Page 112 of Act Like You Don't Care
I shrugged and pulled the top sheet back to show him the damn stain on the bottom one, right about where his hips would have been.
His eyes grew even larger and he spread his hands out over the swell of his belly. “I don’t feel anything new.”
I got out of the bed. “I think we should go get checked anyway. You want help with anything?”
He shook his head, still a little dazed-looking. “That can’t be right.”
“Humor me?” I asked, pausing on my way out the door for clean jeans. “We’ll come right back if it’s nothing.”
Tam nodded, a hint of worry drifting across his face. “Okay.” He straightened his shoulders and the expression on his face hardened. “Clothes. I need clothes.”
“Me too.” I dropped a quick kiss on his cheek, which made him smile distractedly, and then I raced to what used to be my room to throw on something comfortable.
When I came back, Tam was sitting on the end of the bed, fighting to get into his pants. His cheeks were flushed and his movements were uncharacteristically awkward and uncoordinated.
“Let me help,” I said.
He let me take the pants without a fight. “I think you’re right,” he said as I slid them up his legs. “I think I had a real contraction while you were gone.”
I pulled him to his feet to slide the jeans up to his hips and fasten them. “How long was it?”
“I don’t know. It felt like forever.”
It couldn’t have been too long, though. I hadn’t dawdled getting dressed. “We’re not too far from the hospital.” I helped him into the big blue sweater that he liked, found him some socks, then guided his feet into his shoes. “Ready?”
"Let's go."
I grabbed our go-bags and followed on Tam's heels.
Thankfully, the street was empty and there was no one to see us trying to sneak out. The last thing either of us wanted was the press getting pictures but it had been getting harder to duck them the last couple of weeks as Tam's due date had approached. Quickly, I dropped the bags into the back seat and opened the passenger door, scanning the surroundings for movement where it shouldn't be or the tell-tale flash of light on a camera lens. "You okay to get in yourself?"
He nodded, then gasped. “Hold on,” he said breathlessly, then his eyes closed tight and his face screwed up, one hand going to his belly while the other landed on my shoulder and squeezed hard.
I started counting in my head. Fifteen seconds before the punishing grip on my shoulder eased and Tam’s body relaxed. We had time.
Tam climbed carefully up into the SUV's passenger seat and put his seat belt on without needing to be reminded, which was a miracle in itself. I closed the door and rounded the front of the car, hitting the button to start the engine before I'd even gotten past the grill. Less than thirty seconds later, we were pulling out of the driveway and heading down the street. "You want to pretend you're not here?" I asked him.
His eyes went to the intersection getting larger ahead of us and swallowed. "Yeah, maybe." Despite his uncertain response, he loosened his lap belt enough to let him lie sideways across the car, and pulled the shoulder belt down to his hip so that, to a casual glance, the seatbelt looked like it was hanging in its usual unused space.
I was glad we'd done it as soon as I pulled out into traffic. On the opposite side of the street, at a corner table at the little café Tam and I had stopped going to about two months back, sat one of our biggest nemeses, his camera out and ready on the table while he sipped at a latte and watched for his victim. I slowed down and pretended I was just running to the grocery store, ignoring the urge to flip him off that popped up whenever I saw him.
"We safe?" Tam asked, looking uncomfortable.
I dropped a hand as if I was going to adjust the radio and motioned to him to stay down. He nodded and closed his eyes, the corners of his mouth tight with tension.
A couple of blocks later I was pretty sure we weren't being followed. "You can sit up now."
He let out a sigh of relief and pushed himself upright, glancing out the windows cautiously.
"I'm going to turn back toward the hospital now," I told him. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine."
"No more contractions?"
"Just finished one. I think it was a little longer."
"We'll be there soon," I promised.
