2020-07-20 - Oh baby!

The evening air is warm and a breeze carries the scents of the boardwalk mixed with the salty sea. Tourist season is rampant and even after dark there are plenty of people walking both beach and the planks. Visiting shops and the various little traps about. Everyone is in pretty good spirits. There's the happy screams from the rides, children running around, and over near Sweet Retreat a pop-up in vibrant purple and pink.

A few people stand around watching the young woman at work in the space. A canvas lays flat on a table with a drop cloth. 2 milk creates hold various spray paint cans in a myriad of colors. Other tools, some odd and other not, sit around her. Various cups and circular shapes are near to hand, as well as other things. There's what looks to be a well-painted plastic block. Another is just a plastic cup whose original color can't even be told. Kailey works with goggles and a mask on. The reason probably obvious, the very swollen belly. Yet she manages not to bump her work as she layers the paint and manipulates it on the canvas. Right now she appears to be working on an underwater scene with blues and greens.

Maya has a bundle of freshly printed fliers under her arm, still in her work uniform she has the look of an exhausted woman but no less determined to be where she is. She hasn't visited the boardwalk recently, and hopes that perhaps she can get some traction on the mystery that plagues her every night.

"Excuse me, have you seen-?" she tries a few times, but is brushed off. Her friend had gone missing over a year ago now, and her nearly nightly searches for some sort of evidence of where she went have been fruitless. Nobody had seen anything, and people were often far too polite to tell her that they thought she was wasting her time. Dejected and sighing out, she presses on in determination. The crowd gathered around Kailey catches her eye and she presses forward and pauses, watching the artist work. In spite of herself, she pauses in her apparently endless mission and just admires the painting in progress. It takes her a few minutes to remember why she had come up to the artist in the first place and another moment longer before she musters up the courage to speak up.

"Um... excuse me?" she calls out, before she holds out one of the missing person flyers she's printed out. "I've been looking for my... my friend Rachel that has gone missing? Could I leave these flyers with you?"

Kailey finishes up the current canvas and passes it off to the new owner. Money changes hands and everyone is all smiles as the tourist duo wanders off. Her eyes turn to Maya and her smile is warm and welcoming. There's no recognition in her eyes. Probably a good sign for Maya. The smile fades into surprise and then a softer smile. She reaches with paint-spattered fingers to take one of the fliers and look at it.
"Oh wow. She disappeared here, eh?" She actually takes interest. "You can put them on that corner. Least likely place to get spatter," She says, pointing to the corner on the other side of her milk crates. "I'm sorry to hear that. People..." She pauses and takes a deep breath, as if catching her breath, and moves to sit on the edge of her table. "People tend to vanish mysteriously here. I've noticed that. I've not seen her, though. Sorry." And she looks genuinely regreatful. Taking a roll of scotch tape from a milk crate she quickly slides some on the flier and attaches it to her table. Letting it hang to face people are they approach.

From the Sweet Retreat ducks out the large, door frame blocking shape of Everett, shouldering the door open as his hands are otherwise occupied. To the art display, he strides, watching the watchers while they spy Kailey working. He may attempt the look to convey no meaning, but he's large and menacing mostly through no fault of his own.

Approaching the artist, he holds out his left hand to offer the cup to her even though he stops long past arm's reach. Just in her field of view so she knows he's there, without the danger of getting paint on his army green t-shirt. Again. Once the offer is made, extending the steaming mug to Kailey, Everett turns to look at the scene she's painting, his stoic look still on his face.

Regarding the painting a little longer, Everett takes a sip from the mug in his right hand before the voice of another calls his attention from the paint. His green eyes drawn down to look at the offered flyer, searching the picture for familiarity, perhaps, silently observing. When his eyes have drunk their fill, he lifts his eyes up, glance at the pregnant woman, then back to the other woman. "Leave two," he says, with a deep tone.

"Oh, it's okay," Maya says as she gathers a small pile to arrange onto the corner as it was presented to her. "I hardly expect anybody to have seen anything anymore, but I just can't give up on her!" Maya says with a determined expression, her eyes wandering over to admire the painting as it's passed over to the customer. "I was waiting for her back in our apartment and, she just never got back from her shift. I looked everywhere but nobody knows anything," Maya sighs a bit before she gives an appreciative smile to Kailey. "Thank you, I just hope that if enough eyes see these, some progress can be made."

She takes a moment and nods to Everett as she lets him examine the picture and with a small nod she removes most of the others and leaves a pair of flyers on the table. "Thank you so much," she says, genuinely grateful, so long it had been since a positive interaction it would seem. "I'm Maya Barton, my number is on the... um... the flyer. If you see or hear anything, please call."

Kailey turns to beam up at Everett as he hands her the cup. She brings it up to her lips and blows across the steamy top before taking a small sip. "You going to put one in the retreat?" She asks him with a brief flash of smile. Sensing his intent no doubt. Turning to Maya there is a sadness in her smile. The kind of sadness seen when a person has an idea of what has actually happened. "You're welcome and I'm sorry I can't do more. Where did she work?" Those big green eyes turn up to Everett again. There's something in her expression. Some kind of knowing look.

Then she is cringing and putting a hand to the side of her belly. Covering it by sipping from the hot cocoa that Everett brought her. It's really a brief thing and her smile is back in place as she shifts her hips from side to side casually. "So how long has she been missing exactly?"

To her question, Everett nods while she blows to cool down the hot chocolate. Nods head bobbing ends with an uptick of his square chin and a glance down at the mug. His lips pull, unable to hold back the smile from the joke he's about to say, however many times he's may have said it already. "I've Irished that up for you," he murmurs before his lips pull wider after the implication that Kailey's drinking while pregnant.
The Lush.

He gives a glance down as Kailey moves her hand to cover her abdomen, but brings his eyes back up, thinking nothing more of it then the expecting mother does. Instead, he closes the space between him and the painter and with his now empty hand strokes her back with a wide, but slow sweeping palm. His attention turns to Maya after, and takes a sip from his mug, coffee by the smell. It may be addressed on the flyer, but he asks anyways, "how long?"

"Oh she worked with me, same diner," she gestures to herself and takes a little breath as she recalls the night. "Late night shift but... I dunno. I could never sleep when she wasn't home so I waited up but she didn't come home when she was supposed to. Didn't answer her phone... I tried to tell myself she got caught up in something at work but I just knew there was something wrong! It has been... just a little more than a year now," she says, answering all of Kailey's questions. Her eyes go to Kailey's belly at that wince of pain, frowning in a momentary concern. "I know..." she blurts out then. "I know it's stupid to still be looking this far out but... I just owe her more than that. I can't just stop because it seems impossible... you know?" there's a desperate tone to her voice, almost a silent pleading.

Kailey nods her head in understanding at Maya's words. "Yeah. People close to you suddenly vanishing...I get it," She says with only a brief glance at Everett and back. She goes to open her mouth, but cringes and puts her cup down. "I'm sorry," She says to the other people standing around. "I'm going to close down for the night. Not feeling too hot. I'll be back tomorrow though," She tells them with a return of her cheery smile. Mild disappointment, but they turn to meander off. "I'll keep these at the table, though. Who knows, maybe one of the tourists will recognize her?"

Turning she picks up, with a loud grunt, the first milk crate of spray cans and turns to pass it to Everett. "Carry these to the van for me?"

"Cops?" follows Everett, his brows lifting to give the question the proper inquisitive expression. The grunt to his side makes his head turn from the waitress and look down. He's quick to put his mug down, already offering to take the milk carton crate from the artist before she's asked, his questioning appearance shifting to concern. "Don't lift heavy things," he mutters under his breath. Met for Kailey's ears, his deep voice carries. A secret he still hasn't learned, and accredits everyone else with keen hearing when he mumbles about them.

But take the cartoon he does, to slide it on the floor of the colourful van, and push it deeper inside. He returns and looks at Kailey for the next thing.

"Yeah... problem with a small town is eventually you start asking the same people the same questions and doesn't matter how nice they wanna be to your face, eventually..." she makes a little face, apparently aware of the nuisance she seems to be to many of the denizens. "Thank you for your help, maybe I'll have better luck with non-locals you're right," Maya does look increasingly concerned as the woman begins pushing away. "The cops were very unhelpful," she adds with a glance to Everett. "Like you say... a lot of people disappear in this town. She was just added onto the pile like the rest, and now? Well I'll just take matters into my own hands."

The rest of the activity has her pacing around rather nervously. "Do you need another hand?" she wonders, offering almost automatically.

Kailey stacks the second milk crate atop the first before Everett takes off. "I can lift these. Not -that- heavy!" She retorts and sticks her tongue out playfully. Then she turns to smile at Maya when she offers to help. "Oh, sure if you like. Know how to take down a pop-up?" She asks, pointing a finger up at the canopy of her own. She is in the process of folding up the colorful dropcloth while Everett is at the van when she grunts again. Him out of sight means she lets a little more of the discomfort show. The cloth dropped to the table and she bends over the table, rocking for a few seconds.

"Damnit. My hips are killing me," She says with a rough chuckle after about ten seconds. Looking up at Maya with a tight smile. "I was planning to do a few more hours, but have to listen to my body." The need to explain is strong tonight. When Everett returns she slowly stands up and asks Maya, "Have you...tried looking on the -other side-?" She asks hesitantly, emphasizing those last words as if it should have some special meaning.

On his way back, Everett reaches no so far up, to push the pin holding the roof of that corner on. His course returns him to the table, where he picks up his mug and takes a sip from it, glancing first at Maya while sipping slowly, then Kailey. Putting the mug back down, he smirks at Kailey. A pleasant, teasing smile, as he murmurs, "They're killing me too." With a deep breath, he releases the air with a throaty, pleased noise. Once again he returns to Kailey's side to stroke her back, to steal another touch from her.

Kailey's question to Maya has Everett looking over, his brows uplifted, wondering too. "She special?" he asks inquisitively, hoping the meaning of his question is understood. That hope makes him continue, "I mean, not like that. Clearly she's special to you, but, you know." He indicates Kailey with the hand not on her back, "... special."

"I can try to figure that out?" Maya offers as she looks at the pop-up. From her expression it's not something she's terribly familiar with, but perhaps there is something about seeing a heavily pregnant woman in obvious discomfort that makes her eager to do everything she can for her. "Shouldn't be too hard, right?" she wonders, heading over to it and looking it over to try to figure out the mechanisms. "You don't have to explain to me," she manages a smile for Kailey. "It's always important to listen to your body in these things. But um.." she muses over the words. "Other side? I'm afraid I'm not really too sure..." she hesitates. There's perhaps a small inkling that she's on to something, but it slips. Maya probably isn't sure exactly what it was that drew her to Kailey in the first place, but it's quite likely that Kailey and Everett can tell what they share in common. "I don't know... how to look on the other side," she ventures out uncertainly.

As to Everett's question, Maya looks a bit blankly, blinking a moment before she looks between them both. "I don't know," she says then. "I... didn't know I was special until the day she disappeared." The last said a little cautiously, and intentionally left vague, but she seems to have a hopeful look that they do understand what she's saying.

Kailey turns to look at Everett quickly when Maya expresses she doesn't know how to look. There is surprise and sadness both in her expression that fades quickly. "Oh. Oh I see," She says as she turns back to Maya. She doesn't exactly and she seems sadder somehow. "Love can sneak up and bite us before we realize it, right?" Her eyes flick to Everett, fondly, and back again. "Some people can open doors. But it's of course dangerous. It get's Their attention." As she talks she turns to begin breaking the table down. Legs get folded up and then the table itself folds in half. It is whens he is bent over to fold it in half that she almost growls. Instead of straightening her hands go on her hips and she makes a face, almost glaring at the table. Did it pinch her?

"I know a person that can do that," Everett offers, taking his mug from the table while it's getting prepared to be folded. He takes another sip before looking around, his eyes downcast, for a place to put his drink. Settling on a runner of Kailey's vehicle, he makes sure it's not going to slip and fall to the boardwalk before turning back to breaking camp, helping more with the pop-up.

He gets a loving look; but in return, Everett squeezes his eyes closed and sticks out his tongue at Kailey for a quick second before smiling. He's busy for a moment longer, then pushing the pop-up together and strapping it closed before picking it up to return to the van. But he pauses and looks at Kailey with concern. "More fake pains?", he asks.

"She was my best friend," Maya says slowly, biting her lip. "I can... well..." she shakes her head. "It's not important," she shakes her head. "Unless... Look I never told anybody about this, I'm just barely keeping things together since she was gone. My rent effectively doubled when she went missing. It's all I've had time for," she brushes her hands on her sides, a nervous motion, but she then looks back to Kailey and her doubled over. "Hey... are you okay?" Maya asks, biting her lip. "Should we get you somewhere?"

"I...mmm...I think....OOOH!" Kailey moves to stand with a strained smile. But the moment she does she is bending forward again with a cry of surprise, more than discomfort. Is it a good thing she is wearing a skirt? It probably will be even more so later, but right now the small splash of liquid on the ground between her feet is -not- her dropping her cocoa.

Listening to Maya, Everett nods his head softly with understanding. But it's shortlived. His attention turns to Kailey when she accentuates the pain she's feeling. His head whips in her direction, sending his long hair over his shoulder, covering his visage for a moment, strands staying connected to the corner of his mouth.

His green eyes bug out. "What? Now?!"

Everett stares. Not so much at Kailey, but down at the puddle that forms between her footwear. Mostly surprise, mostly stunned, he doesn't see what he expects to see: a new baby on the boardwalk wood. Like a dear caught in headlights, the gigantic man stands still. The next sound out of his mouth, a high-pitched squeak, his brows knitting together in worry. All that reading, all that preparation. Thrown out the window like so much bathwater.

"Okay... okay! So... I'm guessing you've prepared, right?" Maya asks, looking over Kailey and biting her lip. "Do you have a doctor?" she asks, biting her lip, eyes widening and here she is with this pair of strangers about to have a baby in the middle of the boardwalk. "Do you think we have time to get there? Let's... get you somewhere you can lie down," she offers, weirdly enough at home in the midst of this stress. After all, she's worked a dinner rush before. "That's your van right?"

Kailey reaches out to grab at Everett's tall, and thankfully sturdy, frame. Her fingers grabbing his arm as she grits her teeth and groans deeply. There's no words just yet as she shakes her head sharply. After a few seconds she blows out a breath with a soft whimper. "Oh fuck!" She curses softly and fiercely. In another five seconds the strain mostly leaves her face and she refocuses on Maya mid-word. "Huh? Yeah...yeah...mmmmmmidwife," She takes a deep breath and lets it out again. Everett's befudlement hasn't registered just yet. "Yes..Van's there but...I dunno if I can walk far. I wanna..."

And then her face pinches again and she begins to curl over, turning into the big man as she does so, Her other arm reaching to assist the first in holding onto him. "MMMmmmnnnnnot fair! Th-the book said...ten minutes between when it starts!" She rolls her hips and makes a whine. People are looking at them worriedly.

"Should I call an ambulance?" Someone helpfully asks.

"NO!" Kailey almost screams at the poor tourist, who is left gaping and apologizing as she moves off.

I'm freakin' out, MAN!

Everett pulls his gaze from the puddle, horror in his eyes, as he looks up to the mother-to-be. "Ah ta bah dah be," he says. Gibberish, pure gibberish. But with that announcement, he leaves, pulling himself from Kailey's grasp. And swiftly at that. Back towards the Sweet Retreat, he pulls on the push door and budges a little, protesting his inability to use the door properly. The door shakes as Everett tries a few more times to open it the wrong way, then looks to the left, the right.

He runs back, close enough to choke, in time to catch her when she begins to curl. "It's locked! The store is locked! What are we going to do?" he asks her, then looks at her stomach. He looks to the van, then the store. Then the guy that asks to call an ambulance; in union, he shouts out "NO!" too.

"What the fuck do we do?" he asks Kailey, before he looks up again.

"How about..." Maya tries. "Can you lie down in the back of the van? We can.... get you some privacy back there at least? What's the number to your midwife? I can try to call her, or I can take you to her," she points to the van. "Driving... very slowly." She adds. "This is all gonna be just fine!" She puts on a reassuring smile, though really she's just faking it until she makes it. She has NO IDEA what she's doing right now. But she's given them options, trying to be the voice of reason at least between Everett and herself.

Kailey is making a deep growling groan at the moment. And she glares at Everett when he runs off and then back. "Will you calm the fuck down?" She growls out rather lucidly. A second later of course she is closing her eyes and taking deep breaths. Or trying too. There is the tendency to hold her breath, but she's trying not too. Obviously. "Door...can't be locked," She adds a few seconds later.

Cue the door to Sweet Retreats opening and Sandy, the waitress, peers out at her boss puzzled. "What's wrong?" The older woman asks before her eyes go to the bent-over and growling pregnant woman. "OOOOooh!" And her eyes go wide in understanding. "What are you idiots doing standing outside? Aren't ya going to the hospital?"

"NO!" Yells Kailey again with ferocity and a curl of her lips. "Okay. Van...get home. Yeah..." And with the half a minute between her contractions she waddle-runs to the open VW camper van. Luckily the back is already laid down into bed form and she? She just crawls in and onto her side. Sandy stares in confusion.

"I'm calm! I'm totally calm!" Everett says loudly and in a completely uncalm way. "But someone locked the door," he gestures to the candy store with his free arm. "I see people in there and they're all looking at me, but the door is locked and I can't get in, I'm calm! I'm totally calm!" Wide-eyed Everett stares at Kailey.

When the door opens with the tattle-tale ring of the bell over the door, Everett looks, wild-eyed at the elderly woman. "Don't lock the door!" This time, they aren't shouting things in unison. When Kailey starts getting up, Everett stays to help, and breathing quickly, nowhere near the controlled breathing he's supposed to be doing, but panting heavily. As soon as Kailey's in the van, Everett announces, "I'll go to the house!"

He turns around and starts running down the boardwalk like he's chasing after a bugler. "Get outta my waaaaayyyyy!" is heard in his wake.

The shop opens, Sandy comes out but then... okay Kailey is heading to the van and taking her advice. There's a momentary hesitation and she quickly follows her back to the van. "Okay now..." She blinks and Everett runs off down the boardwalk after announcing that he's going home. "Wait doesn't... where do you live?" she wonders, pulling out her phone and climbing into the van with Kailey. "Is he gonna be okay?" she wonders as she watches him out of the corner of her eye. "Who's your midwife? I... should let her know you're here." she says with all the confidence she can muster.

"No seriously, where is he going?"

Kailey has pulled her own phone out. She is pressing buttons and then pauses to turn and shouts at Sandy, "TAKE THE TABLE AND STUFF UPSTAIRS PLEASE?" The poor woman just nods and turns to stare at the last bits of her setup. Table and drop cloth with her little sign and easel. Not much at all. She rolls back onto her side as Maya gets into the van. And she just stares for a second. "He...I think he'll be fine?" She is definitely distracted by what is going on. After a moment a pair of keys come flying at Maya. Except Kailey didn't reach into her pocket to toss them. They just flew out with a mind of their own and into the ignition. "Home. We need to go home...gps has it..." And sure enough there's a garmin on the dash that flashes to life as the keys turn of their own accord in the ignition. The van rumbles loudly to life. "Thank you," Kailey says with a smile before a groan rips from her once again.

The wake of Everett's run starts to bring confused tourists and natives alike down this end of the boardwalk, some still occasionally doing more than looking confused but still looking over their shoulders. It's not something you see every day. His wake is swallowed as he gets further down the planks to the end, or the start of the boardwalk, however, you look at it.

There, the gigantic man stops and looks around frantically. Towards downtown, or into the ocean. His choices are rather limited. But home isn't into the sea, so he turns right and resumes running. Not a slow jog, but an all-out run, his long dark hair flying behind him, the last sight before he runs behind buildings.

Maya's eyes widen a bit when the keys move of their own accord and fly past her face into the ignition. "Did you just do that?" she asks, perhaps rhetorically. "Right... okay I don't drive much but I'll take it all slow, just let me know if you need anything," she adds with a bit of a smile to Kailey. "And hey, you helped me when nobody else would, this is the least I can do. First person in months that really tried to help me find Rachel..." Maya switches positions, getting into the front seat and looking at the GPS. Okay... this should be easy. Just like riding a bike, right? "When we've finally gotten you properly introduced to your new child, I'm... gonna ask you how you did that," she smiles, taking it all rather easily in stride, putting the van into drive and beginning the bumpy ride back to Kailey's home.

Kailey nods her head at Maya's question, "Yeah. Drive. Just...yeah...drive..." And she tries not to be loud. She really does. But every 30 seconds or so she gasps before groaning. Sometimes louder than others. "Just...drive. It's cool. It's cool," She pants out if asked if she's okay. The phone rings half-way through the ten minute drive and she picks up the phone with a frantic, "YES?" She didn't mean to shout. Relief in her voice she says, "On the way to the house. I'm...I dunno. I wasn't tracking them. My hips started hurting and thennnnnn-" That turns into another groan and another contraction. The midwife's voice can be heard softly from Kailey's phone. Soft and rational as far as the tone can be guessed.

It's not long in their drive that they pass a man running down the sidewalk, dodging other foot traffic while waving his left hand out in front of him and shouting for people to get out of his way. Most usually do, with something like him barrelling down at them. The others are who he has to dodge around.

Until he spots Kailey's van passing by, and he does a double-take, glancing towards the colorful, hard to miss vehicle while it passes him. His determined, albeit frightened, look gives way to confusion while he's passed on by.

"Right, right," Maya nods in understanding. Really, everything so far has been just like any other day at work, faking competence in a tense situation where occasionally people can be loud or erratic. It's just another day for her! She drives, trying to navigate smoothly and safely, checking on Kailey in the back constantly. "Okay," she talks to herself... "Just need to get you there, help you inside... wait for your midwife..." she looks back again, Kailey on the phone and Maya breathes a sigh of relief as someone that can actually help is finally pulled into the loop.

And there's Everett. She than wonders. "Um... should we let him in? Or... will be be okay?"

Let him in? Kailey's eyes blink open and she shoves up on an elbow to peer out the windows. Seeing Everett's confused face her own becomes a mirror. "What is he..." She is surprised and lets out a laugh suddenly. "Stop. Stop, let him in!" She says through her laughter and the confused sound of her midwife on the phone. "Sorry...sorry, no not the baby. Ev's...frazzled and started running home from the boardwalk," She explains breathlessly into the phone. Still giggling she goes into the next contraction with a smile on her face. "Fuckfuckfuck," She's giggling? Yep. Until it gets too much and then it's just a low thrumming.

Oblivious to the conversation going on inside, Everett continues running, deftly-ish avoiding another couple by running off the sidewalk and on to the grass for a few steps. To them, they get a scowl, "I said get out of my way!" Not that he had. "This is an emergency!"

Perhaps regretting his choice to run, he returns to giving people warning that he's heading their way if they're slow to get out of the brute's way. Not so much a run to get to the house, now he's chasing after the van, following the path it takes to get to Oak Avenue, rather than shortcuts a pedestrian could take. A paw is lifted and used to mop his brow, not that the chase has flagged.

Well she doesn't need to be told twice, she doesn't want to leave the man that she's assuming is the father behind while he's in a blind panic, so she hits the brakes. Though... not too hard. She's taking everything so-so slowly this time around. "Er... what did you say his... Ev!" she calls out, reaching to open the passenger side door. "Come on, I'm taking her home!" she looks back, and the amusement that Kailey seems to feel is rather infectious, she giggles a bit along with her, this whole situation is already quite stressful, some levity goes a long way. "We're getting you both home soon," Maya promises.

Not looking a gift horse, or an open door, in the mouth, Everett deviates his course just a little when the passenger door opens, running for it. Climbing on board, he spends no time looking into the back and seeing Kailey there, leaves the passenger side without closing the door to shoulder his way to the back.

He doesn't hit his head less than a half-dozen times getting back there, even bent over as best as he's able. But none of that matters, not when he throws himself to the cramped bed in the back, to grab Kailey's hand. He gazes longingly, worriedly into her eyes, emerald-to-emerald. His lips part slowly before he asks the one important question, not noticing or caring she's on the phone while a trickle of sweat beads down his temple.

"Did I miss it?"

"Miss...no you idiot!" Kailey says with a laugh and a smile at the man. Her head shakes and she smiles as she takes his hand in turn. Bringing it up to nuzzle against her cheek. The phone is in her hand and then she shoves it at Everett. "You talk to her. I can't focus," She tells him. Who is surprised that she can't focus talking to the woman. Especially as her face pinches and Everett finds his hand suddenly in a vice. Who knew she could squeeze that hard?

~Hello? Kailey?~ Comes the midwive's voice from the phone. It somehow got switched in the passing over to speaker. ~What's happening? I'll be at your house in thirty minutes. Remember to just take it easy and keep breathing. No tub till I get there.~ She sounds perfectly calm and professional. At least someone does.

Okay so now he's in and now she can start to... oh no he's moving, and now... okay that... stop bumping... what are you... OKAY. Now that he's in the back with Kailey she looks at them and takes a breath and puts the van into drive once more. The house must not be too far from here? After all, he was planning to run there all by himself (for some reason). Okay so it's just a matter of putting the van into gear and moving. "Okay we're on the way. See? Everything is gonna be just fine!" she offers perhaps a little too cheerily.

Okay she's trying to crush his hand, better get her there as soon as possible!

"Thirty minutes?!" Everett's exacerbated voice shouts in the limited confines. "Is this baby going to be free? Don't they give you special midwife lights so you can hurry, like cop lights? This is an emergency!" Pause. "She's dying! Oh, GAWD!" Taking the offered phone, Everett brings it to his ear with one hand, the other being used as a squeeze toy. It's ok, he has another. And with the elbow pit of the hand holding the phone, Everett casually brushes his forehead, wiping the sweat.

Looking from the nowhere space he was gazing too, to Maya, Everett speaks into the phone as though it isn't on speaker. "The driver says everything fine," with frantic energy. "She's in so much pain, can I give her something for the pain, like codeine or whiskey or something?"

Everett turns his gaze to Kailey.
"You're going to be ok. Everything's going to be fine."
He might be talking to himself.

Kailey is remembering to breathe even if Everett isn't remember to remind her too. With the phone no longer a concern she seems to be better able to focus. "I'm -fine-," She says tightly, eyes closed, when he declares her dying. And the mention of drugs has her eyes snapping open. Staring at him with a look of surprise. Maybe a little disappointment. But it is brief because the tightening grows worse and she grunts and curls around her swollen belly. "OOoooooOOoooo..."

The midwife is quiet for a second. Only when Kailey makes that low and deep moan does she say, "Everett. You need to calm down. Is there any blood?" Well no. "She sounds...fine." There's only a brief hesitation. "I'll be there as soon as I can." Is that a hint of urgency. "Remember, just breathe and let your body do the work, Kailey." And then the phone hangs up. Leaving silence for the poor frantic father.

Are they there yet? The GPS shows only a few more turns.

Maya is still managing to remain calm despite the storm around her, the chaos and disarray. "I promise you, she's fine, it looks bad but this is all normal," she says. She really hopes that what she's saying is true, but really what's the most important with her words right in this moment is to calm down the very frantic father. There's a few turns ahead, they're almost there! She tries so hard not to panic, but... well she somehow manages her cool. There are crazy fathers running home while pained mothers are making flying keys start up vans. What is there to be nervous about anymore?

"We got this! Um... so it's Kailey then? And Everett?" Name acquired, got it! "I'm gonna get you home, and I'm not leaving until this is all done with."

In truth she has no idea why she wants to help these complete strangers so much, but for some reason tonight she is just drawn to the occasion. And finally after so many nervous turns, she arrives at the destination. "Well... we're here!"

With a little wince, he continues to listen to the phone and at the question from the voice on the phone, Everett pauses to look himself over. Arms, check. Legs, still have those. Then he goes back to the phone, holding the speakerphone up to his ear, "No, I seem to be fine. I almost tripped over a couple, but I managed not to fall over. Thank you for asking."

He pauses for a second, "And, uh. How are you doing? Any blood?" It's like that scene, with Han Solo in A New Hope, trying to be calm and fast talk Stormtroopers. But instead of shooting the panel, when Kailey makes more sounds of discomfort, he puts the phone down without waiting for an answer and leans or looms over the cramped bed. With his free hand, he pets Kailey's hair. "Everything's going to be ok, babe. Don't freak out. Just remember to do the breathing thing, right. Whoo-whoo-hee. Nothing about this is normal. Whoo-whoo-hee."

He looks up when they're announced there, and back down to Kailey. "Ok, you wait here. I'll bring the bathtub down ok?"

The two story suburbia house looms outside. Inside a couple months old puppy has begun to bark with enthusiasm at the familiar van. Kailey comes out of another contraction, sweat on her brow, and blinks at Everett. "What?" It makes her smile briefly before she turns to look at Maya. "Thank you," She remembers that much anyway, even if it is said in a distracted manner. "Come inside. Ev, call her a cab?" Sometimes directions help. A momentary lucid thought encoaches on a mind and body otherwise wholey focused on another process.

As she moves to get up she groans and leans forward. Feet on the floor of the van she rocks back and forth as she's caught up again. "Wrong...breathing...that's what I don't do," She says through gritted teeth to Everett. "NNnnnnnnnFUCK!" The sudden, sharp exclamation is followed by her rolling off the bed and onto her knees of the carpeted floor. Arms and head resting on the bed while she endures this contraction in this new position.

"We need to get her somewhere comfortable... no tub until the midwife gets here, remember?" Maya points out to Everett helpfully, she gives Kailey a little smile and gets up to moves around back to offer Kailey a hand, pausing while she deals with this contraction, each one looking worse than the last. Is this really normal? God, she hopes so. "I'll help you inside," she offers to Kailey. You know, whenever she stops screaming into the bed.

"Inside. Cab," he repeats. Tasks he can do. "Ok!" There's a glance at Maya before he disembarks from the van, and goes inside. Waiting, making sure Kailey's exited the van herself, those weren't on the list. There isn't a calm, walk but a frantic run to the front door, grabbing and bouncing off of it before he reaches into his pocket and unlocks it. Then he ducks his head to run inside, leaving the door open, a chant of 'phone phone phone," following him.

He's not gone for long, reappearing as a small dalmatian puppy, barking from the front door. Then Everett appears being the dog, another phone at his head while he quickly walks back to the van, "Yeah, I need a taxi at 6 Oak Ave. We're having a baby. Be fast."

Kailey is bent over, growling into the mattress, for nearly a minute. And when she looks up Everett is gone and she just shakes her head. There will be laughter about this later. Instead she turns an apologetic and faint smile on Maya. "Thank you. You're...thank you. I've never seen him like this," She says as she slowly gets to her feet. Groaning and taking a deep breath before stepping out of the van. In time to see Everett bearing down on them with puppy in hand. "What's your name?" Because that was something they all forgot int he hubub. Kailey has a few more seconds of lucidity. In which she manages to get into the living room before she groans loudly. The puppy's barking is odd. If anyone has heard a deaf dog bark, it's the same pitch. Kailey ignores the dog and just bends over the back of the couch. Hips out and rocking, arms crossed on the back, brow resting on them. "Fuckfuckfuckfuck," She says as she heavily breathes out.

Handing the phone over to the driver, Everett tells Maya, in case she doesn't already know, "It's the taxi people." And then his attention has returned to Kailey. With the puppy in the crook of his left arm, he helps, as much as he's able, to get Kailey out of the van, slowly, his brow knotted together, wearing the worry on his face. "Everything's ready upstairs, I think. I prepared for this." One can tell.

Once inside, he nudges the door closed with his foot, then drops the puppy down, so she won't escape then uses both hands to help escort Kailey to the sofa. You'd think he would then be calm. But you'd be mistaken. Next, it's to the front window, to peek out of it, checking to see if he can see the midwife's vehicle parked outside their house. Then he gets a glass of water for nobody but himself, which he drains there on the spot before refilling the glass and setting it aside.

Next, there's the opening and closes of cupboards, noisily, until he finds what he's looking for, and puts the large lobster pot into the sink and starts filling it with water. While the tap runs, Everett turns the oven on, then picks up the glass of water he previously drained. Now, now he makes his way to the sofa, to offer Kailey the glass. "Water, babe?"

Kailey is rocking back and forth and paying absolutely zero attention to Everett's antics. On the the loudly moving around gets her to shout, "WILL YOU BE QUIET?" From where her head is nestled in her arms. "I...need to focus," She grits out more reasonably between her teeth. A few seconds pass and the water is offered. Kailey looks up at the glass, then Ev, then the glass. Then she takes it in hands that are shaking. It splashes over the side and she quickly hands it back. "I...yes...straw...umm...MOVE," And then she is running into the half bath off of the living room. The sound of her wretching fills the downstairs.

At this rate who knows if the midwife will get there in time. Soon this household will have a whole new thing to get used too.