by Ewing, A. B.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean.” Caleb said confused. The elderly man broke into a healthy fit of laughter.
“You young people, you don’t even see what’s right in front of you. Has your wife been moody lately? No? Tired, always in the bathroom?” he stated more than asked.
The expression on Caleb’s face answered yes to all of his questions.
“That, Hijo, is because you are going to be a papa. Your wife is pregnant,” he announced.
Caleb was stumped.
Could it be? Was Neela really pregnant? How could he have not seen that? A bout of nausea rose in his throat. She had been complaining for weeks of not feeling well. He just assumed she was using that as an excuse to get out of attending the many functions they hosted. She wasn’t acting, she was really sick. Caleb groaned inwardly at the revelation.
He must have drifted away because Mr. Salvaro tapped the desk in front of him.
“Now let’s get these papers signed, so you can go home to your esposa. From the look on your face, I am guessing you did not know.”
He shook his head. He had really messed up. He had to find a way to fix this.
****
Signing the papers and finalizing the contract took almost four hours. By the time they were finished it was after lunch, but he didn’t care about food. He wanted to go home to his wife.
Sitting in the garage in his parked car, Caleb tried to clear his thoughts. His heart raced at the thought of being a father. Neela deserved so much more than what he had given her these past few months. Instead of being the husband she needed he had become the dictator, demanding that she fit into his world. He had forgotten that his reason for falling in love with her was because she was nothing like the people from his world. There was a lot to be made up for but he would do it. He would love his wife for who she was and not what everyone wanted her to be. She was Neela Wilder, an exotic beauty from a little unknown island in the Caribbean. She was his wife and he would fight to keep it that way.
Images of him and Lori flashed across his mind threatening to spoil his good news and he fought to block them out. Neela must never know about him and Lori.
Grabbing the bouquet of flowers and the gift bag on the passenger seat, he stepped out of his car and headed inside. When he entered the front door of the condo, a feeling of emptiness enveloped him. There was no sound of Calypso music floating through the air, no aroma of Caribbean flavored food. Maybe she was resting.
“Neela…?”
No answer. He went through to the kitchen, it too was empty.
“Sweetheart…?”
Still no answer.
After surveying the entire first floor, he headed upstairs.
“Neela…?” He opened the bedroom door. Where was she?
He got his answer when he saw the photos scattered across the bed. Tossing the contents of his hands at the foot of the bed, he gathered up the photos. Something dropped from between the papers with a loud clink. Neela’s wedding ring.
Picking up the ring, he sunk to the bed and leafed through the pictures causing a wave of dizziness to claim him.
“God, no,” a hoarse whisper escaped from his throat. These were pictures of him and Lori from last night. How had she gotten these?
Panic gripped him and he shot up from the bed. Yanking open the closet door he fought his way through the clothes, looking for her suitcases. They weren’t there.
Despair filled him when he realized what happened. She was gone. Neela had left.
‘Okay Caleb, don’t panic, you can still fix this. Think Caleb, think! There is only one place she would go - back to Trinidad.’ He would catch the earliest flight out. When he reached for his phone in his coat pocket it rang. Without looking at the display, he jammed it to his ear, daring to hope.
“Neela…?”
It was as if the devil himself had planned his day. It wasn’t Neela on the other end. It was his sister, Daphne. George Wilder was in the hospital. His father had a massive heart attack.
The next six months were spent at his parents’ side. Helen Wilder had withered into a fragile looking woman who desperately needed the support of her children. Their father’s heart attack had been too much to handle.
Stuart, once again stepped in to fill Caleb’s shoe at Wilder Inc. and Caleb spent his time with his parent’s.
He dreaded going to the condo. Neela had only been there a total of four months but her scent lingered everywhere. The few times he did go, he would lie on their bed and allow himself to think about her, about the baby she may be carrying and his heart ached. How could he have been so stupid? He had failed her from day one. Four short, stinking month was all it took for him to break his vows. She must hate him so much.
Not a day went by that he didn’t think about his wife. He missed her so bad that sometimes he felt as if he couldn’t breathe. Memories of their short time together would emerge at the worst time, burying him in long periods of depression. Blake tried finding her but his search turned up nothing. She had not gone back to Trinidad.
Caleb searched for her in Florida but Kaylee no longer lived there and she left no forwarding address. It was as if she had disappeared off the face of the earth.
At the end of the six months Caleb had to resign himself to the fact that his wife did not want to be found. He had lost her and now he would never know if he was going to be a father.
****
Chapter 9
PRESENT DAY
The sound of raised voices outside Neela’s hospital room drew Caleb back to his surroundings. He didn’t know how long he had been lying there but at some point he must have stopped crying.
Looking up at Neela’s still sleeping form, he smiled. She was here now, and he would fight to keep her this time, both her and Melody.
Despite protesting muscles, Caleb rose from his sitting position. Brushing his wife’s cheeks with a tender kiss he went outside to see what all the noise was about.
From the moment he saw her, he knew who she was. It was Kaylee. This was the woman who had befriended his wife and after so many years was only a phone call away. Circumstances had never allowed them to meet personally five years ago. Neela had enough pictures of her to last a lifetime.
Kaylee was the exact opposite of Neela. Hair cut short and obviously professionally maintained, her skin was almost as pale as his. She did not have Neela’s high cheekbones or pouty lips. She had that heart shaped face that most men adored and her thin lips were turned down with worry.
She too, knew who he was, because she walked right up to him and before anyone could speak, her hand connected with his face. Caleb put a hand to his stinging skin but did not move.
“I have been waiting five years to do that, you bastard.” Kaylee fumed. But how could he blame her? He deserved that and so much more after what he had done to Neela.
“You must be Kaylee.” He stated the obvious.
“How is she?” the tiny woman asked, glaring at him. She paid no attention to the nurses who stopped to witness the public confrontation.
“She’s okay so far. Daphne, that’s my sister, said that we will not know for sure until she wakes up…”
“Aunty Kay!” Caleb was interrupted by an excited Melody, who whisked past him to embrace Neela’s pregnant friend.
Kaylee knelt, gathering the child in an awkward hug.
“Oh my sweet baby, are you okay? Let me look at you.” She put her away a little and surveyed the tiny girl. She then gathered her into an embrace again, feathering kisses over her face.
“Kaylee...” She turned at the sound of her name and Caleb looked at a man almost running up the corridor, a sleeping child slumped over his shoulder.
“Kevin…she’s okay,” Kaylee assured him. Kevin! ‘You had poor Kevin worried.’ That’s what Kaylee had said. Was this Neela’s lover? Caleb felt a sudden pang of jealousy at the sight of the man which was quickly replaced by the need to punch him square in the face. He was Neela’s husban
d.
Relief quickly flowed through him when Kevin embraced Kaylee and she clung to him. He was not Neela’s lover; he belonged to Kaylee.
Both his sisters stood beside him, ready and willing to offer their much needed support.
“Kaylee these are my sisters KC and Daphne. Daphe, Kace this is Neela’s friend, Kaylee.”
Melody was sitting with Kevin who was still holding the sleeping child; she leaned her tiny body against him and once again Caleb felt that stab of jealously. Melody was his daughter, not Kevin’s.
Kaylee’s eye’s followed his and then she looked back at him.
“You know, don’t you?” He knew what she was asking, and he nodded.
“Caleb, there is something else you should know.” Her voice softened. Maybe she was aware of what he felt. Something in her tone made him shiver and he looked away from his daughter to Kaylee.
She turned to Kevin and the man must have understood her silent look, because he got up and came to where they were standing. Angling his body, he positioned himself so Caleb could see the sleeping child and he knew what Kaylee was going to say before she said it.
“This is Adam, Melody’s twin. Caleb, this is your son”
Caleb felt as if the world had tilted on its axis. He stumbled against his sisters as recognition dawned. Both Daphne and KC reached out to steady him.
He could see the same mop of curly hair that Melody had. The same straight little nose, the same sun-kissed skin tone.
All this was too much to take in. He had only learnt that he had a daughter a few hours ago, now he was hearing that he had a son. Twins! Neela had birthed him twins and he didn’t even know until now. His feet felt like jelly beneath him. Fearful that they may not be able to support him much longer, he blindly stumbled to one of the nearby chairs, sinking into it.
His sisters came to sit beside him. Raising hollow eyes to Daphne he attempted to speak.
“Daphne…” But his brain could not seem to form what his mouth wanted to say. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to block out the throbbing in his head. Daphne embraced him while KC rested her head on his back.
“Caleb it’s going to be alright. We’re here for you. Just tell us what to do.” Daphne was reassuring him again. She seemed to be doing that a lot today.
A sudden series of piercing screams filled the hospital floor and Caleb, together with everyone, turned to where it was coming from - Neela’s room!
****
Heart wrenching fear had him pummeling out of his seat and into the room, Daphne following closely behind, as fast as her pregnant belly would allow.
Neela’s hands were at her side, her eyes open, her head flaying from side to side. Her deafening screams echoed through the room causing Caleb’s steps to falter.
Daphne was standing close to her trying to calm her down.
“Neela, Neela, what’s wrong? Tell me what’s wrong.” Her screams continued to pierce the air. “Neela, tell me where it hurts.” Daphne turned to where Caleb stood at the door.
“Caleb I need you to wait outside.”
“Daphne…!” he protested.
“No Caleb, stay with your children.” Something in the way she looked at him told him this was not good.
With one last hesitant look, he stepped out of the room. Kaylee and KC were both pacing the corridor. Kevin, Melody and Adam were nowhere in sight. He must have taken them away from the commotion. Kaylee confronted him as he came out.
“What is it? What’s wrong with her?” she demanded.
He shook his head; a hand went up to massage the back of his neck. “I don’t know, I don’t know.”
They all sat quietly, observing the nurses hustling in an out of the hospital room, but none of them brought him any news.
Neela’s screams could no longer be heard and Caleb sent up a silent prayer. He wondered if God was punishing him for his past sins.
What seemed like hours later, a weary looking Daphne came out. Caleb knew from the look on her face, that she didn’t have good news. She put a hand to her back and Caleb felt a twinge of guilt. His sister was almost six months pregnant and it was after ten in the night and she was still on her feet.
He went to her, taking her hand and guided her to a seat. KC following his cue, brought her a cup of water.
“How bad is it?” he reluctantly asked.
“The impact caused more damage than I expected. She can’t move her legs or her arms. The fact that she is feeling pain is a good sign. I’m taking her down to x-ray now, but I suspect that there is a pinch or swelling in her spinal cord.”
Concentrating solely on Caleb, she waited for him to absorb what she was saying
“Are you saying she’s paralyzed?” Kaylee asked the question no one wanted to.
“Yes!” she continued before anyone could react. “But it may not be permanent. As I said earlier, the fact that she’s feeling pain is a good sign.”
“How long do you think she’ll be…like this?” He was afraid to say the word. Saying it would only make it real.
“I don’t know. After the x-rays we’ll be able to give a proper diagnosis. I want you to know, I’ll do everything in my power to see that she gets the best care, whatever the outcome.”
“Thanks Daphne. I know you will.” She got up and kissed her brother on his forehead. The hospital room door opened and Neela was wheeled out by two male nurses.
“Give us a second, will you, Josh?” Daphne signaled for one of the male nurses to stop and the gurney came to a halt. Stepping back Kaylee allowed Caleb to go to his wife’s side.
Daphne had obviously given her something to for the pain because when her gaze settled on Caleb it was through hazy eyes.
One broken word escaped his dry lips, “Neela”, but she continued to look at him as if she didn’t know him. Still he pressed on, needing her to know that he was there.
“I’ll take care of our babies until you get better, I promise.” The words were only a whisper.
She did the most amazing thing then, she smiled. Tears spilled through her half closed eyes and Caleb brought a finger up to wipe them. Oblivious to the people scrutinizing his every move, he lowered his head to press a tender kiss to her closed lips.
‘Please, God, don’t take her from me again.’ he silently begged a God he had not spoken to since he was a little boy.
Kaylee waddled closer to her friend’s side. Unable to bend over, she too, placed a gentle kiss on her friend’s cold cheek.
“It’s going to be okay, chica. I’ll be here when you get back.”
Caleb and Kaylee stood side by side and watched as Neela was rolled further and further away. Neither of them knew what the next day would bring but they both was sure of one thing. They could not lose Neela.
****
Chapter 10
Neela lay on her hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. The last couple of days were just a blur to her. Most of it she spent doped up with medication for the pain in her back.
She was paralyzed from the neck down and may never walk again, but yet the only thing on her mind was the man who had been standing outside her hospital room when they wheeled her off to get her x-rays done.
She had been so strung out on pain killers, she didn’t know if he was real or a hallucination.
Kaylee visited everyday and brought updates on the twins. Several times she had tried to bring up Caleb’s name but Neela had cut her off. She didn’t want to talk about Caleb yet, or to Caleb for that matter.
The tube that the doctors inserted into her neck was uncomfortable and she wished she could yank it out. Daphne had been a regular visitor, even when she was not on rounds. It was so good to see her again. In the four short months she had known her, Daphne had always been a delightful person to be around. She was married to Stuart now and they were expecting their first baby.
KC had dropped in once. She smiled at the memory of a fourteen year old KC commenting on how “rad” her hair was. She was all grown up now, and loo
ked nothing like the teenager Neela knew five years ago.
She had deliberately refused Caleb’s visits. She didn’t know what she would say when she was face to face with him. She wasn’t prepared for the emotions she knew she would feel when she saw him. There was so much they needed to discuss. Would he want to be part of Adam’s and Melody’s lives? The thought scared her. She was completely out of her element.
Five years ago he had made it quite clear what he thought of her. Would her children suffer the same fate? Would they, too, be an embarrassment to him?
What if he decided he wanted them? He had the money and the power to take them away from her. She was crippled now; she couldn’t care for them. Panic began to rise within her but it was quickly suppressed by the door being flung open.
“Good morning, chica!” her pregnant friend beamed. Kaylee was in her final trimester and was huge. She didn’t let that stop her. She was always up and about and poor Kevin worried himself to death.
She envied the relationship between Kaylee and her husband. That is what she and Caleb were supposed to have. Closing her eyes, she willed the thought to go away.
“Hi, Kay.” Was that her voice? She sounded like a chicken being strangled.
She loved Kaylee as a sister and she knew her friend felt the same way about her. When she left Caleb all those years ago, she had nowhere to go. There was nothing left in Trinidad to go back to. She had given everything up to be with Caleb. She had been young and foolish.
She had contacted Kaylee, crying hysterically; it was a wonder she was able to understand a word Neela was saying.
Kaylee had jumped into action and arranged a one way ticket to Florida for Neela. She listened as Neela cried over Caleb’s cruel treatment of her and his infidelity. And when they thought Neela had cried her eyes out and there was nothing left to shed, Kaylee had quietly informed her why she had been sick all those months. She was pregnant. That started a fresh onslaught of tears.
Two months after that, Kaylee had moved from Florida to Washington to be with Kevin, dragging Neela along with her.
