“Having a caesarian section.”
He blinked.
“A little while ago the obstetrician told me the baby was in trouble, so he made the decision to operate. I was waiting to hear if everything had gone all right before I went back upstairs. Then you called.”
She could hear his brilliant mind working, turning things over until he’d made sense of it.
“Parker made a big mistake when he gave her money.”
“No—” She shook her head. “It doesn’t have anything to d—”
“Mrs. Herrick?” At the sound of the triage nurse’s voice, Terri swung around.
The other woman had popped her head outside the E.R. doors. “Oh— Mr. Herrick! What an honor! Congratulations on your marriage!”
“Thank you,” he muttered.
“Mrs. Herrick? Dr. Cardenas wants to talk to you now. Just so you won’t worry, the patient gave birth to a beautiful little five-pound daughter. Just think—the first baby born on the Atlantis! The staff couldn’t be more delighted. What an amazing night this has turned out to be!”
Ben’s arm tightened around Terri’s waist as they walked toward the excited nurse. “That woman took the words right out of my mouth.”
CHAPTER NINE
“BEN? May I come in?”
“The door is open.”
It had only taken her a minute to slip on her nightgown and robe, but she’d given him a little longer to get ready for bed.
She walked all the way in the room. It was dark except for the light coming from the hallway. “I have your pills.”
He’d already slid under the covers and lay on his back. “I took some in the bathroom.”
Terri set the water glass on the table.
This time he didn’t pat her side of the bed. She sat down anyway.
“I’m going to tell you everything from the beginning so you’ll understand.”
Without stopping for breath, Terri launched into a full explanation of her visits to the apartment where she gave Juanita money. She told him how she’d used Captain Ortiz and Parker to help translate for her. When Parker added his contribution, it was a spontaneous gesture meant to back up Terri.
Ben didn’t break in, so she sped on with her account of the conversation with John Reagan in personnel, and the subsequent phone call from Captain Ortiz at the pier.
“I swear I never intended to use a dime of your money for this. Before we left Lead, I withdrew all my savings. It’s not a lot, but there’s enough to pay her hospital bill and board until she gets back on her feet.”
“Which won’t be for some time considering she had to undergo a caesarean,” he said in a surprisingly calm voice. “I’m afraid she can’t stay in staff quarters with a newborn.”
“I know.”
“So what were you thinking?”
Grateful he didn’t sound angry she said, “I hoped the hospital would let her stay long enough to get back on her feet. Then I’d fly to Guayaquil with her and help her find work and a place to live with her baby.”
“That’s very commendable. Now let’s hear Plan B.”
Her face went hot. “Well— I guess if I could make a case with the board for allowing families with children to live on the ship, maybe one of the condos that hasn’t sold could be turned into a day care center.”
At this point Ben made a strange sound in his throat, much like the kind she’d heard coming from him when he was mummified.