[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.It was one of those instances where even the most delicate diplomacy might cause offense.He spent the next forty-five minutes half listening to their conversation, half watching Good Morning America.A big chunk of it was devoted to the ongoing campaigns of Al Gore and George W.Bush, and Jeremy found himself tuning out whenever either of them opened his mouth.But it was easier than overhearing how selfish he’d been when she woke him earlier that morning.“He was cutting his fingernails?” Doris said, eyeing him with mock outrage.“They were getting kind of long,” he said.“And then he drove like a maniac,” Lexie added.“The tires were actually squealing.”Doris shook her head in disappointment.“I thought she was about to have the baby,” Jeremy said defensively.“How was I to know that we had hours to spare?”“Well, listen,” Doris said, “I’ve been through this before, so I stopped at the drugstore on the way and picked you up a few magazines.Brainless stuff, but it’ll help pass the time.”“Thanks, Doris,” Lexie said.“I’m glad you’re here.”“Me too,” Doris said.“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”Lexie smiled.“I’m going to pop downstairs and get a cup of coffee, okay?” Doris went on.“Would you mind?”“No, go ahead.”“Would you like anything, Jeremy?”“No, I’m doing okay,” he said, ignoring the growling in his stomach.If Lexie couldn’t eat, then neither would he.It seemed like the right thing to do.“See you soon,” Doris chirped.On her way out the door, she touched Jeremy’s shoulder and leaned toward him.“Don’t worry about this morning,” she said.“My husband did the same thing.I found him cleaning his office.It’s normal.”Jeremy nodded.The contractions started coming faster.First every seven minutes, then every six.An hour later, they seem to have stabilized again at five minutes.Joanie and Iris-another nurse-seemed to be switching off, alternating their visits.Doris was still downstairs, and Jeremy found himself wondering whether she’d been able to read his mind about wanting to be alone.The television was still on, though neither was paying much attention to it.With the contractions coming faster, Jeremy was wiping Lexie’s forehead and giving her ice chips.She hadn’t yet wanted to go for a walk; instead her eyes seemed glued to the monitor, where she watched the baby’s heartbeat.“Are you scared?” Lexie finally said.He saw the worry in her face.With the time drawing nearer, it didn’t surprise him.“No,” he said, “not really.It hasn’t even been two weeks since the last ultrasound, and she was doing fine then.I think if the band were going to attach, it would have done so by then.And even if it did, the doctor said that she was far enough along that any problems would be minor.”“But what if it attaches to the cord at the last minute? What if it cuts off the blood flow?”“It won’t,” Jeremy reassured her.“I’m sure that everything’s going to be okay.If the doctor was worried, I’m sure you’d be hooked up to a lot more machines and talking to a lot of different doctors already.”She nodded, hoping he was right but unwilling to convince herself until she knew for sure.Until she could hold the baby and see for herself.“I think she should have a brother or sister,” Lexie said.“I don’t want her to be an only child like me.”“You turned out okay.”“I know, but still, I remember growing up and wishing that I had what most of my friends had.Someone to play with on rainy days, someone to talk to at the dinner table.You grew up with five brothers.Didn’t you think that was wonderful?”“Sometimes,” Jeremy admitted.“But other times it wasn’t so great.Being the youngest, I got taken advantage of a lot, especially in the mornings.I used to tell people that being the youngest of six meant a lot of cold showers and soggy towels.”She smiled.“I still want more than one.”“So do I.But let’s get this one out of the way first.Then we’ll see what happens.”“Can we adopt?” she asked.“I mean.well, you know.”“If I can’t get you pregnant again?”She nodded.“Yeah,” he said.“We can adopt.I’ve heard it can take a long time, though.”“Then maybe we should start the process.”“I don’t think you’re in any condition to start anything right now.”“No, I mean when the baby is a couple of months old or something like that.We can keep trying to have a baby the regular way, but that way, we’re still going forward if nothing happens.I don’t want them too far apart in age.”He wiped her forehead again.“You’ve been giving this a lot of thought.”“I’ve been thinking about it ever since we found out about the amniotic band.Once I found out that there was a chance we could lose the baby, I realized how much I wanted to be a mother.And no matter what happens, I still do.”“Nothing’s going to happen,” he said.“But I know what you mean.”She reached for his hand and kissed his fingers.“I love you, you know.”“Yeah,” he said, “I know.”“You don’t love me?”“I love you more than there are fishes in the sea, and higher than the moon.” She looked at him curiously, and he shrugged.“That’s what my mom used to say to us when we were little.”She kissed his fingers again.“Will you say that to Claire, too?”“Every day.”With that, another contraction started.Doris returned a little while later, and as the hours rolled on, ever so gradually, the contractions started coming even more quickly.Five minutes, then four and half.At four minutes, Lexie had her cervix checked again-not exactly the prettiest picture, Jeremy thought-but afterward Joanie stood up with a knowing look.“I think it’s time to get the anesthesiologist,” she said.“You’re already six centimeters dilated.”Jeremy wondered exactly how that had been calculated but decided now was not the time to ask.“Are the contractions more intense?” Joanie asked, tossing her glove into the garbage.When Lexie nodded, she motioned to the monitor.“So far, the baby is handling it well.But don’t worry, once you get the epidural, there’s no more pain.”“Good,” Lexie said
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]