Against the Odds (Fighting to Survive #2)(3)

Leah

Everyone leaves and I lie down next to Robert in bed. He turns off the light and we just lie there listening to our breathing. I don’t talk, I can’t voice my concerns. The baby kicks and it reminds me of what’s important.

A dream wakes up in the middle of the night and I walk downstairs. I pass Jamie’s room and the small nightlight is on. Jamie was afraid of the dark. I never understood it, until now. The monsters and demons can and will haunt you.

It’s just after four and I make a pot of decaffeinated coffee. It will be a long day. I am grateful that I made arrangements with Dove and Bethany to manage the shop for me this week. Once the coffee is done, I go out onto the deck overlooking the pool. The warmth from the hot coffee warms my otherwise chilly hands. It’s a hot summer night, but I feel like I have ice running through my veins. I rest my head on the back of the chair and close my eyes. I pray to God and talk to Jamie. I can’t imagine how all of this will end up.

I hear the jets from the hot tub come on. When I open my eyes, the lights in the pool are also on. I should have known Robert wasn’t asleep. He doesn’t sleep well, either. I look over at him and he is walking from the house to the pool naked. I have to smile. He has the sexiest body. “What are you doing?”

He looks over at me and winks. “What does it look like?”

I smile, “It looks like you’re trying to get arrested for indecent exposure.”

“If I weren't in the privacy of our own home, I would say that is a great possibility. But, since I am in the privacy of our own home, I think I’m safe.” He tosses his towel on the chair before diving into the water and making a very sloppy splash that gets me wet. Robert is not only a pro boxer, he is also an expert swimmer. I know he splashed me on purpose. He is far more graceful than I am. The saying ‘float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,’ is very true with Robert. He is very light on his feet and can give a wicked punch. He resurfaces from the water and asks, “Are you coming in?”

I don’t need to think about it twice. I stand up and remove my nightgown and panties. Before I was pregnant, I would have walked sexily over to him, now I just waddle. The baby kicks me and I rest my hand on my belly. I don’t dive in, Robert meets me at the stairs and offers his hand for support. Once I am submerged in the water, he cradles me and carries me around in the pool, like an infant in his arms. With my arm draped lazily over his shoulder, I rest my head on his chest. “I love you,” he says, kissing me.

I kiss him back and say, “I will always love you.”

Robert

I kiss Leah and carry her around the pool. The water makes her feather light, but I pretend to struggle carrying her. She laughs and splashes water on my face. Her belly bobs in and out of the water and I smile. After we swim in the pool, I soak in the adjoining hot tub while Leah sits on the edge dangling her manicured feet in the water.

“This feels nice,” she says, closing her eyes.

“It does.”

I know that Leah’s mind is racing with thoughts about the DNA results. I walked outside naked as an attempt to take her mind off it. My wife suffers from depression after the loss of our daughter and I didn’t realize how fragile she was until we received the news that Jamie may have been switched at birth. Now that we know for sure that Jamie was switched, just the thought of that brings bile from my stomach to my throat and I swear I can taste it. I don’t want Leah sinking into depression again. It won’t be good for her or the baby.

I look at the sky and the sun is starting to rise.

“Ready to go in, Sweets?”

“Now you’re worried about your modesty?” she jokes.


I look over at the neighbor’s house and the light comes on inside. “It’s not my modesty I’m worried about,” I say as I nod to her.

She looks down at her naked body and suddenly becomes very shy. I laugh as she tries to cover herself with her small hands. She looks over at the neighbors like she is expecting to see someone standing at the window.

“Stay here,” I say.

I stand and get the towel for her. “Thank you, but what about you?”

“Sweets, if they want to look at this, let them. I’m pretty sure it’s not me he wants to see.

We go inside and I turn off the hot tub jets and the pool lights.

“Are you hungry?” she asks.

I am, but I know Leah needs her sleep. I’ll eat once she is asleep.

“No, let’s go back to bed, I’m tired.”

“Me, too.”

It doesn’t take long before Leah is in a restless sleep. She jerks and moves in her sleep and I know that her subconscious won’t let her rest. I don’t move or get up. Instead, I stay with her. I feel the need to be as close to her as I can. I try hard to not think about the test results: although it’s all I can think about. Is our daughter loved and taken care of? Is she from a good home? What if she isn’t? What if she’s beaten and battered and unloved? I can taste the bile again and I shift my thoughts to better days.

“Daddy, I want this one.”

“Princess, are you sure this is the one you want?”

“Yep, he’s got big soft fluffy ears.” I watch as Jamie rubs the bunny’s face along her face and across her closed eyes. “And he’s pink,” she smiles.