Back in the Game

by Lisa Scott

  He grinned, thinking. "Should I call your daughter?"

  Georgia nodded. "Marly and Kyra, too."

  "You sure about this?" he asked.

  "I'm already wearing this beautiful gown," she said, smoothing down the blue-striped robe.

  He laughed. "Let me see what I can do."

  Jeff lined up the chaplain and the newborn photographer. He hurried to city hall for a license. Georgia's daughter and baby came with bouquets and balloons from the gift shop. Marly and Kyra had brought her a fancy white robe. Nurses and staff crowded the room.

  The chaplain started the ceremony and invited them to improvise their vows.

  "Nine months ago you walked into my world and asked me for a kiss," said Jeff. He waggled his eyebrows. "That was some kiss, huh?"

  She playfully whacked him.

  "And I kissed you and thought, wouldn't I be a lucky man to have a woman like this? And here I am, the luckiest man in the world with the woman of my dreams and our beautiful baby."

  Georgia's heart was in her throat. It took a moment before she could find her words. "Jeff, I had no idea how I was going to start my life over after losing my husband. I never in a million years would have guessed this was where life would take me." She sucked in a breath. "But I'm so glad it did. I love you, Jeff.

  His eyes were glossy with tears. "I love you. And I will spend the rest of my days loving you."

  Georgia could hear people in the room sniffling and reaching for tissues.

  "Couldn't have said it better myself," the chaplain said. "And with that, I now pronounce you man and wife."

  Jeff leaned over and kissed Georgia. "Now let's go tell our son the good news."

  Please turn back to the previous page and use the links to advance to the next section of this story.

  This story is not intended to be read front to back in a linear fashion. As you make choices (by clicking the links) the story will unfold for you. If you need, you can go back to the table of contents to find choices you made previously.

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  Please turn forward one page and use the links to advance to the next section of this story.

  This story is not intended to be read front to back in a linear fashion. As you make choices (by clicking the links) the story will unfold for you. If you need, you can go back to the table of contents to find choices you made previously.

  You can also read this story at https://www.silkwords.com/stories/back_in_the_game in your web browser.

  The clock didn't seem to move, as Jeff paced the ER waiting room. Finally, a doctor came out and approached him.

  "Is she okay? Is the baby ...?"

  The doctor frowned. "Georgia suffered a placental abruption. The baby has no heartbeat. She's delivering now."

  Jeff dropped into a chair, blinking back tears. "My son is dead?"

  "I'm afraid so. I'm terribly sorry."

  His baby was gone. Just like that. His whole future had just disappeared. He looked up at the doctor. "Is Georgia going to be okay? Can I be with her?"

  "We've moved her to labor and delivery. I'll take you there."

  Jeff followed the doctor into the room where Georgia was staring at the ceiling. He rushed over to her and grabbed her hand, kissing it. "I'm so sorry."

  She nodded without looking at him.

  "The doctor says you're going to be fine."

  "I'd come to love that child." Tears spilled down her cheeks and it killed him that there was nothing he could do to make this better, no pizza to fetch, no hot bath to run.

  He was helpless. "So had I."

  A long silence settled between them.

  She closed her eyes, still gripping his hand. "Do you know how Ashleigh is?"

  "I stopped by to see her. Her daughter is beautiful."

  "I don't want to tell her what happened - not yet." She sucked in a breath as a contraction hit.

  He gripped her hand. "Let's get through this."

  * * *

  Hours later, Georgia wheeled into her daughter's hospital room and felt her heart rise in her throat. There in Ashleigh's arms was her beautiful daughter.

  Ashleigh looked up. "Mom! Are you okay?"

  "I'm fine, sweetheart," she said, forcing herself to be strong for her daughter. "But I lost the baby."

  "Oh, Mom." Ashleigh's voice cracked as tears spilled down her cheeks. She patted the spot next to her on the bed.

  Georgia sat next to Ashleigh and they hugged for a long time. Georgia kissed her forehead and looked down at her granddaughter. "She's beautiful."

  Ashleigh passed the baby to Georgia. Tears flooded her eyes. "Hey, sweetie," she whispered to the sleeping child. The baby had a bit of blond fuzz on her head.

  What color hair would our child have had? she wondered. She handed the baby to Ashleigh. "I'm so happy for you, sweetheart. I'm going home to rest. I'll be over to visit when you're home. Whatever you need, let me know."

  "Of course. I'm so sorry about the baby, Mom."

  Georgia smiled through tears. "Me, too."

  * * *

  Georgia lay in her bed staring out the bedroom window as the sun set. She'd said nothing since leaving the hospital. Jeff had fussed over her, bringing water, food, and blankets, but she refused everything.

  "Do you want me to sleep with you, or do you need space?" he asked her.

  "I just want to be alone. And I want you to take down everything in the nursery."

  He said nothing.

  "Please, take it down now. I don't want to see it."

  "Okay, I'll pack everything away."

  "No. Get rid of it."

  "What if we want to try again?"

  She glared at him. "We were only together because of this baby. Why would we try again?"

  Jeff stood in the doorway for a few more moments before heading down the hall. She heard him working in the nursery. She could picture the mobile coming down and the crib being packed away.

  She didn't hear the front door close, so she figured he was sleeping on the couch. She wondered when he'd move back to his place. She steeled her emotions, not even letting herself feel her reaction to that idea.

  The smell of bacon woke her. She sat up in bed, then remembered what had happened the day before and flopped back down. She needed to get Jeff out of here. This thing between them would end eventually now that the baby was gone. She'd rather end it now than suffer through a slow, agonizing dissolution of their relationship. She couldn't go through the pain of losing someone again. She'd end it herself.

  She padded into the kitchen, and Jeff looked up. "Looks like I wasn't quick enough. I wanted to bring you breakfast in bed. I still could, if you want to get back in there."

  Georgia shook her head. "I'm not hungry. And we need to talk."

  He set down the plate. "Okay."

  "I appreciate everything you're trying to do for me. Everything you've already done for me. But the best thing you can do for me now is leave."

  "All right, I can run some errands for you if you'd like, do the grocery shopping, give you some space."

  She shook her head. "No, I mean leave for good. I don't want to see you anymore, Jeff. Seeing you is just going to remind me of the baby. I need to put this behind me and move on. I can't do that with you here."

  He was quiet, staring at the floor. Her insides felt empty as she looked at him.

  "You need someone to look after you for the next few days."

  "I'll call Marly and Kyra. They know what to do with me in a crisis. They were here for me when I lost Matt."

  He stood there like he was trying to formulate an argument. But he just sighed and said, "I'll get my things and be gone in an hour."

  * * *

  Jeff held back the tears until he got home. He'd never cried so much in his life. He got into the shower and let the tears silently fall as the warm water beat down on him. He'd lost the child he'd longed for and the woman
he'd fallen for.

  But he had to respect her wishes. She'd already been through so much; he wasn't going to cause her more pain.

  Later that day, he unloaded the baby gear into his spare room. Soon enough he'd find a home for it, but he wasn't ready to say goodbye to it just yet.

  * * *

  Jeff kept to himself the next few weeks. He had no interest in going out, but an event for his charity was coming up, and he couldn't skip that. It was one of the biggest parties of the summer at a popular bar with a giant rooftop patio. He got there early to be sure everything was set up and ready to go.

  As the party got underway, women swarmed around him as always. But he wasn't interested. His heart was still with Georgia. Even though they wouldn't be parents together, he still wanted her. But she'd made it clear how she felt about being with him.

  He was greeting some fellow teammates when he spotted Georgia's friends walking in. "Excuse me for a minute," he told his buddies.

  He joined Marly and Kyra. "Did Georgia come with you tonight?"

  Marly's smile fell. "No. She hasn't done much of anything the past few weeks."

  "She's making jewelry, so that's something," Kyra offered.

  "Do you think she's ready to see me again?"

  Marly nodded. "I think she doesn't want to admit she needs you."

  "Go talk to her," Kyra said.

  "Is she home?" he asked.

  "You mean right now?" Marly asked.

  His heart started pounding just thinking of her. "Yeah, I want to go see her now."

  "Isn't this your party?" Kyra asked.

  "Hold down the fort for me." He hurried out of the bar to his car and drove to Georgia's.

  He took a few deep breaths before ringing her doorbell. He'd thought about calling first, but he just wanted to take a chance and see her.

  The door opened and Georgia's eyebrows shot up. "Jeff? I thought tonight was your big charity event. Marly and Kyra tried to get me to go."

  "I know. I saw them there. They thought you wouldn't mind if I stopped by."

  "Come in." She stepped back and he came inside, following her to the living room.

  She sat next to him on the couch. "How have you been?" she asked.

  "I don't know. Getting by," he said.

  "Me, too. I've been having fun with Ashleigh and her baby."

  "Are they doing well?"

  She nodded. "Seeing her hasn't hurt as much as I thought it would."

  "Marly and Kyra said you're making jewelry? That's great."

  "I made myself a bracelet to remember the baby." She showed him the silver bangle on her wrist with a beautiful blue stone embedded in it. "I've made dozens of them and donated them to the hospital to give to other women who miscarry. I make pink ones for the girls."

  It was such a Georgia thing to do. "They're beautiful. And that's a wonderful idea."

  "I hope it helps them know they're not alone."

  "You're not alone either, Georgia. You don't have to be. I still care about you. I fell in love with the idea of a baby, but I fell in love with you, too. Will you give me another chance?"

  * * *

  Georgia's breath caught. His words flooded her with unexpected happiness. "I shouldn't have ordered you out of my life like that. I was hurting. I didn't want to feel anything. It was easier to cut you out of my life than risk slowly losing you."

  He reached for her hand. "And now?"

  "I miss you. I've tried convincing myself we were just a couple preparing to raise a child, but it was more than that. However, you should know I was serious when I said I'm not going to try to have another baby. I'm too old, too many things could go wrong, and I couldn't go through that heartbreak again."

  "I completely understand. I couldn't see you go through that, either."

  She looked into his beautiful dark eyes. "Don't you want to find someone who can give you a child?"

  He grinned. "I found the next best thing - someone who can share their grandchild."

  "Are you sure?" she asked.

  "I want to be part of your life. I love you, Georgia. I love so many things about you. "

  She smiled at him. "Will you kiss me?"

  One side of his mouth curled up. "I've heard that one before." He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her.

  "Nice hug, but what about that kiss?"

  "I want to hold you first." He pressed his cheek against hers, and then finally kissed her.

  Love and desire swelled inside her. She pulled away and smiled at him. "Even better than the first time."

  Please turn back to the previous page and use the links to advance to the next section of this story.

  This story is not intended to be read front to back in a linear fashion. As you make choices (by clicking the links) the story will unfold for you. If you need, you can go back to the table of contents to find choices you made previously.

  You can also read this story at https://www.silkwords.com/stories/back_in_the_game in your web browser.

  Lisa Scott

  Lisa Scott is a former TV news anchor who now enjoys making up stories instead of sticking to the facts. She's worked in Bangor, ME, Rochester, NY and Buffalo, NY. She lives in upstate NY with her husband, two children, dog, cat, and koi fish. When not writing, she works as a voice actor.

  She writes romance(Flirts! short story collections, and The Willowdale Romance Series) along with middle grade fiction for children.

  Her debut middle grade novel, School of Charm, will be released by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins, in early 2014.