Sugar Lust

Chapter Three

The elevator doors opened to a crisp white hallway, sporadically lined with images of newborn babies adorably posed with their chubby cheeks and legs. Tender anticipation flooded Emmeline's heart. How many hours would it be until she was holding her newborn in her arms? She looked up at Nicholas, who was now more cautiously pushing her wheelchair well away from the commotion, and caught his eye. He knowingly smiled at her as if he was thinking the same thing. What would the baby look like? Would he or she have Nicholas' smile or his hair? Would the baby be short like her? Would it have his personality, or have one all their own?

"Do you think it will take long for them to find us?" asked Emmeline, not enjoying the thought of her next encounter with her Mom. "They are going to be so mad." She was still surprised with herself that she had made Nicholas shut the door before they could get in.

Nicholas chuckled. "Probably, but at least it gets them off our backs for a while." Emmeline was pleased he was taking this so well. It was one thing she didn't need to feel guilty about for now. Until Emmeline got pregnant, it seemed like he had a reasonably normal, close family. They had accepted Emmeline into the fold and even had her and her parents over for dinner, which pleased her Mom to no end. Everything changed the moment when they found out about the pregnancy, which sent Emmeline for a loop, stunned at their sudden brutality. It had been a horrible time. She was dealing with the idea of becoming a Mom herself, had just barely worked things out with Nicholas, and then she had to deal with his Mom, who seemed like she would go out of her way to attack Emmeline. Not to mention her parents' disappointment when they learned the news. It was all too much!  Erik, Nicholas' much younger brother, alone was thrilled amongst the families. He was ten years younger and the idea of being an uncle sounded to him like the coolest thing ever, and he tried to console Emmeline by saying, "I'm going to be the best Uncle!"

The nurse directed them down the hall, past the nurse's station, stopping briefly to say, "Emmeline Hope is here." The nurse at the desk nodded her head, "Put her in room three, Emerg called up already to let us know she was coming."

Another wave of contractions hit Emmeline. They were coming fast and consistently. She tried to think back to all the books she had read about pregnancy.   They had all agreed, for a first labor, it could take hours, although it didn't feel like that at that moment. It felt as though this baby could crawl out any second.

"When does the person with the epidural get here?" begged Emmeline, anxious for the pain to stop.

The nurse, unfazed, said, "We'll get you settled in room three, and the doctor will be in to see you in a few minutes. "

Nicholas pushed Emmeline in her wheelchair to the assigned room close to the desk, following the emergency room nurse, who found a blue cotton hospital gown and handed it to Emmeline.

As the nurse walked out, Emmeline could hear through the open door that the parents had found them. She hadn't exactly planned on telling them the wrong floor, but she was grateful for the moment of peace it gave them.

Emmeline grimaced, listening to the commotion as she stared at the pale salmon walls of her room. Nicholas placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Where are they?" demanded Dorothy. "Where is my son and that hussy?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," answered the Nurse at the ward desk.

"MY SON!"

Amy interrupted sharply. "I want to see my daughter; she is about to give birth. She needs her mother."

"If she gets to go in, so do I," Dorothy declared haughtily, clearly used to getting her way.

The emergency room nurse glanced back again at the couple who were looking out into the hallway, horror on their faces, and pleading in their eyes. "Let me see what I can do," she said as drew a light blue curtain across, shielding the bed and she walked out.