felt sorry for both of them. She hoped Claire would be better prepared for motherhood than she was for her labor.
A nurse came to find them half an hour later. The baby was fine, a seven pound two ounce boy that Kate knew Claire could have delivered easily if she’d tried. Reed looked elated that it was over, and his son had arrived.
They went to see him at the nursery window. He was wrapped tightly in a blanket with a little blue cap on. He was awake and looking around, and Reed stood staring at his son in wonder as tears ran down his cheeks, and Kate looked at her first grandchild and hoped that Claire would be equal to the task of what lay ahead.
She was in the recovery room and they said she would be for several hours before they brought her down to a room. Kate hugged Reed and said she’d be back in the morning. They had said Claire would sleep until then. Kate felt sorry for them. The baby’s mother was a child.
Kate took a cab home and slipped into bed next to Scott, relieved to be there, and sad for Claire. She had so much growing up to do. Reed had been wonderful to her.
Scott stirred for a minute and looked at her. It was two A.M. “Everything go okay?”
“The baby’s fine and so is Claire.” She could tell him the rest in the morning. She sank into his arms with a sigh.
A new life had begun, and she hoped it would be a good one. And however he had arrived, whether his parents were married or not, the baby had her blessing.
Chapter 20
Stacey and Tammy came to visit Claire the next day in the hospital. She had makeup on, and her hair had been done, and she looked exhausted, and was in pain from the C-section. The nurses and Reed had put the baby to her breast several times, and Claire said it was too painful. She didn’t want to nurse him, or hold him. Her milk wasn’t in yet anyway, but the baby sucking at her breast made her uterus contract, which was excruciating with the surgery, despite the pain medication she was on.
They were medicating her for the discomfort and she was groggy. She told Stacey and Tammy how awful it had been, worse than anything she could have imagined. It was like having her body sawed in half, as she described it, and Stacey looked pale as she listened. Claire said they told her she could have a C-section next time, but she didn’t want any more babies.
They told her then that they were both pregnant, and she said she felt sorry for them. And then she asked for a shot of morphine and they left and told her they’d be back when she felt better. She was planning to stay in the hospital for four or five days.
Stacey looked deathly pale when they left, and when they got far enough down the hallway, Tammy stopped and grabbed her arm.
“Listen to me, don’t listen to my sister. She’s a spoiled brat, and she wants everything the easy way. She had a small baby, and my mom said she could have delivered it, but she wouldn’t cooperate with them. She wanted them to put her out and give her a C-section. That’s not going to happen to you. You’re going to stop throwing up, and we’re going to stay in shape, and we’re going to deliver healthy normal babies, and it’s going to be wonderful. We wanted this, and it’s going to be great. So don’t listen to all that whiney neurotic immature bullshit. She isn’t grown up enough to have a baby, but we are. So are we straight on this?”
“Yes, Sergeant,” Stacey said, grinning at her, and put an arm around her as they walked down the hall. “We’re going to have healthy babies and easy deliveries.” She repeated it like a mantra, and Tammy gave her a shove.
“And don’t you forget it!”
“Yes, sir.” Her step was lighter after Tammy set her straight. Stacey had seen deliveries like Claire’s during her residency, usually with ignorant women who were too terrified to cooperate, or understand what was happening. And Tammy was right. Claire was spoiled and wanted everything to be easy, and some things just weren’t. But with Tammy, Stacey knew she could do anything.
And two weeks later, as though by magic, she stopped throwing up. The