She was pushing what looked like a crib on wheels and having a hard time.
My dad patted me on the shoulder and told me, “she’s trying to carry the weight of it all on her own, Danny.”
I instantly became defensive. “I’m not going to let her, dad. She knows I’m here for her. I wouldn’t let her face this alone.”
He laughed an even heartier laugh than before.
“You’re ‘bout blind as a bat, boy! She’s carrying around a lot more than just that crib there.”
I turned to my dad not quite understanding. Before I could ask any further questions, I watched my dad’s left hand come around full swing and hit me in the face with a giant stuffed animal.
I nearly jumped five feet in the air from the couch. Malaysia was laying on the other end and she let out a small yelp. I sat up and began looking around the room. My eyes rested on Malaysia, and I let out a sharp breath.
She sat up, rubbed her eyes and let out a yawn before looking back at me. “Another nightmare? Oh, Daniel, I’m so sorry,” she mumbled. “You’ve been doing so good with those and now—"
“No, no. It wasn’t anything like that,” I insisted. “I had a dream… about my dad.”
I picked up the remote and clicked on the channel menu to see the time. It was close to six a.m. I rubbed my own tired eyes, and then stood up from the couch to stretch.
“I want to take you to visit my dad today,” I said. Malaysia was still sitting on the couch and groggily replied, “Okay. Sure. Where does he live?”
Malaysia
Daniel had never told me about his parents. When he explained they had both passed and we were going to a memorial site, I felt so sorry for him. I was fortunate that both my parents were still alive and well despite their age.
I gave Daniel my condolences about losing them and he asked about my family. This was the first time we had ever really talked about our either of our families, surprisingly. Considering we wanted to start our own you think it would have come up in conversation at some point.
“I just spoke to my mother a few days ago,” I told him.
“Good. Did you tell them about the baby?” he asked quite plainly.
I took a deep breath before answering, “No. They know about you, though. My younger sister thinks you’re hot.”
He actually smirked a little and laughed. “You showed them pictures of me?”
“Yes,” I giggled. “But no, I didn’t tell them about our plans. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
We then drove the rest of the way to Mission Hills in silence. We had some breakfast burritos we made at home a little bit before leaving and I was surprised to find I wasn't upchucking any of it already.
The sun was finally rising, and I couldn’t have been more thankful by the time we reached Eden Memorial Park. It was November and the mornings are as cold as the nights. In the sun it isn’t nearly as chilly as long as there isn’t any wind. So much for those hot California days. Summer seemed too short this year. In fact, the whole second half of the year had seemed to rush by me and Daniel both. So much had changed since we first met almost six months ago.
The walkway that lead to the innermost part of the memorial park is where Daniel’s mother and father were buried. On the drive there he talked about his father and mother, but especially his relationship with his dad.
When we reached his headstone, he laid the roses he cut from her small flowerbed on his mother’s grave, said some words I couldn’t make out and then stood back upright.
“In my dream, my dad said you were carrying more than I know,” he said suddenly.
I looked at him, my arms crossed close. The direct sunlight provided some warmth, but it was still quite cold. Even my coat wasn’t completely keeping the chill from creeping its way under my clothes.
I swallowed and thought to choose my words wisely.
“Daniel, I know it seems like I took the shock of everything so hard. I did,” I admitted. “But I’m stronger than I look. I just… needed some time to pull it together in my mind.”
He didn’t say anything.
I followed his eyes to his father’s headstone.
“May, I wish I had talked to you or Angel more about my own fears, but I thought I was strong, too,” he said. “I didn’t realize how weak I was until I saw that wreck.”
Right at that moment, I felt so ashamed. I didn’t want to admit it but I hadn’t considered how he was handling things. I chose to be selfish for a while and find my own way to cope with losing the baby, almost losing someone who had become a dear friend and even with me being sick. I just wanted to cope alone, but everyone doesn’t grieve that way.
I didn’t get a chance to apologize before Daniel said something that totally threw me for a loop and half.
“Will you marry me, May?” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.
I looked at it with wide eyes. Was he serious?! When he popped open the box revealing a multi-clustered diamond ring with more inlayed karats than I’d seen in my life I got the memo really quick: he was serious.
“When did you get that,” I said in a hushed voice.
“Right before I told you I’d be home if you wanted to talk, but right after you left me at the hospital,” he chuckled. “I want you to know we’re going to do it together just like I said that night in my apartment six months ago.”
I was still speechless. Before I could fully pull my head together and scream out ‘yes’ a million times over I felt my stomach churn. I instantly threw my hands up to my mouth.
Daniel must have seen the look on my face because he shut the box and was immediately on his feet. He wrapped one of his arms around me and it felt like the whole Earth had been swept out from underneath for a second. I closed my eyes, but the minute I reopened them I was doubled over vomiting. It wasn’t enough that I felt light-headed, but I was almost certain I was right over Daniel’s mother’s grave.
I wanted to just take a deep breath but every time I tried it turned into a whole new set of fresh upheaval. My stomach muscles were nearly sore from just the day before. I closed my eyes back and felt my knees land on dead leaves and dirt. Daniel remained by me.
“Malaysia! May, I’m here. It’s going to be alright,” he said as he rubbed my back.
But I wasn’t alright. I started seeing sparkles of multicolored lights behind my eyes. I was heaving up nothing by this point and my ears even felt like they were started to ring. All I remember is me finally laying over on the cold, dead Earth.
If I was going to my grave because of a stomach virus I was in the right place. Daniel could have suggested putting me right there in the dirt next to his parents and I would have gladly accepted. Soon after, there were no sparkles behind my lids, no sound in my ears, and no more heaving. There was nothing.
* * *
I heard Daniel’s voice again after what seemed like a few minutes. When I opened my eyes, it was clear it wasn’t just a few minutes. I was in the hospital.
There wasn’t just Daniel. Someone had brought Angel into the room from her unit on the fourth floor. Daniel sat to the left of my bed and Angel was at the foot of it in a wheelchair.
“Well, hello beautiful,” she said with a small laugh. “You know you look way better in a hospital gown than I do.”
Daniel laughed a bit as well. I rolled my eyes and then realized this was really happening. I was in the hospital. I looked to left arm and saw the IV. It was some clear fluid and then I looked over to Daniel.
“What the hell?” I asked.
“You were dehydrated,” he said calmly. “Besides not keeping food down the past two or three days you also weren’t drinking enough fluids.”
I fell back on my pillow. I was slightly upright in the hospital bed, I guess in case I had a spell and began vomiting again.
A man soon entered in the typical lab coat and scrubs uniform you’d expect a doctor to wear. I could only guess he was the physician overseeing whatever had me
so ill. I wasn’t crazy about waking up in a hospital but definitely looking forward to any remedy he might have for severe food poisoning.
He gave me big smile as he looked up from his clipboard.
“Well, look who’s awake,” he said cheerfully. “I’m doctor Ross, Malaysia, and you are here because you haven’t been keeping much down, especially fluids it seems.”
“Yeah,” I said unamused by his enthusiasm. This must be how some of my client’s felt on my ‘fake-it-’til-you-make-it’ days. I wonder how many more homes I could have sold in the past had I been less cheerleader-like and more genuine in my sales pitch.
I sat up a bit more in bed and got straight to the point.
“Ok, so, what’s got me sick? Is it a stomach virus or some kind of flu? What?” I asked.
His eyes grew big and then he put on this cheesy grin. He cleared his throat and set his clipboard face down on his knees.
“Well, I don’t know too many people who would name a child ‘stomach virus’ or ‘flu’, he said sarcastically, “but if that’s the hip thing now. Celebrities name their baby all kinds of crazy things. Why not!”
I took me a few seconds. Ok, it took me almost a full thirty seconds to let what he said sink in. Angel was screaming so loud and so shrill two nurses, a nurse aide, and another doctor came running into the room.
Angel was practically in tears and still screaming for joy when Daniel finally jumped up and let out a “Yeeeeeeeaah baby! Oh my gosh! Yeah! Doc are you serious?!?!” The doctor let Daniel see the results that were taken from my admission vitals.
I was pregnant.
Daniel fell to his knees. The frightened staff were now smiling and clapping and saying congratulations. I had no words. All I could do was bring my knees up to my chest and cry into my own hands. I couldn’t believe it. I just couldn’t.
I heard Daniel asking the doctor again and again if he was sure, with him reassuring Daniel there was no question about it. But they did ask if we needed him to give a referral to an OB/GYN. Daniel told him we already had a physician and explained about us seeing a fertility specialist. He also explained who Angel was and the whole reason she was there. She was still a pile of tears in her wheelchair.
All the medical staff in the room was so moved by what Daniel said I could hear some of the female staff sniffling, followed by 'oh my goodness' and 'oh wow'. Daniel did, however, ask if they could fax the results over to our OB/GYN. The doctor said of course.
Before I could catch my breath or even just have a second to think, Daniel came to my left side and took my tear-soaked hand. I couldn’t even look at him. I couldn’t wrap my mind around how this miracle was in our life and I was silently praying to not have it snatched away.
Then, I heard Daniel speak and I knew even if it all went wrong again he meant what he said. We were doing it together. All of it. No matter what came.
“May, you never answered me earlier. Of course, you were doubled over throwing up but--” he laughed. The other voices in the room laughed too. Even me.
“But, Malaysia Park, will you marry me, please?”
He still had the ring. I opened my eyes to look over at him and instantly shut them back and burst into more tears. I nodded, however. I nodded and finally said yes through my sobs. I heard Angel let another joyful screech amongst medical staff clapping. We had amassed quite an audience when I finally looked around the room.
Daniel slid on the engagement ring to my shaking hand, leaned over, wrapped me in his arms, and said into my ear, “Let’s do it together, May. We’re going to, just like told you from the start. I love you Malaysia. I love you so so so much!”
“I love you too, Daniel! And we’re going to do it together. Just like you said. I love you!”
Together
It was sixteen weeks later, and Daniel and I had prepared more than our fair share of all the things people say you shouldn’t go overboard with in preparing for your first baby. My parents had even made a trip to finally meet Daniel and bring us more gifts than any expecting couple could need.
Angel was still doing her rehabilitation to walk and building her strength, but she was far better than the first week. She even made it with us to our sixteen-week checkup and I honestly can’t say who was more excited: us or her.
I laid on my side as our OB/GYN maneuvered the transducer probe around on my stomach. I didn’t quite have a ‘baby bump’ but the excitement, after all, was seeing what was developing inside not outside.
After some expert angling from our obstetrician, we could see our first born.
“Oh my gosh,” Angel said. “Just look! I’m so excited.”
You would think this was her first time seeing a sonogram. But Daniel and I were thrilled to finally see what would be our future son or daughter. And right then, the doctor asked, “Do you want to know the sex of the baby?"
Daniel hesitated and looked to me first. I gave him a smile and said, “Yes. Absolutely.” The doctor smiled as she slid the probe a bit further to the right of my belly button and downward.
“Alright,” she said, “and… congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. You’re expecting a beautiful baby boy.”
“Yeah,” Daniel shouted. Angel clapped with excitement and I let a small ‘aww’. Secretly, I was hoping for a girl.
“It’s actually quite a miracle,” the OB/GYN said. “From what I understand looking at your records you had a one in million chance at pregnancy success, and it’s definitely a success, for sure.
As we both looked at the monitor a soft smile came across Daniel’s face. “Let’s name him Robert.”
I remembered reading the name across the headstone at Eden Memorial Park. I gave him an approving smile.
“Okay. I think that will suit him just right.”
The doctor clicked a few buttons and gave us two photos of the sonogram. Daniel looked at one of them with an endearing grin and then said softly, “Robert Clifton Anderson II. We wouldn’t do it without you.”
The End ... but there's a surprise for you!
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To Russia With Love
By Tasha Jones
Radiah
The buildings catch the river light and throw it back across the drive. Sun glints against the rows of windows. It sparkles against the concrete sidewalks. Like it usually is at this time of day, Riverside Drive is bustling and busy and alive. Bike riders and runners and sightseers move along the street in a staccato drumbeat that leaves long stretches of sidewalk empty before one of the clusters of comings and goings give way to another gap.
Pedaling through one of those voids, I smile ahead at a woman who looks to be about my age, her young daughter, and the fluffy white dog they have leashed to a stroller. The sunset lowering over the horizon makes an already beautiful day even more beautiful. There is nothing like springtime in New York City. It never matters how crazy my day has been. These dusk-lit rides always make me feel good. They make me feel alive too. Some people say the city
has a heartbeat, and I feel it all of the time, but I never feel it more than I do on evenings like this one.
The little girl ahead of me, no more than five or six, pulls away from her mom’s hand and darts right in the path of my bike. Thank goodness I manage to swerve towards the railing. Braking, I set my feet on the ground and look back to check on the little girl.
“Oh, Hannah!” the girl’s mother gasps. She rushes the few feet forward to grab the little girl’s hand, still keeping the carriage in her other hand. The dog looks at me, wagging its fluffy tail and, from inside of the stroller, I hear a baby cooing.
Her Designer Baby Page 13
