Against the Odds (Fighting to Survive #2)(30)

I can hear Mom asking Dad and Walter to go while they stay behind with me. I have my eyes closed so I can’t see what’s going on.

“Let’s all go, it’ll be good to stretch our old bones,” Dad says.

I hear movement and then I hear the door closed. I lie still and when I don’t hear anything I wonder if Robert went with them. I peek one eye open and Robert is very close to me staring. “Good morning, Sweets,” he says and I squint my eyes closed tightly. Might as well open them, Leah. He’s already seen you.

I open my eyes and fake a yawn for good measure. “Good morning,” I finally say.

“Is there something you want to talk about?” he asks.

No, I want to keep all of my fears to myself. “Looks like we’ll be parents sooner than we thought.” I try to sound happy, but my voice cracks and the tears start to flow.

“Oh, Leah. Don’t cry.”

“Robert, it’s too soon. What if something happens to her?” Good job keeping my fears to myself. I know Robert will understand.

“Leah, listen to me.” I wipe away my tears and look up at him. “You’re almost three weeks further along than you were when your labor first started. The doctor is giving you steroids to strengthen our daughter’s lungs.” He smiles and I nod. “If he’s optimistic that our baby will be born healthy, then we should be too. That heartbeat isn’t weak and fragile, it’s strong and fierce. Our daughter is a fighter.”

“But what if…?” I begin to say before Robert cuts me off mid-sentence.

“What if she’s born healthy and we don’t have a name for her? What if she doesn’t have a name and we have to call her, She or Her, her entire life?”

I laugh and Robert smiles his dimpled smile. “But, what if…”

“Okay, Ace. Point taken.”

“Does that mean we can pick a name for our daughter?” he asks.

“It does. Thank you.”

“Do you have any ideas?” he asks. I shake my head, “I don’t. I wanted something to go with Jamie and Madison, but nothing fit. I wish I knew Madison’s middle name. Maybe we could build on that.

Our parents walk in with trays of food from the cafeteria. Robert must have been hungry. “Good, looks who’s up?” Margie says.

I smile when everyone smiles at me. “You’ve been out of it all day. We were beginning to worry about you.” Walter walks over and hugs me.

“I’m just tired,” I lie. “I’m sorry you worried,” I say because it’s the truth. I look over at Robert and he is typing something into his cell phone.

“Sounds like it won’t be long now,” Mom says. “I overheard your doctor talking to someone on the phone. He was saying the baby had a very strong heartbeat and to start getting ready for her arrival,” Mom says has she removes the lids from the plates.


“It must be someone from the N.I.C.U.” I rest my hand on my belly and say a silent prayer that she’ll be all right.

Robert

I finish my text to Gus and focus my attention back to Leah. I know she is worried, hell, I am too. A knock comes from the door before it slowly opens. I’m surprised when Mason and Angel walk in. Mason looks shy to be here, but Angel rushes over and hugs Leah. I can here Leah cry.

Mason says, “I’m sorry. We heard about Leah being in active labor and Angel demanded we rush right over.”

I shake Mason’s hand and say, “It’s always good seeing you.”

“How is she?” Mason asks.

“Scared,” I admit. “She’s dilated between six and seven centimeters.”

“It won’t be long, how are you?”

“Scared. Trying to keep it together.”

Another knock comes from the door and a nurse walks in. “I’m sorry, Mr. Grether. But there is a waiting room full of people here for your wife and you. I wanted to let you know in case you wanted to go out and talk to them.”

“Oh, thank you. I wonder who could be out there.”

Mason looks over at Angel who is in a deep conversation with Leah and says, “Angel called everyone she knew on the ride here. There’s no telling who is out there.”

“We’ll go and talk to them, Robert. You stay here and visit with Mason and Angel.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.”

When they all leave, Mason says, “Angel knew Leah would be scared about the pre-term birth. Since we had twins born prematurely, she thought she could ease some of Leah’s fears.”

“I hope so. Leah’s terrified something will happen. After losing Jamie…”

“Say no more. That’s understandable.”

We walk over to where Leah and Angel are and Angel is telling her about her twin’s birth, how scared she and Mason were and her experience with N.I.C.U. “I had to have an emergency C-section and the twins were born so small. It was scary, but now they are running around the house like healthy three-year-olds.”

“Thank you, we have been so worried. I appreciate you guys coming, it means a lot to Robert and me.”

Angel hugs Leah and stands from the bed and then hugs me. “Does your baby have a name?” Angel asks.

“No, not yet,” Leah says sadly.