though under a minute.
“We should probably go,” Casey announced.
“Well, the contractions aren’t a minute apart yet,” William said.
“Well, it could be that you’re counting too slow. I think the baby is ready to
come.”
William helped her stand up, grabbed the maternity bag, and followed her out the
door.
They arrived at the hospital shortly after eleven thirty. A nurse came in right
away, but they had been waiting nearly twenty-five minutes for the doctor. The
contractions had slowed again, now about seven minutes apart and lasting fifty
seconds.
William sat in the corner of the room. The doctor finally entered.
“Good evening, Miss Harlow,” she said. “I'm Doctor Harris.”
“Further,” Casey corrected. “I got married today.”
“Congratulations,” the doctor replied.
William glanced up and recognized the voice. Brittany Harris, his old babysitter
from the late eighties. His first crush. A wave of embarrassment hit him. He hadn’t
realized it before, but the doctor and Casey had similar appearances. Both had dark
brown hair and similar features. The doctor’s eyes were brown instead of blue.
“Thank you,” Casey said. “So is the baby coming?” she asked.
The doctor pulled on a pair of latex gloves. “I'll be checking for that. How far
apart are the contractions?”
She hadn’t noticed William due to the door blocking her view of him. He hoped he
could get through the examination without the doctor seeing him.
“I came in when they were five minutes apart and lasted about a minute for an