Chapter 40
As he sat at the kitchen table with Jesse helping her finish her homework, Howie kept checking his watch every couple of minutes and looking towards the family room door. He’d wanted to go straight to Sarah when he got home but his mother had stopped him insisting that she needed her rest and he’d be spending plenty of time with her very soon. She didn’t reveal the secret Sarah had shared but he did notice the twinkle in his mother’s eyes. Now Jesse was keeping him from going to her.
Scurrying around the kitchen preparing dinner, Momma D saw every little anxious movement Howie made. Passing by him, she put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Give her a little longer. She was beyond exhausted."
"How long has she been asleep?"
"Since shortly after you left."
Howie looked at his watch. Sarah had been asleep for almost three hours. "How did you manage to get her to sleep that long?"
"A mother’s secret," smiled Momma D warmly.
Howie laughed, "Okay, don’t tell me then."
"There’s really no secret to it, Howard. Sarah’s scared and she misses her mother. I just made her feel safe, the way you do when you hold her," answered the older lady as she took the dish out of the oven. "What time are you two supposed to meet your friends?"
"Seven-thirty but we both need to change clothes."
"Set the table, Howard," instructed Momma D as Jesse put her things away. Continuing with her work, she said, "You shouldn’t be off partying till all hours of the night. You’re about to become a father and you need to start acting like it."
Howie felt like he was a teenager again with his mother scolding him like this but he knew she was right. He had a responsibility to Jesse, the twins, and Sarah.
"Mami, we’re not going to be all hours of the night, I promise. We’re having dinner, a little dancing, and that’s it," defended Howie as he got the plates and silverware.
"That child….your wife….should be at home, relaxing," insisted Momma D.
"I promise…I won’t let anything happen to her," answered Howie.
His voice betrayed the hurt he felt over his mother’s lack of trust but his _expression said even more.
Momma D stopped what she was doing and went to him. "Son, I know you’re going to look out for her….you always have," she replied as she brushed his cheek.
"Sarah is everything to me," professed Howie softly. "I’d be lost without her."
Her motherly instinct told her that there was more to Howie’s anxiety than met the eye and having talked to Sarah, she knew he was just as scared about this birth as Sarah was. "Son, I’m just a phone call away. Trust your faith. It’s brought you this far."
Howie gave his mother a kiss. "Thank you."
"Go on in and wake Sarah so Jesse can see both of you for a few minutes."
Momma D took the things from Howie’s hands and he rushed to the family room where Sarah was sleeping. The darkness of the room slowed him down but once his eyes adjusted, he made his way across the room to her. There wasn’t room for him on the couch so he knelt down on the floor in front of her. Brushing her hair back, he placed a tender kiss on her lips and then watched as she slowly woke.
It took her a couple minutes but eventually, Sarah’s eyes focused on Howie and she smiled sleepily.
"My sleeping beauty. How do you feel?"
"Better. What time is it?"
"A little after six. It’s time for the beautiful princess to get ready for the ball."
Sarah giggled, "I feel more like the pumpkin for the carriage."
"But what a beautiful pumpkin!"
A contraction hit and Sarah couldn’t hide it. Grasping Howie’s hand, she did a cleansing breath and when it was over, she closed her eyes. The pain in her back had started just like the doctor had said it might.
"Angel?"
"I’m okay, ‘D’," but she knew she wasn’t very convincing. "I guess I’d better tell you."
"You’re in labor, aren’t you?"
"Yeah…it started while we were doing the interviews."
"That’s it. I’m calling Kevin and telling him we’re not coming," and he pulled out his cell phone.
"No, ‘D’. Please don’t. The contractions are still pretty far apart," begged Sarah, her hand on his.
"How far apart are they?"
"Before I went to sleep, twenty minutes."
"Your water hasn’t broken?"
"No."
"Sarah, I don’t….."
“What are we gonna do, stay home? I can’t do that, ‘D’. I need to keep busy…so I don’t think about the ‘what ifs’ or I’m gonna be a basket case,” whispered Sarah as she played with his wedding band. “Besides, being active speeds up labor and what better way to pass the time than with our friends and dancing in my husband’s arms.”
Howie’s face glowed with love. “I guess you’re right but you DO know that Kevin is going to go berserk when he finds out you’re in labor and Becca is gonna be stuck to you like glue.”
“Becca already knows that I might go into labor soon and we don’t have to tell them.”
“How are you going to get through the contractions or explain not eating?”
“I’ll just hold your hand for the contractions and squeeze it when I need to. As for dinner....it’s no secret that I have my moments when I can’t eat. I’ll just tell them I lost my appetite.”
Howie looked into Sarah’s eyes as she lay on her side on the couch. He knew she was right. He also knew he needed a distraction to stay calm so he could help her through all this. “Just promise me that you won’t hide anything from me.”
“I promise, ‘D’.
Helping her up, Howie put his hands on her belly and leaned in to steal a kiss. “I love you so much, Angel,” he whispered against her lips.
Together, the couple headed up to Howie’s old room to get ready for the party.