LITMIR.BIZ

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she could ask what line of work he was in, he pointed to the red-and-white-striped awning over the entrance of the coffee shop he’d been talking about. “There it is. Katie’s Country Café.”

      Even though the diner was located within sight of those who traveled along the nearby county road, it didn’t appear to be too busy this evening.

      As they neared the entry, a pregnant brunette who’d parked her weathered sedan in one of several spaces in front opened the rear passenger door and removed a preschool-age girl from her car seat. Then she waited for an older boy to climb from the car.

      The mother and children walked into the diner, just in front of Selena and Alex. The boy, who was about seven or eight, spotted the refrigerator display case that held a variety of pies and cakes.

      “Look,” the boy said to his sister as he pointed to the goodies. “Maybe we can have dessert, Kimmie.”

      “Grandma will have cookies for us when we get to her house,” the pregnant woman said. “So we’ll just grab a quick bite to eat here.”

      As they all waited to be seated, a waitress serving slices of chocolate cake to an elderly couple in one of the booths in back said, “Y’all can choose any table you like.”

      The mother reached for her daughter’s hand, then gasped and looked down at her feet, where her amniotic fluid had formed a puddle. “Uh-oh.”

      The little girl pointed to the wet spot and asked, “Mommy, did you potty in your pants?”

      “No, sweetie. I...” The woman, her cheeks flushed, her eyes wide, glanced at Selena, her embarrassment and apprehension obvious. “My water broke.”

      It certainly had. And she just stood there, clearly perplexed.

      “Can I call someone for you?” Selena asked, thinking the woman’s husband ought to be notified.

      “My mother, but that’s not going to do me much good now.”

      “Why not?”

      “Because she doesn’t drive at night. The kids and I were on our way to pick her up and take her back home with us so she could help out when the baby came, but...”

      “But what?” Selena prodded.

      The woman paled and bit down on her bottom lip. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. I’m not due for another five or six weeks.”

      Selena turned to Alex, who’d taken a step back and was watching the drama unfold with an expression that said he was out of his league when it came to this sort of thing.

      About that time, the waitress made her way to the front of the diner with a mop. “Here, sweetie. I’ll get this cleaned up for you.”

      The pregnant woman blew out a ragged sigh. “I don’t know what to do.”

      “Who’s your doctor?” Selena asked, reaching into her purse to pull out her cell phone.

      “Martin Staley, but he’s not from around here. He’s in Houston. And my mom...” The woman reached for her lower belly and groaned as another pain gripped her.

      Apparently, her contractions weren’t going to waste any time in starting up. She was clearly going into labor—and before term.

      As the pain subsided, Selena studied the woman. If the boy and girl with her were her natural-born children, she’d given birth before. So if that was the case, her labor could go more quickly than that of a first-time mother.

      “Oh, no,” the woman said, raking a hand through her head. “What do I do? Who do I call?”

      Selena placed a hand on her back, trying to relieve her fear. “I’m a doctor, so you’re not alone. How long was your last labor?”

      “Two and a half hours. It went so fast, I almost didn’t make it to the hospital in time. In fact, that’s why Dr. Staley told me to stick close to home when I got within a month of my due date. But...” She glanced at Selena. “I thought I still had plenty of time. And because my husband left me, I’m going to need help when the baby comes. That’s why I decided to get my mother tonight and take her home with us.”

      “Where does she live?”

      “In Oakville, which is more than two hours away. I should have kept driving, but the kids were hungry. So when I saw the restaurant sign, I decided to stop and get them something to eat.”

      “It’s a good thing you stopped when you did,” Selena said. “Otherwise you would have been on the road when this happened. And Brighton Valley has a medical center a couple of miles from here.”

      The woman groaned and reached for her belly again. “Here comes another one. Why are they starting out so close together?”

      Because this baby might come faster than her other two, which meant they couldn’t very well stand here and time her contractions. Besides, there were also a lot of complications that could arise during a preterm labor and delivery, so it was best if she got medical attention as soon as possible.

      Selena turned to Alex. “I’m going to have to drive her to the hospital. Would you mind coming to get me in a little while?”

      Although he still appeared to be a bit stunned by all of this, he straightened and said, “No, not at all. And because the kids are hungry, why don’t I order them something to go? I can bring it with me when I come to pick you up.”

      “That’s a great idea. Thanks, Alex.”

      The woman reached for her purse, which had a safety pin holding one of the straps to the bag. “Here, let me get you some money.”

      “Don’t worry about it,” Alex said. “I’ll get it. You’d better get to the hospital.”

      “If you’ll give me your keys,” Selena told the woman, “I’ll take you and the kids there in your car. It’s only a five- or ten-minute drive.”

      “I hate to put you out.”

      “It’s either that or we call an ambulance,” Selena told her.

      The woman reached into her purse and handed over her keys. Then she told the kids to get back in the car.

      “But we’re hungry,” the little girl said.

      “This nice man is going to bring dinner to us.” The woman stroked her belly, resigned to the inevitable.

      “Don’t worry,” Alex said. “I’ll be right behind you guys.”

      Selena sure hoped so. One of the obstetrical residents would be the one to deliver the woman’s baby. So there was no reason for her to hang out once they arrived.

      But then again, someone was going to have to watch the children and figure out a way to get them to grandma’s house. And she wasn’t sure if Alex would be up for a task like that.

      Once they were in the car and on the road, they exchanged names. “I’m Shannon Bedford, and these are my kids, Tommy and Kimberly.”

      “I’m Selena Ramirez. I’m going to need your mother’s name and number.”

      “Speaking of my mom, I’d better call her. Then I’ll give you her contact information.”

      Eight minutes and three painful contractions later, Selena drove the old Ford sedan up to the E.R. entrance and honked her horn to let the staff know she was going to need some help. Within seconds, an orderly had come out to assess the situation.

      “This is Shannon Bedford,” Selena told the man. “She’s going to need a ride up to Obstetrics.”

      “Is she your patient, Dr. Ramirez?” the orderly asked.

      “No, her doctor is in Houston. But she’ll need to be admitted. Her water broke, and she’s in active labor.”

      He nodded, then headed back inside for a wheelchair.

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