Night Watch, Part 10

A large contraction seized Angela a little after two o'clock in the morning. David was rinsing a mug at the kitchen sink when he heard the anguished cry. He rushed into the bedroom to find Victoria and Olivia staring in awe at Angela's belly. It reminded him of two teenage boys hunched over the engine of a car--back in the days when boys were interested in cars--but these two women were fascinated by an entirely different kind of engine: the human birthing machine.

Victoria still had not gotten to her nap. Angela had a contraction, possibly due to excitement, upon seeing Olivia, and then another ten minutes later, and now this one. They were coming at regular intervals, which was both welcome and frightening. What David saw in Angela's face wasn't entirely pain, it was fear over what lay ahead. The baby had a long way to go, there was still tissue and muscle and organs that needed to stretch and bend and move aside for the eight pounds of flesh and bone that had to pass. With each contraction, Angela gritted her teeth and willed the flesh to move.

"Feel that," said Victoria to Olivia.

Olivia placed a palm gently on the belly. "The baby's low, isn't it?"

"Yes. I like the way it's positioned. I like the location."

"This is so magical," said Olivia.

David could see her eyes glistening in the candlelight. He knew she was thinking of her own lost baby. It had been a defining moment in her life.

"No matter how many times I coach labor, I'm still amazed at what a miracle it is," said Victoria. "I never get tired of it."

"How long have you been a doula?" asked Olivia.

"About ten years. I have two of my own. They're in college now. I missed having babies around once they were grown. It was the most pleasant experience of my life. Maybe that's why I started doing this."

The room became silent. Victoria's words and her voice had a soothing effect on everyone. To David, the room had an overwhelming scent of females: one in labor and now two assisting. He smelled sweat and bathwater and perfume and, above all, that singular scent that he knew came from Angela: leathery, sweet, musky. He imagined the baby announcing its progress by sending special odors that were intoxicating to women. All of these smells mingled with that of the candles to create a volatile stew of chemicals that hovered in the air like a fog. David felt like an alien. He sat next to Angela and hoped he would be given a job to do. Victoria and Olivia each massaged a leg and a hip. Angela was an athlete about to do her routine for the gold medal. David tried to think of something encouraging to say, but nothing came to him. They were actors in a drama; he was a spectator.

After another fifteen minutes there was no contraction. As disappointment set in, Angela said, "My stomach will never be the same again."

"Get out of here," said Olivia. "You recovered perfectly after Tony."

"Those were new clothes," said Angela.

Victoria nodded her head knowingly. "That's the secret: update your wardrobe."

"That little bulge is nobody's business, right?" said Angela.

They laughed. Then Victoria mentioned a new catalog she had found of post-maternity wear. That got them onto different kinds of tops and whether they would work over pants or skirts. Then Angela pointed out that it was too hot to wear panty hose.

Then David's phone vibrated. He had never been so happy to get a phone call in his life. He had put the phone back in his pocket during the last walk with Angela and now he reached for it as he escaped from the bedroom.

It was Graphite from the help desk. "Hello, Graphite. How are you this evening?"

There was a pause. "Is this David?"

"Yes, it's David. You know, I am cheerful on occasion. Aren't I?"

"Whatever. I just called to tell you the servers are back up."

"Great. Everybody's happy?" said David.

"Not exactly. We had to shut down the dating service's SMTP port."

"You mean, we turned off their outgoing email? Isn't that kind of extreme?"

"The data center says they were spamming. That's why I'm calling. Jade is going to be contacting you."

"When?"

"Tonight."

David groaned. Jade was a tall, thin woman with very dark skin who spoke English with a French accent. She had told him she was from Haiti when they met to discuss her Internet dating web site. She quickly became his most valuable customer because she needed, and paid for, a high-traffic web site with all the extras. He knew he would have to talk to her if she called. "Okay, I'll keep the phone on."

"So, uh, how's the baby thing going? I don't hear any wailing in the background."

David was speechless for a moment. Graphite never inquired about anyone's personal affairs. What is it about babies, especially those about to be born? Everyone wants to know. "Thanks for asking, Graphite. As a matter of fact my wife's still in labor. We're hoping for a package soon."

"Shoulda used Fedex," said Graphite, then laughed hard at his own joke. "Get it?"

"Yeah, I get it. Good night, Graphite."

David put the phone back into his pocket and returned to the kitchen. He continued to prepare the cup of coffee had been about to make before the last contraction. This night was getting weirder by the hour.