Saving Forever - Part 5 (Saving Forever #5) (10 page)

Forty minutes later Elijah found Charity half lying on a couch in the doctor’s lounge. She had her feet up on the coffee table beside the can she was still nursing and her hands resting on her belly. “Everything alright?” He dropped down beside her and polished off the rest of her coke.

“I haven’t heard anything from downstairs.” She leaned her head against the back of the couch. “I decided I didn’t want to know.”

“She’s gone. Police picked her up and had her transferred to General.” Elijah shook his head. “Ridiculous.”

Charity didn’t care. She refused to give that woman another moment of her time. She shifted her hands over to the right. “This little guy has been dancing ever since I sat down.”

Elijah leaned over and placed his hand over hers. “Really?”

“It might be from the pop.”

“Oh no! We’ve got a caffeine freak?” He grinned when Charity moved her hand and a ripple of movement fluttered. Elijah laughed. “I felt that.”

“It could be the baby or my intestines.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m betting on the baby.” He glanced at the clock on the wall. “Have you drank your liter of h-two-o?” He stood and went over to the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water and brought it over to her.

“Crap! I forgot.” She opened the plastic bottle and guzzled three-quarters of it. “I already have to pee. That should be plenty.”

Elijah motioned with his hand. “Finish it. You were supposed to drink two.”

She groaned. “I can’t drink two!”

“I’ll take it along and you can sip it while we walk.”

She stood and finished the rest of the one she was holding and tossed it in the recycling bin.

They headed to the stairwell where a security guard stopped them. “Elevator’s only right now.”

“I’m Dr. Bennet. Chief surgeon while Dr. Thompson is gone. This is Dr. Thompson-Bennet, his daughter.”

Way to name drop, Elijah.
She would have laughed but was afraid she would pee her pants. She swore the baby was using her bladder as a trampoline.

“Dr. Bennet. Security asked to keep the stairwells closed and only valid ID for anyone entering or exiting the hospital.”

“Why wasn’t I told of this?” Elijah pulled out his phone. “Oh, I was. Sorry, mate.” He grabbed Charity’s hand and walked toward the elevators. “It’s apparently protocol when someone enters the hospital that isn’t supposed to be here.” He scrolled through his phone. “Looks like your dad is on his way over now. Let’s go see our baby and forget all this ugly stuff.”

“Sounds good to me.”

They took the elevator down to the second floor and checked in.

“Is your bladder full?” the sonographer asked.

“Very.”

“Perfect! Then let’s get you started.” She handed Charity a blue hospital gown. “Put this on. You can keep the undies on as well.” She smiled at Elijah. “Dr. Bennet, you can come and wait with me while I set up the anomaly scan.”

Charity stepped into the small change room and switched from her green hospital doctor gear into the blue patient dress. She wondered what they would say if she wore her medical coat overtop. After the crazy morning, now probably wasn’t the right time.

She followed the sound of Elijah’s voice to the room.

“Hop up on the table.” The sonographer patted the bench with one hand and worked on the computer with her other one.

Charity did as instructed and let the girl, which she didn’t even know her name, put a blanket over her pelvis. “Just lift your gown up and I’ll slide the sheet into place.” She reached for a tube. “This is going to be a bit cool. Sorry. The machine is supposed to keep it warm but for some reason it dictates cool as a warm temperature.” She motioned for Elijah to stand on the other side of Charity so he could see the monitor. She squeezed the gel and covered Charity’s belly. “You know what I’m going to be checking today?”

Elijah leaned forward as the sonographer clicked through screens with her left hand and directed the ultrasound over Charity’s stomach. “You want to see that the baby is developing normally.” He stopped and reached for Charity’s hand. “Maybe the resident should answer this.”

Charity rolled her eyes and smiled. “Always the teacher. How about we let…” she glanced at the sonographer to see if she would give them her name.

“Danielle.”

“Thank you. How about we let Danielle do her job and just be parents-to-be instead of doctors?”

Danielle laughed. “I hear ya, sister. Okay!” She shifted so she could watch the screen and moved the ultrasound down by Charity’s bladder. “Yup, you’re full.” She smiled. “We want to see how your baby is developing. Determine the age of the fetus and confirm your due date. We also see where your placenta is lying in your uterus.” She pointed to the screen. “See that? That’s the placenta. It’s posterior. It’s in the perfect location.”

A whish-whish sound filled the room. Elijah squeezed Charity’s hand.

“Here is your baby’s head.” Danielle moved the small stick in her hand with expert ease, measuring and moving a mouse and clicking away with her left hand.

Charity watched the screen in awe. The baby’s skull, rib cage, and everything were there. His arms moved and legs tucked in. She could have stayed there all day watching.

Danielle went through a series of images, clicking and measuring before filing all the photos and going back to the monitor that showed their baby.

Elijah smiled, grinning ear to ear.

“What are you smiling about?” Charity asked him.

“Am I smiling?” He tried to stop, but the corners of his mouth twitched upward. “The baby is doing great. There are no abnormalities or issues to be concerned about. I’m excited.” He leaned down and kissed her. “Happy.”

Danielle rotated the monitor so they could both see it better. “I’m not supposed to say anything, but you are a doctor.” She moved the ultrasound around Charity’s belly. “Do you want to know what you are having?”

Charity nodded, suddenly too afraid to speak.

The screen focussed on the baby’s mid-section. “It looks like you are going to be painting the room—”

“Pink!” Elijah said loudly.

“It’s a girl?” Charity felt herself grinning. “And I was so sure it was a boy.” She looked excitedly at Elijah, who was all smiles. “A girl.”

“A girl.” He sounded as dorky as she did.

Charity loved it. The moment couldn’t get any better. It was right up there with their wedding.

“A very active one.” Danielle pointed to the midsection. “She’s proving to you she’s a girl. Congratulations.” She held the ultrasound on the baby and showed the baby’s femurs, feet, hands. “She likes sucking her thumb.”

“What’s that?” Charity pointed as the baby’s body suddenly began spasming. “Is she okay?”

“She’s got the hiccups. You may have already felt them a number of times.” Danielle moved to the baby’s head. “You are actually closer to twenty-two weeks than twenty. Your stomach is still pretty tiny, but this is your first baby and you have strong abdominal muscles. Don’t be surprised if you start popping out now.” She grinned. “And then pop back in again. You look like the exercising type.”

Charity giggled, on a high about seeing the baby. It made it all real now. “Haven’t been doing much exercising or dancing since I found out I was pregnant.”

“I’m sure you’re busier than you realize.” Danielle patted her own stomach. “It’s the fourth one that leaves all the baggage.”

“You have four?” Charity had figured Danielle was younger than she was. “You look fantastic!”

Danielle laughed. “Running after them, and loving every minute of it. Some people say kids make you old, but I believe they keep you young.”

“Words to live by,” Elijah said.

“Except at three in the morning when the baby is crying and doesn’t want to sleep.” Danielle winked. “Then you feel incredibly old and you wonder how you ever survived university with no sleep.” She handed Charity some paper towels. “I’m all done here. Dr. Govender will have the detailed results at your next appointment with him.” She gave Elijah a four by six sheet of paper. “Congratulations again.” She stood. “I’ll be outside so take your time.” She slipped quietly through the door.

Charity wiped the gel off her belly and sat up. “What did she hand you?”

Elijah held it up. “Our first baby picture.”

Charity squinted at the little picture, making out all her little features. “She’s gorgeous.”

“We did that.” He tapped the printed photo. “You and me. We made her.”

She thought back to earlier today and frowned. She didn’t want this moment ruined by anything or anyone. She put her hand over her belly feeling a new sense of protection. This little girl of theirs was innocent and utterly vulnerable. No one was going to touch or hurt her. Ever.
Mama bear protecting her cub.
She smiled. It was a line her mother used to say to her when she was little.

She hoped she could be half the mom her mother had been. Tears filled her eyes as she stood. She moved so Elijah wouldn’t see them. A painful lump formed in her throat and she tried unsuccessfully to swallow it down.

His warm arms encircled her and held her tight. “Crazy day.”

“You could say that.”

“I say we play hooky and just go home. Skip the rest of the day.”

They couldn’t do it, and neither of them would anyway. “I should go change.”

“I’ll be outside in the waiting room.” He had already pulled out his phone and was checking messages.

She wanted to tell him that she wished her mom was here to share in the excitement and to help when the baby came. She watched him walk down the hall, head down and his fingers busily tapping on the phone keypad. She had a rush of loneliness and couldn’t quite understand why. Elijah was the perfect husband and she knew he would be an excellent father.

Somehow though, she felt on her own. She straightened her shoulders and tried to shake the uneasy feeling off as she went to change.

It was anxiety. Nothing more…
Right?

The business of life continued on. The baby grew and so did her belly. Every day Charity swore weight added while she slept. She marveled how her stomach didn’t just drop down to her knees. It stayed perfectly in front of her like she was carrying a basketball under her shirt.

Margaret had extended her vacation from four weeks to seven. She wanted to stay longer but had a number of commitments in New Zealand she couldn’t skip.

She and Charity were having tea in Elijah’s office the day before she had to fly home. “I wish I could stay longer.” She sighed. “However, I do have appointments and it’s already been nearly two months. Rapt Bach can’t be left empty forever.”

Charity took a sip of her tea. It had already been a long morning and she had about fifteen minutes before she had to be back in surgery. “Have you thought about selling?” She and Elijah had talked about it briefly a few times but hadn’t brought up the conversation with his mom.

“It’s Elijah’s now. And yours.” Margaret smiled. “And soon to be my little grand-daughters. It’s a mansion of a house. But do you know what? It’s never been about the size or the value of the property. Elijah does well, he doesn’t need the money from it, nor do I. His father designed and built that home. It was his dream and I’d hate to sell it to just anyone. It was our home.”

“I think my dad feels kind of like that also. I never understood why he didn’t move.” She settled back in her chair, feeling older and wise as the baby moved about in her belly. “In all honesty, I never asked him. He’s not the most approachable guy.”

“He isn’t?” Margaret stared at her with surprise. “He does tend to say what he thinks, but I can respect that. I’m not all butterflies and kittens.”

Charity resisted the urge to laugh. Her mother-in-law definitely wasn’t soft. That’s probably why her father and Margaret got along. Charity was realizing that the older she got, the less she cared what others thought. It made life a little easier. Not that she understood easy. “My mom was soft and cuddly. She was very gentle, but one of the smartest women I have ever known. She knew how to be with my dad without fighting. I don’t. We can’t manage most conversations without arguing or getting frustrated. It’s getting better.”
But it’s still there
.

“Have you talked to him about it?”

Charity checked her watch. She had about ten minutes before she had to head back to work. Maybe now wasn’t such a great time to have this conversation. It was like trying to squeeze a main course in when you only had time for a quick snack.

However, she had grown to really like Margaret, and respected her opinion. The past few weeks had been fun. Charity couldn’t lie, she was happy Margaret had stayed at her father’s. There was awkward tension between Elijah and Margaret, the same way she had it with her dad. Similar, but different.

She wanted to hear what Margaret thought of her relationship with her father. Did her dad talk about her? Or did he grumble and complain?

“It’s not my place to parent.” Margaret tried a different approach. But have the two of you sat down and actually talked?”

“We’ve tried a few times.” Charity thought back to Christmas dinner last year. “It usually ends up with one of us overreacting or misunderstanding something. It tends to be easier if we just don’t talk about it and go on like there isn’t a problem.”

Margaret pressed her lips together like she wanted to say more but didn’t feel it was her place. She sat silent for a bit and then said quietly, “Maybe there isn’t a problem. Maybe you both just need to let go of the things you expected the other to be, and simply be content with who each of you are.”

“I never…” Charity let her voice trail off. Margaret had a point. Her father wanted her to be a doctor. He was ticked when she dropped out of school. She had needed him when her mother was sick, but never considered how he felt. He dealt with disease, death, the dying every day and always had to take a step back to not be involved too emotionally. Maybe he didn’t know how. Maybe she had done the same in a way and blamed him for her own disappointments instead of just letting it all go. Love was something that should last forever, not be lost forever. “Maybe you’re right.”

Margaret leaned forward and patted Charity’s hand. “I’m not one for giving advice but I’m going to let you in on a little guidance Elijah’s father once told him and I’ve always remembered it: You don’t need to be what anyone expects. Just be you.”

“I like that.” She smiled ruefully and then stood. “And sadly, now I have to go back to work.”

Elijah bounded through the door as soon as she spoke. “Mom! Glad you’re still here. I wasn’t sure if I’d missed you.”

Margaret laughed. “I’m here for about another twenty hours. You can’t get rid of me that quickly.”

Charity hugged Elijah. “I have to go. Spoil your mom for me?”

He kissed her and then pressed his fingers to his lips before planting them on her belly. “Isn’t that her job? To spoil me?”

Charity rolled her eyes jokingly at Margaret. “I’m not sure who’s going to be more of a child. Him or the baby.”

Margaret snapped her fingers. “I forgot! The crib is coming in today.”

“Crib?” Charity and Elijah said at the same time. Margaret had designed the nursery beautifully. The room was bright with white wood along the bottom of the walls and a soft pink on the top. She had bought them a change table and one of the rocking gliders. The closets had been fitted with shelves that now sat full of diapers and a million creams and ointments. A pack n’ play and stroller sat in boxes in the garage already as well.

“Did I forget to tell you?” Margaret pretended to look confused. “I could have sworn…” She waved her hand. “Never mind. I know you two were going to go crib shopping, but last week Scott and I saw this beautiful sleigh bed style crib. It matches the change table perfectly and it can turn into a day bed and then eventually into a full-size bed. Wait till you see it.” She smiled, knowing she had them. “I couldn’t resist.”

“Mom!” Elijah looked back and forth between Charity and his mom. “Don’t you think that’s something you should’ve asked us about? Charity might want to pick out her own.”

Margaret ignored Elijah, turning her attention to Charity. “If you don’t like it, just send it back. Elijah’s going to have to put it together. Apparently in America the delivery men don’t set it up for you. Something about insurance liability or whatever.”

“It’s the same in New Zealand, Mum.”

Charity could see the tightness forming on Elijah’s face. “It’s fine. Your mom has incredible taste. I’ll enjoy watching you put it together.” She smiled at Margaret. “Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you to do.”

“You’ll have to send me a photo or FaceTime me when Elijah’s almost finished so I can see it.”

Charity chuckled. “I will.” Her sports watch dinged on the hour. “Shoot! I gotta get going! I’ll see you later tonight, Elijah.” She kissed him on the cheek, her belly rubbed against his arm as she went up on her toes. “Thanks for the tea, Margaret. It’s going to seem very quiet when you leave tomorrow.”

“Then I’d better get my return flight booked. That baby’s going to be here before you know it. Another ten, maybe eleven weeks, it’s going to fly by. I’ll book my flight for two months from now. Just in case this baby wants to stay in a little longer. They tend to do that the first time.”

Charity patted her basketball tummy. “I’m in no rush. She’s comfy cozy in there.” She couldn’t admit she was nervous about the baby’s arrival. Everything was going to change when the little peanut came out. It felt like they had just gotten married, and then she’d jumped back into finishing her residence when she found out she was pregnant. A year ago she had been running her own business, quite successfully. Now it wouldn’t be long before everything changed again. It was crazy. Enough to make her heart race, her breath fall short and her chest tight.

“You okay?” Elijah asked.

She smiled and forced the worry from her face. “New department today. From Cardio to Emerg. From the precise to the rushed.”

“You’ll love it.”

She laughed. “I know. I just have to pretend to hate it like the rest of the interns.”

“I wouldn’t worry about the others. You’re oodles ahead of them.”

Had she finished her residence after her mother died, she would be way ahead of the others. Now she was practically neck and neck, if not playing catch up on new procedures and the six-year hiatus. “I still have another two years, if not more, to finish my residency.”

Elijah must have sensed she was beginning to panic. “You’d better get going.” He knew she would settle the moment she started working again. “Did you say you had ten minutes, about twelve minutes ago?”

“Gotta go!” She stole one more kiss from him. “Love you, handsome.” She patted his bum hoping his mother didn’t see. “See you tonight, Margaret!”

“Don’t work too hard,” Margaret called out.