The Journey of St. Laurent, Chapter 21

Author’s note-

It felt really good to finally get a chance to sit down and write. Thanks to everybody who sticks with me despite my current bizarre posting schedule.

For those of you who haven’t read any of the Journey Of St. Laurent before: You are now reading an online serial pulp novel. If you didn’t start at the beginning, you may want to do so. Chapter 1:  Down By The Bay. This serial is the sequel to my first novel, Oasis.

Chapter 21 – Labor Pains

I grabbed the cooler and climbed in through the driver’s side.

The inside of the brown Cadillac was messy to say the least. Half empty water bottles and sacks of fast food debris littered the back seat and floor.

I pushed aside enough garbage to sit down and hoped for the best.

Jenna’s mom climbed back in and slammed the car in drive. She cranked the wheel and goosed the gas. The car lurched and the tires squealed, but we got turned around and went back out the way they drove in.

As we pulled onto the main road I looked back.

London and Michael were just climbing in the Jeep.

I felt a pang of disappointment. It’s going to take too long. There’s no way she’ll be able to drive back to the exit before we’re out of sight.

The Caddy roared down the street.

I kept looking back. Where are they? “Could we slow down just a little. My friend-”

“We don’t got time for that, boy. This is my baby girl we’re talking about.”

She jerked the wheel to the left. The garbage contents of the seat shifted to the right and I thought we might come up on two wheels.

I gave a last look back.

If London had navigated the parking lot the way we went in, we would have never seen each other again.

But she didn’t. She took the shortcut.

The Jeep bounced over the strip of grass that bordered the lot and careened into the street.

And then it was out of sight. It didn’t matter though, she saw us and knew where to make the turn.

The whole car ride was like that- sharp corners, tires squealing, and London barely able to keep up.

We entered an old, run down section of town. Lawns were overgrown, paint on the houses was peeling, and trash and cars on cinder blocks littered the road.

She pulled up at a house that was no different from the rest. Weeds grew up the chain link fence, old furniture was piled on the porch, and the roof looked like it could stand a little attention.

Jenna’s mom jumped out and ran inside saying something about “Getting her room ready.”

I helped Jenna out of the car and up the wobbly steps to the front door.

Inside there was an older man in a sweat stained tank top, a girl of about fourteen, and a boy a couple of years older sitting on a couch. They turned their heads in unison and watched us enter. All of their eyes were wide and all of them opened their mouths, like they wanted to say something, but couldn’t get it out.

I nodded at them. “It’s okay, things are going to be all right.”

Jenna’s mom appeared out of a doorway down the hall and motioned for us. “Back here.”

Halfway down the hall, Jenna wrapped her arms under her belly and hunched over.

I stepped to the front of her and put my hands on her shoulders. “It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.”

A couple of tears trickled down her nose.

Her mom ran up. “What’s going on?”

“Just a contraction.”

We sat there in the hall for a minute or so while it passed.

I heard the Jeep pull up outside.

Jenna’s mom ushered us back into a bedroom.

The room had two single beds, one against each wall, as well as a tall dresser against one wall and a closet on the opposite one. There was a shelf with a couple of books and a CD player above one of the beds. There were two big windows above the other one. The walls were plastered with posters of actors and musicians I had never heard of.

Apparently getting her room ready means straightening her bed and kicking everything that was on the floor into a pile in the closet.

“What do we need to do?”

“Okay, I’m going to need clean towels. As many as you can find. And I’ll need to tear up at least one of them.”

Jenna’s mom nodded then turned her head. “Layla! Get some clean towels and bring them here!”

Jenna sat on the edge of the bed.

“I heard my friend pull up. Could you let her in?”

She stuck her head out the door. “Y’all just come in.”

She yelled it loud enough to startle me. Man, that woman’s loud.

Jenna must have noticed it, too. She looked up. “Ma, you don’t have-”

“What is it, baby?”

“You don’t have to yell.”

“You just worry about you, baby. I’ll take care of everything else.”

I knelt down and put a hand on her belly. The last contraction hadn’t fully subsided yet and it was still a little firm.

“You’re doing just fine, Jenna. Are you comfortable?”

She shrugged.

“Do you want to lie down?”

She shrugged again.

“Stand?”

She scrunched her eyebrows and then nodded.

“Okay. I’ll help you up.”

“What do you mean, stand? She’s got to lie down.” The mom put a hand on Jenna’s shoulder. “She’s got to lie down, and you have to check her, see if she’s diadated and all.”

“Diadated? Don’t you mean-”

“You know, how open her thing is. What the hell kind of nurse are you anyway?”

“Corbin?”

The three of us turned to the door.

London stood there with Michael, who was looking more than a little lost.

“Your friend brought a kid?”

London clenched her jaw.

Layla, the fourteenish-year-old from the couch, appeared with a stack of towels. She whispered an “Excuse me”, wiggled past Michael and sat the towels on the dresser.

“Corbin, let me get Michael situated and I’ll-”

The mom turned back to me. “Are you sure this is safe? In the hospital they’ve got all this stuff, you know, in case something goes wrong. They’ve got the IV and the belt thing and they can operate-”

I raised a hand and signaled her to stop. “What’s your name, ma’am?”

“Nina.”

“Nina,” I stood, “listen to me. Your daughter and the baby are going to be fine. I know you’re scared, but-”

“Oh, I ain’t scared. I’m just a little mad that I got a nurse that doesn’t even know enough to make a woman who is in labor lie down.”

Layla hung her head and walked out.

“Look, she can be any way she wants for now, it’s not going to hurt anything.”

Nina slammed her fists onto her hips. Her many bracelets jangled. “How else you gonna check her?”

“I’m not sure that I am going to check her at all that way.”

“What? You here to help or not?”

“Well, do you have any sterile rubber gloves?”

“No, why would that-”

“Because no matter how hard I scrub my hands in your bathroom, they are still going to have plenty of bacteria on them. I don’t think your daughter needs an infection to add to everything else. Trust me, we’ll still know when the baby is coming out. Besides-”

“If my grandbaby dies, I’m coming for you.”

“Mom, please stop. He’s just-”

“Don’t you worry about me, baby. I can take care of myself. He’s not going to-”

“Mom.” Jenna made it into at least three syllables. Her eyes teared up.

“It’s okay, baby.” Nina leaned over and gave her daughter an awkward hug.

Jenna started to sob.

I turned around and wiped the sweat from my forehead. I’ve got to get Nina to tone it down or get out of here. She’ s oozing stress. And cheap perfume.

Jenna sucked in a breath through her nose.

I spun back around.

Nina stood up and looked at me.

Jenna gasped.

Another contraction. I squatted down and put my hand on her arm. “Just breathe. Just breathe. You’re doing fine.”

Jenna grunted out an “It hurts.”

I looked up at Nina. Her eyes were wide and her nostrils flared.

She shook her head. “What are we gonna do if there’s a problem?”

Jenna looked at me. Her whole face and neck looked tense. Her eyes were wide, like she was pleading.

I rubbed her arm gently. “You’re going to be fine. Just keep taking as deep of breaths as you can.”

“How do you even know, you haven’t even checked her?”

“Corbin, how can I help?”

“Just hold on a sec, London.”

“Right.”

Some kind of commotion started up in the front room.

That’s all we need.

Jenna groaned again.

I put my other hand on her belly. The contraction was already subsiding.

That one was shorter. She’s freaking out too much.

I forced myself to smile. I hoped it came off as comforting. “It’s okay. You’re doing great. Deep breaths.”

Within a few seconds the contraction was over.

The squatting was hurting my legs, so I stood. I looked around the room, hoping to get some kind of inspiration.

That’s when I noticed the radio.

“What kind of music helps you relax?”

Nina grabbed my arm. “Music? What the hell are you doing?”

London grabbed Nina’s arm. “Look, he knows what he’s doing.”

Nina let go of me and turned to face London. “Oh, oh, oh, you did not just grab me.”

I took advantage of the distraction by bending over and whispering to Jenna. “I know you love her, and it’s okay either way, but do you want your mom to be in here?”

She shook her head and mouthed the word “no.”

“I certainly did just grab you. You’ve got to calm down.”

I leaned even closer and whispered, “What about your sister?”

“Yes.”

“Calm down? You calm down. My baby girl is having a baby.”

I straightened and turned.

Both London and Nina had their hands on their hips. They were both leaning forward and their faces were only a couple of inches apart.

I took a deep breath and used the very best authority voice I could muster. “I’m going to need a glass of cold water for Jenna, I’m also going to need a minute to talk to her alone.”

Nina shot around and got in my face. “What?”

I narrowed my eyes. “You heard me. I need to ask Jenna a couple of questions, and I need to hear her answers without any outside influence.”

We stared each other down for a moment, and finally Nina broke.

She muttered something that sounded like “aight,” and stormed out of the room.

“Hey London.” I reached out toward her.

She took my hand. “Yeah?”

Somehow, I hadn’t expected her to grab it, but it felt good just the same.

“Thanks for being here. I need to ask you a big favor.”

“What?”

“Send the sister in with the water. Then do whatever you’ve got to do, but keep the mom out of here.”

London pursed her lips then nodded. “Sure.”

“Thanks, London.”

She turned and left.

I took a deep breath and focused again on Jenna.

If things don’t get better soon this could get real ugly.

The sound of two angry women shouting echoed down the hallway.

I hopped up, closed the door, and went over to the stereo. “So, Jenna, what is it you listen to when you want to relax?”

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Chapter 22 is here. Keep Reading!