Page 29 of The Light Year

"Ed?" she says, trying to keep her voice neutral. "It's Barbara Roman. We're at the diner, and we think Frankie's gone into labor. Jo's driving her to Stardust General right now."

In the end, Barbie's thirtieth birthday is just as memorable and exciting as any birthday she's ever had, as Lucas William Maxwell enters the world just before midnight. When the news comes, Barbie and Jo are sitting together in the waiting room of the hospital, holding paper cups of cold coffee from the vending machine. There is a fluorescent light overhead that buzzes intermittently, and though Barbie has put her head on Jo's shoulder several times and tried to doze, the noise from the light has kept her awake.

"Hey there, stranger," a tall doctor in a white lab coat says. Barbie lifts her head from Jo's shoulder and looks up at the man. He's incredibly handsome and looks exhausted.

Jo sits up straighter, forcing Barbie to sit up, too.

"Dr. Chavez," Jo says breathlessly. Barbie turns to look at her friend curiously. She's never heard Jo sound this girly, and her cheeks flush instantly. "Hi."

Barbie smooths her skirt over her lap and rubs her lips together; she must look a fright. She clears her throat and smiles at the doctor.

"Oh, this is Barbara Roman," Jo says, patting Barbie's knee. "Barbie, this is Dr. Chavez. We work here together. Or, rather,heworks here, and I volunteer here, but we know each other from the hospital, and Nick, I mean Dr. Chavez, and I--"

Barbie cuts her off to stop the verbal bloodshed. "It's lovely to meet you," she says, smiling at him and hoping that she looks better than she feels, given the late hour and the long day behind them.

"You as well," Dr. Chavez says, nodding once. "Now, which one of you is waiting to deliver a baby?"

Jo laughs too loud at this, and Barbie glances her way again.

"Our friend, Frankie, just had a baby," Barbie explains as she nudges Jo gently with her elbow. "We're waiting to see if we can go in and meet the little guy, since we waited here for five hours for him to make his appearance."

"And it's Barbie's birthday," Jo adds, apropos of nothing. "We were out at a diner with our friends, and Frankie went into labor, so we thought she might have the baby.”

"I see," Dr. Chavez says, putting on a mock-serious face. "Well, I'm not an obstetrician or anything, but I have heard that most pregnancies end in childbirth, so that's to be expected."

Jo laughs loudly again, and Barbie is starting to wonder whether she's suffering from a simple work crush, or a mild head injury.

"Anyway, happy birthday, Barbie," Dr. Chavez says, turning to her and giving a slight bow. "And now you get to share your day with your friend's little one, so that's special."

"It is," Barbie agrees. "I have three boys of my own at home, so I think boys are pretty wonderful."

"That they are," Dr. Chavez agrees. "Well, my rounds are nearly done." He pauses and glances at his watch. "So I'd better wrap things up here and get home for a few hours of sleep before they want me to come back and do it all over again. Ladies," he says, smiling at Barbie and Jo, "have a wonderful evening, and congratulations to your friend and her husband."

Dr. Chavez disappears with a last wave, and Barbie turns to Jo. "Are you okay?" she hisses, blinking at Jo like she's seeing her for the first time. "I have never seen you in action like that."

“In action?" Jo parrots. "Like what?"

"Flirting with aman," Barbie whispers, leaning closer to her. "Holy Toledo, Jo."

Jo's mouth opens and closes and she says nothing, but she’s saved once again by Ed, who comes out of the swinging doors with a grin on his face that's a mile wide.

"He's here!" Ed says, clapping his hands together. "We did it! Lucas is here."

Jo and Barbie both stand then, forgetting all about Dr. Chavez as they hug and congratulate the new father, assuring him that Lucas is, undoubtedly, the healthiest and most wonderful baby ever born.

"You two can go in and see her," Ed says, wiping away the tears on his face with a white handkerchief from his back pocket. "I'm going to call our parents now and let them know the wonderful news."

The hospital room is dim and peaceful. Frankie is tucked beneath a white sheet and blanket, and a swaddled bundle nestles in the crook of her arm. She smiles at the baby beatifically, looking totally at peace as Barbie trails Jo into the room.

"Hey there, Mama," Jo says softly, walking across the linoleum floor as softly as possible so as not to squeak and wake the patient sleeping on the other side of a drawn curtain. She and Jo approach the bed and peer down at baby Lucas, with his tightly closed eyes and little rosebud pout. He's wearing a knitted cap atop his small head.

"Oh, Frankie," Barbie says, tearing up instantly. "He's so gorgeous."

Frankie smiles up at her friends, and in her eyes it's clear that motherhood has changed her already. "He's got dark hair," she whispers back, tugging at the tiny cap and showing them the soft mop of baby hair. "Lots of it!"

"He's a good Italian boy," Jo says, beaming at the baby. "Are your parents coming down?"

"They said they'd come the minute we called, so I would imagine that Ed has already reached them and that they're halfway to the airport as we speak."

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