by Aj Harmon
“Annie! What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Are they…going to…say that we…can’t have Gracie?” she sobbed. “I can’t have…babies and…that’s why we…got her.”
“No, honey, no,” Evan swooped her into his arms, holding her tightly. “No. She’s ours. The papers are signed. She’s our daughter. Nobody can take her away.”
Annie cried and cried into his chest and Evan just held her close and comforted her ‘til the tears slowed.
“I can’t give her back, Evan. I can’t.”
“No one is asking you to, and no one will. I promise you.”
They sat on the bed, arms around each other, rocking slowly, each gazing at Gracie still sleeping next to them. Eventually, her face and Evan’s chest sopping wet, Annie pulled out of his embrace and found the box of tissues, blowing her nose several times and drying Evan as he chuckled.
“We’ve had her less than twenty-four hours,” she whispered, “And I can’t imagine life without her. I could never give her up. I am completely and forever hopelessly in love with her. I don’t know how Natalie did it.”
Her words were sobering as they watched Gracie start to wiggle. Her little arms worked free of the blanket around her and she stretched, arching her little body as her eyes slowly opened. It was as though she knew exactly where her mommy and daddy were – her eyes looked straight up at them and she sighed. Another tear rolled down Annie’s cheek.
“I cannot imagine how she did it,” she whispered.
12.
WILLIAM WAS WAITING TO be seated in the restaurant. He’d spent over an hour responding to emails and checking on patients’ test results through the hospital’s software portal and subsequently stood behind one other couple waiting to have breakfast.
He watched them…studied them. They looked tired, but under the circumstances it didn’t come as a surprise. The man held a car seat in his right hand and the baby it held was sound asleep and didn’t look more than a few days old. He inwardly smiled. No, they’re not getting much sleep.
William didn’t have children of his own, but he did have patients, lots and lots of patients, many of them mothers with young families. It was always tougher on him to treat mothers. Memories of his own mother often surfaced and when his patients brought their children with them to visits it regularly broke his heart, especially when he knew the prognosis was bleak.
The woman who stood before him now had a glow about her, her face radiating pure joy, even through the dark bags under her eyes. Her eyes sparkled, her lips curled into a seemingly permanent smile as she gazed at the sleeping baby safely belted into the carrier.
William allowed himself a tiny moment of wonder…what if? What if he’d married? What if he’d told Erica how he felt all those years ago? But there were too many ‘what ifs’ and he halted the train of thought before he got carried away. He wasn’t old, not by any standard. He could certainly have children if he wanted to. Did he want to? He’d never let himself ask the question. It had never been in the realm of possibility. Was it now? Of course it wasn’t!
The hostess sincerely apologized for the wait and offered to seat both the couple in front of him and him, so they all followed her down the two steps and into the elegantly furnished restaurant. She sat the couple with the baby first…at a table against a large wooden divider that held lush green plants. She took William just a couple of tables away and seated him at a table for two and left him with a menu. He didn’t look at it, however. His attention was still on the couple with the baby. The baby was moving. William could just see the corner of the blanket moving and the woman reached for it and within a few seconds was cradling the infant in her arms, rocking side to side. The man, William assumed it was her husband, watched her with eyes that were full of love and focus. As the baby quieted, the woman held it to her breast, close to her heart and sipped on the coffee that had just been poured. With the arrival of the waitress at his table, he left the young family to themselves and asked for a copy of the Wall Street Journal with his breakfast.
*****
“I’m gonna need lots of coffee,” Annie laughed as the waitress poured her cup.
“She’s beautiful,” came the reply. “How old?”
“Four days,” Annie beamed, the proud mama bear in fine form.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” smiled Evan.
“What can I get for you this morning?”
The Wilders placed their breakfast order and as the waitress hurried away, Annie spoke softly.
“I’m going to write Natalie a letter. Do you think that would be okay?”
“Of course it would. What are you going to say?”
“Thank you. And,” she paused as she fumbled for the right words. “And how much I admire her for doing what she did. I don’t really know how she feels, but I think I’ve been given a glimpse, a tiny glimpse, and I want her to know that I am amazed by her.”
“She would probably appreciate hearing that.”
“Do you think Barbara would give it to her?”
“We’ll see her this morning so you can ask her then.”
Annie looked down at Gracie, utterly content in her arms. She had a clean diaper and a full tummy and a mommy and daddy who loved her beyond any feeling they could have imagined.
“It’s different isn’t it?”
“What is?” Evan asked.
“The love you have for a spouse and the love for a child.”
“Yes, it is. Not less, or more, just different.”
“And to think, in eight months we’re going to have one more!”
Evan grinned. Not a regular grin, but a big toothy smile that showed pure happiness. “Yes,” he replied. “We’ll have one more!”
*****
“What would you like to do today?” Greg asked as he sat in the armchair and tied his shoes. “The world is our oyster and we shall do whatever makes you happy.”
Jill threaded a brown leather belt through her jeans and buckled it as she laughed at Greg. “Whatever makes me happy, huh? I think you’ve already made me one very happy girl this morning.”
A smile spread across his face. “I do my best,” he winked.
“Why don’t we explore Old Town?”
“Sound like a great idea. Some fresh chips and authentic salsa? None of that crap that comes out of a jar? You don’t have to ask me twice.”
They left their room and rode the elevator down to the lobby and then out to grab a taxi. They held hands in the back seat and Jill felt deliriously happy…happier than she’d ever felt she decided. The thought of moving in to Greg’s apartment didn’t scare her. It was quite the opposite and she was astounded at her surprising excitement. She already treated it as her home away from home, feeling comfortable and relaxed there. It really wasn’t as harrowing a prospect as she suspected it would be. Plus, he lived in the lap of luxury and his apartment was positively splendid. She would enjoy living there with him.
Maybe we could get a cat. The idea made her chuckle.
“What’s funny?”
“I had a thought,” came her coy reply.
“And?”
“We could get a cat.” She expected him to scoff at the idea and when he remained silent, Jill didn’t know if he was horrified or contemplating the idea. “Well?” she asked.
“I think we could get a cat, if you’d like one. I admit though, I never thought of you as a cat person.”
“I had one when I was a child, but I haven’t had the lifestyle for any pet. It’s not like you can just leave them for days on end.”
“True. But you won’t always have this lifestyle. A pet might be a good idea.”
“Well we don’t have to rush to an animal shelter on the way back from the airport or anything,” she said. “It was just a crazy thought.”
“Not that crazy,” Greg smiled, intensely affected by her desire to have a pet with him. It meant she was taking their relationship seriously…that she was committed. I
t made him deliriously happy and ready to move to phase two of his plan.
*****
William smiled at the couple with the baby as he walked by them on his way out of the restaurant. He’d stalled long enough. It was time to get on with it...get on with the day. It was time to put the past to rest. He would meet Lewis at the attorney’s office and sort out the ugly business of his father’s will. Then he would continue to try and mend his all but non-existent relationship with his brother and have dinner with Erica. Then it would be time to go home. One more day and life would go back to the way it was before he arrived in San Diego.
Somehow, that thought wasn’t a pleasant one.
13.
MARIACHI MUSIC PLAYED IN the distance and Greg and Jill relaxed in the brick courtyard amongst the many tourists, just like themselves, who were enjoying the brilliant sky, warm weather, and yummy chips and salsa. Scooping copious amounts of the sweet and spicy tomato concoction onto a warm lightly salted chip, Greg was in food heaven.
“That appears to me to be quenching more than just a physical desire,” Jill teased, as she watched him close his eyes as he tasted each ingredient as the flavors touched and mingled on his tongue.
“Mmmm. Chicago will win the pizza debate every time, but delicious salsa like this is hard to find.”
“Not in southern California,” she chuckled.
“True,” Greg grinned as he scooped another chip.
Jill had stopped eating. She knew if she continued she would be too full to eat the enchiladas she’d ordered. Greg had no such problem. He could remain seated on the wrought iron chair and eat until the sun set and still be just fine, never wasting a morsel. She watched the almost orgasmic expression he had every time he took another bite. She was thoroughly entertained…until their food arrived, and then she concentrated on the scrumptious meal before her.
“We should do this every year,” she mumbled as she chewed the first bite.
“Do what?”
“Come to San Diego on our anniversary.”
“I like that idea,” Greg smiled. “But what if we have more anniversaries? I mean, we could celebrate when you move in and stuff like that.”
Chuckling, Jill took another bite and chewed. “Well we wouldn’t celebrate that anniversary here, would we?”
Greg lifted his glass of iced tea. “A toast then. May there be many, many more anniversaries to celebrate with you…in San Diego and other places, too.”
With a wide smile, Jill raised her glass and joined in the toast. “To more anniversaries. I kind of like the sound of that.”
“Oh, me, too.”
*****
After breakfast, Annie and Evan took Gracie back up to their room and fed her, burped her, changed her diaper, and her clothes after she spit up on them, packed the diaper bag, and managed to successfully attach the car seat to the stroller, ready to meet Barbara one more time to sign the last of the adoption paperwork, allowing them to leave the state, the adoption process complete.
“I knew I married an engineer for a reason,” Annie laughed as together they buckled Gracie in and maneuvered the stroller through the door and down the hall to the elevator.
“You would think that as said engineer, it would not have taken so many tries to understand the mechanics of it,” Evan frowned, only making Annie laugh harder.
Making their way through the lobby, across the shiny marble floor, Annie beamed with pride as they each had a hand on the stroller, pushing their baby daughter out into the sun. In just a matter of twenty-four hours, her soul had been powerfully rejuvenated and her gratitude to not only Natalie, but the whole world had increased. Saying thank you to the bellman as he helped them exit the hotel took on a whole new depth of genuine feeling, for she truly was thankful for his kind service, even if he was being paid to do it.
As she greeted the cab driver, she asked him how he was enjoying his day, and she meant every word and was sincere in her interest. As they drove through the streets of the city the buildings appeared shinier, prettier, the trees greener, the water bluer, the people about more attractive. Everything had changed. The dark cloud that smothered her soul was gone.
As the driver removed the stroller from the trunk of the car and Evan unbuckled Gracie’s car seat and snapped it into place, she pulled cash from her wallet and gave it to the kind man who’d brought them to the attorney’s office.
“Would you like me to wait for you?” he offered.
“No thank you,” she smiled. “It’s a beautiful day and we might just walk back.”
“Here’s my card with my phone number in case you change your mind,” he offered. With that he drove away.
They were a few minutes early so Annie suggested they grab a drink from the coffee cart and sit in the atrium. Evan readily agreed, caffeine quickly becoming one of the major food groups for the new parents. Finding an empty table, he maneuvered the stroller through the maze of chairs and sat down, swinging the stroller around so Gracie faced them. Annie arrived with two lattes and settled in beside her husband. Gracie was sleeping quietly and Evan took Annie’s hand in his and brought it to his lips.
“You’re an amazing mom. I knew you would be,” he smiled.
“I don’t think you can judge me on just twenty-four hours,” she chuckled. “But I love her beyond words and I will do everything in my power to ensure she has a wonderful life.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second! And what about this one?” he asked as he placed his other hand over her flat stomach hidden under her jeans.
“I have no idea,” she sighed. “It’s so much to take in…to accept. I mean, I’d told myself over and over again that I would never get pregnant and forced myself to let that dream go, and now…”
“All of our dreams are becoming realities. It is a miracle, one I’m thrilled about.”
“Oh, me, too! Don’t misunderstand. I’m overjoyed at the news, but it came on a day when my brain and emotions were already on overload. This, well, I’m not sure I can really even begin to process this yet.”
“You’ll have to deal with it once we get home, you know, doctor’s appointments and stuff.”
“I can’t wait to see their faces,” she grinned. “They’re not gonna believe it!”
“Maybe we should videotape that,” Evan laughed.
*****
It was done. Her parental rights were severed. She no longer had any legal claim to her child. As she placed the pen down after signing her name on the documents, there was a sadness that blanketed her. Barbara noticed and placed her arm around her shoulders.
“This is the most unselfish thing a person can do…give their child to another. I am in awe of your courage and selflessness and I’m confident in the bright future you have ahead of you.”
Natalie attempted a smile. Her parents shook hands with the attorney and ushered Natalie from the office to the elevator. Barbara watched with conflicted emotions. If ever there was a young woman that could have somehow managed to raise a child and continue with her teenage years, she would have bet on Natalie. But she also felt a profound sense of accomplishment in helping a young couple start their family. The Wilders had impressed her since day one and she was confident they would make wonderful parents.
As Natalie and her parents exited the elevator in the lobby, the crowd trying to get in separated her from them. She watched them walk on ahead towards the glass doors. Natalie maneuvered her way through the throng of people. It was nearing the noon hour and employees that worked in the building were out and about in abundance. She zig-zagged through the lobby and out of the corner of her eye she saw them…the Wilders…sitting at a table in the corner. Her feet stopped moving, frozen in place as she looked at them. They sat close, holding hands, smiling, looking at each other and then down to the baby in the stroller beside them. Her baby. But it wasn’t. It wasn’t her baby. It was their baby. There was no doubt in her mind that they were a family. Evan and Annie were the parents that baby needed.
*****
After meeting his brother Lewis in the lobby, the two men headed up to the seventeenth floor to the law offices. Lewis was nervous, unsure of what was about to happen, his father giving no indication of ever even having a will. William just wanted it over with. They both fidgeted as they waited in the reception area, each for different reasons.
They sat for over ten minutes before a smartly dressed woman asked them to follow her to the conference room, which they did. She offered water or coffee, to which they both accepted; William a bottle of water and Lewis some coffee. They again waited for Scott Hunter, their father’s attorney, to arrive. William wondered if this was how his patients felt every time they came to his office for their appointments. He committed there and then to try and be more punctual with his patients, after all, time was something some of them didn’t have a lot of. It seemed cruel to make them waste something so precious waiting for him.
Lewis accepted a refill on his coffee and William finished his bottle of water and visited the restroom. If they’d been paying an hourly rate for the visit, both men would have been livid. Finally, twenty minutes after they entered the conference room, Scott rushed in apologizing in earnest for the delay…something to do with probate court and getting a motion to the clerk’s office before they left for lunch.
He sat down opposite them at the large table and opened a file and began shuffling papers. “It’s all spelled out neatly,” Scott began. “Your father has taken care of everything and tied up all loose ends. There’s really not a lot here to do except give you each these,” he handed each of the brothers a sealed envelope, “and the reading of the will of course. Should I start at the beginning?”
