?Yeah, yeah, but I wanted to be home before I got too far along to travel.?
?What about David and Danny?? I asked.
Paula and her husband, David, had relocated to Paris several months ago with their two-year-old, Danny. David worked for a top consulting firm and they?d requested he take an assignment in France, holding the promise of a promotion over his head. ?At home getting settled in,? Paula said. In moments she had scoped Laurie up. ?Kate! She?s so darling.?
Laurie remarkably remained asleep in her arms.
?Who do you look like?? Paula asked Laurie. ?You have your dad?s forehead. What about your eyes?? She jiggled Laurie. ?Hey, wake up there, kid. I?m talking to you.?
I nudged Paula shoulder. ?Don?t you dare!?
Paula laughed and continued her conversation with a snoozing Laurie. ?I?m having a girl, too. You guys will be best friends, just like your mommy and me. I can?t wait.?
I gestured for her to have a seat.
?Where?s Jim?? Paula asked.
?Still sleeping.?
Paula raised an eyebrow. ?You are the luckiest person I know. What new mother can actually sit down and have a conversation with a girlfriend while her newborn and husband sleep??
I waved a hand at her. ?I?m sure the peace and quiet will be short lived. Coffee??
She sat on an easy chair in front of the couch and nestled Laurie into the crook of her arm. ?I?m dying for a cup of coffee, but I?m doing the caffeine-free thing until the baby is born.?
?I have decaf tea.?
Giving me a thumbs-up, she kicked off her pink ballet slipper flats and propped her swollen feet on my coffee table as I headed to the kitchen. When I returned with two steaming mugs of tea, she said, ?Kate, you look great. Did you wear one of those girdle things after giving birth??
I stopped in my tracks. ?What girdle things??
?You know, like the kind I wore after having Danny.
You wear it for the first six weeks after giving birth and it pulls your tummy right in.?
?What! I?m as big as a house! You never told me this! And Laurie?s already seven weeks! Is it too late??
Paula laughed. ?You are not as big as a house. Where do you get that stuff? I just told you, you look great.?
I pulled up my shirt to show her my stomach. ?Look at this!? I said, pinching a fold between my fingers.
?Oh, you?re just a little swollen. That?s what the girdle thingy helps with. It compresses your muscles or something and helps with the swelling.?
?Am I too late??
Paula shrugged and took a tea mug from my hand. ?I don?t know, I don?t think so, I think they recommend the first six weeks, but I?ll send you the web link. You can read all about it.?
I resumed my perch on the couch, covering my legs with the blanket. ?Are you warm enough??
She nodded and indicated her belly. ?You know, running hotter than usual. Tell me what happened.?
?You mean yesterday?? I asked.
She sipped her tea and nodded.
?What did Jim tell you?? I asked.
She laughed. ?Just the basics. Don?t worry?we still have plenty of things for you to explain.?
I gave her a brief account of the happenings since Helene?s death and ended by saying, ?I freaked out yesterday and had a panic attack.?
?I always knew you?d end up nuts.?
I pushed her shoulder. ?Shut up.?
?Either that or drive the rest of us crazy.? Paula sipped her tea and winked at me. ?Better you than me, sister.?
?Thanks.?
?Yeah. Well, hey, I would have done the same thing. Christ, Kate, you practically found a dead woman.?
?I didn?t know your own mind could cause you to get physically sick like that. I mean, Paula, I was really sick. I threw up and had awful stomach cramps, I was dizzy, I was??
?Kate!? Paula pulled her feet off the coffee table, leaned toward me, and grabbed my hand. ?It?s not an everyday thing. Of course you made yourself sick. Who wouldn?t? Remember when we were twelve and you got your first period? I?m the one who ended up in bed with phantom menstrual cramps.?
I laughed at the memory. I had been confused about what was going on with my body, and Paula, who always knew infinitely more about women stuff because of her older sisters, had to be put to bed with Midol and a
