Baby Love(24)

"But hey, I also need my very best friend too and I miss her," Gina said bringing me back to the conversation.

I smiled into the phone telling her we would talk soon.

I pulled my car into the parking lot of Edgewood Convalescence Center. Jean had been moved over to Edgewood from the hospital about a week ago. She was here for rehabilitation. Thankfully, she had regained consciousness with no permanent brain damage. She was at Edgewood for physical therapy for the next two months.

Jean brightened as I entered her room. She was sitting up in a chair, looking at a magazine that I had brought her a few days before when I had visited.

"Tylar," she greeted me with a smile, "You are a welcome site today. How is my little one doing?"

"She is heavier than two sacks of potatoes," I laughed. "You better be working double time with your physical therapist if you expect to be able to lift her when you get out."

"I think my therapist might have been a Nazi in his previous life," she moaned.

"No worries Tylar, he won't let me be a slacker that is for sure."

Trey and I had discussed having Jean as live-in help once we moved into our new large home. I hadn't said anything to Jean just yet as I wanted to see how she progressed with her therapy. There would be a lot of stops and high ceilings to contend with in our new home. I started back at the firm the following week to fill in for Leah until just before Christmas. Susan would be watching Preston while I worked for as long as Trey and I needed her.

"Is grandma being good to little Preston?" Jean asked.

"Spoiling her rotten," I laughed.

"Can't spoil a baby Tylar," Jean replied, "You can spoil your appetite or spoil a surprise, but you just can't spoil a baby."

"If you say so Jean," I said, smiling at her.

We chatted a little while longer and then her 'born again Nazi' came into her room to take her down for her hydrotherapy which I could only guess involved water.

That evening at dinner Susan announced that she was needed back in Bristol in two weeks. Clive was to undergo by-pass surgery and she would need to be there to help him during recovery.

Trey and I both dropped our forks at her announcement.

"Mom," Trey said, clearly startled, "What the hell happened? Why am I just finding out about this?"

"Because I just found out about it this afternoon Trey. It seems your father chose to keep me out of the loop until he knew with certainty what the official diagnosis and treatment option was to be. I was just as clueless."

"Did he have a heart attack?" I asked stunned by the news.

"No, no - nothing like that thankfully," she replied.

"He has just been feeling tired over the past couple of months and lacked his usual energy. He didn't want to worry anyone so he went to his doctor who then referred him to a cardiologist. He has some blockage which can be surgically corrected with a bypass. He claims it is very routine."

I didn't say anything but it seemed to me that anytime there was a problem with someone's ticker that needed fixing it hardly seemed routine.

"Tylar," Susan said glancing over at me, "I intend to stay and help you find someone to watch Preston after I leave. I took the liberty of calling a couple of agencies today. They will be sending a few candidates over this week yet. I know you start back working on Monday but if you trust me to do the interviewing . . ."

"Whoa, whoa," I interrupted, causing Trey to look over at me quickly.

"As far as I am concerned Susan, your place is with Clive. I don't want you worrying yourself one little bit about Preston. I will be here to take care of her and that's that."

"What about going back to the firm?" Susan asked.

"As far as I'm concerned, the firm can call an agency to get temporary help. I need to stay here with Preston since you need to be with Clive."

"Tylar," Trey interrupted softly. "You and I will discuss this later."

He turned his attention back to his mother, pummeling her with questions about Clive in attorney-style. He wanted to make sure that there was nothing being held back about his father's condition. I got that. But if Trey thought for one second that I was going to leave my baby to the care of someone other than family right now, he was sorely mistaken.

As we readied ourselves for bed that evening Trey pulled me down beside him on the bed.

"Tylar I know that you have some trepidation about hiring someone to watch the baby after Mom leaves, but please hear me out."

I looked over at him as he raked his hand absently through his hair and sighed.

"The thing is Tylar, our lives have improved so much because of the treatment you have been getting for your PPD; the fact that mom has been here as well makes it difficult to know if she has been part of the cure I guess. I need to know that you are okay no matter what. Do you understand?"

I wasn't sure that I did understand.

"I'm not sure Trey," I answered honestly.

He took my hand in his massaging it gently, raising it to his face and brushing his lips against it.

"I mean that I need to know that you have shed the fears and anguish of being apart from the baby when it is not me or my mom that is watching her; that your paranoia is gone," he said simply.

"You're right - the firm could easily call an agency and get a temp in to train to cover for Leah. That is really not the point though."