35. Chapter Thirty-Four Gloria
Chapter Thirty-Four: Gloria
A fter we landed at the airport and parted ways, Raina told me she would call me tonight.
That changed when her water broke during the car ride home from the airport.
Although, I'm grateful for her timing, given that I needed the distraction desperately.
Is it selfish of me to want my best friend to go into labour so that I can have something to do other than wonder when London will reach out?
I hopped into a taxi to the hospital as soon as she told me she started contractions.
Now I'm in her fancy private suite surrounded by royal bodyguards, unsure what to do while Kostas paces the room, looking like he's about to pass out.
I swear, he looks more stressed than Raina, which surprises me.
His tie is askew, his hair is a mess, and sweat stains show on his white shirt despite the air conditioning.
Raina, on the other hand, calmly alternates between walking around the room and bouncing on the exercise ball in the corner.
She barely complains, instead calmly requesting more water or asking if she can get something to eat.
Her doula offers her light snacks and small meals that look fancier than any hors d'oeuvre I've had at parties .
Trying to be useful, I fluff the pillows on the bed and listen while Raina talks about baby names.
It seems to be actually hitting her that they're having a baby—and that they chose not to know the gender—and she clutches my hand, going through the long list of royal names suggested by Kostas' Yiayia.
"You know, I'm pretty sure you shouldn't name your baby 'Alexios' unless Kostas' dad is dead," I say, surveying the list of approved royal names Raina pulled up on her phone. Kostas hovers behind us like a mother goose.
"Hey, it could be a nice way to honour him…" Raina trails off. "You're right, it does sound like he's dead. What about Penelope for a girl?"
"You could call her Nellie for short," I say.
"That's what Yiayia always called my mom," Kostas says with a wistful smile. Penelope is the name of his deceased mom.
After about forty-five minutes, Raina's contractions are closer together, but she's still nowhere near delivering the baby, which frustrates her. Kostas leaves the room on the pretence of getting a drink from the vending machine, so she doesn't yell and throw pillows at him.
The medical staff bustle around the room but mostly give us our space.
Apparently, Raina's birthing playlist—which I didn't realize was a thing—is full of bops, because halfway through, I find myself fighting the urge to get up and start dancing.
Which is absurd, because these are songs she played when we were getting ready to go out in college.
The irony of playing the same songs now as she's getting ready to give birth isn’t lost on me.
As Little Mix's song, Hair , filters through the speakers, Raina settles onto the bed and says, "Go on. What are you thinking about?"
"How did you know I was thinking about something?"
"You have that look on your face. Your eyebrows get all pinched together. That's how you look every time you check your email," she teases.
I take a deep breath. "I'm worried you'll leave me behind.
I mean, you have a husband and a baby, and I have…
a job I'm not all that interested in and I do n't even know what shape my dating life is in right now.
What if you get too busy for me, or we lead such different lives that we stop making time for each other? "
Raina and I were in the same stages of life for so long that watching her go through all these life milestones without me feels…
lonely. This moment feels like just another reminder of how separate our lives have become.
We’re not two parallel lines, unable to meet—more like two lines of a triangle, starting in the same place but doomed to be angled outwards from each other.
"Gloria," Raina says admonishingly. "Come on.
Just because our lives keep changing doesn't mean I'll ever stop having time for you.
Yes, I'm going to be busier, and I'm going to ask you to help me babysit so I can take a nap or whatever, but that doesn't mean we'll stop being friends.
Our friendship has made it through me marrying a total stranger and moving to another country.
Why wouldn't it survive me having a baby? "
I sigh. "I don't know. I guess after everything with London… I'm still reeling. And I'm scared that I'll lose you and him."
"You haven't lost him, or me. He loves you more than life itself." Raina practically crushes my hand in her grip, then squeezes her eyes shut as a wave of pain racks her. "But I'm about to lose my mind here if I don't have this baby."
I laugh and shake out my hand. Raina lets out an ear-splitting shriek. Her doula and obstetrician coach her to breathe and to push, while Raina keeps on letting out short little breaths that sound like she’s trying not to scream.
“Kostas,” she pants out. “I want… my… husband.”
Kostas takes that as his cue to come back into the room and grab her hand. A few more minutes pass, in which I awkwardly fix my gaze anywhere but on the delivery bed while the OB-GYN tells Raina to push.
Finally, the cry of a baby pierces the air. The doctor announces, “Congratulations. You have a healthy baby girl! ”
“A girl?” Kostas repeats, looking like he might pass out.
“Little Nellie,” Raina murmurs, cooing over her baby already. I smile as I watch them, unsure if I should go closer or let them have their time together in their happy little bubble. Penelope Helena Vasileiou gives an eardrum-shattering wail that makes us laugh.
“She has strong lungs,” the doctor says. “That’s good.”
Moments later, Skye Holland, Leo Perez, Kostas' grandma and his stepmom, Helen, walk into the delivery room. They’re holding an enormous bouquet of flowers that's decorated with a ribbon around the vase bearing the Vasileious' royal family crest. As well, they’ve brought balloons and a gift basket, wearing bright smiles.
I'm surprised Skye and Leo's two young kids are here before I realize that a delivery room might not be the best place for them, due to all the germs and chaos.
“Skye! Leo!” Raina’s eyes brighten when she sees her sister-in-law and brother. She lifts a hand to weakly wave at them from the bed while the doctor helps her and the baby get cleaned up.
Next, Raina says her hellos to Yiayia and Helen, as she strokes her baby’s hair. An outpouring of family greetings are exchanged.
Raina, Kostas, and their baby form a cozy family near the delivery bed. Skye and Leo gush over Penelope’s delicate features. Helen and Yiayia chatter about how perfect the baby looks and snap a million pictures. I offer to take a picture of all of them together.
The Aguilar-Vasileiou family has just gained their newest member. As for me, I’m comforted knowing that while Raina and I may be on different paths, we’ll make sure we never lose track of each other.