Labor Days

The last couple of days Cora had been on a kick to make everything in the house beautiful and cheerful. She was standing at the kitchen island arranging a fresh assortment of flowers into several vases when the first real contraction hit her. She sucked in a hard breath bracing both hands on the counter's edge.

Jared and Antione who had been speaking boisterously across the island swiveled in their stools toward Cora going silent. Jared began to get up, but Cora waved him off. She breathed deeply for thirty more seconds while Jared half stood unsure what to do. Then she straightened as if nothing had happened and went back to arranging flowers without saying a word.

"Honey, are you okay? What should we do?" Jared asked feeling panicked.

Cora laughed at the expression on his face. "I don't think one contraction is enough to call in the troops. I'm fine… Calm down."