“Okay, okay. Sorry.” Tasha leaned in and nudged Camille. “But it’s only temporary. Very soon you’ll be back to normal and it’ll be business as usual for you and Julian.” Tasha winked at Camille.
“I just want it to be now.” Camille rubbed her oversized belly. “I want this pregnancy to be over with so badly that sometimes I think I’m having more false labor.”
Tasha raked her teeth over the edge of her bottom lip. “Are you sure it’s false labor?”
“After last week’s humiliation, I’m sure.” Camille shook her head. “I won’t be sent on that fool’s errand again.”
“Well sooner or later, it’s going to be real labor. You need to be able to recognize the difference.”
“Apparently, I’m not proficient in that department.”
“Seriously. How long has it been going on today?”
Camille shrugged. “A while. I noticed the first pain this morning. In fact, it woke me up.”
“It woke you up?” Tasha shuddered. “Can false labor do that?”
“Apparently.”
“And when did you feel the next one?”
Camille shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe an hour or so later.”
Alarm washed over Tasha. “How often are you feeling them now?”
“I don’t know. I felt one right before we came out here.”
“Okay. Tell me the next time you have one.” Tasha glanced at her watch. 4:02 pm. She figured they’d been outside maybe five or ten minutes. If Camille was at the point that she should take these pains seriously, she’d need to feel another one soon.
Secretly, Tasha wished she would. She was ready to gush over the new baby. Camille had asked her to be the baby’s godmother, and the way Tasha saw it, that gave her certain rights—to spoil the kid rotten.
Camille’s hand flew to her belly. “Okay. There’s one.” Camille’s eyebrows scrunched together. “It seems stronger than the others.”
“Painful?”
“Not really painful. Just stronger.”
“Okay. Let me know when it goes away.”
Tasha watched the seconds tick away until nearly a full minute had gone by before Camille said, “Okay. It’s gone.”
“That was nearly a minute.” A feeling of dismay crept over Tasha. “Do false labor pains last that long?”
Camille shrugged and rolled her eyes—eyes that had darkened with uncertainty and unease.
“Okay. Let me know the second the next one starts.”
Tasha watched her watch. Twelve minutes after four came and went without incident.
She glanced up at Camille. “Anything?”
Camille’s gaze bounced around the garden and then settled back on Tasha. “This is crazy.” She shook her head. “I should just go take a shower or a nap or something. Maybe both.”
“Maybe a shower is the way to go. Is there anything I can get you or bring you?”
“Something labor-inducing?” Camille laughed and pushed herself up from the sofa. Instantly, the smile left her lips. She let out a gasp as her head dropped and her mouth fell open.
Tasha looked down. “Oh shit!” She pointed at the splash of water at Camille’s feet. “Is that…?”
“Well…either my water broke or I just peed my pants!”
Tasha steered Camille back inside the house and ushered her down the hallway. “Where is Julian?” she asked no one in particular.
“He’s at work.” Camille’s hand went to her back and she winced.
“Another one?”
“Yeah,” Camille said in a labored tone.
“Monique. Caroline. Parker…?” She called for one of the servants. “Somebody!” The panic settling in had strained Tasha’s voice.
“Where are we going?” Camille asked.
Tasha ran the possibilities through her mind. Camille’s bedroom? That was her first inclination. Camille’s birthing bag for the hospital was up there. But that was on the third floor, and Camille would leave for the hospital from the main entrance on the second floor. No, going upstairs was a ridiculous idea.
Tasha directed Camille into the east parlor. “You wait in here.” She settled Camille on the couch and stood over her for a moment. “I’m going to go find help…and your bag.” She backed away and hurried for the door, glancing over her shoulder. “We’ll call Julian on the way to the hospital.”
“Shouldn’t we call Dr. Goldman?” Camille called after her.
Of course, rolled through Tasha’s mind. She paused at the doorway and nodded. “Yes. I’ll see to it that he’s called too.” She drew her hands into fists and declared, “We’re gonna have a baby!”
Tasha hurried through the hallways of Pacifique de Lumière, looking for someone. Anyone. But the house seemed deserted.
Where the hell were the servants? She’d traversed numerous corridors and two floors without running into a single soul. Okay, time to take matters into her own hands. Tasha headed for the nearest telephone.
She called Dr. Goldman, explaining to him about Camille’s water breaking, and as she figured, getting to the hospital was their top priority. After ending the call, she thought for a moment trying to decipher the thing to do next inside her chaotic thoughts.
Oh, yeah. I should probably call Julian. Setting the call in motion, she waited for someone to answer.
A receptionist at de Laurent Enterprises answered the call with the standard greeting capped off with her name: Marcia.
“Hi, Marcia. This is Tasha de Laurent. I wonder if I might speak with Julian?”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. de Laurent but both Mr. de Laurents are in Paris,” she said of Andre and Julian.
“Paris?” Tasha all but screeched. “He can’t be in Paris. Camille’s water broke. We’re heading to the hospital!”
“I can message him,” the receptionist offered. “They took the helicopter. They should be able to fly back directly.”
“Okay.” Tasha blew out a bit of relief. “Please be sure to tell him her water broke. A baby is imminent.”
“I will,” the receptionist said amid a hint of laughter. “You just take care of Madame de Laurent. I’ll see to it that Mr. de Laurent gets the message.”
“All right,” Tasha whispered, and hung up the telephone. She went back to the hallway, glanced up and down the corridor and let out an exasperated sigh.