Labor Pains: The Birth Stories of Nurse O'Neill by Rita Batchley

Author:Rita Batchley [Batchley, Rita]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780989996204
Publisher: The Nurses' Nurse Productions
Published: 2013-09-19T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty: Surrender

After the meeting, Paige stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few items. She roamed the aisles looking for a few things she needed for her famous homemade brownies, which she’d promised to make with Cassie one afternoon that week. While reading the vanilla extract label, Paige was reminded that many of her favorite holiday recipes contained hidden and not-so-hidden booze.

Crap! Who knew that a harmless ingredient like vanilla extract was ten percent alcohol? she thought. The holidays are already torture. Now I have to worry about desserts, too? It’ll be impossible to enjoy Christmas without my rum eggnog!

Holidays past had always included sitting by the fire, reminiscing and toasting each other with drinks. The thought of complete abstinence made her more than a little uneasy. Paige found herself daydreaming in the refrigerated isle; beer had never been attractive to her, but she noticed a six pack of iced, cold wine coolers and romanced the refreshing flavor passing between her lips. For a moment she couldn’t remember why she had come to this area of the store until she looked at her list, which called for a dozen eggs.

At this rate, Thanksgiving and Christmas will be a complete bust, she thought. And New Year’s. What about New Year’s? Forget it. I can’t remember the last time I spent a New Year’s Eve sober. What’s the point?

Last year, Cassie had spent the night at a friend’s while Brian and Paige had caroused at several parties on their way to Christine’s house for a midnight toast. The next day, Paige had spent the day in bed nursing a terrible hangover, but it had been well worth it.

As she approached the last aisle before the checkout line, Paige saw the never-ending rows of liquor bottles glistening in pretty primary colors. It put her in mind of the stained glass windows she stared at every Sunday while sitting in church. As if Paige were praying, everything around her became muted. All she could see and think of were the bottles. Her mouth watered as she thought of the fruity Sangria she had made for last year’s holiday bash. Happy memories flooded in as she scanned the different labels. While reading the bold cursive on a bottle of Brut Champagne, Paige imagined the sweet “clink” of delicate crystal flutes toasting in the New Year.

An unexpected nudge brought Paige back into the present. “Sorry,” a woman pushing a baby stroller said. She had accidentally grazed Paige’s leg. Paige shuddered from the jolt and looked down at a little girl bundled up in a pink hat and scarf. Tendrils of brown curly hair peeked out from under the toddler’s cap. She stared at Paige. She looked like Cassie did when she was small; in fact, the resemblance was uncanny. All at once, the day of the car crash came rushing back. Paige gripped her shopping cart so hard, her knuckles turned white. She took a deep breath to fill the hole at the pit of her quivering stomach.

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