Page 90 of The Champion
On September 9, 2005, thirty-four weeks and four dayslater...what wehopedwouldn’thappen, happened. Alley and I went into labor, at the same time.
Aside from Aiden, Spencer and Jameson, most of us were upin Alger Washington at the Skagit World of Outlaws race. It was a two-nightfeature; hot as hell, and we’d finally made it to the final night.
Jameson and his cup team were in Richmond for the NASCARrace. Managing a sprint car team, a track and racing full-time in the cupseries was wearing on Jameson this year.
We hadn’t seen each other in about 2-weeks and frankly, Imissed my dirty heathen, as did Axel. He had this way about him that if hehadn’t seen him for a few days, he started to become unruly. Kind of liketonight.
“Give me that!”
“No!” Axel yelled at me.
My adorable little spaz was actually yelling at me. Itnever failed that any time we were at the track Axel stole parts from thehauler. Here I was nine months pregnant, extremely uncomfortable, and hot andrunning around after my almost 2-year old son. If you have never waddled yourway around the pits of a dirt track chasing a toddler, you’re not missing much.
“Axel, please give that wrench to mommy.”
He shook his head. “No—mine,” he hugged it to his chesttightly. “Mine!”
I’m not sure where he learned the word mine, but I hatedit. Everything was either “no” or “mine”.
I’d been cramping all day, which wasn’t unusual for thislate in my pregnancy but when I had to stop and steady myself against Justin’ssprint car, I began to wonder if this was going to progress to labor hereshortly. Thinking this, I panicked.
If you remember my last labor, I was not at all calm. Infact, I was the exact opposite.
Alley found me after the heat races, holding her swollenstomach. “Christ this hurts.”
“Walking?”
“No, these cramps,”
“You’re cramping too?”
“What?” Jimi asked as he walked past, his steps halting.His eyes did a once over on the two of us. “Did you just say you’re both cramping?”he didn’t wait for us to answer. “Listen, you can’t have these babies tonight.Youjustcan’t.”
“That’s not really within our control, Jimi.” Alleyreplied and sat down in a chair Emma had gotten for her.
Just then, Lane came running past with a corn dog andAxel running after him.
He stopped in front of us. “I don’t understand, why healways take my food?”
“He likes you.” I told him ruffling his mess of honeyhair and then clutching my side.
“I like him too but I not steal him food.”
“His food,” I corrected him. “You don’t stealhisfood.”
Lane sighed rolling his eyes and handed his corn dog overto Axel. “That’s what I said.”
Axel, bright eyed he now had food, sat down in the dirtto eat his battered lips and assholes as Jameson called it.
Alley and I wondered if tonight another set of Riley kidswould be added to our family. This went on through most of the heat races.Alley found out she was having another boy and well our little one refused tolet us in on the sex. Every time we tried to see on the ultrasound, the babycovered up. We had a mystery baby.
After the feature events everyone was loading up when Ireally started to feel like I was in labor, on top of that, my water broke.
At that point, I was calm. It was short lived but I wascalm.
I waddled my fat ass inside Jimi’s hauler while he talkedwith Cody Bowman about next week’s race in Cottage Grove.
Cursing to myself when a contraction hit, I stumbled inpain and slammed my knee into a spare torsion bar lying on the floor.
