“I’m not thinking anyt
hing more than we need to run more tests. There are so many things it could be it’s hard to pick just one. I’m not going to waste time, I’m going to start with an echocardiogram.”
The next hour feels endless. When my phone rings, I see it’s Valdez. Welcoming the break from the waiting. I put it on speaker for Chris to hear. “I have you on speaker, Chris is here. Please tell us you have good news.”
“You have enough ammunition to sink her battleship. She’s engaged to a momma’s boy in Virginia with political aspirations, thinks he’s going to be the next Obama. The guy has no idea who she really is, she told him she’s a nanny and Simone is the kid she takes care of. She also told him her time in Chicago was spent working with inner-city kids. And the kicker, he thinks she’s got money. She told him she comes into her trust fund in less than six months when she turns twenty-five in August.
“The thing is, from the life she had before she came to Chicago, it could have all been true. She was only a fraction of a decimal away from being class valedictorian. She was in her second year at William and Mary when she fell for the wrong guy. Her family isn’t rich though.
Her father was a hometown hero of San Juan, Puerto Rico, a star basketball player who won a few medals during a stint in the Gulf War. He’s retired Army, and her mother is a blue-eyed, blonde German he met while stationed there. You should see the house she grew up in, it has a white picket fence. She did move up her schedule because of Amelia.
“I’ve got a signed affidavit and the receipt for the termination from the hockey player she shook down the first time, and another from the basketball player who called her bluff. The hockey player would prefer the affidavit never sees the light of day, the basketball player doesn’t care. Your friend Angie and two other strippers are willing to go on the record. One of them says Theresa told her she was going to cash out big on Chris. Everything has been sent by email to both you and Ethan. I’ll send paper to follow today.”
“Thank you. We aren’t home, so if you would give both copies to Ethan, I’ll get it later. Thank you so much.”
I cling to Chris in relief. Chris shakes his head. “She told me she never knew her father and her mother was a drug addict. The games people play.”
“We aren’t playing any more games with her. This won’t be a negotiation. I’m going to make sure she regrets the day she ever met you.”
“That’s my cougar.”
When Dr. Jin comes back, she’s carrying Simone out so Simone can see everything as she rocks her. Chris reaches for Simone, and my heart clenches tight to see Simone’s face light up as her daddy reaches for her. Then I look to Dr. Jin and I work to take in a deep breath. “The technical term is ventricular septal defect. In regular English, the wall separating her left and right ventricles didn’t form completely. She is going to need surgery to correct it. The good news is it’s an easy repair, and there are no other defects to be concerned about.”
“How soon?”
“I already scheduled her for first thing tomorrow. Since it’s such a quick, easy repair, I can squeeze the surgery in before the day starts. I need you guys to be here at four, we’ll scrub and start at five. She’ll be out by six, six thirty at the latest. We’ll keep her in for observation for a few days, then you can take her home.”
I throw myself at the doctor, and she’s kind enough to return my hug. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.” She pats Simone on the back. “Bye, gorgeous. I’ll see you soon.”
24
Amelia
As I watch them wheel Simone away, I fight tears. She’s going to be fine. Chris and I spent hours going over Dr. Jin’s history, we know she’s in good hands. It’s the thought of them cutting open my baby I can’t deal with. I crawl into Chris’s lap, and he holds me tight. I’m not really surprised I fall asleep, I only got about two hours of sleep last night. I’m pretty sure Chris didn’t get any. He spent hours looking over every page of the report from Valdez, his fingers running over the birth certificate I don’t even want to know how they got.
Although Ethan and I talked yesterday, I’m not a hundred percent sure what was said. I was still in a daze. I have a game plan forming on how to deal with Theresa, but right now she is the least of my worries.
“Wake up, sugar, Dr. Jin is here,” Chris whispers in my ear.
I come awake fast. She’s smiling, oh thank god. “Everything went very well. A definite success. She will heal faster than you think. You can see her in a few minutes. A couple days under observation to ensure everything is healing correctly, and you guys can take her home the day after tomorrow.”
We thank her, and with a last smile, she’s gone. Chris holds me tight.
We’re arguing about Chris playing tonight. He wants to stay with me. I’m of the firm mind he needs to play. Then he gets a call from management. He told them what was going on, and they were supportive of his need to miss the games in St. Louis. Now one of the other players managed to break his finger during practice, so they need him to play.
“We’ll be fine. You’ll only be gone for a few hours.”
“All right. Give me a kiss.” Seriously, I don’t know if I’ll ever stop loving the way he kisses. It’s everything he promised, primal, wicked, wanton—it’s sex with our clothes on. Actually, I can admit now it’s making love with our clothes on. Our souls meet, mingle and become one every single time. When the world stops spinning, I lay my head on his chest. “I miss you. We have a lot to make up for when we get her home.”
“Yes, we most certainly do.” Chris’s eyes glow as he looks down at me his dimples flashing. I can’t wait.
***
Amelia
I don’t have a whole lot of experience with hospitals, but I’m guessing this is probably one of the better ones. It doesn’t mean I’m not sick of the four walls. Chris has gone out to get lunch when my cell rings. It’s my doctor’s office. They are apologetic, one of the nurses quit and they’ve been behind. I need to come in as soon as possible to get the implant taken out and another put in, or some other form of birth control to still be protected. If I have sex I should be using protection, it’s kind of already a risky time for me. My tummy flips as my hand goes to my stomach, but not for the reason the nurse’s voice is high and squeaky.