Page 6 of Painless
“Yes, woman. Get out of here before I drag you back to bed and tear into you like my last meal.”
Freyja was already pawing at the door, so I took my leave and wondered what that was about as we headed out for the day.
Two
MARIPOSA
It wasn’t Tessa, Big G, or even one of their boys, who greeted me at their front door, but Noelle.
“You came at the perfect time,” she muttered, pulling me in and closing the door just as Freyja slipped through. “And also the worst time.”
“What do you mean?”
The answer came in the form of a child’s scream echoing through the house, like the call of a banshee. Toys and laundry littered the floor, creating quite the obstacle course as I followed Noelle through the house.
We passed by the kitchen where Tessa’s youngest son squirmed in his high chair, his face red as a tomato. He was the source of the banshee cries and I quickly saw why. An upside down cereal bowl was on the floor, milk spreading out into a puddle, and soggy frosted flakes turning to mush.
The toddler’s anguish was exacerbated by his older brother, who sat on the counter as he tore open the cereal box to rain the rest of the contents down like confetti. Big G emerged from the next room and rushed over to lift his youngest out of the high chair.
“Aw man, you’re all wet,” he groaned, holding the boy out away from him. Just then he noticed Noelle and I heading up the stairs. “What the hell am I supposed to do about all this?”
“I dunno, be a fucking parent to your kids,” Noelle snapped back, stomping her feet louder.
“Hahaha, she saidfuck!” the oldest boy cackled from the counter.
I wanted to simultaneously disappear and rush down to help clean up. But there was no steering Noelle, who led me back to the master bedroom. Tessa sat there, propped up against the headboard with piles of pillows. And she was crying.
“Oh my God, Tess!” I ran to her, throwing my arms around her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” she sniffed, lifting her red eyes to me and forcing a smile. “Just pregnancy hormones. I’ll be fine.”
“That’s not all it is,” Noelle muttered, handing her a tissue box.
“Something to do with the war zone downstairs?” I ventured a guess.
“Please, you guys. I don’t want to get into it.” Tessa wiped her eyes and sniffed. “I just needed a break. Five fucking minutes to myself and he acts like the house is gonna fall in on him without me there to do everything.”
“Yeah, God forbid he actually step up and act like a father,” Noelle sneered. “My mom would have any one of my dads’ balls if they didn’t pull their weight.”
“Nellie, please. I said not now.”
I rubbed Tessa’s arm. “You take as much time as you need. The three of them will live for the next few minutes.”
Before she could reply, Tessa hissed in pain. Her hands flew to the lower side of her baby bump. “On top of everything else, I’ve been dealing with this little shit-kicker all day.”
“He’s been moving non-stop,” Noelle added, with a tone of concern. “That’s probably why you’re so worn out lately.”
“Moving is good,” I said, pulling my stethoscope out of my case. “That means the baby’s healthy. You ready for me, mama?”
Tessa nodded through winces of pain. “Do you think he’ll come early if he’s so active?”
“Not necessarily.” I lifted her shirt and warmed the end of the stethoscope against my palm. “The other two were full-term, right?”
She nodded. “My oldest took almost 42 weeks, the little shit-head.”
“It’s normal for first births to be a bit late,” I explained. “Now that your body is used to the process, your labor should be quicker, and this one’s likely to come right on time.”
“Big G’s already begging me for another one,” she groaned. “But I am fucking done.”
