little hysterical. She needs rest so her body can recover from the delivery. Annabelle is a fighter, she takes after her mom. She’s only four pounds but her vitals are strong for her size.” His eyes watered but he didn’t cry. “If she can make it through the next twenty-four hours, I’ll feel way better about everything.”
I reached out and hugged him. Their parents were en route to Seattle but wouldn’t be here until later in the evening. Until then, I was the closest thing to family they both had.
“Do you need anything from me? Some clothes from home? Maybe water your plants? Go on a McDonald’s run for breakfast?”
He shook his head. “Actually, Nolan offered and is helping us out with emergency apartment stuff. But if you were here when Candace woke up, that would be wonderful.”
On the way to their room, the nurses on duty looked up and smiled. No one seemed panicked about Candace’s early baby delivery. A Zenlike calmness hung in the air, which seemed like a very good thing.
I tiptoed to Candace’s bedside while she slept. Even though she’d been through a night of hell, she looked beautiful. Both her arms had IV tubes sticking out of them, and she wore a heartbeat monitor on her right index finger.
Beep. Beep. Beep. A steady, confident heartbeat.
“When’s she supposed to wake up?” I asked Wil.
He glanced at his watch. “My guess is within the next thirty minutes.” He waved the newly opened bag of Wheat Thins in front of me. “Breakfast?”
“No thanks. I’ll save my calories for the bacon and eggs when the real breakfasts are delivered.” He shrugged and shook the bag into his mouth. I could hear the crackers scrape against the insides of the packaging and tumble out. Next came the crumb avalanche. Then he shook it one last time for good measure before he peered in to confirm he’d eaten everything.
Candace’s eyes fluttered a little, and her breathing came faster. When she opened her eyes, Wil called the head nurse, who checked Candace’s pulse and scanned her forehead temperature with a digital baton.
“You’re awake, dear. That’s wonderful! Can you tell me your name?”
“I’m Candace.” She blinked a lot and looked around the room.
“That’s right! Do you recognize the people standing by your bed?”
Candace glanced at Wil and me. “That’s my husband, Wil, and that’s Melody.” She reached out and squeezed my hand.
“Do you know where you are?”
“At a Methodist church? Or maybe school. Wait. A hospital. Because . . . oh. Oh! How’s my baby? Can I see my baby?!”
The heart monitor bleeped with more urgency.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
“Good, Candace. We just need you to stay calm so I can get a read on your vitals. Annabelle is fine. When you’re cleared by our doctor, we’ll get you to the NICU so you can see her. I need to take your blood pressure now.” Nurse Nancy, who had a kind grandma face, was a pro. Candace’s beeping slowed, and she submitted to all the poking and prodding from the medical team. The quicker she got cleared, the sooner she’d see Annabelle.
The doctor sent Candace and Wil to the NICU. Because I wasn’t family, I couldn’t visit baby Annabelle with them. The nurse invited me to stay in Candace’s hospital room while they stayed with the baby, but she encouraged me to go home and get some sleep. Wil promised to call me with any new news.
ON MY WAY to the hospital garage I saw Jane standing at the information desk, badgering the poor elderly volunteer for information on Candace’s whereabouts. Her hands tightly gripped a giant shopping bag and a toddler-size duffel. She ran up to me and skidded to a stop. “Whoa. You should get some sleep. They wouldn’t let me in, can you believe it?! How is she? How is the baby? I texted everyone but no one replied.”
A sad sigh escaped me. “We don’t have any cell service in here. Candace seemed a little dazed but that’s because they gave her sedatives. She and Wil are in the NICU now, and I didn’t get to see the baby or see any pictures. It sounds like everything was rushed, and complicated, but the good news is Annabelle is thriving, according to the head nurse.”
Jane squealed. “Annabelle? Awwww, what a cute name! Is the baby going to be okay?”
“She was born just under thirty-four weeks and had been tracking to a lower birth weight during the entire pregnancy, so there is uncertainty.” I