“Thanks, Micky, but really, I just want to be alone tonight and sleep.”
Micky walked her to the front door of the condo building, and they kissed. “Call me if you need anything,” Micky said. “It’s not too late; I can stay the night.”
Debbie reached over and kissed her again. “I’m fine, really. I need to get the baby bag ready, and I just need to get good rest.” She gave a glaring look at Micky and smiled.
“Okay,” Micky said, reluctant to let her go. “Grandma.”
“Oh, no, no, no. Way too young to be a granny.” Their hands slipped apart, and Debbie went inside.
The next morning, Lisa walked into Gini’s room. Robert was standing next to the bed, adjusting all the wires to the vitals’ monitors.
“Lee… see,” Gini said, her eyes closed.
Robert looked up and said, “Hey, Lisa.”
“Dr. Young, how is it going this morning?”
“Be… uff, goo,” Gini said.
“How do you tell it’s me if your eyes are closed?” Lisa took Gini’s hand in hers.
“Smeel, lie… luck.”
“Not fair using smell.” She leaned down and kissed Gini on the cheek.
“Bay… be, jess… eeca, be… uff, bore.”
“I know, isn’t it exciting? You will be holding her in your arms soon. I love being a mother, and so will you,” Lisa said. “Is Debbie in yet?”
The pesky small section of Lisa’s fine strawberry blonde hair on top of her head slipped out of the hairclip and fell slowly over her eyebrow. She kept blowing puffs of air to keep it out of her eyes.
“Are you kidding?” Robert said, putting Gini’s chart back on the hook. “She’s down in surgery making sure everything is in place.”
“Of course she is!” Lisa exclaimed. “She is so ridiculously thorough.”
Gini giggled. “Be… uff, goo, noorse.”
“The best.” Lisa rubbed on Gini’s hand. “She’ll be running the show down there.”
“I’m sure of it,” Robert said.
“Okay.” Linda walked into the room. “Are we ready for this baby or what?”
“Bay… be,” Gini said, raising her voice at the end.
Robert felt better seeing how chipper Gini was. The IV with glucose overnight had worked wonders.
“Little Jessica, it’s time,” Linda announced.
“Teem.” Gini smiled.
Robert put his face close to hers. “Are you ready to be a mommy?”
“Oh, yes, Guiney, be, ma… ma, Rob… ber, be, dad… dee.”
On the way to surgery, Gini thought about the name. Jessica Elizabeth Young. Her mind started swirling. What was her name before she was married? Virginia what? Who were her mother and father?
The calming meds were starting to work, and Gini was having a hard time thinking straight. Why couldn’t she remember her name before she got married? Then the name Elizabeth kept running through her mind. Who was Elizabeth? “Your mother,” a little voice explained.
“What shall we have as Jessica’s middle name?” Robert had asked months earlier.
“Rob… ber.” She grinned, opening her eyes wide.
“Robert’s a boy’s name. We need a girlie name, how about Jessica Virginia Young?”
“No, er… Guiney, be… uff, my, name. Be… uff, con… fuse.”
“Okay, how about Elizabeth, your middle name.”
Gini thought for a long time. Her middle name was Elizabeth?
“And according to your birth certificate, that was your mother’s name.”
Mother… Gini could hear the clicking of the gurney’s wheels. I have a mother?
“There’s my baby,” Debbie said through her mask.
Gini moved a little and slurred out, “Deeee—”
“Sleep, baby, this will be over soon.” Debbie reached up under her ribs and pinched herself.
“Debbie, what is it?” Robert asked.
She gave a small laugh. “I’ve got my belly all in knots over this surgery. Let’s just do it.”
Lisa was surprised when she walked into the waiting room and saw Micky.
“Lisa, how is Gini?” Micky rushed toward her.
“They just went down to surgery.”
“And Debbie, where is she? She was so worried last night. I’m concerned about her.”
Lisa didn’t know how she felt about Micky. Every time Micky and Debbie were close to each other, a huge feeling of jealousy rolled over Lisa. Then she wanted to tell Micky to go away. The jealousy was not appropriate, and she knew it. She was totally committed to Lenny, but her fear that Micky would hurt Debbie emotionally was real. She would never forget the humiliation she felt when Curtis canceled their wedding the night before the ceremony. She didn’t want Debbie to ever go through that pain. She had already felt some of that when Micky showed up at Debbie’s door with another woman.
But today Lisa could see the genuine worry on Micky’s face.
“Come with me,” Lisa said.
Micky followed her around the corner to a table with coffee, tea, juices, and pastries.
The two women got a drink, and Lisa grabbed a powdered sugar donut and went back to the waiting room.
Both ladies grabbed magazines and started reading. The fine section of Lisa’s light red hair worked its way out of the hairclip and fell to her nose bridge. Lisa took the clip and pulled the hair back up to be pinched inside the clip. Almost immediately, the clip slid back down, and the section prepared for its next escape.
“Lisa,” Vicky called out, walking into the waiting room carrying a frilly pink gift bag with a fancy bow. “Do you know how it’s going?”
“No, haven’t heard.”
More and more people gathered, nurses from the ICU and the unit area, all there to hear of the birth. Everyone introduced themselves.
The surgery was a success. Linda pulled the tiny infant from Gini’s body. Robert clipped and cut the cord. Debbie held the small baby in a loose blanket while another nurse siphoned the mucus out of Jessica’s nose and mouth.
The baby made a loud cry, and Gini jumped at the sound. Robert was holding her hand and
