Page 165 of The Seven Rings
“Damn right. Let’s go up and show Dobbs who’s boss around here.”
PART THREEThe Seven
Love is strong as death;
jealousy is cruel as the grave.
—Song of Solomon
Chapter Twenty-One
Trey arrived that evening with more photos, and stories.
“It was fine when I got over there, even when she says, really casual, ‘I think I’m in labor.’”
He sat with Sonya and Cleo, looking out at the sea and waiting for Owen.
“I’m ‘Okay, I’ll call Seth,’ then she tells me he’s out on a boat excursion, and she thinks it’s too early anyway. I want to call Mom, because Mom, but Anna’s just ‘Wait awhile.’ I’m going to do that. I’m not just going to leave. Then one hits her, and she’s puffing, and gone pale.”
“And you panicked,” Sonya finished.
“Not yet. It’s more ‘We’ll handle this, but I’m calling Seth, and the midwife,’ and yeah, she thinks that’s probably a good idea since it’s not the false stuff, or indigestion like she thought—and that turns out to be a couple hours before I got there. I get word to Seth, get her bag, get her in the car. All good. We got this.”
He shook his head, heaved out a breath. “We get to the birthing center, and everything’s happening all at once. Seth’s a couple hours out, and my mom’s doing a photo shoot and can’t get back to the village for an hour.”
“So it’s just you.” Cleo laughed. “Then you panicked.”
“I wouldn’t saypanicked. Next door to panic. I have to call Seth’s parents, my dad, you—because I’m going to be really seriously late. And they leave me alone in the room with her. Like just her and me. I kinda needed some backup.”
He took a sip of wine. “Anyway, once Owen got there, and my dad, then finally Mom, all good. Then Seth. Anyway, it was an experience.”
“And all’s well,” Sonya said.
“All’s incredible. But it didn’t hurt my feelings when they kicked me out, and I’m not ashamed. Jesus, I mean Jesus, it’s a lot. After, you’d think it was nothing. She’s holding the baby, and we’re taking pictures and videos, and Anna’s laughing. Like it was nothing. It wasn’t nothing.”
He drank again. “Swear to God, it makes you wonder how the human race survives.”
“Because… Who runs the world, Clover?”
The phone shouted it out:Who run the world? Girls.
“After this? No argument from me. I need to start sending my mother flowers every week. Maybe daily.”
“We’ve got a welcome gift for the new family,” Sonya told him. “You could take it to her tomorrow.”
“You could take it. I mean, they sent her home today.” He could only shake his head. “Like it was nothing.”
“We’re giving them a few days. Because it wasn’t nothing.”
“It sure as hell wasn’t.”
Mookie and Yoda sent up the alert, and seconds later, Owen’s truck pulled up.
“And how did he handle it?” Cleo wondered.
“I gotta say, he was a rock.”
“Good to know.” Cleo rose, sauntered over to greet him and Jones.
