“OK. I’d like that. Because…”
“What’s wrong, Gwyn?”
“Derek said Ronnie spoke in her sleep about something happening to Wiggles. My witch’s intuition is tugging at me. I’m worried, Archie.”
“I’ll be there if you need my help.”
“Thank you, honey.”
After several hours, Wiggles refuses to give up the womb, and Ronnie is exhausted. Beads of sweat dampen her face while her crimson curls cling to her skin for dear life. The time on my cell reads 11:24 p.m. Dr. Powell, a middle-aged woman with short gray hair, comes into the birthing room and examines her belly again.
“Ronnie, we’ve tried to get this baby to turn, but your little one doesn’t want to budge. We have to consider a C-section.”
“No fucking way!” she screams through labor pains. “I’m gonna do this naturally.”
“It’s too risky, Ronnie.” She addresses Derek. “You need to talk with your partner.”
“Give us a couple of minutes, Dr. Powell?” he asks.
Ronnie’s obstetrician leaves the room while the nurse stands by.
“Nurse, could you give us some privacy?” I ask, concern contorting my face.
She leaves and I whisper to Derek. “Do you trust me?”
He presses his lips together and nods.
I glare at Ronnie. “I’m gonna take care of this. No arguing. Understood?”
She squeezes my hand. “What are you gonna do?”
“What are best friends for if they can’t break a few rules? Right?”
I lay my hands on her baby bump and summon my power with an incantation. An amber glow radiates when I touch her skin. I focus my intention on Wiggles, tickling the little one’s butt. I sense movement, and the body shifts inside her belly with a pop!
The amber glow fades in my hands as Dr. Powell and the nurse rush back into the room. The doctor glares at her.
“I hope you have made a wise decision,” she says.
Ronnie glances at me. “I think I’m OK now, doc.”
Dr. Powell examines her belly again, and her eyes widen. “I’ll be damned. The mule has decided to turn. Ready to have a baby?”
“Hell, yes,” Ronnie and Derek say in unison.
Derek clasps her hand and kisses her cheek. “You got this, babe.”
After a few hard pushes and a few grunts and “fucks,” Wiggles makes her debut with a head full of strawberry blond hair. After Derek cuts the umbilical cord, Dr. Powell and the nurse check out Ms. Wiggles and clean her up, placing her in Ronnie’s arms.
“She has blond hair with a red tint like my mom,” she says, kissing the top of her newborn’s head. “We’re gonna call her Luna.”
“I’m so happy for you both. I’ll go tell Archie and let you have some time with her.”
On the way to the door, Ronnie calls to me. “Gwyn? Thank you.”
I grin. “What are friends for?”
As I walk to the waiting room, I’m overwhelmed with relief, but a tugging pulls at my insides. We all couldn’t be happier. Is my intuition failing me again?
When I enter the waiting room, Archie is chatting with Tyler and Zoe. The rest of the Bearsden Coven fills the available chairs. Trinity rushes to me.
“Well, don’t zip your lips. What’s the tea, Gwyn?”
“It’s a healthy baby girl! Ms. Wiggles!” I shout. “But they’re calling her Luna.”
Our coven leader grins. “A fine celestial name.”
A nearby nurse admonishes us. “Keep it down, please. There are others in the waiting room.”
Zoe laughs. “We’re all here for the same mom. We’re her family.”
The nurse grimaces as the entire coven hoots and hollers, hugging each other. But my smile fades as I clutch my abdomen. Archie takes me aside.
“Is there something wrong with Ronnie or the baby?” he whispers.
“They’re fine. Luna was butt first, but I used magic to shift her head toward the birth canal.”
