of the tour. I close my eyes as the pain and pressure in my stomach and back ramps up, visualizing a rollercoaster climbing a launch hill as I do, that is how Alex explained it to me, a contraction doesn't have a constant intensity, rather it builds slowly to a peak, plateaus for a short time and then it comes back down. I open my eyes as the contraction ends and smile as I open my eyes to find Stevie standing beside the pool, a concerned look on her face. I blink a couple of times, not quite sure I trust my eyes before bursting into tears of relief as I swim towards the side of the pool, 'I thought you weren't coming home until tonight,' I say through my tears.

'I couldn't wait any longer to see you,' Stevie smiles, her eyes shining with tears, 'I told Karen you were in labor and we needed to get back, we were wheels up at 4am.'

'I think you might have some sort of ESP,' I respond with a nervous smile.

Stevie's eyes go wide, 'really?' she asks running a hand though her hair.

'I think so,' I respond, 'If I am it is still early but things feel different today, more intense.'

'Alright so what do we do?' Stevie asks and she is running her hand through her hair again. I can tell she is nervous. Nervous for me. Nervous for the baby. I am too.

'I'd love it if you would join me in the pool for a little while. I'm comfortable in here,' I reply with a smile. I'm pretty sure Stevie has never swam in it before and I'm not quite sure she actually knows how to swim. As an Australian I could swim before I could walk. I was on the swim team in high school and being in the water is as natural as breathing to me.

'Are you sure it is safe for you to be in the water?' Stevie asks hesitantly as she strips to her underwear.

I nod, 'my water hasn't broken yet so it is fine to be in here. Alex has been encouraging me to spend time in the water.'

Stevie enters the pool tentatively before swimming to me with surprising grace. When she reaches me I launch myself into her arms and melt into her embrace. 'Does it hurt?' she asks me placing a hand on my belly.