Redemption(44)

“We can talk about it later. You’re not in the right frame of mind. I’m sure cultivating a nesting ground for eggs to grow is hard work. Just lie back and look pretty so Mother Nature can make your uterus what she needs it to be…or wait, is it modern science doing that?”

I threw a pillow at his head, which he managed to dodge before he sat down on the floor in front of me and stole the remote. My eyes lingered on him as he surfed the channels looking for something to watch. Daytime television left a lot to be desired. Just as I was about to drift off to sleep, I noticed Cosmo crouched down beside the chair getting ready to pounce. I smirked thinking Dan was his prey.



*

Two weeks later, I’d gone in for the beta pregnancy test. Today we would get the results. Thankfully, Dan had been forced to go back to work, and I’d resumed my normal schedule, as had Annie and Brett. But today, I stayed home, and Annie called in. We were both far too anxious to bother with our jobs. Annie had spent the morning complaining about Brett and that jackass Gray, who was still lurking in the shadows of her life. I’d warned her not to open that can of worms, but she hadn’t listened to me and was now paying the price.

I agreed, this time, Brett was out of line. She’d set Gray straight, told him exactly how things were not going to be, but Gray had baited Brett, taunting him to think she’d lied to him. Brett fed into Gray’s games, and here it was, wreaking havoc on their marriage. If I were Annie, I’d just apologize and move on, but she refused to budge. I hated for this day to be ruined by something so trivial, but I couldn’t deter her. When Brett sent me a text asking if he could come by early, I’d kept it to myself but gave him the go ahead.

We were sitting on the front porch when Brett pulled up. The moment Annie saw him, she stood and walked toward her husband without saying a word.

“What are you doing here? I didn’t think you were coming until this afternoon.”

I couldn’t see her face, but I could tell by her tone, she was glad he’d made an effort to make amends before they learned their fate in a few hours.

“I couldn’t stay focused and wanted to see if I could hijack you for a little while.”

I shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but they were only a few feet away, and I was too lazy to go in the house. “Take her!” It seemed like a good thing to holler.

“Apparently, I’m free. Did you have anything in mind?”

“Just wanted to be with you. And I have a little something for you.”

“Want to go for a walk? There are miles of country road available.”

I watched as he took her hand, and together they moved toward the gravel road, the crunch of the rocks under their feet and the sounds of nature filled the air. Dan arrived shortly before they came back. I had no idea what they’d done with the hours they were gone, but everything appeared to be right in their world so it must have been worth it.

Promptly at four o’clock, we all huddled around my dining room table with Annie’s phone on speaker between us. The only thing that mattered in this call were the HCG levels. Without them, there was no pregnancy. Fifty indicated one pregnancy, two hundred or higher, and we’re having multiples. With the rosary in my pocket, I secretly worried the beads as we waited for the news.

I released the chain in favor of us all holding hands in a circle, while we waited for the nurse to pick up the line.

“Hey, guys.” Her voice was chipper when it finally replaced the hold music. “Do we have everyone on the line?”

Brett took the lead. “Yeah, all four of us are here.”

“Let me pull up Lissa’s file. Give me just a second.”

Her tone had indicated she had good news, but when she had to retrieve the file, I wasn’t sure she’d even looked at the lab work.

“Everything looks good, guys. Labs are great.”

Annie took a deep breath beside Brett but hadn’t let it back out.

“HCG levels?” Brett was anxious. This was the moment of truth.

“Looks like fifty-two. Congratulations. You guys have made it over the first hurdle. We’ll need to do another blood test in a few days to ensure the HCG levels are continuing to rise, but other than that, the next step is to schedule an ultrasound for Lissa at the six-and-a-half-week mark to check for the heartbeat, but this is all very encouraging.”

The call was transferred to make the next appointment. I knew Annie was disappointed, the tears on her cheeks were evidence, but we had beaten the odds having success on the first try.

Brett opened his mouth to speak to his wife, but before he could get a word out, she turned to me. Her delicate hand covered her heart, and she blinked away the tears pooled in her eyes.

“Thank you. I’ll never be able to repay you for what you’re doing for us.”

She believed I’d done something incredible for her, but she’d never know what she’d done for me. “I’m sorry it’s not twins, Annie.”

“Oh no, don’t be. I would have been thrilled with twins, but I’m so excited with one, I could explode.” Annie rose from the table and came to me. Emotions laced our embrace, only no one else knew exactly what mine were. Annie finally pulled back. “Only thirty-eight more weeks to go.”

Dan and Brett groaned simultaneously, but they were both happy with the outcome. The only thing that mattered for the next nine months was protecting the life inside me.