The Fighter Pilot’s Baby

“Oh calm down, I’ll feed you in a minute,” She said, reaching down to ruffle his creamy orange colored fur.

Monster let out a meow of protest as Bianca left the kitchen but she paid him no mind. She was on cloud nine at the prospect of a new relationship and she couldn’t wait to call Andrea to tell her all about it. Stripping her clothes to shower, Bianca pulled her phone from her purse and dialed the number from memory.

“Hello?” The voice who answered was not Andrea and sounded distressed.

“Jay? What’s wrong?” Bianca asked, her hand inches from the shower faucet. She straightened and moved back into her bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed, her brows laced with concern.

“Bianca? I’m so glad you called. We were leaving the airfield and Andrea started having contractions. She said they have been off and on all day but she brushed it off as Braxton Hicks. We think the excitement from my homecoming may have sent her over the edge into real labor.” Jay’s voice was higher pitched than usual and he was talking incredibly fast.

“Ok, slow down and take a deep breath. I’ll meet you at the hospital.” Bianca tried to reassure him as she threw on a pair of leggings and a long sleeved sweater. Her shower would have to wait.

****

Fifteen minutes later, Bianca was hurrying down the halls of the maternity ward, her eyes scanning the room numbers as she went. Her best friend was having her first baby and Bianca was thrilled but also nervous and hoped Andrea was alright. After a few more feet, she spotted room 5B, the room Jay had told her over the phone, and knocked on the door.

“Come in!” She heard Andrea yell in a surprisingly calm and chipper voice.

Bianca pushed the door open slowly; apprehension fluttering in her belly, the birthing process was still a bit of an enigma to her. But even though it frightened her, she desperately wanted children. When she entered, Andrea was sitting up on the bed flipping through channels on the TV that was high on the wall opposite of the bed.

“Hey,” Bianca said with confusion. Where was all the screaming and the pain?

“Hi!” Andrea exclaimed, sounding cheerful. Jay hovered next to her, a look of anxiety masking his face.

“You look so calm and happy,” Bianca mentioned with shock, and strolled toward the bed.

Andrea laughed, “That’s because I had an epidural about fifteen minutes ago.” She laughed gleefully, “I can’t feel a thing.”

“Well that’s a relief. I was certain I’d be walking into screaming and pain.” Bianca said with a small laugh even though she wasn’t joking.

Andrea chuckled again, “Natural birth is for the birds,” she said, waving her hand dismissively.

Bianca finally joined in the laughter and a second glance at Jay indicated he was beginning to relax as well. This was all so new for her and while she wanted to experience it, the uncertainty was quite scary. She hung around for about an hour, talking and laughing with Andrea. Just as Jay was about to go get a snack the nurse entered and decided to check how dilated Andrea was.

“It’s go time everyone!” She reported excitedly.

Jay paled considerably and Andrea stopped talking, realization dawning on her for the first time that it was time to have a baby. Bianca took that as her cue to leave the room. She had made the decision earlier to stay in the waiting room for a few hours in case Jay or Andrea needed her but she didn’t want to intrude on their special moment together. She kissed each of them and squeezed Andrea’s hand before turning to leave. As she was about to close the door she caught a glimpse of Jay and Andrea in a loving pose, nose to nose, as they savored their last moments before their son came into the world. Tears welled in Bianca’s eyes. Oh to have a love like that. Before she broke down in the hallway, she rushed away to the waiting room.

****

Two hours and six cups of coffee later, Bianca peered at the clock for what felt like the fiftieth time. It was well after midnight and Andrea was still pushing, the fear of a c-section looming over her. Jay had updated her several minutes ago and Bianca was wringing her hands with anxiety at what her friend was enduring. Jay didn’t sound hopeful that the baby would come naturally and they feared for both his and Andrea’s safety. He told Bianca that he’d let her know if Andrea was taken into surgery. Restless and worried, Bianca stood, pacing the room. She was beginning to feel claustrophobic in the small space, only outfitted with a few chairs and benches and an old tube TV mounted to the ceiling. She snatched her coffee from the table and slung her purse over her shoulder, she was just going to walk for a bit to keep her mind off of everything. Alex suddenly flitted through her mind and she realized she hadn’t thought about him since she set foot in the hospital. Memory of their short conversation and his piercing blue eyes gave her a shiver of delight. Maybe he would call her tomorrow.

Bianca turned the corner and froze; Alex was walking briskly toward her from the other end of the hall. It took him a moment to see her, his mind appearing to be elsewhere. When he did spot her, his face lit up in a smile that made Bianca’s heart slam against her rib cage. He looked hotter than he had earlier that day; which seemed impossible since he had been in his Air Force uniform then. Dressed in faded jeans and a black t-shirt, tight enough that it hugged his biceps and she could see the ripples of a six-pack beneath it, he looked every bit the good old American boy. Butterflies rioted in Bianca’s stomach as he approached. He looked sexy as hell and she was rumpled and sleepy eyed. She was sure she had dark circles and mascara stains under her eyes. Swiping under her eyes with her fingers and smoothing her hair, Bianca tried to stand taller, height not being one of her best attributes.

“Hey,” She muttered, feeling a bit off her game, “What are you doing here?”

“Jay called me, he was worried about you being alone here in the waiting room and he asked me to come keep you company.” He beamed off another large smile.

“How did he know we met?” Bianca asked with bewilderment. This night just kept getting stranger.

“I told him. I forgot to mention when we spoke earlier that Jay and I are pretty good friends.” Alex smirked, revealing that he left that bit of information out on purpose.

They fell into step with one another in the hall, heading away from the waiting room. Silence enveloped them as they went, the whole hospital seemed asleep at this hour and it gave them the illusion of being alone. The silence was comfortable and Bianca was loath to break it, especially since she was tired and small talk was difficult at the moment. Suddenly a thought dawned on Bianca and she stopped, turning on Alex with anger in her eyes.

“They sent you after me today, didn’t they?” She asked, the awareness that her meeting Alex at the airfield earlier was a set up.

Alex didn’t back down from her fury and Bianca was impressed for a minute, liking the idea of someone to match wits with.

“I’ll admit that when I asked Jay about the woman who was standing with his wife as we approached the families he told me about you. But make no mistake I wanted to be there with you, it wasn’t out of some obligation to my military brother. And I’ll be damned if you think I asked you out just because they told me to.” Alex spun on his heel and started back down the hallway the way they came, anger radiating from the stiff set of his strong back and shoulders.

Even angry he was sexy, and Bianca sighed. She knew she had to fix this or risk missing out on a relationship that could possibly be something real.