Chapter 17
Eden
Yesterday was nuts! I’m still trying to process what I witnessed.
I’m so fucking happy for Pia and Todd. Meena is the cutest kid I’ve ever seen.
I was pretty bloody terrified when I first stepped inside the delivery suite, but then Pia looked at me with such determination, I knew there was no reason to worry.
The hours went by in a blur of screaming, crying, pain, and that was just Todd.
Poor bloke nearly had his nuts squeezed off at one point.
He got too close to Pia at a particularly bad time.
She growled at him and reached for his crown jewels, screaming that he was never having sex with her ever again. It was intense.
I did what Bella suggested and stayed north of the wall until Pia sobbed at me to check everything was okay, as the baby crowned.
I can never unsee any of that! Todd didn’t get the chance because he wiped out hard.
The doctors just chuckled and carried on bringing little Meena into the world as he lay sprawled on the floor.
I got the absolute privilege of handing Meena over to Pia.
I’ve never seen my best friend with such wonder in her eyes.
I knew she’d been scared since the pregnancy test came back positive, but the moment she had that squishy, tiny human in her arms, it was like I could see her physically change.
Pia became a mum, there and then. She’ll burn down the world for that little girl.
The drive back to the apartment and going to bed is somewhat of a distant memory now.
I think I was running on fumes by the time I crawled into bed with Sloane.
I remember talking to her about no longer being scared, which is true.
Witnessing something like childbirth kind of has a profound effect.
If Pia can get through something as traumatic as having a human pushed out of her minge, then I can face being a proper adult.
I woke up feeling high on the aftershock of yesterday’s events and had to get moving.
Making Sloane breakfast in bed seemed like a good start.
She’s so fucking gorgeous when she first wakes up.
I would’ve made her a Full English, but the fridge reminded me that to eat we needed to buy food. A bacon butty was the best I could do.
Sloane takes the coffee and sandwich, eyeing it appreciatively. She laughs as I ram my veggie bacon sandwich in my mouth like an animal. I’m starving, though, and I really want to get to the hospital. Pia will be discharged this evening, and I need to help arrange her getting home.
“Did anyone call her parents?” I ask, suddenly aware I should have probably done that already.
Sloane swallows her food, looking sad. She doesn’t need to say another fucking word because I already know what’s coming.
“Assholes,” I hiss.
“Your mom and dad are planning on taking Pia and the baby back to their house, if Pia wants.” Tears prick my eyes. My parents are fucking rock stars at times.
“She’ll want that. Pia has been practically velcroed to Mum since she found out about the baby.”
We finish our breakfast and dress. I hand Sloane one of my hoodies and we drive to the hospital.
The corridors are quiet as we walk in. We find the room easily because there is a hand-drawn sign—by Bella, I’d wager—taped to the door: “WELCOME TO THIS PLANE OF EXISTENCE, MEENA! DO NOT WAKE THE BABY!”
Inside, Pia is asleep, the new baby nestled in the curve of one arm. Todd sits beside them, reading a battered paperback, looking as if he’s aged a decade. He glances up and waves us in.
“She’s perfect, right?” he whispers, and there’s a tremor in his voice that makes me want to scoop him up and hug him tight.
“She really is,” I say in a whisper as I peer at Meena. She’s staring up at me with the richest brown eyes I’ve ever seen.
“She looks just like her mom,” Sloane says next to me, taking a gander at the newest member of our family.
“Got the attitude too.” Todd chuckles.
“She’s going to kick ass,” I declare.
I look at Sloane, and I can tell she’s thinking the same thing I am.
This is the single best way to start a day.
Just the three of us—well, four if you count Todd, but he’s basically an emotional houseplant at this point—standing in a sun-bright hospital room, and a whole new life starting in a plastic baby bed.
After a few minutes, Pia wakes up. She groans, sharp and dramatic, then reaches for the water.
“Am I alive?” she mutters, voice shredded. She spies Meena and her whole face transforms. She blinks the baby into focus and cracks a smile so unguarded it renders me useless.
I take the plastic cup and hold it for her while she sips. “You did it,” I say.
“You did it,” Sloane echoes, sitting on the edge of Pia’s bed.
Pia’s eyes fill. “Honestly, I thought there’d be more, like, ceremony. Instead, it just felt like vomiting but through my lower body.”
“That’s poetic,” Todd says, his voice high and thin with awe.
Sloane and I snicker. Pia glances at Meena, who is now making squished tomato faces and soft squeaks.
“You want anything? Food?” I ask.
She considers it. “I want my own shower. And maybe to never see Todd’s penis again.”
“That’s fair,” Sloane says.
“Noted,” Todd says, still gazing at the baby, like he’s spotting something miraculous in every blink.
I sneak a pic of them for the group chat, then send it to my mum. Ten seconds later, my phone buzzes. Mum sends back a string of emojis, most of them consist of hearts.
“You know, Eden, I was terrified of this. Of all of it. Even with you guys,” Pia says.
I nod. “You can be scared with people. That’s what they’re for,” I reply, leaning down and kissing her head.
There’s a commotion in the hallway and Bella bursts in, arms loaded with a helium balloon and breakfast tacos.
Behind her, Jenna and Becca appear, each carrying more food and a weird patchwork baby quilt covered in angry woodland creatures.
I’d bet money Bella sewed it while binge-watching horror movies.
Pia’s room transforms into a kind of fortress with every surface covered in snacks, pillows, flowers, and congratulatory cards. Sloane and I steal a corner and watch the parade.
Mum and Dad show up a couple of hours later, and I realise we’ve not told Pia that her parents aren’t coming home. I want to rant and rave, but who does it help? Not Pia, that’s for sure.
“Hey, honey,” Mum says, stepping up to Pia and pulling her into a half-bodied embrace.
Pia immediately starts crying. We all give her a soft smile and wait for her to let it all out.
“They’re not coming, are they?” she hiccups.
I fucking hate that Pia is so used to them leaving her to fend for herself that she doesn’t even sound surprised anymore when they let her down.
“No, sweetie. But that just means I get to look after you,” Mum continues. “We’ve got your room set up and plenty of people ready to get stuck in with this little nugget,” she adds, reaching down to stroke Meena’s chubby cheek.
Pia doesn’t answer but starts crying again. I think this is going to be the norm for a while.
We all spend another hour with the new family, but it’s clear when Pia needs a break.
Mum and Dad tell her they’ll be back a little later to pick her and the baby up, and for the first time since Pia went into labour, I can see Todd relax.
I’m guessing he was stressing out more because he knew just how bloody useless Pia’s parents would be.
Meena won’t go without moneywise. That’s what Pia’s parents will contribute to their granddaughter’s life, and sure, that means Meena will have an extremely privileged life.
However, I’ve seen the darker side of such a relationship.
Pia grew up feeling abandoned and unimportant.
Yes, she could have a brand new Porsche if she wanted, but god forbid she request any emotional support.
Their absence was the reason Pia and I grew as close as sisters. My mum and dad were more than happy to include Pia in all our family shit, and I lost count of the times Pia spent holidays with us instead of her other family.
I wonder how she’ll deal with her parents from now on. There’s no way she’s going to let Meena experience life the way she did. There won’t be any more nannies.
Sloane and I take the long way home from the hospital. She drives with the window down, one hand draped out to feel the wind. I lay my head back on the headrest and let the last thirty-six hours soak in.
She pulls into Benny’s Diner, and I can’t guess why until she rolls to a stop and kills the engine.
“Why are we here?” I ask.
“Remember when we used to come here? It was like our place to go when something big happened.”
To be fair, we found any old excuse to come to Benny’s back then.
She gets out before I can answer, and I follow her inside. Sloane gets a chocolate shake for me and a vanilla one for herself.
“This is for you,” she says, shoving the straw into my mouth.
It tastes like senior year and the first time I realised I was in love with Sloane. I grin into the straw.
We sit cross-legged on the curb and Sloane lets the sunlight burn a line into her cheekbone.
“You know, I used to think adulthood would be like those old posters in the guidance counsellor offices. Teamwork, vision, success.” She takes a drag on the shake and makes a sour face.
“Instead it’s mostly group chats and constant laundry. ”
I laugh, feeling the truth of it spark in my chest.
“I wish real adulthood prepared you better for birthing a human,” she adds when I don’t reply.
“Don’t we all,” I say, stretching my legs out onto the warm asphalt. There’s a blissful few minutes where neither of us says anything, just the sound of summer bugs and the burr of an eighteen-wheeler idling somewhere close by.
Later, we convene an emergency household meeting in my parents’ living room to make sure we’re all ready for Pia and Meena to move in later tonight.
My dad did a great job getting a nursery set up in the spare room.
I told him to put Pia and Todd in my old room because there’s no need for all three of them to be cramped up.
Bella is on a cleaning rampage, flinging dust rags and pine-scented spray in every direction, even though the house is spotless. Not to mention it’s not her house! Why can’t she be like this at home?
I tried to tell her to stop, but she gave me one of her glares and I backed off quickly. She continued until the kitchen sparkled and the living room looked like a bloody ad for domestic bliss.
By evening, the house hums with the nervous energy of a waiting room. At seven, my phone buzzes.
Todd
We are on our way. God help us all.
Bella and Becca set up banners and balloons. Sloane draws a little cartoon version of Meena on a leftover canvas she found shoved behind the couch. When Pia steps across the threshold, she looks a little stunned, like she expected to walk into the same old house and not a crowd of cheerleaders.
We all yell surprise and then immediately whisper surprise when Meena does that thing babies do where they fist up and scream in protest.
Pia startles but then smiles. She’s slower than usual, moving with the weight and purpose of someone who’s been physically rearranged.
We settle her onto the couch, and Todd, who is less pale but still shell-shocked, deposits the diaper bag and a box of baby gear. “She slept the whole drive,” he announces, already displaying his parental pride.
Jenna brings over a casserole she’s magicked up and a fork. Pia eats like she’s been on a five-day hike. The rest of us sit on the floor and take turns holding Meena.
After dinner, Sloane puts on a playlist—low, happy songs—and Bella tries to braid ribbons into Meena’s marabou hair. Which, for a baby fresh out the womb, she has a lot of.
Mum hovers around, making sure Pia has everything she needs. Dad sweeps Todd away for what I think is going to be a bro hug or five. Probably some fatherly advice, too.
Finally, when the house has grown quiet, and Todd is back settled next to Pia and Meena, I leave them and head outside for some fresh night air. The sky is violet and humming with crickets.
“I’m glad she came here,” I say to Sloane, who followed me out without needing an invitation. Bella and Becca left about half an hour ago, so now I get some alone time with her.
“Me too,” Sloane whispers, sliding her fingers through mine. “You know, you’re going to be an incredible aunt.”
I grin. “Yeah. Aunt E. I’ll teach her all about music and art. I can’t trust her parents to do a good job on those topics. The poor thing will end up a Swiftie.”
Sloane bumps my shoulder, then rests her head on it for a while. The world is quiet, even with the city humming all around us.
We’re all woken up at three in the morning by Meena’s shriek. She’s got a right set of lungs on her. Sloane and I never made it back to my place. Instead, we crashed on the couch after Todd took Pia and Meena up to bed.
When I hear Meena scream again, this time at a more decent hour, I stumble into the nursery to find Pia wide awake, hair wild, but eyes clear.
I can’t say I’m as with it as she is. As soon as Meena shrieked, I went into panic mode, thinking something was wrong.
It’s not, the little sausage is just dramatic like her mum.
“Wanna help?” she asks. I’m not sure I can stomach baby shit at this time in the morning, but I’ll give it a whirl. Can’t let Pia have all the fun, eh?
When Meena finally drifts off to sleep again I head back to the couch, utterly content and stinking of poop. What the fuck has the kid eaten to have produced what I just saw? I feel like it’s ingrained in my skin.
Sloane mumbles as I climb back on and scoot into her body, but she doesn’t wake. I’m just about to nod off again when the bloody doorbell starts ringing.
It’s going to be a long day. Jesus, it’s going to be a long few years if this is what having Meena in our lives looks like.