Forever Your Concierge

by Jessica Ingro

The size of a small ballroom, the recreation room at one of the most elusive high-rises in Manhattan was the perfect setting for the young girl's thirteenth birthday party.

  A DJ was setting up in the far corner and a photo booth stood off to the side of where I stood. Other than that, nothing was done.

  I quickly got on my phone and began harassing the florist whose delivery driver was stuck in traffic. Next was the caterer who assured me he'd be there before the hour was done.

  Just as I was about to call her, my friend, Hanna, texted me that she was coming up the escalator. Thank God for that. There was no way I could transform this room into a luau without a second set of hands.

  It took nearly an hour to get all the tables lined up the way we wanted and covered with linens. Just as we were finishing the florist delivery boy started bringing the centerpieces in. We quickly disbursed them amongst the tables and started working on the other decorations I had delivered earlier in the week.

  "Where should we put the boxes of leis for the guests?" Hanna pointed to two giant boxes on the far end of the room.

  "Good question." I thought about it for a moment before coming up with an idea. "Let's take those two wooden palm trees and we'll put hooks in them to hang the leis off of. This way people can take them if they want them."

  "Great idea," she exclaimed and ran off to get the trees.

  The caterer came hustling in the room. His face was red and his chest heaved with his labored breaths. "I'm sorry I'm late. We'll be set up in no time."

  I waved him off and let him do his thing while I finished stringing lights.

  Stepping off the ladder, I took a look around the room and thought it looked pretty damn good considering the rush job we just did. I pulled my phone out and saw a missed call from Elizabeth. A quick glance at the clock told me returning her call would have to wait if I was going to get over to Marsha's in time to save her caviar. It had already been close to three hours since she called me.

  "Will you be okay if I leave you?" I asked Hanna, who was carefully stringing the leis on hooks that I was sure she found in my bag of tricks. When organizing events, I never left home without it. E had taught me well over the years, and it wasn't often I got caught needing something that wasn't in the bag.

  Hanna had been a part-time hire around the holidays to help me out with the more mundane tasks that took up a lot of my time. Fortunately for me, she was the perfect worker and I decided to keep her on indefinitely. She was a godsend.

  "Sure thing. If I have time, I'm going to run down to the corner store and buy stuff to make a quick sign instructing kids to take a lei." She gave me a wide smile and shooed me away.

  "Thanks! And don't forget to set up the limbo stick!" I called out as I ran out the door.

  Hailing a cab, I jumped in back and directed him to the Johnson's.

  I sat back and breathed a sigh of relief. The St. James had come to me last minute with the idea for this party. I hated not having enough time to fully prepare, but I was always up for a challenge. And now that things were back on track for me, I needed to keep myself busy so I didn't fall into old habits.

  We were a block away from the Johnson's when my phone rang. I looked down and saw it was Elizabeth. I picked it up ready to tell her I'd have to call back later but never got that far.

  "She's in labor," a freaked sounding Grant said into the phone.

  "Oh my God!" I squealed. "Wait... she's early again."

  He gave a weighted sigh. "Please, don't remind me. At least it's only two weeks this time."

  "I'll head over in a little bit. I'm in the middle of a job right now."

  "Please, Maya. I need you." His voice dipped low and my stomach dropped.

  "Is everything okay, Grant?" I cautiously asked him. Elizabeth had complications during her first pregnancy and ended up having an emergency cesarean section. If Grant hadn't found her bleeding out on the bedroom floor in Travis' apartment, God only knows if she or Vivi would have made it.

  "They say it'll be fine and she's lucid, but I'm not sure I can go through another delivery like Genevieve's," he confided in me. Grant was always so hard and demanding that it wasn't very often he showed vulnerability. There was no way I could tell him no—not when it was clear he was hanging on by a thread.

  "I'll be there as soon as I can."

  "I'll text you directions... And Maya? Thank you." The call disconnected and I yelled at the cabbie to wait while I ran into the Johnson's building and surprisingly enough found the cooler still on the elevator. Running it upstairs to their apartment, I dug out my key ring and located the appropriate key. I threw the food and champagne into the fridge and was running back to the elevator in no time flat. On my way, I dialed Travis and let him know where to find me. He assured me he would get to the hospital as soon as he could.

  Closing my eyes once I was back inside the cab, I prayed that my friend and her baby would make it through today in perfect health.

  * * *

  Grant was pacing the hallway as the elevator doors opened.

  "Took you long enough," he snapped at me before turning on his heel and briskly walking to the room at the end of the hall.

  "Hey. I thought I made pretty good time."

  As he opened the door, Grant gave me a harsh look that might have intimated me if I didn't know he was such a softy deep down inside. He walked right to the bed and grasped Elizabeth's hand. She looked pale and her face was twisted in agony. Not going to lie, for a brief moment I was scared of childbirth.

  "Hi, sweetie. How you doing?" I pulled up a chair next to her and wiped her damp hair back from her face.

  "It hurts so bad," she whimpered, and I realized her knuckles were white as she gripped Grant's hand.

  "Are they going to give you drugs?"

  "They said she's too far progressed for an epidural."

  "Stop," she scolded him.

  "They're idiots and they're lucky I don't have their jobs for treating you like that," he complained.

  "Can you get me a cold washcloth?" Elizabeth asked me and I scrambled to do her bidding.

  When I came back she was panting and attempting to do her breathing exercises while Grant tried to encourage her.

  "Will you shut it?" She clenched her teeth and glared at him.

  Putting the cool cloth on her forehead, I resumed my perch next to her bed and shot Grant a look that showed I sympathized with him. Poor guy looked like his world was ending.

  "Where's the damn doctor?" He barked. "I'm going to have his license if he doesn't get here soon."

  "Are they doing a C-section again?" I knew she was considered a high-risk pregnancy, but I wasn't sure what that meant in the grand scheme of things.

  "She insisted that they call her doctor to do a C-section. They were supposed to do this before she went into labor, not after. That bastard doctor of hers is probably jacking off while my wife is in pain," he cursed.

  "It'll be okay," Elizabeth said softly and ran her hand through his hair.

  "How long have you been here?"

  "Not very," he reluctantly admitted.

  "If it were bad, they'd take her up to surgery with or without her doctor," I assured him.

  His shoulders seemed to relax a bit and he nodded his head.

  The precarious calmness in the room shattered however when Elizabeth let out a blood curdling scream.

  Grant pressed feverishly on the call button and the door burst open with nurses and doctors rushing into the room.

  "She's hemorrhaging," one nurse said.

  "Let's get her up to surgery," a doctor ordered.

  "Grant," Elizabeth screamed looking for him as they prepped her.

  "I'm right here, love. I'm not going anywhere." He ran his fingers through her hair from behind the head of her bed. "You're going to be okay."

  She nodded and mouthed the words "I love you."

  I watched it all in a daze and found myself crying silently as my friend was wheeled briskly from the room, Grant
running after them.

  "Do you know where they're taking her?" I asked a nurse stationed outside E's room.

  "Sure thing, doll. I'll take you there." She brought me up a floor to a new waiting room where Grant paced nervously in front of the windows barking threats and orders into his phone.

  "It's going to be okay," I said when he pocketed the device and gave me a devastated look.

  "Why didn't they just do this earlier? And where the fuck is her doctor?" I didn't bother to answer his rhetorical questions. There was no right or wrong answer to them. Nothing was going to change where we were at now. "I'm going to go find out what the fuck is going on."

  I stopped him when he made tracks towards the door. "Let them do their thing. They don't need you going on a rampage."

  "If anything happens to either one of them, I'll make them all suffer," he promised.

  "I know you will. Why don't you sit down and try to relax while we wait." I sat in a chair and patted the one next me.

  "I thought it would be different. I pampered her during this pregnancy. Made sure she had no stress. I tried so damn hard." His voice cracked and he slumped into the seat.

  "You're a great husband, Grant, but even you can't control this."

  "I can't lose her. I can't. I won't be able to go on without her. She's such a big part of me. I can't even begin to fathom a world without her in it."

  "You won't have to live without her. She's going to be fine. She's so strong and she has so much to live for. She'll fight. I know she will."

  Time ticked by while Grant mumbled and cursed to himself and I stared out the window. It was so surreal being with him in this same situation.

  I excused myself and went to the ladies room. When I finished up, I pulled my cell phone out and checked with Hanna, who assured me everything had gone well. Then I called Travis. It wasn't until I heard his voice that I realized how desperately I needed him with me.

  "Is the baby here?" I could hear street noise in the background so I hoped he was on his way.

  "It's really bad, Trav," I blubbered and allowed myself to cry now that Grant wasn't there to watch.

  "What happened?"

  "She hemorrhaged again and they took her in for surgery. I just keep thanking God that she was in the hospital this time."

  "How's Grant?"

  "Worse than last time. We've been keeping Gail in the dark as best he can because of her weak heart. She stayed home with Jennie and Vivi."

  "Fuck. I'm on my way. I would have cancelled my last meeting and come sooner if I'd known there was anything wrong." He apologized.

  "I know. I need you now though."

  "I'll see you soon. Love you."

  "Love you too."

  Hanging up the phone, I moved quickly down the hall towards the waiting room. I had already left Grant alone for too long. He had been holding it together better than I anticipated.

  As I rounded the corner, I found Grant speaking with a doctor in dark blue scrubs. I joined them just as he was saying, "You have a healthy baby boy, Mr. Morgan."

  "And Elizabeth?" I asked in an effort to get myself up to speed.

  "She's okay."

  Grant breathed a sigh of relief when he said it. Turning back to the doctor he asked, "Can I see them now?"

  "You can see your son while Elizabeth's in recovery. Once she's moved to a suite we'll come get you."

  "Thank you, doctor." He gave the man a quick hug and pulled back with a sheepish look on his face. "She's my world," was all he said to explain his odd behavior. Grant wasn't a man to touch other people without purpose or to show vulnerability. It was a touching sight to see.

  Grant headed for the door the doctor disappeared through. Stopping and turning back to me he asked, "You coming or what?"

  I squealed and ran after him, anxious to see baby Devereaux James—named after Grant's grandfather—or DJ as Elizabeth planned to call him.

  "Wash your hands," he ordered when we entered the room where the nurse cradled a tiny blue bundle.

  I complied with his request and leaned over his shoulder when he sat in a rocking chair holding his son.

  Running my forefinger gently down the baby's cheek, I was in awe of this beautiful little life that Elizabeth and Grant had created. "He's beautiful," I whispered.

  "I know," he whispered back. "I can't believe he's really here."

  "Elizabeth is never going to want to let this little guy go," I forewarned him.

  "I know that too. I'm going to have to get my fill in while I can. I figure she'll have to sleep and go to the bathroom sometime," he quipped making me laugh softly.

  "Good luck with that."

  "Want to hold him while I go call Gail?"

  "Of course!" He reluctantly handed his son to me, all the while giving me instructions on how to hold him properly. I waved him off and settled into the chair, slowly rocking us back and forth.

  "You're something else, you know that?" DJ let out a little yawn and scrunched up his nose. "Don't tell him I said it but you look a lot like your dad only with your mommy's hair."

  He wriggled a little but settled quickly. Such a good baby.

  Holding him in my arms made me ache again for my own my child. The urge to be a mother was stronger than ever, and I allowed myself a small moment to be sad for what I lost. I wasn't afraid of completely breaking down with the memory of losing something that I couldn't replace. It would be impossible to do with this precious little bundle snuggled so close.

  "I'm your aunt Maya and I'm going to love the crap out of you kid. When Mommy and Daddy say no, Aunt Maya will say yes." I giggled at that. There was nothing more rewarding than spoiling a child you loved. Especially when it drove their parents nuts.

  I had DJ snuggled to my chest when Grant came back in the room. He gave me an exasperated look when I refused to hand his son over. "Maya," he said in a measured voice. "Don't make me do something we'll both regret."

  "Fine," I said in an aggrieved voice.

  "Travis is in the waiting room. You can go hold him."

  "It's not the same," I whined. When he rolled his eyes at me, I stomped to the door. "I'll be back. You can't keep him from me forever."

  "Thanks for the warning," I heard him say as the door closed behind me.

  "Hey," Travis greeted me a few feet from the room. I walked into his arms, wrapping mine around his waist and resting my head on his chest.

  "Hey," my voice was muffled from his sweater.

  "Grant says everything's good. He checked on Lizzie and she should be in a room soon."

  I nodded my head and burrowed a little further into his body.

  "You handling this okay? I can imagine it's hard for you." He pressed his cheek to the top of my head.

  "I'm okay. He's this tiny little miracle that you can't help but love as soon as you look at him. I'm happy for them. E deserves the family she has."

  "You deserve one too you know."

  I pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "I know and I'm ready to try again."

  "You are?" His delighted eyes scanned my face. They were filled with so much hope that it clogged my throat to witness it.

  "I've never been more sure. I can't keep being afraid that I'll miscarry again. I'll make an appointment with the doctor tomorrow."

  Travis whooped and swung me around.

  When we both sobered, he cupped my cheek with his hand. "I'll be with you every step of the way, sweetheart."

  Chapter Twenty

  Five months later...

  "He is the most perfect little thing I've ever seen," I gushed over a little sleeping DJ as I rocked him back and forth. Visiting E for the day, I found myself monopolizing the baby, much to his mother's dismay.

  "You shouldn't say that in front of your goddaughter," Elizabeth scolded me before giving a glance over to where Vivi was playing with her dolls.

  "Yeah, well she is perfect too. You and Grant make beautiful babies."

  "I know." She sighed dreamily.

/>   "I heard Grant grumbling about how you won't be having any more children after having two hard pregnancies." Elizabeth's face compressed and she blew out a breath.

  "I'm working on him. It's not like I want to go get pregnant tomorrow or anything, but there will be more children."

  "And if he takes matters into his own hands and snip snips?" I wasn't about to admit to her that Grant told Travis he planned on getting a vasectomy to ensure no more children. That was for them to work through.

  "Oh, he threatened it, but he won't do it. He knows I'll lose all my trust in him. That isn't a one-sided decision to be making. It's something that we need to discuss together. I won't put my health at risk if it comes down to it. My children need me. I know that. I always saw myself having three. I'm not ready to let that go yet."

  I gave her a small smile. "I know all about not wanting to let go of something like that."

  "How is all that going?" She asked, referring to our infertility treatments.

  "It's going." I evaded.

  "What does that mean?" She sipped her tea, casually waiting for me to elaborate.

  "It means I'm still barren, but hey, we're getting somewhere." The joke fell flat even with me.

  "Have you thought about going further with in vitro?"

  "We have actually. This is going to be my last round of hormones before we move on to the next step with a more aggressive plan. I keep teasing Travis we are going to end up with a bunch of kids like Octomom or something." We both giggled at the thought. "Could you imagine us trying to herd that many children? Yikes!"

  "No, and if you ever need me to babysit, just know I'm booked." I rolled my eyes at her. "Keep me updated. You know I’m always here if you need someone to talk to."

  "Thanks. I know. I'm trying really hard this time to lean on you and Travis. I've even brought my mom into the loop. She was upset about the miscarriage, but she's being really supportive."

  "Did you tell her about what happened afterwards?"

  I shook my head fervently. "Hell no. I'd never hear the end of it if I did." At her look of disbelief, I continued, "Oh please like you'd tell your mom?"

  "Okay, you have me there."

  When DJ woke up screaming, I handed him off to Elizabeth. She went to change him, so I got down on the floor to play with Vivi.