Wedding Rings and Baby Things

by Teresa Southwick

  “And a fine job you’ve done of it—” He ran a hand through his hair, then looked at her. “I’m sorry.”

  “Forget it. You’re absolutely right. I made mistakes, but they’re mine and I’ll take care of them. I’ll continue to do so after this marriage is over.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m moving back into the guest house. If it’s all right with you I’ll stay there until the baby’s born. As soon as I can, I’ll find a place for us to live.”

  “You’re in no condition to be by yourself. That’s dumber than your fake trivia question.”

  “I already owe you more than I can ever repay. You married me, gave my baby a name and saved my job. For some reason being my husband has made you think you can change the rules. I won’t let you do that and jeopardize our friendship. We’re married, yes. But the decisions are mine.”

  Mike studied her. She looked beautiful, fragile. Desperation darkened her green eyes. But beneath it all, he sensed her determination. She was the strongest woman he knew. She reminded him that she would be fine when they ended the marriage. But he didn’t want her to go. There was no doubt in his mind that she would if he didn’t back off. He couldn’t think about tomorrow right now. He just knew he couldn’t picture today without Kelly in it.

  “You win, Kel. I’ll give you his card. It’s in my file.”

  “Thank you, Mike. May I have it now, please?”

  “Sure. It’s upstairs in my desk. I’ll make a deal with you. You put up your feet, and I’ll go get it.” He held out his hand.

  “Thanks, Mike,” she said placing her fingers in his palm.

  A pretty pink color flushed her cheeks, and he knew she was remembering the last time they had sealed an agreement on this very sofa. He had kissed her. He wanted to do the same thing now, but he was afraid it would be more than a friendly touch on the lips. Then she would accuse him of changing the rules again, and she would be out of there as fast as she could go.

  Mike climbed the stairs, frustration gnawing at him. He wanted to take Hammond apart. He could think of very few things in life that would give him more satisfaction. But he couldn’t. For Kelly’s sake. She would worry about the consequences to himself, possible legal action and how it might affect his reputation and job.

  For some reason she thought she was an inconvenience to him. Obviously it was important for her to do this on her own. He wished he could convince her that he liked having her in his life. He wanted to be in hers. And that was far more important than any minor irritation Doug Hammond might cause.

  But he was concerned about her and the baby and what all that stress would do to her if he argued with her. Protecting her was uppermost in his mind. That put him between a rock and a hard place. He was afraid that an ugly custody battle would take a toll on her, while he just stood by and watched. But if he ran interference, she would leave him before their agreement was up.

  Mike pulled the business card holder from the upper right hand drawer in his desk. Tim Sargent’s card was on the first page in the plastic pocket. He looked at it, and an idea began to form. Maybe there was a way for him to protect her after all.

  He dialed his friend’s office number and the receptionist answered. “Sargent, McCarthy and Harrison,” she said.

  “Tina? Mike Cameron.”

  “Hi, Mr. C. How the heck are you? Long time no see.”

  “I’m fine. Is Tim in the office this afternoon?”

  His tone must have told her his business was serious, because her manner changed instantly. “Yes, sir. I’ll put you right through.”

  In seconds, Mike heard his friend’s voice. “Hi, Mike. What’s up?”

  Kelly called from downstairs, “What’s taking so long, Mike?”

  “Hold on, Tim.” He put his hand over the receiver and shouted, “I’m having trouble finding the card. I know it’s here somewhere. Just sit tight.” He spoke into the phone again. “I don’t have time for a long explanation, Tim. Just listen.”

  “Shoot, buddy.”

  “Remember the woman I told you about who might have a child custody battle on her hands?”

  “The pregnant one?”

  “Yeah. The father filed suit. She’s going to call you. Talk to her. Reassure her. This part is critical, don’t tell her anything that will upset her. I’ll call you later to discuss the case. I want everything to go through me. Is that clear?”

  “As mud,” Tim said.

  “You’re a silver-tongued devil. You can handle it.”

  “Will do.”

  “Thanks, Tim. I owe you one.” Mike hung up the phone, then wrote the number on a piece of paper for Kelly.

  He’d sunk pretty low this time, he thought. But didn’t the end justify the means? In the end Kelly and the baby would be safe, and that was all he cared about.

  He didn’t want to think about what she would do if she found out about this. With luck she never would.

  Kelly savored the warm, secure touch of Mike’s hand at the small of her back as he ushered her through the coffee shop to a secluded table. They had just completed the series of classes preparing for the baby’s, birth, and he had suggested they celebrate with a hot-fudge sundae. In approximately two weeks, she would find out if the breathing technique worked. She wanted very much to have natural childbirth, without drugs to harm the baby. But after seeing the birthing films tonight, she wasn’t so sure she had what it took.

  When they stopped at the booth, Kelly eyeballed the space for her belly between the stationary table and the tufted cushion back. One corner of her mouth lifted as she looked at Mike. “I don’t think I’ll fit.”

  He grabbed a chair from an empty table and placed it on the end for her. “There.”

  “Thanks,” she said, sitting down.

  He slid into the space beside her. A waitress took their orders. When she was gone, Mike rested his forearm on the table and brushed against hers. The touch sent tingles sparking up her arm. Wasn’t that just dandy? She was as big as a battleship, so enormous she couldn’t fit into a booth, and more aware than ever of his masculinity. When his gaze met hers, she would have sworn he felt it, too.

  “Why are you looking at me that way?” he asked.

  She squirmed on her chair. “What way?”

  Oh, Lord, did he know what she was thinking? Could he see that she was attracted to him? She thought she’d been doing such a good job of hiding it.

  “You just look funny. Are you all right? Go ahead, spill your guts,” he coaxed.

  “Interesting way of phrasing things after what we saw tonight.”

  “You’re scared, aren’t you?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  But not only for the reasons he was talking about. She was afraid he would see what she was beginning to understand. Her feelings for Mike were not just appreciation of a good-looking man. They weren’t even just hormonal. She was scared that she might be falling for Mike.

  Still, with her choices of trying to ignore what he did to her or being alone, she would take the former. Tonight’s class had forced her to see that the only way out of her present condition was going through the actual birth. She was scared of the unknown. Afraid that she couldn’t handle the pain, that she would let herself, her baby and Mike down.

  She was glad he had agreed to be her coach and would be there with her. He was the best coach in the whole world—even off the football field.

  “You’re going to do fine, Kel. You were the best student in Lamaze class. This birth thing will be a piece of cake.”

  “I sure hope so. I wish my mom could be here.”

  His mouth pulled into a straight line, and sympathy filled his eyes as he lifted her hand and placed it between his own. “You’re not alone. I’ll be there.”

  “Thanks, Mike.”

  If only she had the words to tell him how grateful she was for that. And for him backing off and letting her talk to the attorney about Doug’s lawsuit. It had bothered her that he’d tried
to leave her out of the decision-making process. She had every right to be part of the fight. She did wonder how the fight was going. There hadn’t been any word from the attorney since her initial phone call.

  She looked at Mike. “I haven’t heard from Tim Sargent. Do you think that’s a good sign?”

  He was drinking water and started to cough after her question. She pounded him on the back. “Are you all right?”

  He nodded. “Went down the wrong way.”

  “So do you think no news is good news? With the custody suit, I mean.”

  “I’d say good news,” he said.

  “That’s what I think, too. He told me not to worry.”

  The waitress brought their hot-fudge sundaes and set one down in front of each of them.

  Mike picked up his spoon. “Then I’d say don’t worry. He’s the expert.”

  “But it seems like there should have been some news by now. Tim talked about countersuits and possible criminal charges. He was vague, and I didn’t understand it all, but when I pressed him he said when he had formulated a plan of attack, he would let me know.”

  “Then I think you should stop worrying until the need arises. If it ever does.”

  “It’s been three weeks, Mike. Are you sure he’s competent? It seems to be taking him a long time to figure out what to do. I’m no authority on the subject, but I’d say if he planned the invasion of Europe during World War II, we might all be speaking German now.”

  “You’re exaggerating, Kel. He’s got to figure out how to circumvent Doug, check case law—”

  “There can’t be that many cases where a father sues the pregnant mother for custody?”

  “I’ve known Tim since college. He’s one of the brightest guys. I know. If brains don’t work, he can fight down-and-dirty. Don’t worry. Doug is not going to get little Sam there,” he said, pointing his spoon at her abdomen.

  Kelly realized she hadn’t taken a bite of her ice cream yet and found she wasn’t as hungry as she’d thought. She made an attempt, but finally Mike finished hers.

  “You look tired. Ready to go home?”

  She nodded. “My back aches. Home sounds heavenly.”

  Sometime around two-thirty in the morning, a nagging pain in her back made Kelly sit up in bed wide awake. As she rubbed the area, the discomfort spread, tightening like a steel band around her abdomen. It didn’t last long, and excitement along with fear swelled inside her when she wondered if this was labor.

  “If this is it,” she said to herself, “that wasn’t too bad. Maybe I can do this after all.”

  She swung her legs over the side of the bed and clicked on the light beside her. Noting the time, she waited. Five minutes later she had another pain. During her last doctor’s appointment she had fortunately thought to ask at what point she should go to the hospital. “The doctor said when they’re five minutes apart. Do I wait for another one and time it? Is one enough? Oh, God, I don’t know what to do.”

  Mike will know, she thought. She put on a robe and went downstairs, stopping outside his bedroom door. She knocked softly. “Mike?”

  There was no answer. She knocked again and opened the door. “Mike, wake up.”

  The ceiling fan hummed overhead and threw a breeze that chilled her damp skin. She shivered, and Kelly wasn’t sure if it was from cold or fear. “Mike, please wake up,” she said louder this time.

  The figure in the bed moved as he rolled toward her. In the silver moonlight peeking through the curtains, she could see that his dark hair was rumpled from sleep. This time she’didn’t care if he was naked, she needed him and she was so thankful he was there.

  “Kelly? What’s wrong? Is it the baby?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  He sat up and turned on the light. Patting the mattress beside him he said, “Come on in. We’ll wait this out together.”

  She walked around the bed and crawled in beside him, resting against the pillow he fluffed for her. “I’m sorry to wake you. I’m just not sure. It’s a little early, but I had a pain in my back. Then five minutes later there was another one.”

  “How long since the last pain?” he asked.

  Mike put his arm around her and pulled her against his side. His skin was warm and his body solid and comforting.

  She glanced at the red digital numbers on his nightstand clock. “Five minutes.”

  “Don’t we need to go to the hospital?” he asked, his voice sharp.

  “What if they stop? It’s still a couple weeks until my due date.”

  “What if they don’t stop? You don’t want to wait too long.” He threw the sheet aside and started to get up.

  Kelly stopped him with a hand on his forearm. “Wait, Mike. Give me a minute.”

  His gaze darted over her face and his expression softened. “Don’t be scared, Kel.”

  “I’m trying not to be.” The feel of his strong arm beneath her fingers comforted her. She knew Mike would take care of her. “We’re friends. Right?”

  “The best. But this is a hell of a time to discuss that—”

  “You know I’d do anything for you. You’d do anything for me. Right?”

  “Yeah, Kel.” She knew he was agitated when he ran his fingers through his hair for a second time. He needed a shave, and the stubble shadow gave him a dark, dangerous look. “I don’t know where you’re going with this, but make it fast, honey.”

  “I think you should go through labor for me.”

  “If I could, believe me I would.” His look said he meant every word. “I wish there was something I could say to put you at ease.”

  “You’re a coach, Mike. What would you tell your players if they were in a championship game and so nervous they thought they might throw up?”

  “I’d tell them they were a well-oiled machine. They were trained for it.” One corner of his mouth lifted in a grin. “Come to think of it, that’s not bad advice for you.”

  “The well-oiled machine part?”

  “The training part.”

  “I can’t seem to remember the instruction—” She stopped as a pain knotted in her lower back, then squeezed around her belly.

  “Breathe, Kel. Remember?”

  When he demonstrated, Kelly followed his lead and everything came back to her. When it was over, she said, “That one was longer. A little more intense.”

  “That does it. I’m taking you to the hospital.”

  “But—”

  “But nothing. If it’s a false alarm, it won’t do any harm. They’ll send us home and we’ll get some sleep. Otherwise we’ll be up all night wondering.”

  Kelly sighed. “You’re right. They’re professionals. It would make me feel better to be where they know what they’re doing.”

  He glanced at her and one dark eyebrow raised. “What am I? Chopped liver?”

  “When’s the last time you delivered a baby?”

  “You’ve got a point. I don’t want to play catch, either. Get a move on. Is your bag packed?”

  She nodded. “It’s by the door in my room.”

  He dressed quickly in jeans and a T-shirt. “I’ll get it. Relax and don’t worry.”

  As he disappeared upstairs, Kelly had another contraction. Definitely show time.

  “Kel?”

  Mike looked down at her in the hospital bed. The sheet that covered her stomach was flat. No more covered wagon. He grinned.

  She opened her eyes and smiled back at him. “Hi, Coach.”

  “Hi, little mother. You did good. How do you feel?” he asked, sitting beside her on the bed. The curtain suspended from chains and surrounding her bed gave them relative privacy.

  “How do I feel? I’m an English teacher for goodness’ sake and I have no words to describe what I’m feeling. Wonderful. Relieved. Ecstatic. Flabbergasted.”

  “You could have knocked me over with a feather when the doctor told me we had a girl.”

  “Dr. Arguile showed a lot of restraint when she didn’t deck you after your remar
k.”

  “The adrenaline was flowing. With all the excitement, I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

  “I understand. But it was just a little condescending to ask a female doctor if she was sure about the baby’s sex. As if all those years of medical school were wasted on a woman.”

  “I’d have said the same thing if she was a man. Besides, I apologized. She seemed to understand. It had nothing to do with her. I just didn’t expect a girl.”

  “Are you disappointed?”

  “Good God, no. I’m the one who was hoping for a miniature of her mother. Remember?”

  Kelly’s cheeks flushed a nice shade of pink, and her gaze slid away from his as if she was uncomfortable with the remark. But it was true. He had wanted to see a little girl who was the spitting image of Kelly.

  Disappointed? Not by a long shot. How could anyone be let down after going through the miracle of birth? A baby with ten fingers and ten toes and a pair of lungs that let her cry loud enough to shatter windows was about the best thing he could imagine. Between that and the fact that her mother was doing just fine, Mike felt like he was on top of the world.

  He studied his wife and his heart skipped a beat He’d seen her dressed to kill for her high school prom. At his last New Year’s Eve party, her sexy little black dress and matching high-heeled shoes had gotten the big-time attention of every red-blooded male there. Including him.

  But right at this moment, without makeup, her hair pushed back off her face, in a hospital gown, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was really something special; she had more guts than anyone he could think.of. He’d seen firsthand the pain she’d gone through, and he admired the hell out of her for choosing to have this baby. She’d almost lost her composure a time or two, but she’d hung in there. Once she’d squeezed his hand so hard he wondered if he would lose the feeling in his fingers. Four and a half hours from start to finish and there was a brand new six-and-a-half-pound baby girl to show for it. Not a bad night’s work.

  Kelly smoothed her hand over her flat abdomen and sighed with what he could only think of as pure pleasure. “I have my body back.”