Week One, Morning and Afternoon of Day Six - Here Comes the... Baby?
Part 2 of 3"You know, it's not really ever too late to say you made a mistake," Meg's sister told her over the phone. It was the morning of the wedding, which was supposed to begin at 1 pm that afternoon. In need of advice concerning the disasterous bachelor bomb, she called up her closest friend from back in Twinbrook: her younger sibling.
"For me, I'm afraid it is, Maddie," Meg replied. "I have told Momma this, and I've been wanting to tell you; it's too late because... I'm having his baby."
Meg only heard silence for a couple seconds as Maddie struggled to comprehend the news. Maddie was only a teen, but she knew enough about life and how Meg viewed things. She knew that her sister meant she wanted to follow through with the wedding for the soon-to-be born baby.
"I still think it would be better to realize today that you need to back out than to realize when you are an older adult that you want a divorce. This new child and any others would be heartbroken at their mommy and daddy splitting."
Meg, a bit taken aback by her best friend's newfound maturity, just nodded and said, "I see what you mean."
"Oh, Layton just told me to wish you well on your wedding day."
Meg felt concerned that she had not yet told her brother about his future niece or nephew. More importantly, she was aware that she needed to make up her mind about marrying Eliot soon. She didn't want to add insult to injury by leaving him at the altar; she knew that, if she was going to break things off, she would do it privately.
Guests began arriving shortly after Meg hung up the phone. A trellis had been set up on their walkway with chairs lined up in rows. She slipped on her cotton halter wedding ensemble and looked in the mirror. As her head slowly tilted downward and she stared at her belly, she compared how she had always envisioned herself looking on her wedding day to how she appeared now. The images didn't match up.
Frowning as she peeked out the window, Meg noticed that the guests were being seated. She swallowed her pride and called for her co-worker Dorothy to deliver the message to Eliot that he was needed inside. Meg had chosen... And she wanted to break it to him the most honorable way she could.
Eliot walked into the room with a concerned look on his face. He wrung his hands together and asked, "What is wrong, Sweetea? Getting cold feet?" He felt pangs of guilt as he recalled flirting with Sparkles the night before. If this was her choice, he could hardly blame her.
"Eliot, I have something I need to say. I..." her voice trailed off as a strange look overtook her face.
"You what, love?"
"Oh, Eliot, I feel like my water just broke! I think our nooboo has decided to meet us early!"
Eliot went pale but managed to call out for help. Fiona McIrish, Dorothy DeMayo, and Jamie Jolina came running. The first two panicked along with the father-to-be, but since Jamie was a surgeon, she knew exactly what to do. Meg clutched her stomach and tried to steady her breathing while Jamie reassured her that they were going to the hospital. Eliot regained his composure to hail a cab and helped Meg in. The couple rode to the hospital, leaving Fiona and Dorothy to stall and entertain the rest of the wedding guests.
When the cab pulled up to Sacred Spleen Memorial, Meg climbed out and nearly waddled toward the entrance, leaving a wake of townies freaking out. "The baby is coming!" they all shouted. Eliot followed close behind, but for some reason, he stopped to answer his mobile on the way. "NOT NOW! The baby is coming!" he reiterated the sentiment to the caller and hung up. He rushed to the maternity ward where Meg's doctor was already preparing for delivery.
Somewhere in the huge flurry of mayhem, excitement, and madness, Eliot and Meg looked at each other. They shared a glance that meant the same thing for each of them: they would make this work for their new baby.
Meg delivered a girl that Friday afternoon. After being born, the bundle of joy was handed to her father. As the baby whimpered, Eliot shed a tear before he handed the little nooboo to his partner. He leaned over them, watching mother and child together. He softly cried a bit before Meg broke the silence and spoke.
"Her name is..."
