Shameless (43 page)

“Just because she’s black?” Sam said, astonished.

Delores nodded. “Basically, yes. But that’s okay. She’s more important to me than they are.”

“And you never told Alex about her?” Sam asked, fascinated by the story.

“When I was about seven months along, my mom sent me a newspaper clipping saying he’d been convicted of something and had been sent to a detention center. He clearly wasn’t father material, and I didn’t think he’d care either way, to be honest with you.” She shifted in her seat. “The past seventeen years haven’t been easy by any means, but it was worth it. We’re okay, aren’t we, Tanya?”

Tanya just shrugged, and Sam could tell she wished life were a bit rosier. Delores looked like she might cry. She cleared her throat. “Honey, could you get us some coffee?” She looked at Sam. “Do you take anything in yours?”

Sam shook her head. “Just black, thanks.”

When Tanya was out of earshot, Delores said, “This all makes me so sad, it really does, that Tanya felt like she had to join that program for support. I know I’m not here much, what with my job at the nursing home and taking night classes. She’s been hanging around some rough kids lately, and I told myself it was just a phase, but now I’m not sure. I’m really worried that she’s going to get involved in a gang. That would just kill me.”

“Ms. Smith,” Sam began gently.

“Delores,” she amended with a sniff.

“You should be worried about Tanya. And… she
is
involved with a gang.”

Delores gasped and Sam held up her hand. “But, it’s not too late to help her. She wants out. That’s why she asked me to speak to you.”

Delores wiped a tear from her eye. “I don’t understand.”

“Alex and John Everest, his partner in the SCHS program, know a lot about gangs and how they work. They’ll help Tanya, but they’ll certainly want to meet you, so…”

Understanding dawned on Delores’ face. “Ah. I get it.” She sniffled and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “I-I don’t know that I could face Alex. He’ll see the way we live and he’ll think we’re after his money, that I’m looking to him to be our savior.”

Sam pursed her lips. “I don’t think so. He’s a decent man. I think he’ll understand.”

Tanya returned with the coffee. Sam had taken only one sip when she felt the familiar urge use the bathroom.

“It’s the first door on the left,” Delores told her.

Sam pushed up from the soft couch. As she stood, she felt a warm gush between her legs and she thought she’d wet her pants. Her big sweater was long enough to hide the damage, but as she took a few steps, she realized she still had to pee. “Oh, my God,” she murmured. “Oh, my God.”

“What?” asked Delores and Tanya in unison.

Sam looked up at them, her eyes wide, fear hammering her gut. “I think my water just broke.”

“Leave us a message, and one of us will call you back as soon as we can.”

Sam closed her eyes as the Garrett’s answering machine beeped in her ear. She hung up, remembering her friends were visiting family in Oregon for the holidays and wouldn’t be back until Monday. Nina had purposefully made their travel plans far in advance of Sam’s due date.

“She’s not there?” Delores asked, handing Sam another towel.

Sam shook her head and blinked back tears.

“Is there anyone else you can call?”

Sam shook her head again. Her mom was in Italy visiting Sam’s sister, scheduled to return next week, supposedly in plenty of time for the birth of her grandchild.

“Let’s get you to the hospital,” Delores said, escorting the group out the front door.

Moments later, the threesome piled into that dented old Toyota behind Sam’s car.

Her abdomen clenched, and she sucked in her breath in pain. “I’m having a contraction,” she gasped. “Please hurry.”

She stretched out in the back seat but was anything but comfortable as the car hit every bump and rock in the road. She crunched into a fetal position when another wave of pain shot through her, radiating from her lower back to her tummy. A knife in the gut had to feel better than this.

As the car lumbered and shook onto the freeway, Delores asked, “Is there anyone you want me to call when we get to the hospital? Any of your friends who could maybe come and be with you?”

Sam wasn’t at all startled when John’s image flashed into her mind’s eye. Would he be willing to come to the hospital? He had to. He just had to. Brushing away a tear, she fumbled through her purse for her cell phone and punched in John’s number, praying he’d answer. His voicemail picked up. She hung up and tried the main number of the gym. “Gym Everest,” came the static-ridden voice over the line.

“John Everest, please.”

“May I tell him who’s calling?”

“Sam Rossi.”

“One moment.” Soft rock music took the woman’s place.

Tears welled in Sam’s eyes. She couldn’t do this alone. She was too scared.

“Who’s John Everest?” Delores asked.

“He’s the father,” Tanya piped in. Then she obviously realized she might have betrayed a confidence. “I mean, he’s the father, but he’s not the father. I mean, he doesn’t want anything—”

“It’s okay, Tanya,” Sam said, feeling okay between contractions. Music still echoed over her phone. To Delores she said, “I asked him to help me father a child, but he won’t be raising the baby.”

“You want to raise the baby alone?” She caught Sam’s eyes in the mirror. “Sorry. Not my business. I’ll step on it.”

Sam pulled the phone away from her ear. “I think she forgot about me.” She hung up and dialed again. This time she got the gym’s voicemail. “I can’t get through.” Her voice caught.

“Hey,” Tanya said suddenly. “Isn’t Mr. E’s gym downtown, off James Street?”

Sam nodded, grimacing as another contraction loomed.

“Mama, can you drop me off there? It’s only a couple of blocks out of the way. I’ll ride to the hospital with him.”

The gym receptionist directed Tanya to the weight room at the opposite end of the building. She walked fast, almost running along the wide corridor, past the aerobics studios, past the racquetball courts. When she rounded the corner to the weight room, she almost turned back when she saw Alex working out with John. It was weird seeing him, knowing it wouldn’t be long before he knew who she was. That terrified her. Would he accept her as his daughter? Or would he think she was a major loser?

Tanya took a calming breath and plunged into the room full of muscular men and women.

Alex spotted her first. “Tanya, what are you doing here?” he asked, putting the heavy bar and weights onto the rack. John sat up on the bench and wiped his face with a towel.

“I came to tell—” she looked at John and sort of pointed, “
you
, that Ms. Rossi is having her baby and wants you there. She couldn’t get a hold of you on the phone, so I—”

John shot to his feet like a rock from a slingshot and gripped Tanya’s shoulders. “Sam’s having her baby?” Tanya nodded. “But it’s not due for— for another four weeks, right? Where is she, what hospital?”

She told him. “My mom took her, cuz the lady who was supposed to coach her or something is out of town or something.”

“Nina,” John murmured. He drew the towel over his face again and hurried toward the door. “Do you want to ride with me, Tanya?”

“Yeah, but, um, Mr. E?” she began, wrinkling her nose and eyeing him up and down. “You might want to change or something first. I mean, you don’t want to gross her out or anything.”

Alex’s laughter made her turn his way. “I think that’s the first time a woman has told you that you stink, John-Boy.” He nudged her shoulder. “I think I like you, Tanya,” he said with a wink.

Tanya blushed and turned back to John, who looked down at his sweat-drenched workout clothes. He glanced at the clock on the wall. “If Sam’s all by herself there—”

Something whizzed by Tanya’s head and John caught it. Alex had thrown him a sweatshirt. “Just go,” Alex told him. “I’ll shower fast and bring your clothes.”

John nodded, then sprinted out of the room with Tanya at his heels. “Wait for me, Mr. E,” she called after him. Boy, for a guy who supposedly wasn’t linked romantically with Ms. R and who didn’t have an interest in her baby, he sure moved fast.

John’s car flew up Pine Street toward the hospital, making record time despite the traffic, although he cursed up a storm under his breath the entire time. Once inside the hospital, he ran to the front desk for directions. One of the two women there pointed him toward the elevators.

As Tanya charged after him, she heard one of the women chuckle and say, “Poor guy. This must be his first.”

Reaching Labor and Delivery, Tanya saw her mom in the waiting room, who stood as they rushed in. John didn’t stop for introductions and made his way to the nurse’s station.

Delores met her halfway, staring at John’s disappearing back. “That’s him?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Hmm. Cute.”

Tanya eyed her mom, taking in the somewhat disheveled and tired appearance. “Did you put any makeup on this morning, Mama?”

Delores turned to her. “What?”

Tanya glanced around the waiting area and saw signs for the women’s restroom near the elevators. She grabbed her mom’s arm. “Come on. I’ve got some makeup in my purse. You’ll want to freshen up a bit.”

“What are you talking about, young lady?” Delores asked, resisting.

“Mr. Drake is on his way here,” was all Tanya said, and her mom led
her
to the ladies’ room.

Chapter 25

John’s only exposure with this whole birth experience was from television, so he was surprised when he wasn’t asked to put on a gown over his clothes and a nurse named Cindy led him straight to Sam’s room.

“How’s she doing?” he asked as they walked.

“She’s progressing nicely, dilated to five.” His expression must have shown his ignorance, so she explained, “When she’s dilated to 10, she can push.”

“But what about the baby? It’s so early.”

Cindy stopped outside a door. “It’s premature, but we have her hooked up to a fetal monitor that tells us baby is doing just fine.”

“But will it, will it—?” He swallowed hard. The term “premature” had such scary connotations.
Please, please, please, let everything be okay
.

Cindy squeezed his arm. “Four weeks is early, but not that early. Everything looks great and Sam is anxious for you to be with her.” She pushed on the door.

“Uh, Cindy?” he asked, stopping her. “This is all new to me. She probably told you her regular, uh, coach is out of town. I’m clueless.”

Cindy’s smile was warm. “The main thing is just to be with her so she’s not alone. Tell her she’s doing great, feed her ice chips, rub her back if she wants you to, that kind of thing. Don’t worry. I’ll be with you guys every step of the way.” She squeezed his arm again and pushed on Sam’s door.

“Sam?” Cindy parted the curtain. “Look who’s here.”

“Is it John?”

“Hi,” he said, entering the room. She was in a semi-seated position, the bed reminding him of those instamatic ones on late-night infomercials. She had on a pink hospital gown with tiny white flowers, her hair was disheveled and she looked relieved to see him. Hesitantly, he took her hand. “How are you feeling?”