But the Children Survived (25 page)

“Yes, call her please. TODAY!” 

Antonio got up from the table and kissed Teresa on the forehead.  She lifted Ricky up for a kiss too, but Antonio shook his head and muttered something in Italian.  He then left for work. 

Teresa called Lauren Sheridan and arranged to bring the female to her in 10 weeks.  Lauren was happy all had gone well and said she looked forward to meeting her new baby girl.

Chapter 31

Teresa and Lorraine drove to May's Landing with the little female between them.  The puppy climbed onto Teresa's lap and put her front paws on the door so she could look out the window.  After a time, she settled on Teresa's lap and slept the rest of the way. 

It was a two-hour trip to May's Landing, and the women decided to stop in Atlantic City to have lunch and play the slots after they dropped off the little girl. 

Lauren Sheridan’s house was located on a little side street off Cologne Avenue.  It was a cute yellow semi-Cape Cod with a large front yard and a stream flowing by in the back.  Teresa and Lorraine parked in the driveway behind Lauren's minivan.  Teresa carried the little dog to the front door and rang the bell.

Lauren answered the door with two kids standing behind her.  The kids were pushing each other to get closer to the door.

“STOP!  Go get dressed,” Lauren yelled.  The kids ran to the living room and jumped on the couch.  “Hi, come on in.”

Teresa and Lorraine entered the house.  The first thing they noticed was that Lauren's daughter Sue was sitting on the couch completely naked.  She looked to be around 4 years old. 

The next thing they noticed was the noise.  Sue and her brother Micky were screaming in unison that they didn’t want to get dressed. 

“You will get dressed or I will spank your bare bottoms!”  Lauren seemed to be at her wits’ end.  “My husband worked last night so I haven’t had much sleep.  Sorry.” 

Sue noticed the puppy in Teresa's hand.

“WEEEE!  Is that my puppy?”  The little girl seemed unable to speak below a bellow.  “Let me have him, let me have him.”  She put her hands up and was pulling at the puppy's legs. 

Lauren grabbed her arm and turned her around.  “I said go and get dressed!”  The little girl frowned and went to her bedroom.

“I’m really sorry.  Oh, she’s so cute.”  Lauren held out her hand and Teresa reluctantly gave her the puppy.  “Oh, my, what a face!  She looks just like Rocky.  He's out in the yard.  Let's go out there and introduce them.” 

Lauren led the way to the back yard through the kitchen.  There were plates on the table, and the sink was full of dishes. 

“Please excuse the mess.  I worked yesterday and was exhausted when I came home.”  She opened the sliding glass door and led Teresa and Lorraine to the wooden deck on the back of the house.  Rocky was chasing birds off the lawn. 

“Hey, Rocky, come here!”  Lauren called.  He stopped what he was doing and just stared at her.  “Oh, come on, Rocky.  Don't be so stubborn.” 

Rocky slowly made his way over to Lauren.  Lorraine asked if she could pet him and Lauren nodded her head.  When Lorraine bent down to stroke his head, Rocky jerked his head to the side and closed his eyes as if she were about to strike him.  Lorraine backed off, not wanting to cause him anymore distress. 

“Are you sure you can handle another pet right now?”  Teresa asked. 

“Oh, sure, I have plenty of room and I promised Sue she could have the puppy.  I can't go back on that promise.” 

Teresa was very unsure of what to do.  Lauren obviously couldn’t handle another pet.  But she had promised her the pick of the litter and she wasn't sure what would happen if she reneged.  Lauren might sue her for the puppy anyway and win.  She looked at Lorraine and knew she was thinking the same thing.

Sue came running out fully dressed.  She smiled and ran over to her mom.  Lauren handed her the puppy and she ran into the middle of the yard clutching the puppy close to her.  She sat down on the ground and put the puppy down in front of her. 

The puppy tried to run back to Teresa, but Sue grabbed her and clutched her close to keep her there.  Rocky ran over to Sue to inspect this new interloper.  He growled and barked at Sue. 

“Rocky!” Lauren yelled, “Back off!” 

Rocky backed off and ran to the other side of the yard with a scared look in his eyes.  He looked at Lauren and then at the puppy. 

“I'll keep them apart until she’s big enough to handle him.” 

Lauren seemed satisfied with this arrangement, but Teresa was still feeling guilty about leaving the puppy in this madhouse.  She looked at Lorraine who shrugged her shoulders. 

“Well then, I guess we should go.” 

Since this was a combo breed not yet recognized by the AKC, Teresa didn’t have papers for the dog.  She had only a record of her shots.  She handed that to Lauren.

“Thanks for bringing her down.  Call anytime and I’ll tell you how she's doing.”

Lauren led them to the front door and waved goodbye.  She walked back to the yard to check on Sue and the puppy.  As she approached the sliding glass door, she heard Sue yell for her. She ran out onto the deck and saw Rocky with his mouth securely wrapped around the little puppy's neck, shaking her from side to side.  The little female was whimpering. 

Lauren ran over to them and got the puppy away from Rocky.  The puppy wriggled out of Lauren's hand and ran to the edge of the fence trying desperately to get away.  Sue went over and picked her up. 

“It's okay, Baby Girl,” said.  “That's her name Mommy, Baby Girl.” 

She clutched the little dog to her chest and ran into the house.  She spent the rest of the afternoon keeping the puppy in her room, dressing her in doll clothes. 

*****

Two weeks later Lauren Sheridan sat crying at her kitchen table.  She couldn’t stand the noise in the house anymore.  Her mom had told her to bring the kids over so Lauren could have some peace. 

Lauren had dropped them off at her mother's house and come home to find that Rocky had bitten Baby Girl again.  This arrangement was just not working out and Lauren didn't know what to do.  Her Aunt Mimi was visiting Lauren's mom and came back to the house with Lauren.  She saw Baby Girl and picked her up.

“It's not too bad.  It doesn't look like he wanted to really hurt her, just warned her.  Look, he hardly broke the skin.”

She showed Lauren the tiny mark on Baby Girl's neck.

“There's no blood, Lauren, so I don't think she needs to go to the vet.  I'll wash it off and put some antibiotic cream on it.” 

Aunt Mimi held the puppy to her face and kissed it.  She took her over to the sink and gently washed her neck.  She then wrapped her in a towel and held her like a baby.

“I just love this dog.  I think she’s the cutest thing I've ever seen.  Yes, you are the cutest thing I've ever seen.”  Aunt Mimi was nuzzling the puppy.

“You want her?”  Lauren asked. 

Aunt Mimi's old dog, Benny, had passed away six weeks earlier.  Her husband, Fritz, was devastated by the loss.  He sat in a chair and stared into space most days.  But that dog had been big and Aunt Mimi, who would take in any dog, was not sure how Fritzy would take to a little dog like this, a puppy no less.

  Aunt Mimi missed having a dog so much.  Any animal they had owned had been her choice.  She was always bringing home strays.  She decided right there and then to take the puppy home. 

“Are you serious, Lauren?  Won't Sue be upset?”

“She's bored with her already.  She has no interest in her and rarely thinks to feed her or care for her.  It's my decision and I want you to have her if you want her.”

“Oh, I want her all right.  I love her already.” 

And so it was that Baby Girl came to live with Aunt Mimi and Uncle Fritz Lane, otherwise known as Grammy and Opa to Mindy Lane of St. Petersburg, Florida.

Chapter 32

Colts Neck, New Jersey

Teresa had been sad about the puppy for a month now.  She just kept hoping the little female would be alright.  Antonio told her to call Lauren and ask her how the puppy was doing.  She didn’t know what she would do if Lauren answered the phone with screaming dogs and children in the background, but she mustered her courage and dialed the number.  Lauren was home alone when Teresa called. 

Lauren told Teresa that her aunt, an elderly lady from Tuckerton, had taken Baby Girl and the puppy was very happy there.  Teresa sighed with relief.  She thanked Lauren and hung up.  Then her stomach turned over and she ran to the bathroom and threw up.

Teresa had been feeling tired lately.  She had missed her period and now was throwing up almost daily.  She knew she was pregnant, but hadn’t gone to the drug store yet to purchase a test.  She was almost finished with her master's and she didn't really want a baby just yet.  She hadn’t told Antonio what she suspected and wouldn’t until it was confirmed. 

She went to Lincroft Pharmacy and purchased a pregnancy test.  The next morning, she took the test and it came up positive.  Now she would have to make an appointment with Dr. Tangen.

Donald S. Tangen had been Teresa's gynecologist since she was in high school.  He was an avid Yankees fan and his office was covered with sports memorabilia.  Dr. Tangen had contemplated going into sports medicine, but gynecology was much more lucrative.  It was the end of the summer and Dr. Tangen was brown as a berry.  He coached a Little League team and had spent most of the summer in the sun, bronzing his olive skin.  His brown eyes twinkled when he told Teresa she was indeed pregnant and the baby should be born sometime in May.  He prescribed prenatal vitamins and told her to eat well and get plenty of exercise. 

When Teresa got home, Antonio was sitting with his paper at the kitchen table.  She walked over to him and put her arms around his neck.  She hesitated for a moment, thinking about college.  She might make it through the whole term if she doubled up on some of her classes.  But she was so tired already that she didn't think that would work.  What choice did she have?  She could never terminate the pregnancy.  But would Antonio let her continue college?  His fear of miscarriage was so intense he might insist she sit on her butt for nine months. 

Teresa sat down in her chair.  She looked at Antonio, who had put the paper aside. 

“I have some news.  I'm pregnant.”

“Cara mia, my beautiful girl.” 

 Antonio got up and walked over to Teresa.  She got out of her chair and they hugged each other tightly. 

“I’m so happy.  You’ve made me so happy.”  Antonio was beaming.

“You're not afraid?”  Teresa was searching his eyes for a telltale sign of fear.

“Afraid?  No, you’re healthy.  You’ll be fine.  And I’ve never noticed anything wrong with your cervix.”  He winked at her. 

“Then you won't mind me finishing college?”

“Why should I?  You worked hard.  You must finish.  If you feel tired, you take a rest.  If you don't finish, you finish after the baby is born.  We can work it out.” 

Teresa hugged him even tighter.  She was so relieved he wouldn’t fight her on this. 

“Well, we must go out and celebrate,” Antonio said.

Teresa nodded and kissed Antonio passionately.

*****

Teresa was in her second trimester when Dr. Tangen noticed a thinning in her cervix.  The baby was sitting low and Teresa appeared to be slightly dilated.  He insisted she go to bed and stay there until the baby was born. 

“But I have classes.  I can't be homebound.  And you can’t tell Antonio.”

“I won't tell your husband without your permission, but you have to stay off your feet or you’ll lose this baby.  You’re dilated already and you have four months to go.  Teresa, there will be time later to finish your degree.  There may not be another baby.  You never know.  You have to go to bed and stay there.  I will arrange for home visits so you have someone to help you in and out of bed for bathroom breaks.  Get a good long book and stay in bed!”

Teresa could have punched him at that moment.  Men thought it was so easy for a woman to just drop everything.  But Teresa knew once the baby was born it would be a lot harder to finish school.  It wouldn’t be impossible, but much harder.  She slid off the examining table and checked out of the office. 

On the drive home she began to cry.  She remembered Chloe's miscarriage and the pain it had caused.  She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose this baby.  She would have to tell Antonio.  She had no choice.

That evening at dinner she told Antonio what Dr. Tangen had said.  Antonio raised his eyebrows and smiled. 

“I can give you the drug.  It will stop this.”  He had the biggest smile on his face.  He could help her, and it made him feel so good.  “You can finish school.”

As much as she trusted Antonio, she wouldn’t drink that purple stuff.  She absolutely refused. 

“No, I will not have a purple baby.  No.  I will do what Dr. Tangen says.”

“But Teresa, it will work.  And the baby will only be purple for a little while.”

“Are you listening to yourself?  No, no purple babies.  I’ll stay in bed until he or she is born.” 

Teresa got up from the table and put the dishes in the sink.  She started putting water in the sink when Antonio came over and told her to go to bed, that he would finish the dishes.  Teresa kissed his cheek and went to their bedroom.  She put on her softest nightgown and got into bed.

Two weeks later, despite doctor-ordered bed rest, Teresa miscarried her little baby girl.  When Antonio brought her home from the hospital, Teresa went straight to bed and refused to get out for three weeks.  Her mother came to the house and stayed with her while Antonio went to work.