Cracks in the Sidewalk(10)

~

At eight o’clock the following morning, Claire and Charlie stood by Elizabeth’s bedside. The minutes ticked by as the nurses readied Elizabeth for the operating room.

“Is Jeffrey here yet?” Elizabeth asked.

“Not yet,” Claire answered.

“Would you call the house and ask if he’s left?”

Charlie dialed the number. It rang seven times before Maria Ramirez answered.

“Is JT there?” he asked.

“No here,” she said. “He gone long time.”

“He left already?”

“Si, si. Long time.”

Charlie replaced the receiver. “He’s on his way.”

They waited another fifteen minutes and still no word from Jeffrey.

“Call the store,” Elizabeth said anxiously, “and see if he stopped there.”

Charlie did. But a recording answered with the store hours.

“He’s probably on his way, maybe stuck in traffic,” Claire volunteered.

“That has to be it,” Elizabeth reasoned. “He promised to be here.”

The nurse pushed a gurney alongside the bed. “I’m gonna need you to slide over a bit,” she said as she eased Elizabeth onto it.

“Could you wait five minutes?” Elizabeth asked. “My husband’s already on his way.”

The nurse gave a sympathetic smile. “Sorry. The operating room has a tight schedule, and you’re on for nine o’clock.”

Elizabeth gave a reluctant nod and settled onto the gurney. As she was wheeled from the room, she called back, “Tell Jeffrey I’m sorry.”

Her parents watched the gurney disappear into the elevator, then Charlie turned to Claire and asked, “What is she sorry for?”

Claire shook her head in a remorseful way.

~

As Doctor Sorenson had predicted, Christian was born healthy. He weighed in at four pounds, five ounces, sizeable for a preemie.

The Sunday following the baby’s birth JT came to the hospital with both kids, and they burst into the room like exploding popcorn. Kimberly, an excited three-year-old, demanded to see her new baby “brudder,” and David tried to push ahead of her. They both ran to the bed and climbed in.

JT stood back for a long while then said, “I’m sorry. I had every intention of being here Thursday, but there were some problems at the store.”

“What kind of problems?” Elizabeth asked.

“Just problems. Am I supposed to describe each and every one of them?”

“No, but I thought maybe you’d like to talk—”

“If I wanted to talk, I would,” he said impatiently. “That’s why I don’t like coming here; you’re always harping on me about something. I didn’t get here on Thursday, and that’s that. I said I’m sorry. What more do you want?”

“I don’t want anything,” she answered keeping her voice calm, even though the harshness of his words pressed against her chest. “I simply thought we could have a pleasant conversation.”

“Oh, yeah, like that’s possible. Try going through what I’m going through, and see if you feel like a pleasant conversation.”

There was no use in pursuing the issue. When JT got in one of his moods, Elizabeth could only wait it out.

“I’m sorry you’re having such a rough time,” she said softly, then turned her attention to Kimberly who squirmed closer.

For a few moments JT stood there, a hard uncompromising look on his face, then without speaking another word he left. He was gone twenty minutes, and when he returned he said it was time to leave.

“No,” Kimberly squealed. “I wanna see my baby brudder!”

“Me too,” David added. “You said—”

“Okay,” JT interrupted, “say goodbye to Mommy, and I’ll take you to the nursery. That’s where they keep the new babies.”

“Okay,” Kimberly said, scampering down from the bed. “Can I play with him?”

“Maybe when he comes home.”

“Can he come home today?”

“Not today,” JT said. He turned to David and told him to get a move on.

“I want to stay here with Mommy,” the boy answered and leaned his head against his mother’s shoulder.

Elizabeth wished she could wrap that one moment in cellophane and save it for a lifetime. David looked like his father but had her sensitivity. He was always ready to cuddle and lay his head on her heart. Kimberly was a three-year-old tornado whirling across the plateau of life, challenging everything. She would chatter in your ear until you were ready to scream uncle then give you a smile that melted your heart.

Christian. What would he be like, this child who had rocked the world with his entrance?

Elizabeth smiled at David. “Mommy will go with you,” she told him. “Wait a minute, and I’ll get the nurse to bring a wheelchair.”

“That’s gonna take too long,” JT said. “I’ve gotta get home, I’ve got things to do.”

“I’ll ask her to hurry,” Elizabeth replied. “Please?”

David, still sitting on the bed, curled closer to Elizabeth. “I wanna wait for Mommy.”

“Me too,” Kimberly echoed.