Mara grinned her thanks. I just bet you do, she thought as she went behind the curtain.
Olivia looked terrible. They had gotten the bleeding stopped and were giving her an IV.
"She didn't need a transfusion," the nurse whispered to Mara. "But she's pretty weak. The doctor is thinking about a C section. We were hoping her husband would be here."
"Let me speak to her and I'll go out and try him again," she said softly. "Hiya, Livi."
"Mara," she smiled weakly and held out her hand. The other was full of needles and she had a pulse monitor on one finger. "Where's Toby?"
"I'm calling him again in just a minute. If I have to, I'll go get him myself."
"Don't leave me," she begged.
"I'll step out long enough to call, honey. They don't like cell phones back here. Okay?"
Olivia nodded slowly and closed her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere." She smiled feebly.
"I'll be right back." She kissed Olivia's forehead and walked outside.
She connected with the same secretary and was told again that she wouldn't interrupt the meeting.
"I want to talk to your superior."
"I don't see what good that will do, Miss Cross," she said crisply.
"Oh, it will do me a world of good. Not so much for you, though. Either I talk to my brother, or to your boss, which is it? Choose in five, four, three...."
The phone clicked and she heard Toby's voice. "Mara? What's wrong?"
She gave him a brief rundown. There was a short pause.
"Gentlemen," she heard him say. "I have to leave. My wife's in the hospital, in labor. I sincerely apologize."
She heard his boss, Frank Campbell. "Don't just stand there, boy. Go have a baby!"
"I'm on the way now, Mara." He hung up and she sighed deeply.
Her next call was to Cissy, who amazingly kept her cool. "I'll get Jeff. You call Paul. I'll be there in ten, I'm walking out the door as we speak."
"Thanks, Cissy."
She hung up and called her brother. He was harder to reach, but when she got hold of him, he promised to be there as soon as possible.
"It's going to take me around thirty to get there. Keep me posted."
"Will do," she went back into the hospital and was shown back to Olivia once more.
A few minutes later, an orderly came to get Olivia to take her upstairs to delivery. He was tall, good looking, and broad shouldered. He wore multiple earrings in each ear that clicked and jingled as he moved. His uniform clung in enticing places as if it had shrunk on him.
"You comfy?" he asked Olivia.
"Mm hm. You married?"
"Nope! You interested?" He flexed his muscles jokingly.
"I'm just here for the ride," she quipped. "But Mara's in the market. You like the goods, Mara?"
Mara eyed him like a prize bull. He flexed and posed for her like a body builder. "Got to admit, it's a tasty view, Liv. Do you have to beat the women off with a stick?"
He laughed quietly, tossing his head back delightedly. "Actually, I just throw my arms wide and invite all comers." He smiled, flashing a mouthful of beautiful teeth. "Here we are, your sumptuous home away from home."
The room was decorated in muted colors, calming beige with mauve and sandy colored stripes. Mara couldn't stand it, but she could see how it would be relaxing.
Dr. Kirk Sandusky walked in a few minutes later. He was putting on a pair of rubber gloves as he walked. A nurse came in behind him.
"I'll need you to step out while I examine Olivia," he told Mara. "I'll call you when we're done. Is Toby coming?"
"He's on his way, and should be here any minute," Mara told him.
As if on cue, Toby burst through the door. "I'm here! Livi, I'm here honey!" He squatted by the bed so she could see him without looking up.
"I'll be outside," Mara told them.
Dr. Sandusky walked over to the bed, smiling at Olivia. "All right, my girl. Let's see if we're having a baby today!"
Mara walked down to the waiting room and sat down. Huddled in a ball, she sat on a couch with her knees pulled up to her chin. Jeff and Cissy walked in quietly, sitting down on either side of her.
"Has anyone told Mom?" Jeff asked.
"I didn't think about it," Mara told him honestly. "I was so worried about Olivia and trying to get Toby, I didn't remember." She told them what had happened with Toby's office.
"I'll go up and see her," Jeff said. "It's okay, Mara. I wouldn't have thought of it in your position, either."
"I hope Toby fires that little bitch," Cissy said. "I had to talk to her when Mom got sick. She wouldn't bother him then, either."
"Someone's been swimming at the bottom of the gene pool too long. How could anyone be that dumb? Family emergencies mean nothing, I guess. If I ever get like that, please hit me."
"Ditto, sis."
©2021 Dellani Oakes
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