Home Is Wherever You Are

by Rose von Barnsley

  “Is everything alright, Josh?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I mean no.”

  “Is something wrong with the last house I sold, or are you having a problem with something?” I asked.

  “No, no, nothing like that.” He looked past me to my wife sitting on the couch. “It’s Tamera.”

  My wife glared at him, and I went to push him outside, but he wouldn’t let me. “I can’t have you upsetting my wife.”

  “I wouldn’t if it wasn’t important.”

  “She wants nothing to do with her mother.”

  “Matthew, she’s in the hospital,” Josh pleaded, and I stopped pushing him out.

  I looked back at my wife, who was looking down her at hands in her lap. “If you upset her, I’ll kick you out, friend or not, Josh. The doctors don’t want her upset.”

  He nodded and stepped forward nervously. “She needs an operation,” he said nervously, “but they need the next of kin to okay it.”

  “So have your dad okay it.”

  Josh rubbed his face. “They aren’t married. Addy’s still considered her next of kin. It’s a small town, they know you’re her daughter, and they won’t let anyone do anything until you come down to the hospital.” Addy hadn’t said a word and made no move to go. “Addy, please, I know she made your life hell, but she makes my dad happy.”

  At that, she glared at Josh. “What did she do now? Another overdose, but you caught her in time?” She shook her head. “No, Josh, if she wants to kill herself with drugs, then let her be. Who am I to go against her wishes?” she snapped, and I was at her side, trying to calm her.

  Josh looked like he was about ready to yell at her, but I gave him a worried look. He needed to keep his cool and not escalate this fight. I watched as he took a couple of deep breaths and then started again.

  “It wasn’t drugs. Her body’s damaged from years of abuse, but she hasn’t had any relapses, Addy, she’s still clean. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done, and now it’s catching up to her. I’m not sure what the details are. They wouldn’t talk to me or my father, because we’re not family. Just, please, can you come to the hospital and sign the okay, or just sign a paper giving dad power of attorney over her, please?”

  My wife was pacing angrily, and I caught her arm. “Babe, please settle down, or we’ll be going to the hospital for the baby instead.”

  She let out a sigh and rested her hand on her belly. She started to cry. “I don’t want to go down there. I don’t want to see her.”

  I quickly pulled her into my arms. “You don’t have to see her, baby, you’d just have to sign a paper, and then we could leave.”

  She looked up at me sniffing. “You want me to go?”

  “I think we should go and just sign the paper giving Reed power of attorney, and then we can leave. It won’t take long, honey. It’ll be fast. I promise.”

  She shook her head and pushed away from me. Josh was looking desperate, but I gave him a look to let him know I was on his side. I might have not liked Tamera, but that didn’t mean I wanted her to die.

  “Addy, you need to do it, or you will regret it,” Josh tried again.

  “NO! She’s finally getting what she deserves!” she shouted angrily. “Her drugs were always so much more important to her than me. Well, then she can let them take care of her now! They can sign the damn paper!”

  She was obviously having a mood swing, and Josh looked panicked. I didn’t think he had ever been around a pregnant woman long enough to see a mood swing like this. She grabbed a throw pillow and threw it at my head.

  “She never loved me! She only took me, because she knew it would hurt my father! She used me for my name and identity and left me to fend for myself against the monsters she brought home! I was just a baby!” She was getting hysterical, and I was really getting worried. Then she started to sway. I quickly caught her, laying her out flat.

  “Josh, I need you to stay with the kids. I need to take my wife to the hospital. Dinner’s in the oven,” I said, as I kicked open the front door and headed for my truck with Addy in my arms. I would be damned if I would let Tamera hurt my wife again.

  I called Dr. Stewart, as I sped down the road, and Daniel saw the van fly past and put on the cruiser lights, pulling in front of me to safely lead me to the hospital. He knew there would be no other reason for me to be driving this fast.

  When I stopped, he pulled open the back door and helped me get my girl. “What happened?” he asked, as we ran her into the hospital.

  “Tamera’s here,” I stated vaguely. A nurse came running up with a stretcher.

  “She has high blood pressure and became upset.” I laid my wife down, and Dr. Stewart came running in.

  “I’ve got her, Matthew. We’re going to have to take the baby. You’ll need to change.” She nodded to the nurse, who motioned for me to follow her. I quickly signed the consent form for the C-section and then put on sterile clothing and was led back into an operating room, where Dr. Stewart was marking my wife’s stomach.

  I took Addy’s hand and prayed silently that she would be okay.

  It wasn’t long before Dr. Stewart was pulling a screaming little girl from my wife’s abdomen, and I quickly cut the cord. Once I knew my little Guilianna was fine, I was back at my wife’s side. Dr. Stewart was working fast on her and kept ordering nurses to give Addy all sorts of different drugs as she worked.

  “Come on, Addy, stay with me,” Dr. Stewart begged, and that was when it all sank in how horribly serious this was.

  The doctor shot a pointed glance at the nurse and then to me, and the nurse put her arm around me. “You need to come with me to the nursery,” she said, trying to pull me away, but I didn’t want to leave my wife.

  “NO!” I moved back to Addy, grabbing her hand, “Addy! Addy, please! You can’t leave me!”

  A couple of orderlies pulled me away from her. “Dr. Stewart is doing everything she can to save her.”

  “Matthew?” Daniel was standing there and heard what they had said. “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know,” I sobbed, and he took me into his arms.

  It felt like years later, when Dr. Stewart came out looking tired. She gave me a soft smile. “I got her stabilized. I don’t think there’s any brain damage, but we can’t be sure until she wakes.”

  I signed in relief.

  “Can we see her?” Daniel asked.

  She nodded yes, and we followed her down the hall to a new room. My Addy lay silently sleeping. “She won’t wake for another hour. I’ll be here to reevaluate her then.”

  Dr. Stewart left, leaving me alone with Daniel and my wife.

  “What happened?” Daniel asked.

  I shook my head at the memory. “Josh came by. Tamera’s here sick in the hospital. He wanted Addy to come sign the papers for an operation. Addy got mad, thinking Tamera had relapsed or something. Her mood swing made it worse. She was supposed to be taking it easy. I should’ve never let him in the house.”

  I felt Daniel’s arm around my shoulder. “It’s going to be fine, boy. It’s not your fault. Tamera should’ve had her affairs in order long before now.”

  I shook my head, still upset and fighting tears.

  “What about the baby?” Daniel asked carefully.

  “She’s fine, I think. She was fine when I last saw her just after she was born. They rushed her out because Addy…” I just started sobbing harder. “I can’t lose her, Daniel, I just can’t.”

  “You won’t, you’ll see, she’s going to be fine,” he tried to comfort, but only time would tell.

  It was an hour later, and Addy was still sleeping. A nurse brought in little Giulie for us and walked to Addy’s bedside, while Daniel and I cooed at the baby girl.

  “She looks just like her momma,” Daniel commented.

  He was right. Giulie was her mother’s daughter. I looked up, when I suddenly heard moaning. The nurse was waking up my wife.

  “Good evening, Mrs. Martin, we have
a little girl who’s hungry, and Dr. Stewart said you were cleared for feeding.”

  Addy let out a sigh, and I was by her side, holding her hand.

  “Dr. Stewart said she was coming back to check on Addy. Why isn’t she here?” I asked, disgruntled that this nurse was bugging my wife.

  “There was another emergency C-section. She’s busy with the mother now,” the nurse informed me and turned back to Addy smiling. “How are you feeling?”

  Addy started shifting in bed, but the nurse stopped her. “Don’t try and sit up using your stomach muscles. If you want up, you need to push with your arms.”

  Addy nodded in understanding.

  “How are you feeling, babe, are you alright?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I think, I feel like I was hit by a truck, but everything works,” she said, wiggling her toes. “Now, where is little Giulie?” she asked and looked expectantly at her father, who was holding the little pink bundle.

  He brought her over smiling. “She’s a beauty, and she looks just like you, sweetheart.” He kissed my daughter’s head and passed her to Addy.

  “Do you feel up to trying to feed her?” the nurse asked.

  “Yeah, sure,” Addy said, using her arms to shift again.

  “I’m just going to go get some coffee.” Daniel never was good around a nursing mother.

  He came back two hours later with his hand bandaged. “What happened to you?” I asked.

  He just shook his head at me. Addy gave him a worried look, but he countered it with a “don’t ask” look. After the baby fell back asleep, I put her in the basinet, and Addy soon fell asleep as well. Now that it was just us men, I turned and gave a pointed look at Daniel’s hand.

  “I ran into Reed in the cafeteria. Let’s just say it didn’t end well,” he said cryptically. “That bastard screws around with my ex-wife, and then he nearly kills my daughter, and he still has the nerve to think he’s my friend.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say to that. I never really thought much about Daniel’s friendship with Reed. I knew at some point they had been best friends who spent weekends fishing, but now Daniel spent his weekends at our house or with my boys fishing.

  “I didn’t realize…” I started, but he cut me off, putting up his good hand.

  “They’re sending in a doctor to have Addy sign some damned paper. I’d stop them if I could, but I don’t think I can.”

  “It’s alright, Daniel. We’ll get through this.”

  It was two hours later that a nurse came in to ask Addy if she wanted to try feeding again. A doctor was on her heels. One I didn’t recognize.

  “Hello, I’m Dr. Drake, I’m Tamera…” That was as far as he got, before Addy told him to stop.

  “Give me the damn paper to sign and then get the hell out of my room. I don’t want to hear anything,” she stated firmly.

  Dr. Stewart came in, glaring at Dr. Drake. “I told you my patient was not to be upset,” she said, checking Addy’s monitors.

  “It’s…” Dr. Drake started, only to be cut off.

  “I don’t want to hear it, Sean. You know damn well you could’ve waited until she was more stable.” I was really starting to like Dr. Stewart.

  I looked over at my wife, who was signing with vigor. I was surprised she didn’t break the pen. She nearly threw the clipboard back at him, but he didn’t complain. He just hurried out of the room.

  Dr. Stewart walked over and patted Addy’s hand. “I’m sorry, honey. I tried to keep him away as long as I could.”

  Addy just shook her head. “It’s over. I don’t want to dwell on it.”

  “Good girl. You have other more adorable things to worry about,” she smiled, as the nurse brought the baby over.

  As Addy nursed our daughter, Dr. Stewart did some basic tests on her, and she passed them all with flying colors. My girls were going to be fine.

  Chapter 44 - Just One More

  Six months after the birth of my daughter, Giulie, life was good. Tamera recovered and married Reed a month after she was released from the hospital, but my girl didn’t attend. I was not sure if she regretted it or not, but Josh told me about it, and I let him know not to expect us.

  Addy was still working through a few things. Slowly, through her therapy sessions, more and more stuff was brought out about her life growing up. My girl had had it rough, and having children of her own changed the way she felt about her mother. I understood why Addy felt like she did toward her mother.

  I didn’t know how Addy had turned out so well with such a messed-up past. A lesser person would have ended up a drug addict or a hooker, and no one would have been surprised.

  The girls doted on little Giulie, and even Adam thought she was pretty cute. Of course, Abraham was none too pleased to have his baby status taken, but we had expected that. I did my best to give him a little extra attention to adjust to the change.

  Daniel had taken us all out fishing at a little creek. He had been finding new fishing spots, since his fishing buddy and he were no longer talking. I was now his new fishing buddy, along with Adam and Abraham. The girls had come along on this trip, though, and brought a picnic. The day had been perfect. The weather was sunny, and the kids loved running around catching bugs and skipping rocks. They picked wildflowers and made little flower crowns, and Addy sang silly songs for them to dance to. Life couldn’t be more perfect.

  “I’ve never seen her so happy,” Daniel whispered to me and looked over at Addy.

  “I do everything in my power to keep her happy. I think the kids really are the ones who bring it out in her.”

  “You do, too,” he said. Just then, Addy looked up smiling at me and waved.

  The wind tossed her hair, and she held down her flower crown laughing. “She’s the most beautiful woman in the world.”

  Daniel just patted my shoulder and smiled. “You’re a good man, Matthew, thanks for loving my baby.”

  “It’s impossible not to,” I answered.

  We headed back to the house late that evening. I was carrying Abraham, and Addy had Giulie in the car seat fast asleep. We heard a car drive up, and I watched as Genny and Gabby suddenly grabbed my legs. “Don’t let her take us, Daddy!” Gabby begged.

  I looked over my shoulder to see Ms. Jordan coming up the walk. “Addy, Matthew, may I speak with you?” she asked. I looked over at her car to see a little blonde head that didn’t quite reach the window.

  “Girls, go get in the bath,” Addy said, walking in with Giulie.

  “Just let me put Abraham down,” I said, nodding to the sleeping boy.

  “Adam, put your shoes in your closet,” I heard Addy call and then stepped back outside. I looked at our house. It was getting so full already, but I wasn’t sure if I could turn a child away.

  I lay Abraham in his bed and popped my head in the kid’s bathroom. “Use soap and take the flowers out of your hair before you wash it,” I said and grabbed a rubber ducky off of the counter. It was neutral, and I didn’t know if the child was a boy or a girl yet. I hurried down the steps and out to the front porch to meet with Addy and Ms. Jordan. Addy had the file and looked up at me with sad, but hopeful eyes.

  “Her name is Grace, honey. She’s eighteen months. She fits in right between Giulie and Abraham.”

  I looked down at the little picture in the file. She was a tiny little thing, with blonde curls and big blue eyes. I pulled the pen out of Ms. Jordan’s hand and started signing the adoption papers, before they could even say another word. I knew Grace was supposed to be in our family. She even had a “G” name.

  “Our house is officially full,” I said, as I signed the last spot and passed the papers to my wife. She hugged me, kissing my cheek and got to signing.

  “I brought a portable crib for her to sleep in, but she’ll need a toddler bed.”

  “I’ll pick one up in the morning.” I wondered if little Grace would want to come help pick it out. I walked over to the car door and opened it.

  Grace’s little eyes
went wide, but when I smiled at her and held up the ducky, she seemed to settle down. “Would you like to go meet my girls?” I asked.

  She looked at me unsure, so I held my arms out to her and waited. I knew she would come to me eventually. After a few moments, she climbed into my arms, and I carried her inside. Addy was quick on my heels, talking to the new little girl.

  I heard Ms. Jordan call to us, and we waved goodbye. I took little Grace upstairs, and the girls all squealed and clapped, laughing when I introduced their new sister. Grace seemed to relax a lot more, once she saw the girls all happy and excited. Addy announced it was bedtime, and I took Grace to Giulie’s room across from ours. I opened our door and pointed, “This is our room, so if you get scared or sad, you can come find us, okay?” I offered. I grabbed the portable crib and set it up. I used some of Giulie’s bedding for her. She was still holding the ducky, so I decided to let her keep it.

  “Do you need a sippy cup?” I asked, and she nodded her head, finally communicating with me. I pulled out a pink one for her and filled it with milk. I scooped her up and sat in the rocking chair with her. She looked at me curiously as we rocked. Her eyes had finally started to droop when Addy came in to put Giulie to bed. She stood in the doorway waiting for me with a smile. When Grace finally fell asleep, I tucked her in and went to my wife’s open arms.

  “You are the sweetest man in the world, you know that?” she said, kissing my lips.

  “Only because you make me that way,” I replied, sweeping her off her feet and carrying her to bed.

  The next morning, Addy pulled me into the nursery. Little Grace had woken up and had climbed into the crib with Giulie.

  “Giulie must have woken up last night, and Grace went to comfort her. She usually wakes up to nurse, but she didn’t wake me.” I noticed my wife was heavy with milk. I kissed her neck, because yeah, that was hot. Big boobs were always hot.

  She smiled and pushed me away and headed over to the crib. She picked up little Giulie and took her over to the rocking chair to feed her. I pulled the blanket over Grace and smiled. “She’s going to be an amazing big sister.”