Booby Trapped and Baby Proofed Page 15

  “Sure,” Trudy said. “Be careful, she weighs a ton.” Trudy gently put the baby in Angel’s arms and the baby rested on her abdomen.

  Ethan came around Trudy and sat down on the sofa next to Angel. “Baby” he said, pointing to the infant.

  Harrison watched his son’s reaction to his new cousin. Ethan just stared at the baby and then at Angel.

  “She’s such a good baby,” Angel said, now rocking Marsha in her arms. “Do you want to hold the baby, Ethan?”

  “No,” Ethan said, scooting over on the sofa.

  “Oh, oh,” Jeb said.

  “Go say hello to your new cousin,” Harrison told Ethan.

  “No,” Ethan said.

  Harrison walked over and asked to hold the baby. He bent over and Angel put the infant into his arms. Harrison cuddled the baby. Marsha had dark brown hair like Jeb, but she had Trudy’s blue eyes. The baby moved around in his arms. “See, Daddy’s not afraid of the baby.”

  Ethan scooted back over to Angel and tried to hug her. His arms couldn’t quite reach around her belly. “My Angel.”

  “Oh, he’s jealous,” Trudy said, sitting down in a chair. “What are you two going to do?”

  “I kind of suspected this would happen,” Angel said, reaching down and stroking Ethan’s curls. “He’s become so attached to me. I just hope we can get him to understand that I’m the baby’s mama too.”

  Harrison walked the back over to Trudy and placed Marsha into her arms. “He has no choice but to get used to the idea. Sweet Pea will be here shortly and we’re bringing her home from the hospital.”

  “Sweet Pea?” Trudy asked.

  Angel smiled. “It’s Harrison’s nickname for the baby.”

  “Are you having a girl?” Jeb asked.

  Angel shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t want the doctor to tell us. I wanted it to be a surprise.”

  “It’s a girl,” Harrison said. “I just know it.”

  “You’re full of crap,” Trudy told him. “It could be a boy.”

  “Nope,” Harrison said. “Sweet Pea is definitely a girl. She’s going to be the first female Marine in the family.”

  Jeb laughed. “What about Ethan? Is he going to be a Marine too?”

  Harrison shook his head. “No, he’s going to be the President of the United States.”

  “Not if he doesn’t learn to share,” Angel said. “A president must show diplomacy.”

  “He’s three,” Harrison told her. “He has plenty of time to learn to govern a nation.”

  Ethan moved his arm quickly off Angel’s stomach.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Harrison asked.

  “Sweet Pea just kicked him,” Angel said with a smile.

  “Sweet Pea kicked me,” Ethan said. “Bad baby.”

  ****

  After sharing a delicious meal of roasted turkey, stuffing, potato salad, and cranberry sauce with Jeb and Trudy, Harrison escorted his family back to the car and took them home.

  Ethan fell asleep in his car seat, and Harrison had to lift him and carry the sleeping child into the house. Ethan never warmed up to Marsha and stayed as far away from her as he could all day. The child’s attitude worried him, and he wondered how he would act once Sweet Pea moved into the nursery.

  He didn’t think Ethan would hurt the baby, but he couldn’t be sure. He got along with Roy and he hadn’t heard of the two of them fighting or arguing.

  Angel had already undressed and was in bed by the time he arrived in their room. She wore a black negligee that showed her fuller breasts. “Is Ethan still asleep?” she asked, watching him undress.

  Harrison nodded. “He’s out like a light.” Harrison continued to strip out of his clothes. “Now no more talk about him. This is our time.” He’d been waiting so patiently for the day to go by so he could cuddle with his wife. They could no longer have intercourse, but there were other ways to express their feelings.

  Angel still had the warmest mouth in town and had no problems using it on his cock. But she wouldn’t allow him to go down on her, fearing an orgasm might send her into labor prematurely. It didn’t seem fair to him, but he understood.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The day care center was closed for the day because one of the main water pipes had frozen and burst, and the plumbers would be working all day to correct the problem. So Ethan had to stay home with her while Harrison went off to work and to check on the plumbing at the dojo.

  After breakfast, he spent the morning in his newly decorated room watching Sesame Street and drawing. For lunch, Angel got out of bed and made him a tuna fish sandwich, but nothing for her. She didn’t have much of an appetite and she felt so tired. She’d had her last doctor’s appointment yesterday. The swelling had gone down in her legs and ankles, and he told her that the baby’s heart sounded strong. He also told her not to go anywhere because she could go into labor any day now.

  Angel put on the central heating. It had started to sleet outside and she’d been feeling a draft all morning. She checked on Ethan and then took out her laptop to check on the Christmas gifts she and Harrison had ordered for him.

  Harrison had put up the tree and decorations right after Thanksgiving and Ethan had helped him.

  The baby moved around in her stomach. Angel gently massaged the spot. Sweet Pea had become frisky lately and always seemed more active in the afternoon and at night. But today she must be in a good mood because she had been kicking since early this morning.

  Angel peeped in on Ethan again and found him napping in his new bed, snuggled under his new SpongeBob comforter. She tiptoed into his room and turned off the television. Angel was just about to go back into her room when she got a sharp pain in the lower part of her stomach. “Oh,” she groaned. It felt like a very strong menstrual cramp. Maybe I’m moving around too much. She turned and tired to make it to her room, but she felt another pain. She grabbed her stomach. This one was more painful than the first one. Maybe I should go lie down.

  Pain shot down both legs as she walked back to her bedroom. She got back into bed and tried to go back to sleep, but the pain kept her awake. She groaned as her forehead beaded with sweat. Maybe I should turn the heater off.

  Pain shot through her as she rose from the bed. A warm liquid seeped from her vagina. “Oh, oh,” she said aloud. My water just broke. She turned and headed to the dresser to get clean underwear and to hunt for a change of clothes. Her stomach ached like she needed to use the toilet. Angel waddled to the bathroom to clean herself up. The pains continued to come, and Sweet Pea kicked her fiercely in the ribs.

  It took everything she had to wash up and put on a clean dress. She put on a sanitary pad so she wouldn’t mess up her underwear. She had just made it back to the bed when a big pain hit. It felt like someone stuck a red hot poker between her legs. Angel cried out loudly from the pain. She had to call Harrison, but she didn’t think she could make it over to the telephone on the dresser. Another pain hit. She clutched her stomach and groaned.

  “What’s wrong, my Angel?”

  Her groaning had awoken Ethan. He stood at the side of the bed staring at her.

  “Angel’s stomach hurts,” she told him as another pain shot through her gut. She cried out again. “I have to call Daddy.”

  Ethan came closer and felt her forehead. “Your head is wet,” he told her.

  “Yes. Go get the telephone off the dresser so I can call Daddy.”

  Ethan looked at her and then walked over to the dresser and picked up the phone.

  Angel got another pain.

  “I call Daddy,” Ethan said.

  Angel groaned and felt like she was about to pass out.

  ****

  “Hello?” Harrison said, answering the phone. He recognized the house phone number.

  “Hey, Daddy.”

  “Ethan?” Who taught him how to dial the phone?

  “My Angel is sick.”

  “Put My Angel on the phone,” Harrison told him.

  “Ang
el’s crying,” Ethan said. “Her stomach hurts.”

  Shit, Harrison thought. Angel’s in labor.

  “Tell Angel I’m on my way.”

  “Daddy’s coming home,” he heard the child say as he dashed through the dojo with the cell phone on his ear. It would take him about ten minutes to get to his car and to get home. “What is My Angel doing?” he asked Ethan.

  “Crying,” Ethan said. “Her stomach hurts.”

  Harrison told Bill what was going on as he rushed through the dojo. He ran outside and jumped into his car. All the while he could hear Angel moaning in the background. A few minutes later, the phone went dead.

  Harrison drove home as quickly as he could. The sleet was coming down harder and the roads were slippery. He made it home about fifteen minutes later, left the car running, and hurried into the house. He found Angel on the bed with Ethan seated next to her, stroking her brow. “Angel, baby, can you hear me?”

  Angel opened her eyes slowly. “Yes,” she said.

  “I’m going to put your suitcase in the car and get Ethan into his coat. Do you think you can hold on a little while longer?”

  “Do I have a choice?” she joked.

  Harrison grabbed Angel’s suitcase and went out and put it in the car. He grabbed Ethan’s and Angel’s coats and went back to the bedroom. He found Ethan still by Angel’s side. Harrison got him off the bed and put his coat on him. Then he reached for Angel’s. “Sit up, honey. You have to get into your coat. It’s cold outside.”

  Angel groaned, but she sat up and let him put the coat on her. Harrison helped her into her shoes and walked her to the front room and sat her down on the sofa. He put Ethan in the car seat in the back of the car and went back for her, then walked her out.

  Angel stopped when another pain hit her. “Sweet Pea wants out,” she said. “This is one time, we should give her what she wants.”

  Harrison chuckled weakly, but Angel didn’t look well. He got her into the car, closed the door, and got into the driver’s seat. Luckily, the hospital was just five minutes away. He telephoned Everett and told him to meet him at the hospital. Then he telephoned Daria so she could be there to help Angel in case she didn’t want him to touch her.

  ****

  “Push,” the doctor told her.

  Angel didn’t think she could push anymore. She’d been in labor for ten hours now and she was tired and sleepy.

  “It’s almost over,” the doctor said. “I can see the head.”

  Angel pushed while a nurse helped her. The epidural she’d been given took away the pain, but she could still feel the pressure as the doctor moved the baby’s head and shoulders through the birth canal. Angel rested for a moment. It felt like she’d been in labor for days. “I’m thirsty.”

  “You can’t have anything yet,” the nurse told her.

  Angel frowned. He mouth felt dry as the Sahara Desert.

  “Okay, I need you to push one last time” the doctor told her.

  The nurse got back into position behind her.

  Angel pushed with all the strength she had left. Finally, she felt something squirmy leave her body. “Ah!” she said, sinking back down on the delivery table. She heard a clip, some suction, a slap, and then as lusty wail.

  “Congratulations, Angel. You have a healthy baby girl,” the doctor told her.

  Angel smiled and then closed her eyes. Damn, Harrison got his wish.

  She heard the nurse working to clean the baby up while she lay on the table waiting for the after-birth to be delivered. She felt unbelievably tired, but was glad when she heard that the baby had all her fingers and toes.

  “Would you like to see your daughter?” a nurse asked.

  Angel opened her eyes and turned her head in the direction of the nurse’s voice. “Hey, baby,” Angel said to the infant who was trying to put one of her fists into her mouth. “You’re a big one.”

  “She weighs eight pounds and two ounces,” the nurse told her. “And look at all the hair.”

  Sweet Pea’s hair looked light brown, but she couldn’t be sure under the lights and with the sweat still rolling down her face. “Welcome to the world, Sweet Pea,” Angel said contently. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

  ****

  Harrison was in the waiting room talking to Everett and Daria when Angel’s doctor walked in.

  Ethan flipped through a children’s magazine while he waited.

  “Congratulated, Mr. Calloway. You have a daughter.”

  Harrison cheered loudly and hugged the doctor. “How is my wife?” he asked once he freed the obstetrician.

  “She’s fine, a bit tired and demanding water.”

  “And the baby?”

  “She’s perfect. She weighs eight pounds and two ounces. And she’s twenty-one inches long.”

  “She’s going to be an Amazon,” Daria teased. “When can we see them?”

  “You can see the baby shortly, but Angel needs to sleep for a while. It’s been a long day for her.” He shook Harrison’s hand. “A nurse will come out to get you and take you to the nursery to see the baby.” He turned on his heels and walked back to the door.

  Jeb came into the waiting room just in time to congratulate Harrison. “Trudy sent me for Ethan so you can stay with Angel.”

  “I can’t let you do that. Trudy is still recovering,” Harrison said.

  “Trudy insists,” Jeb said. “And you know she’s going to end up getting her way. We still have some clothes for him at the house and Angel’s going to need you for the next forty-eight hours or so.”

  “Okay,” Harrison finally agreed.

  The nurse came out and called Harrison and the others. They followed her to the nursery.

  Another nurse pushed an incubator to the glass.

  Harrison looked down. Baby girl Calloway, eight pounds and two ounces. Yes, it was the right baby. It was Sweet Pea.

  “Oh, look how precious,” Daria said. “She looks like a little golden baby doll.”

  Sweet Pea had golden skin and hair, and brown eyes. Something tugged at his heart and he felt overcome with emotions. Harrison lifted Ethan up to the glass so he could see his sister. “It’s Sweet Pea,” he told his son.

  Ethan gazed into the glass. “My baby,” he said with a chuckle. “She can play with Bunny.”

  Harrison hugged Ethan. Maybe it was not going to be so bad after all.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Cerrie stinks,” Ethan announced as he followed Angel into the nursery.

  Angel chuckled. “You don’t smell like a bed of roses either when you go to the potty sometimes.” She lifted the baby. “Urg, you are a stinky girl. We better get you cleaned up before Daddy gets home.”

  Cerrie laughed, squirmed and kicked her feet as Angel tried to get her out of her clothes so she could get the dirty diaper off her.

  It was hard to believe that eight months had passed since she’d given birth to Cerrie. And Harrison had been wonderful and helpful throughout it all. “You need a bath, young lady.” Angel removed the messy diaper and Ethan backed away. Angel chuckled as she cleaned Cerrie’s bottom with a wipe.

  Ethan returned to her side after Cerrie smelled like a baby again. “Where is Cerrie’s pee-pee?”

  Angel had been expecting that question. “Cerrie doesn’t have one. She’s a girl.”

  Ethan looked totally confused. “She’s broken.”

  Angel tried not to laugh. “No, girls are made different than boys. She’s not broken.” She put Cerrie back into the baby bed while she walked into the bathroom and ran some water in the baby tub for Cerrie’s bath.

  Ethan kept following her around and then he plopped himself down on the closed toilet seat once Angel put Cerrie into the tub.

  Angel wet Cerrie’s hair.

  Cerrie laughed and made animated faces and noises while Angel added the shampoo to the now brownish-blonde curls. Cerrie splashed the water wetting her face and laughing.

  Ethan hopped off the toilet set and
came over to the side of the tub to investigate.

  Angel continued to wash Cerrie’s hair while Ethan watched, mystified. She held her laughing child back while she rinsed the shampoo from her hair. Angel quickly dried it with a towel and then sat Cerrie back into a seated position.

  Cerrie took advantage of the situation and began splashing and kicking the water, wetting both her and Ethan.

  Ethan backed up quickly.

  She’d never seen a baby take to water so well, especially since they still had to battle Ethan to wash his hair.

  She dried Ethan off. Maybe it was time for him to get a haircut. His curls now hung down his back. He looked like a three-year-old rock star. “Do you want to get your hair washed next?”

  “No,” Ethan said, shaking his head.

  “Cerrie’s not afraid to get her hair washed. Look, she’s having fun.”

  Cerrie continued to kick and splash in the water.

  “Cerrie’s broken,” Ethan said in defense of his bravado.

  His accusation took on a whole new meaning. He wasn’t taking about her lack of a penis. He thought his younger sister was crazy because she liked to get her hair wet. Angel smirked. Ethan had the driest wit for a child. She went back to bathing Cerrie. She took the protesting baby out of the water and dumped the water so it could go down the drain. She wrapped a towel around Cerrie. Before it was over, she was soaking wet. “Fun’s over,” she told her angry child. “You can’t stay in the water all day.”

  Cerrie cried all the way back into the nursery.

  Ethan followed and continued to watch as Angel wrestled Cerrie into a diaper, a pretty yellow sun dress, and matching yellow sandals.

  “Watch your sister while I go change,” she told Ethan. When she returned, she found him staring at Cerrie through the rails of the bed. Angel lifted Cerrie out of the bed so she could comb her hair. “You almost have a bigger afro than mama,” she told the child, who had stopped crying and had taken an interest in talking baby gibberish to Ethan. She put Cerrie on the carpeted floor while she went back to clean up the bathroom.