But the Children Survived

by A. L. Jambor

  Lauren led the way to the back yard through the kitchen. There were plates on the table, and the sink was full of dishes.

  “Please excuse the mess. I worked yesterday and was exhausted when I came home.” She opened the sliding glass door and led Teresa and Lorraine to the wooden deck on the back of the house. Rocky was chasing birds off the lawn.

  “Hey, Rocky, come here!” Lauren called. He stopped what he was doing and just stared at her. “Oh, come on, Rocky. Don't be so stubborn.”

  Rocky slowly made his way over to Lauren. Lorraine asked if she could pet him and Lauren nodded her head. When Lorraine bent down to stroke his head, Rocky jerked his head to the side and closed his eyes as if she were about to strike him. Lorraine backed off, not wanting to cause him anymore distress.

  “Are you sure you can handle another pet right now?” Teresa asked.

  “Oh, sure, I have plenty of room and I promised Sue she could have the puppy. I can't go back on that promise.”

  Teresa was very unsure of what to do. Lauren obviously couldn’t handle another pet. But she had promised her the pick of the litter and she wasn't sure what would happen if she reneged. Lauren might sue her for the puppy anyway and win. She looked at Lorraine and knew she was thinking the same thing.

  Sue came running out fully dressed. She smiled and ran over to her mom. Lauren handed her the puppy and she ran into the middle of the yard clutching the puppy close to her. She sat down on the ground and put the puppy down in front of her.

  The puppy tried to run back to Teresa, but Sue grabbed her and clutched her close to keep her there. Rocky ran over to Sue to inspect this new interloper. He growled and barked at Sue.

  “Rocky!” Lauren yelled, “Back off!”

  Rocky backed off and ran to the other side of the yard with a scared look in his eyes. He looked at Lauren and then at the puppy.

  “I'll keep them apart until she’s big enough to handle him.”

  Lauren seemed satisfied with this arrangement, but Teresa was still feeling guilty about leaving the puppy in this madhouse. She looked at Lorraine who shrugged her shoulders.

  “Well then, I guess we should go.”

  Since this was a combo breed not yet recognized by the AKC, Teresa didn’t have papers for the dog. She had only a record of her shots. She handed that to Lauren.

  “Thanks for bringing her down. Call anytime and I’ll tell you how she's doing.”

  Lauren led them to the front door and waved goodbye. She walked back to the yard to check on Sue and the puppy. As she approached the sliding glass door, she heard Sue yell for her. She ran out onto the deck and saw Rocky with his mouth securely wrapped around the little puppy's neck, shaking her from side to side. The little female was whimpering.

  Lauren ran over to them and got the puppy away from Rocky. The puppy wriggled out of Lauren's hand and ran to the edge of the fence trying desperately to get away. Sue went over and picked her up.

  “It's okay, Baby Girl,” said. “That's her name Mommy, Baby Girl.”

  She clutched the little dog to her chest and ran into the house. She spent the rest of the afternoon keeping the puppy in her room, dressing her in doll clothes.

  *****

  Two weeks later Lauren Sheridan sat crying at her kitchen table. She couldn’t stand the noise in the house anymore. Her mom had told her to bring the kids over so Lauren could have some peace.

  Lauren had dropped them off at her mother's house and come home to find that Rocky had bitten Baby Girl again. This arrangement was just not working out and Lauren didn't know what to do. Her Aunt Mimi was visiting Lauren's mom and came back to the house with Lauren. She saw Baby Girl and picked her up.

  “It's not too bad. It doesn't look like he wanted to really hurt her, just warned her. Look, he hardly broke the skin.”

  She showed Lauren the tiny mark on Baby Girl's neck.

  “There's no blood, Lauren, so I don't think she needs to go to the vet. I'll wash it off and put some antibiotic cream on it.”

  Aunt Mimi held the puppy to her face and kissed it. She took her over to the sink and gently washed her neck. She then wrapped her in a towel and held her like a baby.

  “I just love this dog. I think she’s the cutest thing I've ever seen. Yes, you are the cutest thing I've ever seen.” Aunt Mimi was nuzzling the puppy.

  “You want her?” Lauren asked.

  Aunt Mimi's old dog, Benny, had passed away six weeks earlier. Her husband, Fritz, was devastated by the loss. He sat in a chair and stared into space most days. But that dog had been big and Aunt Mimi, who would take in any dog, was not sure how Fritzy would take to a little dog like this, a puppy no less.

  Aunt Mimi missed having a dog so much. Any animal they had owned had been her choice. She was always bringing home strays. She decided right there and then to take the puppy home.

  “Are you serious, Lauren? Won't Sue be upset?”

  “She's bored with her already. She has no interest in her and rarely thinks to feed her or care for her. It's my decision and I want you to have her if you want her.”

  “Oh, I want her all right. I love her already.”

  And so it was that Baby Girl came to live with Aunt Mimi and Uncle Fritz Lane, otherwise known as Grammy and Opa to Mindy Lane of St. Petersburg, Florida.

  Chapter 32

  Colts Neck, New Jersey

  Teresa had been sad about the puppy for a month now. She just kept hoping the little female would be alright. Antonio told her to call Lauren and ask her how the puppy was doing. She didn’t know what she would do if Lauren answered the phone with screaming dogs and children in the background, but she mustered her courage and dialed the number. Lauren was home alone when Teresa called.

  Lauren told Teresa that her aunt, an elderly lady from Tuckerton, had taken Baby Girl and the puppy was very happy there. Teresa sighed with relief. She thanked Lauren and hung up. Then her stomach turned over and she ran to the bathroom and threw up.

  Teresa had been feeling tired lately. She had missed her period and now was throwing up almost daily. She knew she was pregnant, but hadn’t gone to the drug store yet to purchase a test. She was almost finished with her master's and she didn't really want a baby just yet. She hadn’t told Antonio what she suspected and wouldn’t until it was confirmed.

  She went to Lincroft Pharmacy and purchased a pregnancy test. The next morning, she took the test and it came up positive. Now she would have to make an appointment with Dr. Tangen.

  Donald S. Tangen had been Teresa's gynecologist since she was in high school. He was an avid Yankees fan and his office was covered with sports memorabilia. Dr. Tangen had contemplated going into sports medicine, but gynecology was much more lucrative. It was the end of the summer and Dr. Tangen was brown as a berry. He coached a Little League team and had spent most of the summer in the sun, bronzing his olive skin. His brown eyes twinkled when he told Teresa she was indeed pregnant and the baby should be born sometime in May. He prescribed prenatal vitamins and told her to eat well and get plenty of exercise.

  When Teresa got home, Antonio was sitting with his paper at the kitchen table. She walked over to him and put her arms around his neck. She hesitated for a moment, thinking about college. She might make it through the whole term if she doubled up on some of her classes. But she was so tired already that she didn't think that would work. What choice did she have? She could never terminate the pregnancy. But would Antonio let her continue college? His fear of miscarriage was so intense he might insist she sit on her butt for nine months.

  Teresa sat down in her chair. She looked at Antonio, who had put the paper aside.

  “I have some news. I'm pregnant.”

  “Cara mia, my beautiful girl.”

  Antonio got up and walked over to Teresa. She got out of her chair and they hugged each other tightly.

  “I’m so happy. You’ve made me so happy.” Antonio was beaming.

  “You're not afraid?” Teresa was searching his eyes for a te
lltale sign of fear.

  “Afraid? No, you’re healthy. You’ll be fine. And I’ve never noticed anything wrong with your cervix.” He winked at her.

  “Then you won't mind me finishing college?”

  “Why should I? You worked hard. You must finish. If you feel tired, you take a rest. If you don't finish, you finish after the baby is born. We can work it out.”

  Teresa hugged him even tighter. She was so relieved he wouldn’t fight her on this.

  “Well, we must go out and celebrate,” Antonio said.

  Teresa nodded and kissed Antonio passionately.

  *****

  Teresa was in her second trimester when Dr. Tangen noticed a thinning in her cervix. The baby was sitting low and Teresa appeared to be slightly dilated. He insisted she go to bed and stay there until the baby was born.

  “But I have classes. I can't be homebound. And you can’t tell Antonio.”

  “I won't tell your husband without your permission, but you have to stay off your feet or you’ll lose this baby. You’re dilated already and you have four months to go. Teresa, there will be time later to finish your degree. There may not be another baby. You never know. You have to go to bed and stay there. I will arrange for home visits so you have someone to help you in and out of bed for bathroom breaks. Get a good long book and stay in bed!”

  Teresa could have punched him at that moment. Men thought it was so easy for a woman to just drop everything. But Teresa knew once the baby was born it would be a lot harder to finish school. It wouldn’t be impossible, but much harder. She slid off the examining table and checked out of the office.

  On the drive home she began to cry. She remembered Chloe's miscarriage and the pain it had caused. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose this baby. She would have to tell Antonio. She had no choice.

  That evening at dinner she told Antonio what Dr. Tangen had said. Antonio raised his eyebrows and smiled.

  “I can give you the drug. It will stop this.” He had the biggest smile on his face. He could help her, and it made him feel so good. “You can finish school.”

  As much as she trusted Antonio, she wouldn’t drink that purple stuff. She absolutely refused.

  “No, I will not have a purple baby. No. I will do what Dr. Tangen says.”

  “But Teresa, it will work. And the baby will only be purple for a little while.”

  “Are you listening to yourself? No, no purple babies. I’ll stay in bed until he or she is born.”

  Teresa got up from the table and put the dishes in the sink. She started putting water in the sink when Antonio came over and told her to go to bed, that he would finish the dishes. Teresa kissed his cheek and went to their bedroom. She put on her softest nightgown and got into bed.

  Two weeks later, despite doctor-ordered bed rest, Teresa miscarried her little baby girl. When Antonio brought her home from the hospital, Teresa went straight to bed and refused to get out for three weeks. Her mother came to the house and stayed with her while Antonio went to work.

  Antonio was careful not to mention the drug that would have saved her from this pain. Dr. Tangen had told Antonio that if they tried to have another baby, Teresa might have to be in bed for the whole term of her pregnancy, but there was every reason to believe she could have a baby. Antonio knew that if she ever got pregnant again, he would give her the purple spores even if he had to do it intravenously.

  *****

  In the spring of 1993, Wilmer and March opened their new Tampa, Florida facility. Jake Rawlings approached Antonio to ask him how he felt about moving to Florida. The company wanted Antonio to run their Tampa research labs.

  This was a wonderful opportunity for Antonio, but he wasn’t sure how Teresa would handle it. She loved living near her parents. They had a wonderful life here. He told Jake he would have to think about it.

  “Don't think too long, Antonio. They have some guy named Todd in animal research jockeying for the position. I know for a fact that they would rather have you. I vouched for your abilities. You’re the best in this lab.”

  This was a shock to Antonio. In all the time he had worked with Jake, he’d never heard him say one thing about his performance. Even during his reviews, Jake would say “Keep it up” without specifying what “it” was. Antonio knew he was up to the task and he hoped Teresa would be willing to support him. She would graduate in a few weeks and was firming up her resume. She could easily transfer those skills to Florida.

  That evening Antonio brought home flowers. He came through the back door into the kitchen. Teresa looked up from her cooking and saw the flowers. She frowned as he gave them to her.

  “Who died?” She said.

  “No one died. What a thing to say,” Antonio said.

  “Well, you never bring me flowers unless you have bad news.”

  Antonio thought about this and realized it was true.

  “I hadn’t realized I did that. No, this is good news, maybe,” Antonio said.

  Teresa was still frowning. She took the flowers out of the wrapper and cut the ends off before putting them in water.

  “So, you might as well spill it,” she said. Antonio gave her a strange look. “The news, spill the news, tell me.”

  “Oh, well, I’ve been offered a big promotion.”

  “But...” Teresa instinctively knew that there was some big catch.

  “They want me to go to Florida.”

  Teresa sat down at the table. Antonio took his seat there too. She looked at him for a long time before speaking.

  “This is very important to you, your career, isn't it?”

  “Yes, it is. I would be given a lot more responsibility, more assistants, and more important assignments. It would be very good for me.”

  Antonio could see the wheels spinning behind Teresa's eyes. He knew what she was thinking.

  “It's far away, Antonio. Florida is too far to drive. My parents are getting older and I would feel very guilty leaving them alone here. You have to let me think about this. When do they need to know?”

  “Jake says soon. Some other guy is being considered, but they really want me. It’s a brand new facility in Tampa.”

  Teresa could see the excitement behind Antonio's grim facade. He was trying to look as though this would be hardship for him too, but he wasn’t fooling her. He was chomping at the bit.

  Teresa thought about how he’d always gone along with everything she wanted to do, how he had encouraged her. He’d never held her back except where more puppies were concerned. He even left his country and his family to be with her. And he’d never asked her for anything like this before.

  “I want to call my mother,” she said and headed for the bedroom.

  When she came out, she was smiling. Her mother told her that they would be fine, and that they had even been considering relocating to Florida themselves. The Jersey winters were getting to be too much for them. She encouraged Teresa to go and support her husband. Teresa didn’t know that she was pregnant.

  Chapter 33

  They drove to Tampa with Chloe between them and Ricky on Teresa's lap looking out the window. Every so often he would bark at a passing car. They followed the moving van to the house they had rented sight unseen in Brandon.

  They had sold their house in Colt's Neck for a huge profit and Teresa was learning how to invest it. In the meantime, they would stay in the rental house. Teresa suggested they put most of their stuff in storage until they knew where they were going to live and Antonio agreed.

  The house was a small stucco affair with two bedrooms and one and a half baths. There was a pool in the back yard and an attached garage. The moving men emptied the van quickly and left Teresa and Antonio to sort through the mess.

  Teresa had been feeling really tired and was concerned she might be pregnant again. She remembered Dr. Tangen telling her she would have to be on constant bed rest if she ever got pregnant again.

  Teresa took Chloe and Ricky to the vet to get them squared away f
or their new licenses. She told the vet's technician that she was new in the area and was looking for an OBGYN. She told the tech that she had lost a baby and needed someone who specialized in that area. The young woman thought a minute and then asked her colleague if she knew anyone.

  “Yeah, I know somebody. Let me make a quick phone call.”

  Five minutes later the woman came back and gave Teresa the number of a Dr. Michael Tomlinson in St. Petersburg.

  “Isn't there anyone closer?” Teresa asked. St. Petersburg was miles away.

  “I talked to my sister. She had the same problem and he was real good. I don't know anybody local.”

  So Teresa thanked the young woman and left the office. Not being familiar with the area or having any friends to ask, Teresa decided to give Dr. Tomlinson a call.

  When she called, the receptionist said the doctor was booked for the next two months. Teresa made an appointment anyway and asked the receptionist to call if he had a cancellation. Then she waited for Antonio to come home so he could make her a batch of the nasty looking purple drug.

  *****

  Antonio had transported his lab to Florida, but right now it was sitting in storage. When Teresa asked him to prepare her some of the drug, a look of dismay crossed his face.

  “But you have the plants here,” she said.

  “I know, but it is not that easy. I have to have the right equipment.”

  Antonio thought of Maggie scraping the spores into a bowl and adding some water. He felt uncomfortable giving his wife and child a dose he hadn’t properly prepared in a lab. But he also knew that the women of the rainforest had been giving birth this way for hundreds of years, maybe thousands, and he really needn’t worry about Teresa or the baby.