High Anxiety (27 page)

“Push!” Willie-Mae ordered.

As I placed my hands between her thighs, I felt something slip right into them. I thought my heart would stop beating. I gently but firmly grasped it and pulled it from the water, a tiny little thing coated with some kind of white and greenish stuff. A cord was attached to its navel.

“Oh, it’s a baby!” I cried.

Willie-Mae looked amused. “What did you think we were delivering? A goat?”

“What am I supposed to do with it?”

“Is it a boy or a girl?” Tiara asked, tears streaming down her cheeks.

I checked. “It’s a girl!”

“Lay her gently on Tiara’s stomach,” Willie-Mae said. “Be careful with the cord.”

I did so. Willie-Mae suddenly became very busy, suctioning the baby’s mouth and nostrils. The infant let out a howl.

I was awestruck. “What’s her name?” I asked Tiara, whose face glowed with happiness.

“Lucy, after my mother,” she said. “Quick, grab the camera. I want pictures for her daddy.”

I got up and hurried to the vanity, pausing to wash and dry my hands and arms. I grabbed the digital camera and snapped pictures as fast as I could. Only then did I realize tears were streaming down my cheeks.

 

 

An hour later
I was still dazed as Mona and I pulled leftovers from the refrigerator, per Willie-Mae’s instructions. Willie-Mae joined us in the kitchen; she looked tired but pleased.

“How is Tiara?” I asked.

She smiled. “She and the baby are doing very well. I’ll take something up to her later. You did a great job. Have you ever thought of becoming a midwife?”

Mona slid an amused look in my direction.

“I’m really happy I was able to take part in the birth,” I said, “but I think I’ll keep my day job.”

We dined on cold meat loaf sandwiches. Willie-Mae carried a tray upstairs to Tiara, while Mona and I straightened the kitchen. When Willie-Mae returned, she was frowning. “Tiara spilled an entire glass of juice on the comforter. It will need to go to the dry cleaners.”

“I’ll get Jimbo to take it in the morning,” Mona said.

Willie-Mae reached into the refrigerator for a container of bottled water. “I need to run this up to Tiara.”

“I’ll do it for you,” I said. “You should rest.”

“Thank you, hon,” she said. “I think I’ll kick back on the sofa for a few minutes, maybe catch my second wind. I’ll probably be up and down most of the night.”

I carried the water upstairs. Tiara and the baby looked different than when I’d last seen them. They were clean and dry and dressed in crisp gowns. Little Lucy was nursing at Tiara’s breast.

“She’s beautiful,” I said.

Tiara smiled. “Thank you,” she said. “And thank you for being there for me.”

“I was glad I could help,” I said.

“My husband will be so proud.” She yawned. “Would you mind putting Lucy in the bassinet for me?” she asked.

“Um . . .”

“It’s okay, she won’t break,” Tiara said. She held the baby out to me. “Just make sure you support her head.”

I very gently took the sleeping infant from her, taking great care to hold her correctly. “I’ve never held a newborn,” I said.

“You can practice holding Lucy all you want,” Tiara said. “That way you’ll know how to do it when you have your own baby.”

“I don’t know if I would be very good at taking care of a baby,” I said, placing Lucy in her bassinet. “I’m having trouble raising a dog.”

I saw that Tiara was having trouble holding her eyes open. I quietly slipped from the room.

Downstairs I found Mona on the phone. When she hung up, she turned and faced me. “That was Thad,” she said. “He just wanted to make sure you were okay. I told him you were helping Mama deliver a baby, but I don’t think he believed me.” She paused. “I should probably tell you something.”

“What?” I asked.

“Well, Thad came on to me in your office when you and Jimbo drove to your house to meet the locksmith.”

“Really?” I had no intention of telling her Thad had given me a different story.

“He sort of hinted over the phone that the two of us should get together.”

“Maybe you should.”

“I don’t know. I would sort of feel funny going out with your old boyfriend. Especially knowing that he cheated on you. And he has been known to be somewhat shallow.”

“That was a long time ago, Mona.”

“Would it bother you if I went out with him?”

I smiled at her. “Frankly, I think it would be cool if my two closest friends got together.”

“I’ll think about it,” she said. “It would be nice to date someone close to my age. I wouldn’t have to take so many Botox treatments. By the way, he wants you to call him back.”

I grabbed my cell phone from my purse and checked my messages. I was not surprised to find that Abigail had called several times. I dialed Thad’s number.

“Abigail called me,” he said.

“I’m not surprised. She called me, too, although she didn’t leave any messages. What did she want?”

“She saw my car at your house last night. I won’t repeat all that she accused me of, but if words could kill, I would be on a slab wearing a toe tag right now.”

“Did she threaten you?”

“You could say that.”

“Maybe you should call Officer Jenkins,” I said, feeling weary, “but to be honest, I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“You’re going to have to be very careful, Kate,” he said. “If she’s driving by your house in the middle of the night, she’s almost certainly following you. I’m thinking I should call the senator and give him the heads-up.”

“I don’t know, Thad. Don’t you think it’s odd that Abigail hasn’t mentioned him? She still may not know what’s in the file.”

He was quiet for a moment. “I guess I could hold off for a little while longer,” he said. “By the way, has Mona said anything about me?”

“Um.”

“Is she within hearing distance?”

“Yep.”

“You think I should ask her out?”

“I think I’d like to stay out of it.”

“By the way, I plan to go by the hospital first thing in the morning to check on Alice and Friends if you want to meet me there.”

“I can be there about seven thirty.”

“That’ll work.” We hung up.

“Did he say anything about me?” Mona asked.

I debated answering. “I so don’t want to be in the middle of this,” I said, “but, yes, I think he’s interested.” I glanced at my wristwatch. It was still early, but I was emotionally spent after helping to deliver a baby. “I think I’ll take Mike out to do her business then turn in early,” I said. “All this excitement has worn me out.”

I got up
earlier than usual the next morning. Although I didn’t normally work on Saturdays, I’d promised to meet with a patient who’d been out of town all week and wasn’t doing so well. Since I planned to be in the office anyway, I agreed to touch base with Bill Rogers as well.

After taking Mike out, I poured a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table. A tired-looking Willie-Mae joined me.

“You don’t look like you slept much last night,” I said.

“The first twenty-four hours are crucial where newborns are concerned. I’m proud to say all is well. I wish I could say the same for Mona.”

“I noticed the rash is getting worse.”

“Yes, and I’ve used everything in my bag of tricks. I’m glad she made an appointment with the specialist at Emory University.” Willie-Mae smiled. “I’m proud of her, though. She has been a real trouper the last few days. Something like this would have torn her out of her frame a few years ago.”

As though acting on cue, Mona stumbled into the kitchen in cream-colored satin pajamas with black piping. She mumbled a good morning, poured a cup of coffee, and joined Willie-Mae and me at the kitchen table. She looked up and caught us staring. “You don’t have to pretend I’m getting better,” she said. “I know I look bad. And the thing is, I’ve pretty much accepted that I’m being taught some kind of universal lesson.” She took a sip of her coffee.

“What does that mean, exactly?” I asked.

“It means, in order to grow, we all have to come face-to-face with our biggest fears.”

Willie-Mae patted her hand. “Oh, honey, that sounds so—” She looked at me for the word.

“Profound,” I said.

Mona nodded. “I have to confess that I’ve spent my entire life not feeling quite good enough or bright enough, so it was important that I maintain my looks.” She looked at me. “I’m not like you, Kate. You don’t have to try so hard, because you’re smart and have a great career.”

“You’ve got a lot going for you, Mona,” I said. “What about all the fund-raising you’re doing to build youth centers and curtail gangs?”

She nodded. “From now on, that’s what I plan to concentrate on,” she said, “and not worry so much about my looks.”

There was a knock at the back door. Mona got up, punched numbers on the alarm keypad, and opened the door. Jimbo stepped inside. “You have errands for me?” he asked Mona.

“Mama does,” she said.

“I’ve made a list,” Willie-Mae said. “I’ll be right back.” She hurried from the room and went upstairs.

“How is the new baby?” Jimbo asked.

I smiled at him. “She’s beautiful. You’ll probably get a chance to see her later.”

“I’m not good with babies or kids,” he said.

“That makes two of us,” Mona said.

Willie-Mae returned a few minutes later with the comforter and her list. “Do you know what a breast pump is?” she asked Jimbo.

Mona and I exchanged amused looks.

He looked thoughtful. “No, but I have a bicycle tire pump that you’re welcome to use.”

“Never mind,” Willie-Mae said. “I’ll try to get out later and pick one up. The silly girl forgot to bring hers.” She handed him the folded comforter. “This needs to go to the dry cleaners. Take this envelope of cash. It should be more than enough to pay for everything on my list. I’d better check on my patient,” she said and hurried from the room.

“What’s on the agenda today?” Jimbo asked.

“I have to visit a patient in the hospital this morning, then go into the office for a little while,” I said. “My first appointment isn’t until ten a.m.”

“Should I drive you?”

“I’m going with her,” Mona said. “We’ll be fine.”

“I’ll meet you at the office at ten,” Jimbo said. He headed out, and Mona and I went upstairs to get dressed. I was relieved that she had forgone her mourning outfit. Instead, she had used something on her face to conceal the rash.

“It doesn’t look so bad, does it?” she said, trying to sound brave.

“It’s barely noticeable.”

We said good-bye to Willie-Mae, climbed into Mona’s Jag, and took off.

 

 

Thad was standing
at the nurse’s station looking through Alice Smithers’s file when I arrived, leaving Mona to wait in the reception area with a magazine.

“I have a patient who is sort of in crisis,” I told Thad. “I’m seeing him this morning.”

“What’s the problem?”

“Fear of public speaking. Unfortunately, it comes with the promotion he received some weeks back. I’ve been using relaxation and visualization techniques, but he is literally paralyzed with fear and afraid of losing his job.”

“I can write him a script for something to reduce his anxiety,” Thad offered.

“That would be a huge help,” I said. “I don’t think he’s going to be able to continue therapy until he settles down. I can fax the information to your office for your records,” I added, as Thad wrote out the prescription and handed it to me. I thanked him and put it in my purse.

“So, how is Alice this morning?” I asked.

“Her depression has lifted,” he said. “Do you want us to go in together?”

“Of course.”

We found Alice sitting on the edge of her bed, writing in a notebook. She had showered and put on makeup.

“I’m glad you’re up,” I said. “You look like you’re feeling better.”

She nodded. “I’ve been writing in my journal.”

“May I take a quick look?” I asked. She offered it to me, and I scanned a couple of pages. I wasn’t as interested in reading the words as I was in studying the handwriting, since each personality wrote differently, both in style and tone. While one personality might be right-handed, another could very well write with the opposite hand. Liz Jones wrote in big, black, bold letters and used foul language.

I held it out for Thad to see. “No recent entries from Liz,” I said.

He smiled. “That’s good news.”

“When can I go home?” Alice asked.

I looked at Thad. “It shouldn’t be too terribly long,” I said without committing to an actual date. I felt she needed to be there longer. “Would you mind if we had a word with Sue?”

Alice shrugged. Not only did I see the internal change that produced her alter personality, I also noticed that Sue took off the clunky eyeglasses that Alice still insisted on wearing. The weird thing was, Alice needed glasses, but Sue did not.

“Hi,” Sue said, giving us a bright smile.

“Have you seen Liz lately?” I asked.

Sue shook her head. “I think she’s on vacation. I hope it’s a long one. I should tell you, Emily and I have been trying to take more control.”

“Excellent!”

We chatted with her for a few minutes before asking to speak to Emily, who was the gregarious personality of the group. “Did Sue tell you we’re trying to edge Liz out since she took the overdose?”

I nodded. “That’s great news.”

“She feels stupid, not only for swallowing the bottle of pills but for having us committed. I guess you could say she’s laying low.”

“Keep up the good work,” I said. Thad and I chatted with Emily for a few minutes before saying good-bye.

We were discussing Alice’s case when we stepped outside and found Mona still reading a magazine. “You ready to roll?” I asked. I may as well have been talking to the moon, because she and Thad had their gazes locked on each other in such a way that I knew the world had ceased to exist for them at that very moment. And I was stunned. When had this happened? Why hadn’t I seen it coming? Had I been so caught up in
my
stuff that it had passed me by?