Taking a Chance (3 page)

Nina looked away from Maddie’s gaze and put her arm around Scott’s waist. “So, what are you doing here?”

“Thanks for making me feel welcome, Mom.”

“Oh dear, it’s always great to see you. But I didn’t expect you to be here this morning.”

“Lola wasn’t feeling great, so I dropped her off at her best friend’s house for a while. I thought I would come over and hang out with you two.”

“Excellent. You’ve made my morning even better.”

Scott put his arm around Nina’s shoulders. “You’re sure chipper this morning. What’s up with you?”

Nina shook her head as they got to the kitchen. “Enough about me. Tell me what’s been going on with both of you.”

• • •

W
hen Molly returned, the entire place had been transformed into a pink heaven. The pink cupcake towers along with the diaper towers were worthy of a home decorating magazine. In addition, the aroma of food in the condo was enough to make anyone drool. Maddie had placed vases with pink and white flowers around the condo. The food had been arranged on pink, white and silver platters, which were now on the island in the kitchen.

As each of Lola’s friends arrived, they gushed about how adorable her place was and took pictures of everything.

“I’m going to hire you to throw my baby shower when I’m pregnant!” squealed one of Lola’s closest friends.

A few minutes later, Scott returned with Lola and her best friend. Uncertain of Lola’s reaction, Maddie was nervous. Much to Maddie’s complete joy, she saw the same wave of emotion wash over Lola’s face she had seen earlier on Scott’s.

“Your place is a vision, Maddie,” Lola said.

Maddie felt a trace of hope.
Is Lola actually impressed?

“Come in and sit down,” said Maddie. “We have a special seat reserved for you. I hope you’re feeling better.”

The remaining girls arrived shortly after Lola. They all enjoyed food and snacks while Maddie made pink mimosas. Even Lola had a non-alcoholic version.

They played a few games Maddie had organized for the shower and they painted onesies for the little girl on the way. Even Lola, the ice princess, appeared to be enjoying the shower, but she looked lost behind the mountain of opened gifts. She was surrounded by pink everything; booties, sheets, towels and bottles. At one point, Maddie could have sworn she saw a look of panic cross Lola’s face, but she put it down to nerves and wondered if she was still feeling unwell.

After another hour of socializing, the girls began leaving. Everyone appeared to have had a great time and several joked with Maddie that she could have a new career as a baby shower planner.

“Seriously Maddie, you did a fantastic job. I almost wish I was pregnant now, so you could plan a party for me,” Barb said.

“Thanks, that means a lot. I’m really glad you all had fun.”

“It was a great shower.” Barb gave Maddie a hug on the way out.

A few of the other girls gave Maddie a hug on their way out making her feel like she gave Lola a special day with her friends.

Not long after the last guest had left, Scott came back to get Lola and gather up the gifts. Maddie promised Lola she would be at the hospital as soon as she went into labor. She hugged them both goodbye and told Scott to keep her in the loop.

Molly gave Maddie a hug on her way out. “You did a great job, Maddie, and everyone had a fantastic time!”

“Thanks, Mol. I couldn’t have done it without you. You’re the best!”

Maddie smiled to herself as she watched Molly walk down the hallway. Maddie knew it had been a long day for Molly, but Maddie would not have been able to get it all done without her.

T
he call came on Sunday morning at six the following week. Lola was in labor three weeks early, but the doctors had assured Scott the baby would be fine as Lola was far enough along. Even with their assurance, Maddie rushed out of her condo and drove up to Milwaukee as fast as she could.

Without thinking about it too much, she rushed into the hospital elevator, so she could get up to the waiting area as quickly as possible. As she pressed button three, a doctor briskly walked up and Maddie caught the door with her hand. He ran into the elevator and hit the button to close the doors without as much as a glance in her direction.

As the elevator ascended, Maddie turned to look at him. He glanced her direction and smiled briefly before turning back toward the elevator doors. Maddie rolled her eyes to herself at being caught checking out the doctor. Relief filled her when the bell sounded and they both rushed out straight ahead as the doors opened. Maddie glanced around to be sure she was heading the right direction.

“Are you going to see Lola Prince?” She knew the odds were slim, but her gut instinct told her otherwise.

He eyed her cautiously. “Yes. How do you know her?”

“She’s my sister-in-law.”

He looked at her again, that time she saw concern flicker in his eyes. Her stomach dropped.
Why did he look at me that way?

“What’s wrong?” she asked, practically yelling as they were arriving at the waiting area where both mothers sat. They jumped up as Maddie and the doctor approached.

“Both baby and mother are in distress and we need to deliver the baby immediately. We’re going to perform an emergency C-section to ensure both are safe and healthy,” he stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Is everything going to be okay?” asked Maddie.

“I assure you …” he hesitated, obviously not knowing her name, “Miss, we are going to do everything we can to keep your sister-in-law and her baby safe.”

“Daughter, not just baby.” Maddie corrected him. “That is my goddaughter, so please take care of her!”

“We are going to move your sister-in-law to perform the procedure. Please wait here and I will be back to give you an update as soon as we’re done,” he said, holding her gaze.

“Okay,” she said in a voice so soft she barely heard herself.

He turned and continued toward Lola’s room at an even brisker pace. When Maddie turned to her mom and Lola’s mother, they both looked pale. Maddie wished she could change the situation or provide more comfort. A few moments later, Scott was heading in their direction, his face drained and anxious.

“They won’t let me go with her. Maddie, I need you to tell me they’re going to be okay.”

Scott grabbed her and hugged her with the same urgency he had after their father had passed away. Maddie felt Scott’s body trembling and knew she had to be the strong one.

“They’re going to be fine. I promise. Lola’s a strong woman and she’s not going to let anything happen to either one of them!” she said, suppressing her own doubts.

Scott sat down and Maddie watched him clasp his hands together over and over. Their mother soon reached out and held one of his hands and Maddie hoped it would calm him.

After what felt like an eternity, Maddie saw the doctor coming. She jumped from her chair and began to approach him, almost too eagerly. He held up his hand for her to stay while removing his surgical cap with the other hand. As he continued toward the group, he glanced at Maddie and then turned to Scott.

“The good news is we successfully delivered your daughter in time. However, I need to be honest, both are still in some distress. Your daughter is in the NICU for now so she can be monitored. A team of nurses is attending to your wife in her room. She lost a lot of blood during the procedure, but they are handling it and she should be on her road to recovery.”

“Are they going to be okay?” Tears welled up in Scott’s eyes and he dropped his head.

Maddie knew he felt helpless and wanted to do whatever he could for both of them.

“Yes, they will be. But it’s going to take a couple of extra days for both to gain enough strength to go home.”

Maddie caught the pride in his voice, and she smiled hesitantly when he caught her eye. A hint of a smile crossed his mouth.

“Thank you, Doctor…” She stopped when she realized he had never given his name earlier.

“Anderson,” he finished for her. That time his smile reached his eyes.

Dr. Anderson walked Scott through the details of what to expect over the next couple of days. Maddie watched him effortlessly explain everything to Scott. Although he had a youthful appearance and could only be about five years older, Maddie could see a faint dusting of gray in his hair. She assumed the gray was at least partially due to the stress of his career. He was focused on Scott, and Maddie could not stop watching him. The man was definitely attractive.

“A nurse will be here shortly, so you can see your daughter and wife. I know you have all been through a lot in the last couple of hours, but everything will be fine.” As he turned to go, he looked at Maddie. “I have another surgery in a few minutes, but I will be by tomorrow to check on Lola and make sure everything is progressing nicely.”

As Dr. Anderson walked away, Maddie turned back to the group and went into take-charge mode.

“Scott, do you need anything? I know the two of you must have left home in a rush, so let me know what I can do.”

“Actually, if you wouldn’t mind, I’m sure Barry is sitting at home with his legs crossed waiting for someone to take him out.”

“I’ll take care of Barry. Is there anything you need me to grab while I’m at your house? I can also bring lunch for everyone on my way back, unless you want to eat cafeteria food?”

Everyone nodded their head and looked relieved to have Maddie handling it. They were all wiped out by the events of the morning and Maddie was happy to do whatever she could to make things better. Before she left, she turned to Scott and asked if they had a name for their daughter yet.

“Actually, we already had her name picked out. It’s Ashley Madison.”

Maddie’s breath hitched and tears welled up in her eyes. She knew the pure emotion and exhaustion of the day were hitting.

“It’s okay. You can go ahead and cry. To answer the question in your eyes, yes, she is named after you. I thought it was a great idea to just reverse the two names.”

“Wow,” Maddie exclaimed, “I can’t begin to express how honored I am to share my name with your daughter.” She could not imagine how Scott had talked Lola into it, but at that moment she did not care.

Maddie was a jumble of emotions as she left the hospital. But despite everything that was going through her mind, she found herself wondering if she would see Dr. Anderson again.

• • •

B
y the time Maddie arrived back at the hospital, a nurse had come by to tell them they could go to the NICU to visit Ashley. A nurse assisted a pale and weak Lola into a wheelchair. Although Lola had been through a hell of a day, Maddie thought she would be more ecstatic to spend time with Ashley.

When Maddie saw Ashley in the tiny incubator, she wanted to reach in and scoop her up. Lola barely looked at her daughter. Maddie knew it must be difficult to see your own child so tiny and fragile, but she thought it was strange that Lola was practically ignoring Ashley.

Maddie walked to the side opposite Lola and Scott and made eye contact with Scott before she moved to put her hands inside the incubator. Scott gave a brief nod. When she put her hands in, Ashley squirmed. Maddie told her she could not wait to take care of her and show her everything the world had to offer. Lola did not reach in to touch Ashley or speak any words to her. Something did not seem right to Maddie.

W
hen Maddie walked in to her mom’s house later that day, the familiar smell of home wrapped around her. Maddie loved staying in her childhood home and was looking forward to a few days at her mom’s. The mail from yesterday sat on the entryway table and her mom’s keys were hung above it. She turned to the left and saw a bouquet of white and blue hydrangeas on the dining room table.

Behind the table hung the last family portrait taken of the four of them. Maddie loved the picture. Her dad’s hair had all turned gray, but he still had a lot of it, which she knew he had been proud of. He had been in great shape, participating in races many weekends, and had also been part of a golf league and a basketball league. He had lovingly referred to his basketball league as The Oldies Walking-Ball. In the portrait, Maddie was hugging him from one side and their mother from the other, while Scott was standing behind them with his arms around all three.

She turned to the right and walked into the family room where they had spent many hours. Maddie looked at the worn leather sofa and could still remember leaning on her father’s shoulder. She had always shared everything with him, whether it was about sports, school, friends or a new boyfriend, and he would always give his advice when needed. She knew he was always around her but missed him more than ever and wished he could be there in person.

She walked over to the mantle, which was covered with framed photos. Maddie smiled as she picked up an old photo of herself. Growing up, Maddie had always wanted to do everything her big brother did. To say she’d been competitive would be an understatement. The day Scott started riding his bike without training wheels, Maddie had wanted to do the same. She had begged until her dad gave in to her pleading, although not with the approval of her mom. Dad had taken the training wheels off and they had gone down to the park. He had insisted she try on the grass first. Maddie had wanted to be just like Scott but finally gave in to his request. She had tried over and over, and after what must have been the fiftieth try, she had kept her bike up. She had rode for what felt like miles, although thinking back it had probably been only thirty yards.

Proud as could be of her accomplishment, she could not wait to get back to the house to show Scott and her mom. She had fallen on the first try in the driveway. But the second time, she had stayed up and ridden down the sidewalk while they all cheered and clapped. In the photo, Maddie was standing next to her bike with a huge smile. By that time, one pigtail was significantly lower than the other, strands of hair were sticking out all over, patches of dirt were across her face, her clothes had bright green grass stains and both knees were scraped. Maddie laughed as she set the photo back in its place.