When Craig went to look for her, one of the nurses stopped him.
"They've taken your wife upstairs to the OB ward, Mr. Jamison. The doctor is already there." She gave him directions to that floor.
When he stepped off the elevator, he looked around for the nurses' desk and explained why he was there. They pointed him to the waiting room.
"You don't understand. I'm supposed to be with her. I'm her coach. If she's actually going into labor I've got to be there."
"The doctor will be with you in a moment, Mr. Jamison. Please wait in there until he can speak with you."
Craig looked around the stark waiting room with its blank television, stacks of magazines and well-worn furniture. It was almost four o'clock in the morning. Much too early to call his parents. Besides, he had nothing to tell them at the moment.
He sank into one of the chairs. What seemed to be hours later, but in fact was less than fifteen minutes, her doctor appeared in the doorway wearing surgical scrubs. Craig recognized him from the last few visits when he'd driven Tess.
"It's too soon for the babies, isn't it?" he asked, immediately moving toward the door.
"We'll see, but we don't have much of a choice but to go ahead now. We're going to have to do a caesarean
"Is she going to be all right?"
"She's hanging in there. Of course she's upset, but that's to be expected."
"What caused her water to break? Was it something we could have prevented?"
"No, not at all. These things just happen, sometimes."
"I thought I'd be with her through this part of it."
"Unfortunately that isn't possible. I'll be back to discuss everything with you as soon as I know more."
He nodded, then headed back through the swinging doors that led to the delivery rooms.
Craig had never felt more helpless in his life. Or more scared. He wanted to be with Tess. He wanted to reassure her that everything was going to be okay, even when he wasn't certain he believed that, himself.
He'd had six months with her. Only six months. That wasn't enough time. Look at all those years that he could have been with her and hadn't been.
He kept seeing her as that little girl with her hair in a ponytail, her front teeth missing. If anyone could pull through this, Tess could. She was a fighter. She'd show everybody.
And the twins? Could they survive such an early birth? He wanted them so much, but not at the expense of losing Tess. He couldn't imagine his life without her. She was just now beginning to trust that he loved her and would always be there for her.
It had taken him a long time to convince her of his total love and acceptance of her. As she steadily grew in size, she'd been adamant that nobody could possibly find her attractive, And yet she was absolutely beautiful, like a rose at full bloom, ripe and voluptuous.
They'd found a house they wanted in an older part of Pasadena. It had been built in a time of gracefulness and spaciousness. They had discussed terms with
the owners, a couple who were retiring and who wanted to move closer to their children.
Craig eXplained about the twins and that it was too near Tess's time to consider a move immediately. Because there wasn't a compelling reason for the older couple to leave right away, they agreed to postpone the closing until after the twins were born.
What would he and Tess do if something happened to the twins? Their lives had revolved around that notion for six months. He thought he had Tess convinced of his sincerity about staying there with her. But if she lost the babies, would she remember that? Or would she think that he would want his freedom?
Freedom was what he'd always prized. It still was. Freedom meant different things to different people. In his case, it was his choice to curtail his photo-taking assignments and to remain with Tess.
He could no more imagine a life without Tess in it on a daily basis than he could imagine life on another planet.
Craig could not sit still. He walked down the hallway and found a coffee machine. He tried not to think about all the possibilities. Instead he concentrated on a successful conclusion to this harrowing night.
Almost two hours passed before the doctor reappeared. He looked as though he'd been through a marathon race, but he was smiling.
"Is she all right?" were Craig's first words.
The doctor nodded. "All of them are doing as well as can be expected. I think we're going to be able to pull the girls through. They're small, but all their signs are good."
"Girls?"
The doctor held out his hand. "You've got a household of girls. You'd better get used to lace and ribbons."
Craig laughed, elated. "Are you kidding? If they're anything like their mother, they'll be demanding footballs and track shoes!" He felt almost giddy with relief. "Can I see Tess now?"
"I'm afraid not for several hours. She's in recovery. We won't place her into her room until she's fully conscious."
"Does she know about the girls?"
"Not yet. We'll tell her as soon as she comes around." The doctor glanced at his watch. "You've got time to get a few hours of sleep before she'll be able to have company. Why don't you go on home?"
Craig took his advice, since it was less than fifteen minutes away, As soon as he got home, he called his parents, alerting them to the news. Then he fell across the bed and crashed, needing to deal with the idea that their wait was over. He was asleep in minutes.
"Have you seen them?" Tess asked as soon as he stepped into her room.
"You bet. Boy, does that one have your temper. She's letting everybody know that she isn't at all happy about the way things are run in there." He leaned' over and kissed her. She looked pale, but her eyes were bright and her smile made him think of a child on Christmas morning.
"Oh, Craig. Where did you get the flowers?"
He glanced down at the delicate arrangement. "At the florist's downstairs. You had to have something to remind you that you're now a mommy." He placed the flowers beside the bed.
"Have you decided on names, yet?"
"Not really. We've talked about so many," "How about Tiffany and Crystal?"
She arched a brow. "Sounds like a couple of burlesque queens."
"Come to think of it, that's probably where I first heard them," he replied, grinning.
She shook her head. "You're hopeless, you do know that, don't you?"
He took her hand. "All I know is that I've never been so scared in all my life than I was over this deal." "Me, too. They're so small, Craig."
"But healthy. The doctor's reassured us on that one." After a moment, he said, "Is there anyone you want me to notify at your office?"
"That's okay. I can call from here. It will be fun surprising everybody with th e news."
"The doctor said you're going to have to take it easy since you had surgery. You're not going to bounce back quite as quickly as you planned."
"It doesn't really matter. After all, I've got a husband who's going to pamper us. You've done a good job of convincing me that you can take care of us."
"Will wonders never cease? Does this mean that the self-reliant Tess Cassidy has officially tossed away all her reservations about hanging on to her independence? Gee, I must have done something fight."
"You have. You've taught me about the kind of dad I never had. My girls are very lucky to have you in their life."
"Then you won't care if I teach them how to take photographs and wander the world with me looking for the next great shot?"
"Not as long as I'm along for the trip."
"Never fear, my love. I wouldn't want it any other way." '
Dear ReaCt,
Once upon a time I gave birth to four sons in seven years. Looking back to that time in my life, I can summarize how I fdt in one word: outnumbered.
I'd been, raised an only child. Boys had always seemed to me to be a strange species filled with boisterous rowdiness. I've never had reason to change my original opinion.
In retrospect I realize that
my sons taught me as much as I taught them. Seeing them today, I'm amazed that these four men were ever grubby lit de boys, demanding all of my time and attention, completely stealing my heart away in the
Motherhood is an ongoing process. The role changes as needs change; Of all the things I've been in my life--student, wife, mother, secretary, teacher, singer, actor, and author-- being a mother was by far the most demanding. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
Annette Broadrick Page 8
