Kay’s Story (Part Seven)

Stop! This is the seventh episode!

Looking for the beginning of Kay’s Story?

• Kay (Part one) (thinkinlikegavroche.wordpress.com)
• Kay (Part Two) (thinkinlikegavroche.wordpress.com)
• Kay (Part Three) (thinkinlikegavroche.wordpress.com)
• Kay (Part Four) (thinkinlikegavroche.wordpress.com)
• Kay (Part Five) (thinkinlikegavroche.wordpress.com)
• Kay (Part Six) (thinkinlikegavroche.wordpress.com)

Beep-­beep­-beep! The insistent buzz of the alarm on her cell phone jerked Kay awake. Her head snapped up and her muscles protested. Ooohh, my poor neck. Cheap office chairs definitely don’t make the most comfortable beds. Ugh. She rubbed her gritty eyes and stared at her desk with bleary confusion. What time is it? She fumbled with her flip phone, her foggy brain attempting to register what the clock on the screen was telling her. 5 am? Oh brother. I’ve gotta hurry if I want to see the lil’ missy before my shift at the store!

She stood and stretched, then reached over to turn the dial on her radio. The cheery sound of the local early morning show filled the air as Kay threw together a quick pot of coffee. Juggling the day’s outfit in one hand and the previous evening’s dishes in another, she dashed about, from bathroom to kitchen and back again. Half an hour later, found herself turning the key in her car’s ancient ignition. C’mon, Ol’ Gal. Today isn’t the day to quit on me. With a rather unhealthy sounding wheeze and a sputter, the engine roared to life. Thatta Gal, Bluey. Keep on chuggin’!

Pink, purple, and sherbet orange lit the sky to the east. From the looks of the sunrise, it was going to be a beautiful day. Kay whistled contentedly as she drove around the hospital to her usual parking spot. She slammed the car door with her hip, checking to be sure it latched. If you were too gentle shutting it, sometimes it would pop open and then the battery would die from the interior light staying on. Kay had learned her lesson a few months before, when she’d had to call her cousin Tim to come with jumper cables in the middle of a snow storm. Kay grimaced remembering the teasing she had endured for not carrying jumper cables. Well, she had some now! But all the better if she didn’t have to use them. She didn’t bother to lock her car; no one did in this neck of the woods, especially not if they owned a clunker like Kay’s.

Kay rushed through the lobby, and rather than taking the poky elevator, ran up the stairs. Before exiting the stairway, she automatically slipped her hand into her pocket and clicked her cell phone off. Hospital rules were becoming second nature. Kay felt like she had been following this routine for years instead of just a few short weeks.

The nurse at the desk handed Kay a bulky envelope. “Makayla left this for you. She’s not working today, but she said to make sure you got it when you came in.”

“Thanks!” Kay smiled and shoved the package under her arm. “Can I see the baby today?”

“Yup, you know the drill. Go on in. The doctor will be in to check on her in half an hour, but you can visit with her til then.”

The baby was looking healthier by the day, Kay noted as she wrapped her tiny fingers around Kay’s pinkie. She had lost her pallid look and her face was starting to get rounder. “Hey lil miss! I can’t stay very long. You have to see Dr. Kelly and I have a hot date with a cash register this morning, yes I do. Oh, you think that’s funny huh?” Kay watched delightedly her little bundle cooed and squirmed. She pressed her lips to the infant’s forehead softly, breathing in her scent. “I love you, you little Punkin’.” She carefully transferred the baby back into the arms of the waiting nurse. “Bye Sunshine. Be good for Dr. Kelly.”

To be continued…­

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