Chapter Thirty-Four Barb
Chapter Thirty-Four
Barb
At Cedars, the hallways in labor and delivery are eerily quiet, the buzzing of fluorescent lights casting everything in a sickly hue. There’s a nurse at the desk, reading.
“Is Tessa Irons here?” My tone is harried.
She continues to read her book. “Visiting hours ended at seven. You can come back tomorrow.”
“But she’s okay?”
Her attention flits to me. “I’m sorry, you are?”
Who am I? I’m not Tessa’s mother, her aunt, her friend, her doula or birthing coach or whatever they call it. Who am I to Tessa?
I’m the woman who will save her.
“Tessa asked me to visit her.”
“You can come back tomorrow.” Her attention returns to her paperback.
“But she’s okay?”
The nurse huffs. “Of course she’s okay. She and that beautiful baby girl.”
Relief washes over me. Tessa and the baby are okay.
“She and her husband are resting. You can see them tomorrow.”
The panic creeps in again. Her husband. Gabe’s here too.
I scan the halls for a sign of Tessa or Gabe. Maybe I can make a quick dash for her room. The nurse puts her book down, slips her glasses up her forehead, lasering in on me. There’s no way she’s letting me near them tonight.
Obediently, I press the button for the elevator, telling myself that as long as Tessa’s in the hospital, Gabe won’t hurt her. The baby either. In a day or two, when they release her, he’ll be completely in control. For the moment, she’s fine, but she still isn’t safe.