From snippets of scenes to complete short stories, get glimpses inside Shannon Muir’s creative mind every Saturday as INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS SHORTS are featured, with new content by site administrator Shannon Muir. Pay attention and comment on your favorites to see if they can become longer works!
Tanya sat alone in the crowded waiting room, waiting for the unfamiliar office assistant to call her name. She folded her hands over her pregnant belly as if to protect it; right now, she struggled to allay her own fears.
All this time, she’d expected her doctor to be there right alongside her as her daughter would be born into the world. Going into motherhood without the support of family or friends, Tanya didn’t have anyone to depend on or allay her fears. In many ways, Tanya viewed Doctor MacAfee like the mother she herself never had, and the one she hoped she might be to her own daughter coming in to the world – calm, understanding, full of wisdom.
Then the phone call came, unexpected. Doctor MacAfee’s office called to say her practice unexpectedly needed to close, and all the patient files now resided with this new doctor.
It took Tanya many years to be able to build trust with Doctor MacAfee, as she’d first come for yearly exams and then finally making the decision to have a child on her own; it’s not that she didn’t care about her daughter’s father, but while they were compatible in many ways, Jensen wasn’t father material. Now, weeks away from giving birth, she’d have to try to rebuild that trust again quickly.
Tanya wasn’t confident she could do that.
Finally, she heard the nurse call her name. She went in, got her weight and vitals, and then changed into the exam gown. Time lengthened, with each minute feeling as if it might be months.
Then, a knock at the door. Tanya straightened herself nervously.
The new doctor entered, and Tanya looked up. What she saw surprised her.