pie in the sky // JENLISA

Chapter 10

Something about Lisa smooths over when she sees the fluid on the floor. She lowers her voice and moves slowly into the room.

"Okay," she says. It's deep but soft. "Here we go."

Jennie, on the other hand, is spinning into panic. "Lisa, I don't know what I'm doing. I didn't even read the book! I thought I had another week or two, now I have to-"

"It's okay," Lisa says, cupping her shoulders. "I've gone through this many times. Just take a deep breath..."

Jennie gasps for air a few times, belly heaving.

"I don't even have a carseat!" she says, breaking into tears.

Lisa squeezes her arms tighter and Jennie calms enough to take a shaky breath, letting it out slowly.

"It's okay. We'll get you one. Can you feel your contractions?"

Jennie shakes her head, then second-guesses herself. "I mean, there's been some pressure..." She shifts her hands from her stomach to her sides.

"Those are starter contractions."

"Oh." Jennie feels silly for not recognizing she was going into labor. She expected contractions to be more sudden and severe, like a belt cinching around the waist so hard she felt like she would burst. She wipes her face. "What do I do?"

"Just keep breathing until your contractions get more intense."

Jennie feels like there should be more to it than that, but Lisa is a doctor.

Lisa rubs Jennie's arms. "Do you want me to take you home?"

Jennie gives a desperate, terrified shake of her head. Home is the last place she wants to be.

"Okay. We can stay here, if you think you'll be comfortable," Lisa says.

"Don't we need to go to the hospital?"

Lisa gives her a reassuring smile. "Not for a while. This part of labor is fairly mundane. It's best to stay somewhere you're comfortable."

Jennie chews on this information. It certainly isn't what she expected from all the movies and TV shows she's seen. But if being in labor means she gets to sit in Lisa's office for a while undisturbed, it might be more pleasant than she expected.

"Do you want to call your husband?"

Jennie shakes her head vehemently.

"He should probably know you're in labor," Lisa says, apologetic.

"He probably wouldn't care," Jennie grits out.

"Okay," Lisa says, stepping back. "I'll let you decide when to call him."

Lisa helps Jennie change out of her exam gown and back into her clothes, making sure she's cleaned up first. Jennie looks down at her belly, wondering if it looks different without all the amniotic fluid. Sure enough, her belly looks lumpy and less round.

Once Jennie is dressed, Lisa puts a gentle hand on her back and ushers her out of the exam room into Lisa's office. She makes sure Jennie is comfortable in a chair before she calls the nurse to clean up the exam room.

"I can put on a movie or something," she offers, gesturing to her computer.

Feeling frayed at the edges, Jennie shrugs. Lisa opens her laptop, enters the password, and pulls up Netflix. She offers the computer to Jennie, but Jennie is too distracted to choose anything. Lisa chooses for her, some asinine comedy meant to keep her in good spirits.

Lisa takes out some files and starts making notes on the other side of the desk. She's as calm as ever, and it makes Jennie uncomfortable. She keeps looking up from the sitcom at Lisa, wondering what feels strange about this.