I was already shaking through contractions when my mother-in-law stormed into the labor waiting room and started yelling, “She’s faking it! She just wants attention!”
I felt dread.
At the hospital, a nurse placed me in a wheelchair and rolled me into the labor waiting area while another staff member checked my paperwork. Derek hovered nearby, phone in his hand, already texting his mother. I caught a glimpse of her name flashing on the screen, and my stomach tightened.
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“Don’t,” I whispered. “Not right now.”
“It’s fine,” he replied automatically. “She just wants updates.”
I didn’t have the energy to argue. Another contraction surged through me and I gripped the armrest, forcing myself to breathe through it. The waiting room smelled faintly of coffee and disinfectant. A television murmured quietly in the corner. Somewhere down the hallway, a newborn cried—sharp and distant.
Then the doors opened and Janice strode in as if she owned the entire place.
Her hair was perfectly styled. Her purse matched her shoes. And her face carried the look of someone already angry—like she had arrived ready to blame someone.
“There you are,” she snapped, ignoring me entirely and speaking directly to Derek. “I had to drag myself out of bed because your wife can’t handle a little discomfort?”
Another contraction struck and I gasped.
Janice narrowed her eyes. “Oh please. Look at her, Derek. She’s performing. This is what she does.”
My vision blurred. My chest tightened. I could feel my pulse hammering in my throat.
“Janice,” I managed weakly, “please… not here.”
She stepped closer, her voice growing louder so the whole room could hear. “Not here? Where then? Somewhere private so you can cry and claim I’m ‘mean’?”
A nurse at the desk glanced up, suddenly alert. A couple seated in the corner stared openly. Derek’s cheeks reddened, but he didn’t stop her. Instead, he leaned toward me like I was the problem and whispered, “Mia, please ignore her.”
Ignore her.
I tried. I truly did. But the pain, humiliation, and fear collided inside me like a crashing wave. My hands tingled. My breathing became shallow. The room seemed to tilt.
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