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Thankfully, my brother answers the call. When I explain to him what’s happening, he cuts his super important lunch date short, promising that he’s on his way back here as fast as he can.
“The. Baby. Is comingggggg…” the receptionist wails in between breaths.
I rush back to them on the floor. “How…I…Why is this happening so fast?!” I frantically look to Mason. “She can’t have this baby here, on the clinic floor without the obstetrician. No. She needs to hold it in. Just tell that baby to chill out.”
Todd cautiously inches toward us, perfectly green around the gills. He gets one glimpse under the hem of Yvonne’s dress and then he’s running off to puke again.
Mason is the calm in the storm. He grips my hand, pinning me with a serious look that is the opposite of the playful glances he was shooting me just moments ago. “Karli, you can’t freak out right now. I need you.”
“I don’t—I can’t…”
“Yes, you can,” he says firmly.
“Baby. Is. Crowning. Now.” Yvonne is lying on her back now, with her own hand snaking under her dress. “Uh—huh,” she confirms.
What the fuck?!
“Can we at least get her to an exam room?” I ask, my voice shaking.
“There’s no time,” he tells me, motioning with his strong arm for the spectators gathered around to back up.
Meanwhile, Todd is still off puking somewhere.
“So what do we do now?” I ask in a high-pitched squeak.
“Go grab the kit from exam room three,” he instructs calmly. “Wash up quickly. Get gloves for us both. We’re doing this, Karli. We are delivering this baby.”
Oh…oh, shit!!
What happens after that is a blur in my mind. After grabbing the gloves, I numbly follow Mason’s instructions, mechanically going through the motions.
We are delivering this baby.
We are delivering this baby.
We are delivering this baby.
Right here in the middle of the freaking waiting room.
And so we do.
Felix rushes into the clinic the moment a screaming baby pops out.
“Good job, sis.” He pats me on the back, and I step aside to make room for him.
Peeling off my gooey gloves, I stand back in a bit of a daze and watch the two men work. Mason takes care of the baby—swoon—and Felix takes care of the mom and the post delivery mess.
An ambulance shows up a few minutes later, and Felix hops into the back to ride with the new mom and baby to the hospital.
“Karls, can you stick around and answer the phones until everyone gets back from lunch?” he asks me.
I want to ask how the hell it’s still lunchtime after all this drama, but in my ongoing daze, I simply nod my head.
A group of patients is gathered in the lobby, recounting the show they just witnessed. The spectacle of a lifetime. Meanwhile, I’m looking around for Mason.
I catch sight of him, staggering down the hall. Instead of heading back into his office, I see him sneak into a supply room at the far end of the hallway.
Something about his shaky hands and his rattling shoulders have me following him into the small room.
