Page 73 of Pursued By My Grumpy Fiancé
“Ah yes, I see Ms. Hamilton checked in just a couple of hours ago. Here’s some visitor passes. You’ll want to write your name on these.”
She passes us some stickers of the ‘my name is’ variety.
“Now, there’s only one person allowed back during the labor in addition to the partner, and it looks like she’s chosen her mother to do that. So, unfortunately, you’ll have to wait in the lobby until someone comes out to grab you. I’ll just let you know that that could be anywhere from ten minutes to ten hours, or longer. So, for your convenience, we have a complementary coffee bar right through that door over there. For anything fancier or for food items, the cafeteria is downstairs. I believe today's dinner is some sort of roast with vegetables. There’s also pre-packaged sandwiches. The bathrooms are out there, just past the elevators. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to come to the desk and ask.”
I nod my thanks towards her after her long spiel. I whip out my phone and text my mom, letting her know that we’re here. It’s only a few moments before she’s strolling down the hallway towards us.
“Oh, I’m so glad you could make it! Penny’s in labor right now, but it’s slow-going. Hopefully it will be easy for her.” She sits down in the chair beside me, glancing between Hailey and me.
“I know when I was in labor for you, it was about six hours. Luckily, my epidural was pumping enough medicine for me to not be in pain the entire six hours.”
I grin at her and pull my mom into a hug. She ruffles my hair before pulling back.
“So, we’re taking bets, since they wanted to be surprised. Boy or girl? You each get a guess,” she asks, pulling out a tiny notepad and pen.
“Are you allowed to have that in the delivery room?” I ask.
I know nothing about giving birth or the protocols surrounding it. I would assume that there could be no outside things in a sterile space.
“Landon.” Hailey wrinkles her brow at me. “It’s a notepad and pen, not a bioweapon. They’re allowed to have all kinds of stuff from home.”
I’m about to protest when I suddenly nod, realizing that Hailey has spent a lot more time in hospital rooms than I ever have.
“Right, well I’m going to go with…a girl.”
“Final answer?” My mom smiles at me. After I nod, she looks at Hailey expectantly.
“I’m going to say a boy. And not just to be the opposite of Landon.” She smirks at me.
My mother writes down our answers and stands up.
“Alright, I’m going to head back in there. Hopefully we will be able to find out soon enough!”
Afteracoupleofhours of waiting, Hailey’s rumbling stomach finally convinced me that we should head down to the cafeteria for something to eat. It’s almost like déjà vu, eating another meal in a hospital cafeteria.
“This roast dinner actually doesn’t look half bad,” she says as she puts her tray down on a table.
I set mine down across from her and take my seat.
“The roast looks a little dry, but still edible if you pour some gravy over it,” I remark.
“You know, it’s actually nice to be in the hospital for something other than cancer,” she mentions before popping a spoonful of peas in her mouth.
A disgusted look crosses her face and I make a mental note not to eat any of the peas.
“I’m surprised to hear you say that, actually.”
“Really, why?”
“It just seems like a very negative sentiment.” I cut off a piece of roast, smother it in gravy, and shove it in my mouth.
Not bad, but not great either. Maybe I can convince Hailey to make her roast later this week to rid myself of the mouth memory of this subpar hospital version.
“I can see why it would appear that way. Let me try again. It’s nice to be in the hospital for something that is a joyous occasion instead of a sad one. Like, don’t get me wrong, I’m so grateful for the experimental treatment. But I think that it being experimental actually makes it harder. Without the actual knowledge of it working, I sometimes feel that my mom is actually a sort of lab rat. It makes being in the hospital harder, instead of easier.”
I absorb what she’s saying, chewing the food in my mouth slowly. To be honest, I never thought of it that way. But, of course it would be hard, especially considering that her mom was getting the minimum amount of the treatment before she was moved to the donor floor. I squeeze her hand three times, letting her know silently that I love her. She’s about to respond when my phone starts ringing.
“Mom?” I answer the phone, and Hailey perks up, leaning across the table eagerly.
