Child's Play

by Danielle Steel

  Kate took a cab to the hospital and arrived twenty minutes later. Reed was already there when Kate walked into the room, and he looked as terrified as Claire did. Claire was sobbing hysterically. A nurse was trying to calm her down, and then left the room when Kate arrived.

  “She wants an epidural and they won’t give her one,” Reed said, concerned. “They said it’s too soon, and it will stop labor if they do.”

  “She’ll have to wait awhile,” Kate said calmly, and went to sit next to Claire. She was crying uncontrollably, and seemed totally unprepared for what was happening to her. They had put a fetal monitor on her belly and she said it was too tight and had torn it off. Kate spoke to her in a strong, motherly tone.

  “Claire, you need to calm down, baby, you’re just going to make it worse being so upset. They’ll give you the epidural in a little while. Just try to hang in till then.” Kate stroked her hair gently, and Claire pushed her away. She was only two centimeters dilated and the contractions were mild compared to what they were going to be. She wasn’t ready for the ardors of labor, and she fought like a cat when they examined her. Claire was distraught and Reed was at the nursing desk begging for something for the pain his wife was in.

  “If we give her anything now, it’s going to slow down her labor,” the nurse explained to him. “The pains have to get stronger so her cervix dilates and the baby can come out.” He understood, but Claire didn’t. She was screaming with every pain. He looked at Kate in despair when he got back to the room. He felt helpless.

  “What can we do for her?” he said to Kate in a whisper when Claire went to the bathroom.

  “Nothing much yet,” she answered him honestly. “The labor has to get stronger so it can do its job. It’s very early labor.” She hated to see her in pain too, but she had to tough it out for a while. Claire wanted easy answers, and there weren’t any yet.

  Claire screamed and sobbed relentlessly for three more hours, fighting what was happening to her, as Reed looked more and more desperate. The labor was going slowly, but everything was normal.

  An hour later, they started the epidural and Claire screamed through that too, as Reed stood by in tears. It was so much worse than he’d expected. He left the room for a few minutes and Kate stayed with her, while Claire fought the nurses every time they examined her.

  Claire battled them for another two hours, refusing to cooperate or push when they told her to. And at midnight the doctor told Reed and Kate in the hall that they were going to deliver the baby by Caesarean section. She had been in labor for ten hours by then, which was not unusual for a first baby, and it could easily take longer.

  The doctor said that there was no real medical reason for the C-section but Claire simply couldn’t cope with what was happening to her, and it was becoming potentially psychologically dangerous for her, and could be too stressful for the baby.

  “We usually see this in very young girls, in their teens, who aren’t prepared for labor, not in women Claire’s age at twenty-seven,” the doctor said quietly.

  They gave her a shot of morphine and she got drowsy immediately. They wheeled her away a few minutes later, and Reed and Kate waited in the waiting room. He looked utterly exhausted, and Kate felt sorry for both of them. She hoped Claire would be better prepared for motherhood than she was for her labor.

  A nurse came to find them half an hour later. The baby was fine, a seven pound two ounce boy that Kate knew Claire could have delivered easily if she’d tried. Reed looked elated that it was over, and his son had arrived.

  They went to see him at the nursery window. He was wrapped tightly in a blanket with a little blue cap on. He was awake and looking around, and Reed stood staring at his son in wonder as tears ran down his cheeks, and Kate looked at her first grandchild and hoped that Claire would be equal to the task of what lay ahead.

  She was in the recovery room and they said she would be for several hours before they brought her down to a room. Kate hugged Reed and said she’d be back in the morning. They had said Claire would sleep until then. Kate felt sorry for them. The baby’s mother was a child.

  Kate took a cab home and slipped into bed next to Scott, relieved to be there, and sad for Claire. She had so much growing up to do. Reed had been wonderful to her.

  Scott stirred for a minute and looked at her. It was two A.M. “Everything go okay?”

  “The baby’s fine and so is Claire.” She could tell him the rest in the morning. She sank into his arms with a sigh.

  A new life had begun, and she hoped it would be a good one. And however he had arrived, whether his parents were married or not, the baby had her blessing.

  Chapter 20

  Stacey and Tammy came to visit Claire the next day in the hospital. She had makeup on, and her hair had been done, and she looked exhausted, and was in pain from the C-section. The nurses and Reed had put the baby to her breast several times, and Claire said it was too painful. She didn’t want to nurse him, or hold him. Her milk wasn’t in yet anyway, but the baby sucking at her breast made her uterus contract, which was excruciating with the surgery, despite the pain medication she was on.

  They were medicating her for the discomfort and she was groggy. She told Stacey and Tammy how awful it had been, worse than anything she could have imagined. It was like having her body sawed in half, as she described it, and Stacey looked pale as she listened. Claire said they told her she could have a C-section next time, but she didn’t want any more babies.

  They told her then that they were both pregnant, and she said she felt sorry for them. And then she asked for a shot of morphine and they left and told her they’d be back when she felt better. She was planning to stay in the hospital for four or five days.

  Stacey looked deathly pale when they left, and when they got far enough down the hallway, Tammy stopped and grabbed her arm.

  “Listen to me, don’t listen to my sister. She’s a spoiled brat, and she wants everything the easy way. She had a small baby, and my mom said she could have delivered it, but she wouldn’t cooperate with them. She wanted them to put her out and give her a C-section. That’s not going to happen to you. You’re going to stop throwing up, and we’re going to stay in shape, and we’re going to deliver healthy normal babies, and it’s going to be wonderful. We wanted this, and it’s going to be great. So don’t listen to all that whiney neurotic immature bullshit. She isn’t grown up enough to have a baby, but we are. So are we straight on this?”

  “Yes, Sergeant,” Stacey said, grinning at her, and put an arm around her as they walked down the hall. “We’re going to have healthy babies and easy deliveries.” She repeated it like a mantra, and Tammy gave her a shove.

  “And don’t you forget it!”

  “Yes, sir.” Her step was lighter after Tammy set her straight. Stacey had seen deliveries like Claire’s during her residency, usually with ignorant women who were too terrified to cooperate, or understand what was happening. And Tammy was right. Claire was spoiled and wanted everything to be easy, and some things just weren’t. But with Tammy, Stacey knew she could do anything.

  And two weeks later, as though by magic, she stopped throwing up. The first trimester was over, and within a week she felt better and like herself again. They went out to dinner to celebrate. Stacey felt like she’d gotten her life back.

  * * *

  —

  Margaret went to see her first great-grandchild, and cried when she saw him. They let her hold him. Claire was feeling better by then, and had decided not to nurse the baby. They had a baby nurse to take care of him so Claire didn’t have to. She told her grandmother how awful the birth had been. She said that next time, if there was one, she would have a scheduled C-section and wouldn’t have to go through labor. But she didn’t think she wanted any more babies, and Reed said he’d be satisfied with one if that was what she wanted. He gave her a big sapphire ring to than
k her for his son. He was in love with their baby and with Claire. More than ever. She had given him the greatest gift of his life. And Claire kept reminding him of how awful it had been and how she had suffered. It had been the worst experience of her life.

  * * *

  —

  A week later, Kate invited Tammy and Stacey to meet Scott, and they had a fun evening. He liked both of them. The only one he still hadn’t met was Claire and she was in no condition to meet him at the moment. But dinner with Tammy and Stacey had gone well. Kate was delighted.

  Tammy facetimed her brother in New Delhi as soon as she got home.

  “You were right about the new guy. We just met him. He’s cool, really smart, and he’s crazy about Mom.”

  “What’s his name?” Anthony asked her.

  “Scott White. He’s a lawyer.”

  “That’s the one.”

  “Mom says they’ve been dating for about three months.”

  The big news from India, after Tammy reported to Anthony about Scott, was that Alicia had gotten a real part in a real movie. It was a small part, but the producer was well known. She was going to start shooting in April, and they’d be finished by June, when they were coming home.

  “And how are you two?” Anthony asked her, and they both waved at him on the screen.

  “We’re pregnant,” Tammy said, laughing.

  “Both of you?”

  “Both of us,” Tammy said proudly. “Stacey was sick in the beginning but she’s fine now. So we’ll have two babies in September.”

  “That sounds scary. Like twins, but with two moms.”

  “That’s the idea.” Tammy beamed at him from the screen.

  “How’s Claire? I haven’t talked to her since she had the baby.”

  “She’s whining a lot, about how awful it was. Now that she has a kid, she may actually have to grow up and stop blaming Mom for everything. It’s a painful process.”

  “She’s spoiled rotten,” Anthony said in disgust.

  “Yes, she is,” Tammy agreed with him. “And Reed is making it worse. He caters to her every whim. The baby’s cute though. Not as cute as ours will be.” She grinned at her brother.

  They talked for a few more minutes and hung up. It was nice to be able to see him on FaceTime. Tammy missed him a lot, and so did Kate.

  * * *

  —

  In April, Tammy and Stacey found out the sex of their babies. One of each. Stacey was having a boy, and Tammy was having a girl. It seemed just right to them somehow. Claire’s baby was a month old by then. They had named him Gregory, for Reed’s father. Gregory Bailey Morgan.

  Claire was spending all her time at the gym to lose the weight she’d gained. She had two nannies for the baby, a day and a night nurse, and two relief nannies on the weekend. Reed was willing to give her whatever she wanted. Claire complained that he cried all the time, maybe because she hadn’t nursed him or because he never saw his mother. She was taking three months off from work, and wanted to have fun before she went back, not take care of a newborn, which she didn’t enjoy.

  But Reed was in love with him, which was nice. Stacey and Tammy hadn’t been to visit him since the hospital, but they planned to. They were busy turning their guest room into a nursery, which was more fun than they’d expected. Tammy had her grandmother paint a mural on one wall. She painted pink and blue teddy bears and ballons under a blue sky with puffy white clouds.

  * * *

  —

  Two months later in June, Anthony and Alicia came home to get married. They loved India, living and working there. Alicia brought each of the girls a sari, and another one for Kate. She had finished the movie, and gotten a bigger part in another film that would start shooting in September. She had to learn lines this time and was taking acting lessons. And Anthony thought she had real talent.

  Kate reintroduced Anthony to Scott, as soon as he got home, and as she’d hoped, they were crazy about each other. Tammy, Stacey, and Claire had met him by then. Claire was neutral about him, and Stacey and Tammy loved him. Anthony and Alicia got married the week after they got home, in a small wedding with only the family present. Alicia’s mother was there, but her father didn’t come from Puerto Rico. All of Anthony’s family was there. Reed and Claire even brought the baby. He was three months old, and Reed carried him everywhere in a harness. He was a happy, smiley baby, and it was obvious that Reed adored him, and Claire. Claire acted as though he was someone else’s child, which distressed Kate to see. She had just gone back to work.

  Tammy and Stacey were six months pregnant by then, and both of them looked healthy and happy. Stacey was working and felt great now. And Tammy was planning to work at Chanel until the last day of her pregnancy, and then take two months off after the babies were born.

  * * *

  —

  The wedding was noisy and friendly and warm. Kate had it at her apartment, with white flowers everywhere. Alicia wore a white and gold sari with a fabulous red sash and a red bindi on her forehead. She looked like an Indian princess. And she wore gold sandals with little bells on them. Anthony looked ecstatic. There was an Indian feast, and Indian music, all carefully researched by Kate and Tammy.

  The young people stayed until three o’clock in the morning, and at two, Scott and Kate excused themselves, went to bed, and talked about the wedding. They could still hear Indian music drifting in from the living room.

  “It’s funny,” Kate said to him, as they lay in bed talking, “a year ago, I was ready to kill all of them. Now Anthony is happy with Alicia. They’re married and she’s the best thing that ever happened to him. And Tammy and Stacey are married and expecting two babies. Claire has a lot of growing up to do, which was true a year ago too, but she has a sweet little boy. I just hope she can adjust to being a mother. It nearly broke my heart when she told me she was pregnant. Reed has the patience of a saint with her. I’m not sure he’ll ever let her grow up, and she certainly doesn’t want to. He makes everything easy for her. Too easy. She’ll never mature that way.” She was still telling everyone how horrendous Greg’s birth had been, and how much she had hated it. And she seemed to resent the baby for it. She loved scaring Tammy and Stacey with the details, and she was urging them to have C-sections too. “At least I’m not on her hate list anymore,” although Kate was sure she would be again at some point, whenever she didn’t agree with her about something. Then Claire would punish her, as she had before, but it all seemed easier and better with Scott in her life.

  He fit right in to the group, as Kate knew he would. Her children all liked him except for Claire. The changes and decisions they had made for themselves in the last year had freed Kate too. If the children could do whatever they wanted, there was no reason why she couldn’t, especially with all of them grown up and gone. She had carved out a life with Scott, which included time for them. She was still attentive to her children, but he was a priority for her now too, and they all knew it. He was her strong ally, which she had never had before, and her staunch defender. Claire was the only one who took exception to it. She wanted her mother available to her whenever she wanted her, whether convenient for Kate or not. She had to behave better now with Scott around. And Reed kept her in check too.

  Kate spent most of her free time with Scott now. The children had their own lives, their partners and careers, and were having children of their own. It was important for Kate to have a life too, and Scott was an essential part of it. It had been startling to her children at first that he and Kate were living together, but they had gotten used to it, and so had Scott and Kate. Everyone had their place, and there was room for all of them in Kate’s life, her children, and her man.

  * * *

  —

  As the sounds of the wedding revelers in the rest of the house began to diminish, Scott turned to Kate in bed with a question.

  “Your
mother says you’re going to India with her, to visit Anthony.” Kate hadn’t told him yet, and he seemed surprised.

  “I might. I haven’t decided. It’s a big trip. She’s desperate to go, and I don’t think she should travel alone, but I’d like to stick around here until Tammy and Stacey have their babies. Maybe we could go after that, later in the year.” She had a thought then. “Would you want to come with us?”

  “I’d love it, if I don’t have any big cases then, scheduled for trial. Actually, I’d like to go with you,” he said cautiously, not wanting to offend Margaret. He loved her but wanted time alone with Kate to travel. He’d never been to India. “Maybe we could go with your mom and leave her with Anthony for a while, and go off on our own for a week or two. I hear parts of India are incredibly romantic.” He hesitated, and she could see that he had something else on his mind. “It would make an incredible honeymoon,” he said softly, afraid of what she’d say, and she turned to smile at him.

  “Would you ever want to make it legal with us? I’m kind of a traditional guy.” It was something he had discovered about himself recently, that marriage was important to him. More than he had thought it would be. But with Kate in his life now, it mattered a great deal, and seemed like the right thing to do.

  “I never thought about it. I didn’t think it was an option,” Kate answered. “Do we need it?” she asked with a startled look.

  “Need it? No. I don’t need a green card,” he said and she laughed. “You told me a while ago, when we talked about Claire, that you believe in marriage profoundly. I do too. I think it’s a statement of how much you love someone and how much they mean to you. It’s a way of showing the world that you believe in that person and the life you share with them, which was why it seemed wrong to me for Claire to have Reed’s baby and not marry him. That’s like saying I believe in you enough to have your child, but not to stand beside you or tell the world that I love you. It’s why what Tammy and Stacey did was so meaningful, because that’s exactly what they were saying, whatever their sexual preference.”