Ellie added the final strokes to the mural in the baby’s room. She had turned one of Dale’s three guestrooms into a nursery. She had him break a hole in the wall between the nursery and the master’s bedroom and put up double doors. She’d baby proofed the entire apartment, having nothing else to do, because Dale had her take a longer maternity leave than she had intended on. She had gotten most of what she wanted during the five months they’d lived together, but this one issue he won.
She stood in front of the mirror caressing her large belly. It didn’t feel like forever anymore, soon she would be holding her baby in her arms and then maybe, she’d finally lose the urge to torture Dale. She didn’t mean to, everything just seemed to be his fault.
“I promise, your daddy and I are going to love you forever.”
“So will your aunty Kris, even though she won’t be your godmother.” Kris sulked, entering the room.
Ellie laughed. She’d been complaining about that for the length of the pregnancy, and she probably would continue in her pout parade even after the baby was born. “I told you, Dale’s best friend called dibs first.”
“Who calls dibs on a baby?” She sat in the rocking chair.
“Considering I’m making Daniel godfather, it’s one thing I had to agree to. And any way she’s nice, I like her.”
Kris laughed almost falling off the rocker, “Wait, you asked the guy who’s been in love with you since college to be the godfather of your love child, with a man he has hated from the first day he met him, for having what he can’t?”
“Daniel doesn’t hate Dale and he isn’t in love with me.” Kris’s arched brow and the oh-please look on her face begged to differ, “Okay maybe a little on both, but he’s one of my best friends and he understands how things have to be.”
“Okay fine. I’m calling dibs on the next one,” she stood up and walked around the room, admiring the baby’s stuff. She picked up a pair of blue silk pants with a matching top that had the initials CJ on it. “Let me guess, Ellsa bought this?”
“Yes. There are a dozen of them in the drawers, all different colors.” Ellie said, pointing at the cream chest that had a changing table on top of it.
“He or she is definitely not wearing this, we are not going to risk ending up with a snob.”
“Will you stop that,” Ellie laughed, “She’s throwing me a shower today so be nice. I don’t want to referee.”
“Your sister has never been around as much as she has recently.” A hint of suspicion in her voice.
Ellie sat down on the floor to finish painting the bottom of the wall, “I’m her sister and I’m pregnant, of course she’d be around more often.”
“And of course she wouldn’t pass up the chance to hit on Dale.” Kris pointed out, sitting next to her.
Ellie glanced at her for a moment before she turned back to her painting, “Kris, stop that.”
“Just because you choose to close your eyes to your sister’s faults doesn’t mean I do.”
Ellie had noticed it. Usually, she would only get to see her sister once a week, twice if she insisted. But lately, Ellsa was around almost every single day. And the days she wasn’t, she would call. They would chat and after two minutes of idle conversation, she’d ask to speak to Dale. That wasn’t strange. The guy was practically her brother in law and an addition to their family.
Ellsa wasn’t interested in Dale. They had a rule and she wouldn’t break it.
Dale wasn’t some other boyfriend. Ellie was head over heels in love with him. He was her soul mate, the love of her life and the father of her child. Granted, he was dragging his feet when it came to becoming her husband. But essentially, even without that piece of paper, he was her husband. He was committed to their ‘little family’ as he called it and he acted like a husband- as caveman-like and conservative it may seem sometimes.
Yes, Dale wasn’t some other boyfriend, Ellsa knew that and she would never intentionally ruin what they have, especially with the baby in the equation.
“She’s not interested in Dale.”
“Who’s not interested in Dale?” Ellsa’s voice filled the room. Ellie and Kris turned around to face her. As usual she was dressed like she was a cast member in Knot’s Landing’s at their breakfast table but a little sexier.
“Ellsa, how did you get in here?” Ellie asked, standing up with Kris’s help.
“I have a copy of the key.” She placed the small blue bag on the baby table.
“Since when did you have a key?”
“I think the question is, why do you have a key to Dale’s apartment and how did you get it, because I know Dale said no?” Kris stepped closer to Ellsa, an accusing look on her face.
“Wow Kris, I didn’t know you were Ellie’s part time maid, or is it nanny?” She asked, sarcastically, with a faint distaste in her voice as she addressed Kris.
Kris was about to insult her when Ellie stepped in between them. “Stop it, both of you.” She turned to Ellsa with a tired smile, “Thanks for the shower and for more baby stuff.” She said pointing at the bag. She rubbed her aching back wishing one of them would offer to give her a massage instead of going at each other.
“Oh no, this is for Dale. Where is he, shouldn’t he be home by now?” She pulled out the box from the bag and glanced at her Rolex watch.
Kris laughed staring at Ellie with both eyebrows raised. Ellie ignored her. She wouldn’t believe her sister was hitting on her man. They’d drawn a line and agreed on never crossing it. “He doesn’t have an exact schedule.”
Ellsa shrugged, “I’ll wait.” then she walked to the mirror and pulled at her short dress, pushing her boobs up and applying more lipstick.
“Of course you will.” Kris hinted. Ellsa turned to her with a lethal gaze in her eye. Before they could go at each other again, Ellie’s cell phone rang.
Ellie picked it up and moved back in between them, “Hallo?”
“Ellie,” Audrey started. She wished there was a gentler way to say this without causing a panic.
“Hi Audrey, is everything okay?” Tired, the ache in her back seemed to be getting worse by the second. She walked across the room and lowered herself slowly on to the rocking chair.
“Okay don’t freak out, Dale is in the hospital.” She paused and waited for her to say something but when Ellie didn’t respond she added quickly, “He was shot, but it was just a graze.”
Ellie jumped out of the chair when she heard the words shot and hospital. She felt her heart stop as she struggled to breathe. The pressure in her back increased. This was a call she always dreaded.
Kris pulled the phone out of Ellie’s frozen fingers. She pulled her back and laid one of Ellsa’s fancy towels on the wet floor. “Hi Audrey, is Dale okay?”
“Yes, it’s nothing serious. Is Ellie okay? She hasn’t said a word since I told her?” She asked, worriedly.
“How fast can you get an ambulance here?” Kris picked up Ellie’s hospital bag and tossed it at Ellsa who barely caught it.
“Five minutes, why?” Audrey panicked, “Oh god, please tell me I didn’t make her faint or go into labor or shock because Dale is going to kill me!”
“Well, you should hide then,” she said, then hung up the phone. “Ellie honey, your water broke. We are going to sit in the living room and wait for the ambulance. They’ll be here in five minutes.” She spoke softly and slowly at her stunned friend, like she would a child.
Ellie looked down at her wet shorts, “My water broke and Dale got shot.” She uttered zombified until a tightness in her belly snapped her alert. “The baby is coming and its father is in a hospital with a bullet inside him!” She yelled, the tears already streaming down her eyes as she rushed into the living room.
“Is he okay?” Ellsa asked, in a panic grabbing Kris’s arm, “tell me if he’s okay?”
“Hey!” Kris half yelled, pulling her arm free. She stepped in front of her and put her finger in her face, “Listen to me. Dale belongs to Ellie not you, he is Ellie’s boyfriend not yours. Remember that!” With that, she followed Ellie to the living room.