Chapter 364: Push
*Nico, what if I’m just like her? – Shiloh*
Shiloh’s baby refused to cooperate at any of the sonogram appointments. The tech admitted that in nearly twenty years, she had never seen a baby so determined to keep their sex hidden. Yet, this one did.
They had tried again yesterday at her appointment. And once again, the baby showed their back.
Today, she had gone to Sophia’s for lunch with her cousin. The plate in front of her with lots of pasta and cream sauce still on it, was quietly taken away and a plate with cannoli replaced it.
Nico waited for the waitress to leave before he answered his cousins question.
“I don't think that you are anything like your mother.” Nico told her softly as he reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “You are very much like your father.”
“I don’t remember him.” She admitted with tears filling her eyes.
“You were still very young when he died. I don’t remember much about him. But Nonno loves to tell stories about him.”
She nodded. “He tells me stories all the time.” Smiling, she gave a small laugh. “One of my favorite stories is how dad helped to kidnap the mascot from Sunnyvale.”
Nico laughed loudly. “I always picture Nonno and Nonna waking up to the goat in the living room.”
“Nonna would be like, so we have a goat now.”
“And Nonno would be ready to kill whoever brought a goat into his house.”
Shiloh held her belly as she laughed. “And then finding out that they had put the goat in the backseat of his Mercedes.”
“Because it would be wrong to put it in the trunk.” Nico laughed.
“It really would have been.” She agreed and wiped tears off her cheeks.
“I remember, every year when we would play Sunnyvale, Nonno would tell me to leave the damn goat alone.”
“Didn’t he take your car away your senior year?”
He nodded at his cousin. “And put a guard on me all week.”
She sobered as a thought crossed her mind. “Do you think he would have done the same thing to me, if…”
They had now circled back to Elizabeth. Shiloh was afraid of being like her mother. And at the same time, she was still healing from all the hell her mother had put her through. Not just alienation and emotional abuse. But the physical abuse and beatings that she had endured.
“Yes, I think he would have. Without a doubt.”
“I wish that I’d had a normal childhood.”
“Do you still do your therapy?”
“Yes.”
After being kidnapped, Shiloh had gone to therapy and was eventually admitted to a mental hospital for her cutting. After she was released, Nonno took custody of his granddaughter and kept Elizabeth away from her daughter as much as possible.
“Shy, trust your gut and your heart. If your ever unsure, trust Pagan. He’s done this before.”
She smiled at him. “Yeah. The girls are great. They’re so excited about the baby.”
“They’re not the only ones.” Nico admitted.
When she returned to the stores after lunch, she felt better. More confident, less stressed. But as she had sat there pushing the decadent food around on her plate, she was not able to ignore the small twinges in her belly and back.
Her doctor had confirmed that she was in the early stages of labor. But had also told her not to worry. First time moms could be in labor for a long time. With the advice of not to worry about it until the twinges were painful or were within five minutes of each other.
So far, they were neither.
They were still just a bit annoying and uncomfortable. With the back-to-school sale this weekend, she did not want to leave her employees on their own if she didn’t have to.
“Kenneth, can you go get the last two boxes marked for the sale?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Her one male employee agreed and went to the basement.
Most of her employees avoided the basement as if it were, well, a basement in a funeral home. But Kenneth had no issues with it. His mother was a pathologist at the hospital, and he had been exposed to death all his life.
He brought the second box up and found Shiloh leaning over the checkout counter.
“Miss Shy?” he asked as he sat the box down. “Bonnie!”
Bonnie came over from the Dark Moon side of the store and looked at her boss. “Oh God, what happened?”
She rushed over and touched Shiloh’s back. Shaking her head, Shiloh moved away from the gentle touch.
“What do we do?” Kenneth asked.
With wide eyes, Bonnie looked at him in confusion. “How should I know?”
“You’re a girl!” he pointed out with a small motion of his hand.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Bonnie demanded. “You think I know what to do simply because I’m a girl?”
“Well….” He rubbed his neck uncomfortably.
“You're a guy! How do I change the oil in my car?” Bonnie demanded.
Neither employee was paying attention to the older woman that was in the store with her granddaughter. The woman stepped around the counter and helped Shiloh to sit in a small chair that was behind the counter.
“Hey, sweetie,” the woman said gently, “who is your doctor?”
“Blake.” Shiloh panted out as she doubled over again in pain.
“When did *this* start?”
“I’ve been feeling…. Twinges for a few… days. But this…. This just started.” Her eyes widened. “Oh God.”
The gush of liquids down Shiloh’s legs told the woman everything that she needed to know. Grabbing her phone out of her bag, she looked over at her granddaughter. “Go get those beach towels over by the door.”
“Okay, Nanna.” The teen rushed over to the towels and then returned to the checkout area as her grandmother was on the phone.
“This is Margaret Coggins, tell Blake that I’m with one of her patients that’s in labor. I’m calling an ambulance and sending her to the hospital.” She listened for a few minutes and then turned to the employees. “What’s her name?”
“Shiloh Goode.” They both answered and Margaret Coggins repeated it.
After a few more words, she ended the call and dialed 911. She was professional with her details and answers to the emergency operator. Then she laughed at the phone.
“Lady, I understand that you are told to tell people not to deliver babies.” Margaret Coggins said into the phone as she began to gently move Shiloh forward in the chair. “But I have delivered more babies than I can count. And this baby is coming now.”
“I would advise you call her partner.” She said as she moved Shiloh closer to the edge of the chair.
Taking the towels from her granddaughter, she draped them across the mother’s legs.
“I already told the other customers to move to the other side and flipped the signs on the door.” the granddaughter said. “There’s a PA over there that offered to help.”
“Perfect.” Her grandmother agreed as she slid Shiloh’s panties off under the towels. “And run out to the car and get my big first aid kit.”
The teen disappeared and returned with a man and a red backpack.
“Hey, Dr. C.” Doc grinned at the woman on her knees in front of his friends wife. “Shy, I called Pagan and he’s on his way.”
Shiloh nodded as another wave of pain washed over her and she bit her lower lip to keep from screaming.
“Don’t fight your body.” Dr. Coggins told her. “Go ahead and push.”
Leaning back, she grabbed the edges of the small folding chair.
“Spread your legs, Shy.” Doc ordered as he handed the doctor some gloves and then pulled some on himself. “That baby’s going to come out the same way that Pagan put it in you.”
“Then maybe I should be on my hands and knees.” She tried to joke.
“I don’t think that baby needs to know the position.” Dr. Coggins pointed out as Shiloh began to push again. “That’s it, push, push, push.”
A scream was ripped from her as the store door was flung open and Pagan rushed over to his wife. “I’m here, baby. What do you need me to do?”
“Get Christina.” She panted out and he reached under her hair and produced the arachnid. Kenneth grabbed the small plastic box under the counter and Pagan placed Christina inside.
“That’s a first.” Dr. Coggins chuckled as Shiloh pushed again. “That’s it, we have a head. Scoot up just a little further and there we go. Just going to give baby a little turn. Okay, one more good push.”
Just as the baby slid out into the world, the paramedics entered the shop.
“Nice of you guys to show up.” Doc teased the crew.
“We didn’t want to get the truck dirty.” One of the medics teased.
