"Here you go." He tossed one of the chilled Cokes to Bo, who had made himself comfortable in one of the visitor's chairs nearest Marvin's desk. The teen had one jean-clad leg resting across the other and rubbed a palm across the top of his sneaker. "I'm not even going to ask if you want a slice because I know you do."
The boy's grin showed itself again. "Smart man."
Marvin cut the pie, put a piece on a paper towel, and handed it to Bo. "Eat up."
Then he cut himself a slice and did the same thing. He took a bite and closed his eyes for the trip to culinary heaven. "This is wonderful. Tell your aunts that if I weren't married I'd have a hard time figuring out which one of them I should propose to."
Bo laughed. "I'll tell them."
"About that basketball game," Marvin said, once again leaning back against his desk, "my boys are going to need a little more time to get ready."
"I understand," Bo said. "It's that age thing."
Marvin's antennae of suspicion went up at the perpetual grin on the boy's face, and he wondered what was behind it. "Hey," he said, "I'm ready, but my boys need time. Don't forget that I beat you in our first matchup."
"Are you saying you want to go one-on-one with me again?" Bo said.
Marvin shook his head. "I think I'd like to keep my winning streak in basketball for as long as I can. How about we go one-on-one in something else?"
"Like what?" Bo asked, leaning forward, really into the idea. The boy's competitive spirit would serve him well in the future, Marvin thought, if he learned to channel it properly.
Marvin leaned his head to the side. "Since I beat you last time," he said, "you pick the event."
"Nah, age before beauty."
Marvin grunted. "Now that was cold." He finished off the last of his pie and noticed Bo had done the same. "Another slice?"
Bo looked tempted by the offer, but shook his head. "I'd better stop now. The Aunts will kill me if we eat it all up from Shay."
Agreeing with him, Marvin covered the custard and put it back in the bag.
"So what's the game going to be?" Bo asked again.
Marvin considered his opponent. Daniel was probably right when he said Bo had let him win the first b-ball matchup. He also knew the kid would never be that gracious again. Since he knew he was unlikely to beat the boy in any test of speed or agility, he figured his best bet was to match mental wits. "How about pool?"
The boy's eyes widened, then returned to normal size. "You may want to reconsider that," he advised.
Pride wouldn't let that bait go unchallenged. "So you've played some pool before?" Marvin asked.
The familiar grin came back to Bo's face. "I guess you could say that."
"I've played some and I'm pretty good, if I do say so myself." He'd beat Daniel soundly the other night, hadn't he?
"Now you've got me shaking in my boots." Bo stood. "When and where does this event take place?"
Marvin cocked his head to the side and tried to give the kid back some of the attitude he was giving him. "I picked the event. You pick the place."
At the doorway, Bo said, "Let me think about it and get back to you."
"You're on."
Bo was laughing when he left the office, giving Marvin the feeling the kid knew a whole lot about pool.
"What's up?"
Marvin turned, and this time Daniel stood in his doorway. His quiet morning had given way to a busy afternoon. He'd be sure to tell Evelyn.
"Bo was laughing like a loon when I passed him a minute ago," Daniel said. "What happened?"
Marvin leaned back against his desk. "I challenged him to a game of pool."
Daniel showed a grin that was very similar to Bo's. "So that's why he was laughing," he said, and began to laugh himself.
Marvin knew he was in trouble. "Tell me," he said, though he already knew. Bo was either an infamous pool hustler or something very close.
Daniel shook his head. "And spoil Bo's fun? I don't think so. Just be sure to tell me when and where. I don't want to miss this one."
Marvin moved back to his desk. "I'll think about it."
"I wasn't sure you'd still be here." Daniel strolled into the office, all trace of laughter gone. "I thought you might have gone home early so you and Shay could talk."
Marvin looked up at his friend. "What you mean is that's what you think I should do."
Daniel nodded. "You're only putting off the inevitable."
"I know what I'm doing, Daniel." Marvin sighed and began clearing his desk. After this conversation with Daniel there'd be no way he could focus his attention on work again. "Shay said she needed some space, and I'm giving her some. We're going to talk tonight when I get home. I told you that."
Daniel perched on the edge of Marvin's desk. "You're angry." It wasn't a question, Marvin knew.
Marvin lifted his palms toward the ceiling. "I'm not angry. I'm scared to death. I'm terrified. Did you know Shay had complications with her last pregnancy?"
"Yeah, I remember," Daniel said with exasperating calm, "but I also remember that you and Shay have tried to have a baby since then. So your concern for Shay's health isn't the issue, is it, Marvin?"
"I don't want my wife in danger," Marvin said, instead of answering the question. "I don't want our baby in danger. That's why I didn't... don't... want a baby. The risk is too great," he said. "It's too great." He dropped down in his desk chair.
"Well," Daniel said, "that may be true for you, but not for Shay. Like I told you before, unless you're ready to give up being intimate with your wife, pregnancy is and will continue to be an ongoing possibility. It's best you deal with it now, before you're pregnant and all this becomes a done deal. Trust Shay with your feelings, Marvin. She loves you, and you'll work through them together." With those words, Daniel eased off the desk and left Marvin's office.
Marvin stared after Daniel, knowing full well he should have been more honest with his friend about what had actually transpired with Shay. Daniel's words rang true in his heart. He'd known Shay could become pregnant, and he'd done nothing to prevent it. Giving up intimacy had not even been a consideration. He loved and needed his wife too much for the sacrifice. To suggest birth control when she was actively praying for a child had seemed too cruel. So he'd taken the coward's way out. Since they hadn't been able to conceive in all the years since Marvin Jr.'s death, he'd counted on their not being able to conceive now. He'd even thrown in a few prayers as precaution. Unfortunately for him, Shay had been praying, too—for the opposite. It didn't take a genius to figure out who had God's ear.
Why are you doing this to me, Lord? Why?
* * *
Shay looked up at the clock above the color television in Vickie's family room. Four o'clock. Marvin would be arriving home any time now, if he wasn't there already. She half expected him to arrive early, which was one of the reasons she'd been happy to spend the entire afternoon with Vickie. She'd gotten to spend some valuable time with her friend and in the process had escaped the house in case Marvin decided to come home early. She'd been so angry with him she hadn't even left a note telling him where she was.
"I hadn't realized it was so late," Vickie said from her relaxed pose on her wide, plush sofa. Shay noticed her eyes were also on the clock. "I've kept you here all afternoon. I'm sure you had other things to do."
Shay pressed her hand against Vickie's arm as her friend prepared to stand. "There's nothing I'd rather have done than spend the afternoon with you."
Vickie's eyes brightened with pleasure. "But I bet you can't wait for your hunky husband to get home. The proud papa is probably watching the clock as often as you are."
Vickie's sweet words almost brought tears to Shay's eyes. How she wished her friend were right. She didn't have the heart to squash Vickie's joy by telling her about Marvin's response to the news of her pregnancy. Her reasons weren't totally unselfish, though. She liked sharing the joy of her pregnancy, reflected in Vickie's eyes, without the taint of Marvin's reaction. She kn
ew she'd have to tell her friend the full story at some point, but for now she wanted to keep the excitement they shared pure.
In fact, Vickie was the only person she could share her pregnancy with right now. She couldn't share the news with her parents or her friends in Atlanta until she and Marvin could do it together. To do otherwise would only alert them to the problems between her and Marvin, and she didn't want to do that.
"Well, I'm going to get you out of here so you and Marvin can spend a long evening together," Vickie said. "He's probably going to surprise you and come home early. I can tell he's a romantic. It's his eyes—the way they follow you around the room."
Before Shay could respond, Vickie was helping her gather her shoes and purse. "Don't think this was the celebration," Vickie said. "I want to do something special with you and Marvin. We'll get Daniel to come along too. It'll be our treat." As she led Shay to the front door, she added, "I know the church is going to want to do something, but I want to do this first—you know, something small and intimate. Talk to Marvin about it and let me know what's a good date for the two of you." After opening the door, Vickie pulled Shay into an embrace. "See you tomorrow, Mama Shay." Her eyes twinkled. "Mama Shay. Hey, I think I like it."
As Shay drove home, thoughts she'd rather not entertain consumed her mind. Why couldn't Marvin have a little more faith? she asked herself. Why couldn't he be happy about the baby, the blessing, they'd been given? Why did he have to expect the worst? "Stop it, Shay," she told herself aloud. "You need to have faith. The Lord gave both of you the baby, and the Lord will pave the way with Marvin."
When Shay entered her home, she closed the door, pressed her back against it, and let her tears fall. It was the stress, she knew. Stress brought on by her contemplation of tonight's discussion with Marvin. Why can't life be simple, Lord? Why does it have to hurt so much? Marvin and I have been through so much, we could use a break.
Shay forced herself away from the door and out of her doldrums. What was she complaining about? She pressed her hand across her abdomen and thought of the child miraculously growing inside her. "Thank you for this miracle, Lord," she said, her eyes closed. "Help Marvin to realize just how miraculous this baby is."
Shay opened her eyes, feeling a little bit better. She decided to change her clothes so that she'd be refreshed when Marvin came home.
* * *
Marvin made one stop before going home. He breathed a relieved sigh when he saw Dr. Holmes's car parked in the medical clinic lot. The clinic sat on a prime corner of downtown, a block over from Courthouse Square. Today was Marvin's first visit.
A gray-haired lady exited the building just as Marvin was about to open the entrance door.
"Excuse me," she said. "The office is closed for the day. I'm sorry."
Marvin smiled. "That's all right. I think he'll see me."
She looked behind her as if she wasn't sure. "Well," she said, "let me go tell him you're here."
"No need, Mrs. Reeves," Dr. Holmes said. "You can let him in."
The woman looked back to Marvin. "Are you sure?"
Dr. Holmes grinned. "I'm sure. Now you go on home."
Both men watched the elderly woman as she made her way to her car. Marvin lifted his brows and looked at Dr. Holmes. "Bodyguard?"
Dr. Holmes laughed. "No, office manager. Come on back." He led Marvin through the comfortably appointed reception area.
Marvin's eyes landed on a yellow stuffed dog exactly the right size for a newborn. The dog reminded him of the stuffed animal he'd taken to the hospital to celebrate Marvin Jr.'s birth. It would be nice to—
He cut off that thought—first things first—and followed Dr. Holmes down the hallway.
"Have a seat." Dr. Holmes pointed to one of the matching upholstered chairs that faced his desk. With a grin, he asked, "What brings you down?"
Marvin folded one leg across the other, rested an arm across the leg on top, and made himself comfortable. "I'm assuming Shay saw you about the baby?"
Dr. Holmes's grin broadened. "Congratulations."
"Thanks," Marvin said, brushing his hand down his pants leg. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about."
Dr. Holmes leaned forward, his relaxed demeanor replaced by 100 percent doctor seriousness. "Okay."
"It's Shay. Did she tell you about her first pregnancy?"
Dr. Holmes nodded. "She even brought her records from her doctor in Atlanta. And she told me about your son. I'm sorry about his death, Marvin. I know you both consider this second child a blessing."
"Well," Marvin said, not commenting on Dr. Holmes's proclamation, "you know we had some problems with the first birth. The doctor thought it might have caused trauma to her cervix. A year later, we tried to have a second child, and after four years, no success. We took it as God's way of letting us know that a second fetus wouldn't have survived."
Dr. Holmes shuffled through the tall stack of folders on the right corner of his desk and pulled out one, which he opened and quickly scanned. "I've looked over the records from Shay's obstetrician in Atlanta, and I saw where she had some difficulty with the first baby. The doctor suspected a tear in her cervix, but my examination didn't reveal anything. I've delivered a number of babies, but I'm not an obstetrician, so to be on the safe side, I gave Shay the name of a top-notch obstetrician in Overton and told her to set up an appointment for a second exam. Are you worried about her and the baby?"
Marvin steepled his fingers and rested them on his nose. "She had a difficult delivery the first time, and then we tried for so long to have another child. And now she's pregnant again, and it's so unexpected. I just want her—both of them—to be all right."
"I don't think you have anything to be worried about right now." Dr. Holmes closed the file and stacked it back with the others. "I can handle Shay's care, but if you'd feel more comfortable with the obstetrician, I'll understand perfectly. Just make sure Shay sees the doctor and follows her orders. Shay is thirty-five, which puts her on the borderline for a high-risk pregnancy, but I don't see any cause for alarm at this point. She's in excellent health. She'll have to watch that she doesn't overdo it, but right now there's no reason to believe she won't carry the baby to term and have a successful delivery. If there's a problem with her cervix, there are procedures that can significantly reduce the likelihood of premature delivery, which is the major concern with cervical problems. But like I said, I saw no evidence of a problem."
When Marvin didn't respond, Dr. Holmes said, "You're really worried about this pregnancy, aren't you?"
Marvin nodded. Worried didn't actually capture how he felt. Terrified was more like it.
"If I can give you some non-physician advice, it would be not to borrow trouble. It'll find you when it's your turn." Dr. Holmes paused and studied Marvin. "But since you seem determined to worry anyway, I'll make a call to Lydia Thompson, the obstetrician I mentioned, and make sure she gets Shay in soon. This week, if possible."
Marvin accepted the doctor's offer. He stood up. "Thanks, doctor. I'm sorry to stop by so late. I know you want to get home."
Dr. Holmes shook his head. "No problem. Part of the doctor's job. Now you get home to your wife."
Marvin started to turn away, but he stopped. "I need to ask for one more favor before I leave. Could you not tell anybody about the pregnancy, not even Deacon Greg? Shay and I want to keep it to ourselves for a while."…
Dr. Holmes extended his hand. "You didn't even have to ask. I wouldn't have told anyone, anyway. Patient privacy and all that."
"Thanks again," Marvin said, shaking the doctor's hand. "For everything."
"No problem," Dr. Holmes said. "Now get out of here."
Marvin nodded again, then made his way out of Dr. Holmes's office and to his car. He already knew everything Dr. Holmes had told him, but the knowledge didn't stop him from worrying. As he got in his car and started the engine, he realized Dr. Holmes had been right about one thing: trouble definitely knew where to find him. Marvin had the sin
king feeling that it would soon be his turn to be found.
* * *
Marvin took a deep breath and opened the door to the home he shared with his beloved. He was surprised to see her standing at the door to greet him. Not questioning his good fortune, he pulled her into a close embrace and gave her the kiss she hadn't wanted from him this morning. When he pulled back, he saw the wetness in her eyes and said, "I love you, Shay, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He pulled her into his arms again, wishing he could pull her into his heart so she would know how much he loved her.
"I know you love me, Marvin," she said, crying now.
He wiped her tears with his fingers and promised himself he would never again make her cry. Never.
"And I know you love our baby."
Marvin felt the involuntary stiffening of his muscles. He did love their unborn child, but not the way Shay did. He didn't feel, didn't want to feel, the all-consuming heart love Shay already felt for the child. It was too soon. Too much could still go wrong. It was safer this way.
He stared deeply into his wife's eyes and was humbled by what he saw there. Love, pure and simple. Hoping all things, believing all things, enduring all things. Hoping, he knew, in him. Believing, too, in him. How could he have been blessed with such a wife? He didn't deserve her, but it didn't matter; he was going to keep her.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and led her through the kitchen and to the sitting room, where he pulled her down on the couch next to him. He would be content to hold her throughout the evening and into the night, but he knew they had to talk. He had to explain. "I know you're disappointed because of my reaction last night when you told me about the baby," he said.
She raised red-rimmed eyes to him. "I was more than disappointed. I was crushed, Marvin. I was so happy, and you were so... so... so..."
"Surprised?" he offered. "That's what you saw, Shay, surprise. And, I admit, some fear. We already have so much," he said. "I told you I could be satisfied with what we had."
"How do you feel now?" she asked, and he knew his answer meant a lot to her.
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