The Sanctuary (45 page)

“It’s not a problem. I’m his wife.” I passed him cash.

“Oh, I am sorry, Mrs. Ruska. I did not recognize you. There is no charge.”

“Keep it. How do I get upstairs?” I screamed over the blasting music of my husband’s band.

“There.” He pointed to the far end of the room.

“Thank you.” As soon as I stepped off the platform, I felt something trickle down my leg. This could not be happening. I glanced around the room. I needed to get to a bathroom quickly.

I pushed my way through the crowd, making my way toward the upstairs lounge. I needed to get away from the insanity.

“Hey, lady, where do you think you’re going?” I felt a hand pull my arm. I spun around. The voice sounded familiar.

“Jenni!” I screamed. “I had no idea you were here.”

She embraced me. “Oh my God, you’re
so
pregnant. I had no idea I was coming either. Val sent me an e-ticket two nights ago.” She kissed me. “I just came from having a smoke. These damn laws of yours. Val said you weren’t feeling good. Let’s go upstairs.” She spoke as though she hadn’t seen me in years, trying to get all her thoughts out at once.

“I missed you, darling.” She pulled me through the crowd.

“I missed you too. Jenni, I need to use the bathroom. I think something may have happened.”

She spun around. “What happened?” she yelled.

I pulled her in and shouted in her ear, “I either wet myself or my water just broke.”

Her eyes widened. “Are you serious? We need to find Val.”

“No, this is his night. I don’t want him to worry. It may be nothing. Where is the bathroom?” I scanned the room frantically.

“There is one upstairs.”

I wobbled after her until we reached the ladies' room. Thankfully, as soon as we closed the door behind us, the sound level cut in half.

“Jenni, he’s not drinking or doing anything, is he?” I asked as I waddled to an empty stall.

“I haven’t seen him drinking. He’s fine.”

I sighed behind the closed door. This was no drip. It was a fucking flood, and I was leaking all over the floor. “Jenni, I think this may be it.”

“Are you having contractions yet?” Jenni asked through the door.

“No. What time does the party end?”

“Val’s performing at midnight. That’s all I know. What time does the club close?”

“I have no idea.” I opened the door. “I’m not telling him unless I need to leave.” I walked to the sink and washed my hands.

She gasped. “You’re not telling him you’re in labor?”

I reached for the door. “It’s not active labor yet. Let’s find Val.”

We strolled around the VIP section, but Val was nowhere in sight. “Maybe he went to have a smoke?”

“It’s possible. Look, there’s Sebastian.” Jenni headed toward him. “Sebastian, where’s Val?”

“I’m not sure. He was outside with Ollie, but that was about thirty minutes ago. I haven’t seen him. Hi, Eve, how are you feeling?” Sebastian replied, leaning in to kiss me on both cheeks.

“I’m fine, thank you.”

But Jenni blew my cover. “Her water broke. We need to find Val immediately.”

“Your water broke?” He reached for his phone.

“No, it’s all right. I’m okay.” Then suddenly, the wave of a contraction hit me. “I need to find a seat.”

“Find Val,” Jenni demanded as she grabbed my arm. “So what do I do? Time these things?” Her eyes searched mine for an answer. She looked completely unsure of what to do.

I eyed Sebastian frantically making phone calls and speaking to people as they passed by. “This could go on for hours, Jenni. Let Val have his night. I don’t want to ruin it.”

“How is having his baby ruining his night? Do you know how much he talks about it?” She smiled. “I’m glad I flew in!” she squealed, squeezing me.

People began to scurry around franticly. Sebastian approached me. “How are you doing?”

“I’m okay. It passed already.” My body had temporarily calmed down from the contraction.

“But it will come again. I’m trying to find Val for you. We’ll page him. I’ve already got the car ready for you outside. What else can I get you?” he asked me, concerned.

I shook my head. I didn’t know what I needed. “This could be a false alarm. I’ve had pre-term contractions before. I don’t want to alert Val. Let him be.”

Sebastian kneeled down and took me by the hand. “If your water broke, it’s not a false alarm, dear. This is the real thing, believe me. I have four children. You’re going to have a baby tonight.”

I watched Jenni and Sebastian. They both seemed convinced I was going to give birth. Could this really be it?

The music cut off. “Excuse me, everyone, I hate to interrupt,” a female voice interjected. “But we seem to be missing our star tonight. Has anyone seen Valo?” The crowd roared in delight. “If you see him, please tell him he is needed. His wife just went into labor.”

“Come, my dear.” Sebastian offered his hand to me. “Let’s get you to the car.”

I took his hand and stood up, but as soon as I did, gravity took over, and a downpour of liquid shot out between my legs again. “Oh my God.” I cried, completely embarrassed.

“What happened?” Val rushed up next to me, out of breath. He placed his hand on his head. “What are you doing here?” he heaved, gasping for air as if he’d sprinted to reach me.

“I didn’t want to…Ahhhh…” I doubled over in another wave of pain. Val grasped my arm, holding me up. Sebastian grabbed me on the other side.

“Come on, love, let’s have a baby,” Val said softly in my ear, still out of breath.

“No, no. You stay here. It’s your night. Meet me there.”

“And miss it?” He shook his head. “No way.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Come on, Jenni, you’re coming too.”

I stumbled out to the car, leaning on Val for strength. “What if I leak in the car?”

“We’ll pay to have it cleaned. Don’t worry about something silly. Go on and get in.”

I hovered in front of the car, hesitant to enter.

“What’s the matter, love?” Val stood there, looking into my eyes.

I smiled. “This is probably the last time we will get into a car alone, just the two of us.” And then it hit me. “Val, we’re having a baby!” I screamed. It was the first time I was truly happy during this pregnancy.

We rushed into the hospital and were greeted by a nurse in the emergency room with a wheelchair in hand. I was no stranger to this and immediately sat down without being asked. “Good evening, Eve. Dr. Stanton told us you were in labor. I’m Angela, and I’ll be your nurse during your delivery.” She turned to Val. “And you must be Mr. Ruska.”

“Yes, please call me Val.” He followed after us, with Jenni close behind.

“So how are you feeling?” The nurse rolled me into the elevator.

“Like I’m being ripped in two.” I rubbed my stomach, hoping to calm my nerves.

“And how far apart are the contractions?” The door of the elevator opened, and the nurse wheeled us into a hallway before swiping her card to allow us entry to the secured part of the labor and delivery floor.

“They’re coming about every four to five minutes,” Val responded.

“It sounds like you have plenty of time.” Angela wheeled me into the private labor room, which seemed more like a hotel than a hospital. “Change into this, and I’ll get you set up.” She handed me the typical hospital gown. Unfortunately, they hadn’t upgraded their attire to match the décor.

“And what do you consider plenty of time?” I began to undress, hoping she would give me good news.

“Once the doctor examines you, we can get a better guess. I’ll be right back. I’ll let the doctor know you’re here.”

I undid my bra and removed my underwear from behind the shield of the gown that I draped over me.

“Don’t be bashful. We’ll see you naked by the end of the night,” Jenni teased as she flopped down on one of the couches.

Val shielded me, blocking Jenni’s view. “Here, let me help you.”

I placed my head on his chest and leaned into him, grabbing onto his waist for support. His arms slid around to my back. His fingers felt soft and silky against my skin as he tied the gown closed for me. “Val, I’m scared,” I whispered into him before another contraction washed over my body, causing me to grip onto him until it passed. “I don’t want to do this,” I croaked.

He smoothed my hair. “Did I ever tell you that you are beautiful?”

I nodded into his chest.

“And did I ever tell you how strong you are and how much I admire that about you?”

“I don’t feel very strong right now.”

“Well, you are, Eve. And you will get through this. And if you’re scared, I’m here. Let me be your strength through this.”

I pulled away and eyed him. “Why are you being so sweet?”

“What do you mean? I’m always sweet.” He smiled.

My eyes narrowed. “I know when you’re sweet, and your voice sounds different right now.” I loved his voice so much. I always paid attention to the little nuances of his range.

“Oh really?” He laughed, glancing past my shoulder to the skyline before looking back at me. “It’s not that I don’t mean my sincerity. I do.” Val puckered his lips and paused. “But I know I’ll have my balls handed to me soon.” He chuckled.

“Oh, so you’re trying to butter—” A wave of pain rushed from my back to my groin, wrapping me in tightness and causing me to nearly lose my footing.

Val caught me in his arms. “I got you.” I leaned my weight into him. “Do you want to walk?”

“No,” I whined.

“Do you want to sit?”

“No!”

Val paused. “Lie down?”

“Fuck no, Val. I don’t know what I want to do. It
fucking hurts,
” I snapped.

“Just calm down and breathe.” He tried to rub my back.

Dr. Stanton breezed in just in time to save Val from further attack. “Hello, Eve, Val. How are we doing tonight?”

“I guess okay under the circumstances,” I replied.

“Why don’t you lie down, and I’ll examine you.”

I lay on the bed, and the doctor attached the monitor to check the baby’s heart rate, the contraction timing, duration, and strength. “Everything looks good. The heart rate is strong, and your contractions are coming along. Slide down a bit for me?”

I watched Val as the doctor probed me with his gloved fingers. I couldn’t decide if he was more enamored with the pregnancy or the fact that another man had his fingers inside of me.

“You’re about three centimeters along. Not even halfway there.”

“I want an epidural.” The words immediately flew out of my mouth. I couldn’t fathom this pain for hours without medication.

“I can order something to calm you, but you’re not ready for an epidural. It could slow your labor down.”

“Is there anything we can do to speed it along?” Val asked.

“We don’t know how she will progress. She could open up within an hour or within twenty-four. Let’s monitor her for a little while.” The doctor looked at me. “I know you’ve been though a lot, but you need to hold on a bit longer. I’ll come back within the hour and re-check you. If you haven’t budged within a few hours, I’ll consider inducing you.” Dr. Stanton stood up. “You may want to walk around a bit. It sometimes helps.”

Over the next hour, Val and I circled the floor at a snail’s pace. Every few minutes we had to stop to wait for a contraction to pass. It seemed as if time dragged. Every time we checked the clock only a few minutes had passed.

“Val, I don’t think I can take this much longer. The contractions are getting worse.” I scrunched up against a wall, trying to work my way through it.

“If they’re getting worse, it’s a good sign. You can do this. You’ve nurtured life for nine months, and by tomorrow, you’ll be a mom.”

His words struck a chord with me. I grabbed onto his arm and continued forward. “You’re right. It’s only one day. I can do this.”

We walked arm in arm, around and around in circles, for hours. And as the time passed, my labor grew more intense.

I breathed in heavily. “Val, I need to go back to the room. I can’t walk anymore.”

“It’s just down the hall. Can you make it? Or do you want me to carry you?” He held on to me, holding me up for support. It had been five hours after we checked in. I could see he was exhausted, but he stayed strong for me.

“I’ll walk. Maybe I can get there before the next one hits.” I trudged onward as quickly as I could.

Val motioned to Angela as we passed the nurses’ station. “She’s between one and two minutes, and they’re getting worse.”

“We’ll be right in. Have her lie down,” Angela said as I hobbled past.

But I couldn’t make it to the room in time before another contraction hit. I let out a soft scream between my clenched teeth. I didn’t want to let loose in the middle of the hallway.

“Let’s move her after this passes.” Angela rushed next to me and grabbed me under the arm. “Okay, Eve, whenever you are ready, dear. Dr. Stanton is coming.”

They helped me into the room and bed.

“Let’s see what’s going on,” Angela said as she strapped the monitor around me. She watched the screen intently, monitoring the contractions.

Dr. Stanton breezed in. “Are you hanging in there?”

I shook my head. “Can I get an epidural now, please?” I begged.

The doctor slid his gloved hand in and watched the monitor. “Angela, please get Dr. Will. She needs an epidural as soon as possible.”

“Is everything okay?” Val asked the doctor as I tried to breathe through another contraction.

“Everything is perfect, but if we don’t get her an epidural soon, you may be giving birth naturally.”

“No!” I screamed. “I can’t do this naturally.”

Angela rushed into the room with a cart in hand. “Dr. Will is finishing up. She will be right in.”

No sooner had Angela settled next to me than a pretty, long-haired brunette with glasses walked in. “Hello, Eve, I’m Dr. Will, the anesthesiologist. I’m going to give you an epidural, and then you’re going to have a baby.”

She was so chipper it was nauseating, but I didn’t care. I wanted drugs. I nodded that I understood.

“Okay, Val, you and…” Angela motioned to Jenni.

“Jenni. I’m his sister,” Jenni interjected from the couch.

“You both will need to wait outside.” She held the door open. “It will only be a minute.”