by M. Clarke
“Call the ambulance,” I shouted at the waitress standing over us. I didn’t give her a chance to ask questions. I was so scared. I didn’t know what else to do or how to help Becca. With my trembling hands, I made sure her head that was resting on my leg was supported. Please don’t let anything happen to the both of them, I prayed to myself. “Hang in there, Becky,” I pleaded, moving the strands of hair away from her face, then holding onto her hand. Feeling her hand so cold, I started to massage it. I had no idea what I was doing, but I had to do something. I was going out of my mind.
The store manager dashed to us. “We’ve called the ambulance. Is she breathing?”
“Yes.” It was the first thing I’d checked for, to see her chest rise and fall. “How long will it take them?”
“They said five minutes or less.”
“Okay.” I could feel my eyes dampened with tears as I reached into my purse. “Call Matthew and Max.” I handed the phone to Nicole or Kate. I didn’t know whom exactly. I didn’t want to take my eyes off Becky. I was too afraid that her condition would worsen if I did. “Everything is going to be fine.” I had to let her know that, hoping that she could hear me. I also wanted her to know that I was right there. Realizing I had a cardigan on, I took it off and placed it on her.
“Matthew is on his way,” Nicole said.
“No,” I snapped. I didn’t mean to. “Tell him to meet us at the hospital. By the time he gets here, we’ll be gone. Did you get ahold of Max?”
“No. He’s in a meeting, but the secretary said she’ll let him know.”
Five minutes weren’t that long, but it felt like forever, especially because we were desperate. I released a long breath when the sound of the siren rang loudly. Thank God! When the sound stopped, I knew they were just outside. The rush of cool air brushed my face when the door opened. Fall had kicked in. Though it wasn’t that cold, my senses were heightened from being in panic mode.
“Ma’am, you need to move over so we can help your friend.” The gentleman helped me up. “Was she injured?”
“No. I caught her just in time.”
“Good. How many months is she?”
“She’s due in a little over a month. We’re due around the same time.”
I saw the other two men placing Becky on the stretcher. It ripped my heart to see her with a breathing mask on and so still.
“Have you notified her family?”
“Yes.” I realized at that moment that I didn’t call her parents, but I would wait and ask Becky or Matthew. I also wanted to tell him that I was her family, too. I was her best friend, her sister, her everything, just like she was mine.
“Is this your sweater?” He placed it in front of me.
“Yes, thank you.”
“We’ll take care of her from here, ma’am. You did a great job.”
The gentleman was sweet and polite. As I watched the stretcher go up the ramp, tears fell down my cheek. I had to hold it together and be strong for her. There were no guarantees in life, but there was hope, and that was what I needed to hold on to.
Nicole and Kate placed their arms around me as we watched the ambulance take off.
“I have Becky’s purse,” Nicole said. “I can drive us to the hospital. Did Becky drive here?”
“Yes. I’ll speak to the restaurant manager about allowing her car to be parked here over night. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I can drive to the hospital.”
“Okay, we’ll meet you there,” Kate confirmed. “Don’t worry, Jenna. Becky is stubborn. She won’t let anything happen to the both of them, but we’ll still pray.”
After I gave them both a hug, I went inside.
Chapter 34
Matthew
When I heard Nicole’s voice on Jenna’s phone, I immediately knew something had happened to Becca. Blood drained out of me before she could complete her sentence by telling me her name. I was pissed off at myself for not being there for her. We were at the tail end of the pregnancy; I should have forced her to stay home.
I hated going to the hospital. It was where everything bad happened in my life. All I could do was pray that my Becca was safe. If something happened to our baby, we would be devastated, but we would get through it. We could adopt. Many people did it.
After inhaling a deep breath, I entered. Becca’s eyes grew wide with happiness to see me as tears streamed down her face. She looked so worried and fragile. “Becca.” I reached over carefully and hugged her with a sigh of relief.
“Everything is fine,” she started to say when I released her, “don’t worry.” Her tears kept coming. I pulled out some Kleenex and wiped them for her. “I was so scared...so scared that I’d lost our baby. They need to do more tests, but the doctor said the baby’s heart rate was strong. He even showed me on the ultrasound.”
I held her hand as she told me the rest. “The doctor will come by to explain everything to you. He wants to talk to you, too. He told me that I’m going to be on bed rest and will most likely have a cesarean. He’s hoping that the baby will hold on till at least two weeks prior to the due date, so I need to be on bed rest for about a month. He’s going to let me know what dates are available.”
I kissed Becca’s hand. “Don’t worry about a thing. I’m going to take care of you. I’m also going to hire someone when I have to go into the office. I can do most of the work from home, but I’ll have to go in for meetings. We have the New York Fashion Show to get ready for, but I won’t be going.”
Becky nodded with a smile. It was the first time I’d seen her so vulnerable. My Becca the firecracker was scared, and though I needed to be strong for the both of us, a part of me was, too.
“Should I call your parents?”
“No. Let’s see what happens. I don’t want to worry them. I’ll call them later.”
“Jenna, Max, Nicole, and Kate are waiting in the waiting room. Do you want to see them? You don’t have to if you need your rest.”
“I do. I think Jenna stopped my fall. It could have been worse.”
“Yes, it could have, but it’s all good. Let’s be thankful for that.” I said those words more for me, because the thought of Becca hitting her head, or hurting any part of her body—or worse, something happening to our baby from the fall—was driving me insane. I had to think of something positive. “I’ll go get them.”
Becky
Matthew tried to hide that he was scared, but I could see right through him. Never had I seen him distraught before, except for the time he found out about Amber killing Tessa. I knew the reason why. He was most likely blaming himself for not being there. Although I hated the idea of being on bed rest for a month or so, I had to do it for the safety of our child and for me. At least this would force me to catch up with all of the submissions deadlines.
My friends didn’t know how to act around me when they first entered the room. Their smile was plastered on their faces, somewhere between genuine and forced. When I let out a snort, they laughed with me.
“How are you feeling?” Jenna asked, standing in front of Max, who offered a warm grin. “You gave us a big scare.”
“You had to make a big scene so Jenna couldn’t pay the bill,” Nicole scolded playfully, narrowing an eyebrow at her.
“That was the plan.” I shrugged. “You know me. I like to win.”
“Next time, use a different tactic,” Kate added. “We’re so relieved you’re fine.”
“I’ll make sure to do that. I’m not planning on doing this again.” I glanced over to Matthew. After raking his hair back with a soft sigh, he finally took a seat. At least his serious face softened. He appeared a bit more relaxed than when he’d come in. Looked like Matthew and Max were either discussing work or me.
“What did the doctor say?” Jenna asked, rubbing my arm. “What happened to you?”
“My blood pressure was too high,” I answered, feeling bad for causing all of this trouble.
“I didn’t call your parents. I didn’t—”
“I’m glad you didn’t. I’ll let them know what happened. My parents will be coming to visit soon. They want to see their grandbaby after all. Meanwhile, I’m going to need lots of visits from my dear friends. I’m stuck at home.” I frowned.
“Don’t think of it that way. It’ll be a great excuse to get together. Party at Becky’s,” Nicole said.
“Which place?” Jenna asked.
“It’ll have to be at my new place. The lease on the apartment where Jenna and I used to live ended several days ago.” Stupid pregnancy hormone was making my eyes teary, but that was my excuse. “You’ll have to excuse the mess, though. There are still unopened boxes.” I looked at Jenna when I said those words. It saddened me that the place where we made memories was a place of the past. There were a lot of happy and sad memories that were created there, memories that molded our friendship and made us the persons we had become.
Jenna took a deep breath and blinked rapidly as she smiled at me. She was holding back her tears. We had a deep level of friendship that we didn’t have with Nicole and Kate. I loved them dearly, but Jenna and I had been through growing pain wars together. We cried. We laughed. We argued. Pretty soon we were going to be sisters-in-law. Pretty soon we were going to become mothers, whether we were ready or not.
“That sounds like a plan,” Nicole said. “We should probably have the baby shower at your new house.”
“That might be a good idea.”
“Great. Let’s do that. It will work out perfectly. I’ll call our guests to let them that we’ve changed location. Kate and I just need to take care of a few things. And...oh, I informed everyone that we didn’t know the gender of both babies.”
“Okay.” I yawned and closed my eyes a bit.
“I think we should get going so you can get some rest.”
Nicole was right, but I would never ask my friends to leave. Suddenly, my eyes felt heavy and I was floating into a peaceful state of relaxation, a peaceful state of relief that everything would be fine.
After they left, Matthew took my hand. There was so much I wanted to tell him, but my eyes were closing and my body felt limp, hopefully drifting into a peaceful rest. “Matthew,” I mumbled. Matthew leaned closer to my mouth. My voice was hardly audible. I wasn’t even sure if he could hear me. “I’m ready.”
Matthew brushed his fingers through my hair, making me even sleepier. The feel of his touch and the serene feeling he was producing from his actions were making me fall deeper. “After the baby is born and the doctor says all is good. I’ll be ready to officially be your wife.” I wasn’t sure if those words left my mouth, but for sure that was what I wanted to tell him. I figured I was successful even knowing my eyes were closed by now. Matthew pressed his lips on mine and I heard the sweetest sounds. “I love you, Becca.”
I love you, too. Those were the words I wanted to say, but I couldn’t. I was already knocked out.
Chapter 35
Becky
I couldn’t believe the day was finally here. My baby and I did great. We held on until the cesarean date. I looked like a balloon and my body felt so heavy to move, but that would disappear in time.
After the doctor gave me an epidural shot on my spine, which I couldn’t believe I felt no pain from, I started to go numb below my waist. When I saw the size of the needle, I was glad I hadn’t seen it before. I probably would have refused it.
“My family, your parents, Jenna, and Max are in the waiting room. Do you feel anything?” Matthew asked, walking in. The doctor had asked him to fill out more forms in addition to the ones I had already signed.
It had been so long since Matthew and I had sex, I wondered how he was holding up, because all I could think of at that moment were perverted thoughts when I saw him. He looked so delicious, all dressed up in blue scrubs—just like the doctor—I wanted to strip them off him. “I feel something. I want something,” I said in my most seductive voice.
Matthew chuckled. “Don’t say that, Becca. You’re flat on your back with an easy access hospital gown on. All I have to do is just pull that string and I could see all of you.” His hand slipped down to my breast, causing me to gasp. He gave me a slow kiss that would have produced all sorts of funny tingles down my legs; however, I couldn’t feel anything now on my lower half.
When the sound of footsteps approached, Matthew made sure I wasn’t exposed and stepped aside.
“We’re all ready for you,” Dr. Frances said. He was dressed the same as Matthew. More people came in and pulled the bed I was on. “Matthew, since this isn’t an emergency situation, you may be in the same room.”
“Don’t worry, Doc. I don’t plan on missing a thing.”
Matthew
I had no interest in seeing Becca’s gut, so I held onto her hands, gazing into her eyes while hovering at the side. She would open and close her eyes, sometimes squinting them. “Are you in pain? Do you feel what they’re doing?”
“No. I’m just anxious.”
“Me, too.” I wanted to keep her mind occupied. “I think I’m going to steal your gown and mine so we can play doctor and patient. What do you think?” I got a loud snort out of her.
“I think that’s a great idea, ’cause I want to do a whole bunch of nasty things to you, Doctor Knight. I’ll be a good patient and do whatever you’ve been dreaming of and wanting to do for the past couple of months. You’ve been so patient and enduring.”
That sounded way too hot to my ears. Whispering to each other and flirting like this was driving me crazy. My dick was straining in my pants. I had to turn off my emotions or we would be that couple the doctor and nurses would remember forever.
“It’s a—” I heard a voice begin. Becky’s eyes grew wide. I stood up and turned to the sound. That was fast.
“You have a beautiful daughter, Mr. Knight.”
I knew I was going to have a daughter, but seeing her in front of me was a whole different, amazing feeling. Suddenly, I didn’t know what to do until the nurse handed her to Becca.
“Hello there, little one,” Becca cooed.
All I could see was her face, but that was enough to break me down. Whatever I had been feeling, this depth of happiness filled me completely. Since they had just taken her out and hadn’t cleaned her thoroughly yet, she still had some smudge of white stuff on her face that looked like white cream.
“She’s beautiful,” I said softly, afraid that if I spoke any louder I would scare her. Her eyes were wide, and a glistening chestnut brown. She was alert and staring back at us.
“We’re your mommy and daddy. And we love you so much. Your two sets of grandparents, Auntie Rachel and Jenna, and Uncle Max are waiting in the waiting room. They can’t wait to meet you.” Becca paused. “You did it. You held on for us. I’m so proud of you.” A teardrop fell from Becca’s eye and I couldn’t keep my eyes from tearing, too. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing in front of me. She looked like a little angel sent from Heaven just for us. She was healthy and perfect.
“I love you,” I said to Becca, and kissed her check. “I love you, too.” I kissed my daughter’s cheek. “Thanks for being so strong.”
Becca and I stood there, frozen, and couldn’t stop staring at our miracle, the miracle that had a slim chance of surviving, of making it through as far as she did. She was a fighter for sure.
“It’s time to clean her up.” The nurse took her from us.
Like a child, I wanted to pout and give a million reasons why I needed a minute longer, but I gave in. I had no choice.
“What’s her name?” Dr. Frances asked.
“Addison Marie Knight,” Becca said proudly. “She’s named after Matthew’s grandmother.”
“That’s a beautiful name.”
“Seven pounds, twenty inches,” the nurse said.
“Perfect.” My lips locked on Becca’s, then we both shifted our gaze to Addison.
While the doctors stitched Becca back up, I held both of her hands. Thank you for second chances, I prayed. Tha
nk you for keeping both of them safe.
My mind drifted back to Tessa and our unborn child. I wondered if Tessa and I would’ve had a baby girl. Whatever the reason why they were taken away, it only led me to believe that they weren’t meant for me. It was funny how things turned out in life. Things happened for a reason in their own time and place, and helped people to learn and grow. Though I would always love Tessa and our unborn baby, and would keep them close to my heart, I was looking at my future now, my purpose, my reason for living, and I couldn’t have been happier.
Chapter 36
Jenna
A sensation of pain coursed through me. It was light at first, but it got stronger. I felt my body shudder from trying to contain the ache, but it didn’t work. The pain expanded and deepened and it made my muscles weak. It felt hot, cold, then hot again, alternating as sweat dampened across my forehead.
I moaned a painful sound, alerting Max to look at me. He didn’t say a word. He was waiting for me to speak. “I’m okay. I feel cramping.” Rubbing my stomach, I turn to the side. When that was uncomfortable, I shifted upward.
“Are you in pain?” Max asked, looking down where the needle was stuck in me. Two types of liquid were flowing through me, IV and Pitocin. Being that I was a week late, the doctor had suggested that we induce labor. Though Max and I didn’t like the idea, the fact that being so late could cause stress to the baby made us decide to do it.
“Let me check your dilation,” Dr. Howard said, walking in with a nurse.
Max smiled and turned away. He still had a difficult time with another man seeing me naked.
“Looks like only two centimeters. We’re making progress. The baby’s head is in good position, too.” Dr. Howard pulled my gown down. “Hang it there and let us know if there is any discomfort or if you have any questions.”
Before I could ask him a question, the monitor started beeping. Was something wrong with me? I turned to the sound, then to Max. He moved to the side for the nurse to come around. At that point, my heart was pumping on overload and all I could do was wait. The sound died as quickly as it had come.
