She tried to eat, but it just came back up.
“I’m going; you’re staying here,” Catherine said. “I don’t think anyone wants to get sick. You stay here and get well.”
“I can do it. I can; I’m feeling better. We have worked so hard on this.” Gini put her hand over her mouth and ran to the bathroom.
Catherine wiped Gini’s face with a wet cloth. “Just be on standby in case I need you to look something up. Please, rest. You look awful.”
“Thank you!” Gini laid her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes. All the trips to the bathroom had worn her out.
Catherine handled the meeting, and Gini started feeling better in the early afternoon. She felt fine on Friday and went home on Saturday. Sunday, the same routine, vomiting all morning—it was getting very old. She hadn’t told Ric about any of it. He was busy traveling to Florida and Rhode Island. It seemed when they were together, she felt okay, but she never got rid of the sour stomach.
The weeks passed, and both traveled. They caught a day or two when they could be together, but most of their face-to-face time was on internet calls.
She was meeting with Victor’s staff, so she pulled out a business suit, pulled up the skirt, and tried to zip it. When she got near the top, it wouldn’t go any farther. She tugged, but it seemed stuck, so she pulled at the waist to button the button. She couldn’t get it to reach. Her clothes had been fitting differently lately, but she thought nothing of it. How could she have gained weight? She wasn’t eating all that much because if she did, it upset her stomach. She hung the outfit up and found another that fit.
On her way home from the meeting, it hit her. Could she be pregnant? No, that wasn’t a possibility. But still… what else could it be? Before she got to the condo, she stopped and bought a pregnancy test. She felt a strange combination of anxiety and elation as she opened the package. She remembered how upset she got before when she wasn’t pregnant. Was she going to go through all those feelings again? She loved Ric, but she had to end her marriage first. She had planned to find a lawyer, but then decided she’d wait until Franco came home. They’d work it out amicably, so it was a fair break financially.
No, no, she knew she wasn’t pregnant. The doctor had made it pretty clear she would never conceive, naturally or with help. She wasn’t surprised when she took the test, and it immediately indicated negative. Maybe that skirt had shrunk at the cleaners.
The next two weeks her clothes got tighter and tighter. It made no sense. She took three more pregnancy tests; two showed negative, and the third showed nothing, no indication either way.
One morning she woke up, stretched, and ran her hands down her body. There it was, she felt it, a hardness in her abdomen. She panicked. Maybe she had a tumor. She immediately called for an appointment with Dr. Nelson.
She explained she had gained weight, but the pregnancy tests showed negative. Dr. Nelson could see the panic in Gini’s eyes.
“I think I have a tumor.”
While the doctor was examining her, she massaged all around Gini’s abdomen and smiled. “Honey, you are pregnant. By the size of your uterus, I’d say about twelve to fourteen weeks. Do you remember when you had your last period?”
“Really, pregnant?” She took in a breath. “I did, yes, I did have a slight period the middle of February. Some spotting and then, one day, a little bleeding. That was it.”
“That would be about the right timing.”
“Why didn’t the pregnancy test show positive?”
“Sometimes if your hormones are off a little those tests don’t work. They often show false positives, as well. Let’s put the due date the first week in December.”
Gini was given a prescription for prenatal vitamins and an appointment in a month. She smiled all the way home. I’m going to have a baby. I’ll be a mom. She couldn’t believe it. Her mind raced ahead, seeing herself grow large, feeling the baby move—in the hospital—the newborn in her arms, boy or girl didn’t matter… how happy she would be… she would get a rocking chair, a music box that played lullabies, one of those baby slings to go to work in or maybe she’d take a year off; her child would have everything…
And she wouldn’t tell anyone until she could tell Ric in person.
Three weeks passed and their paths never crossed. They talked every day, but not in person. He was in the Bahamas trying to work with the government to get that resort started. Gini spent hours on the computer, looking at cradles and strollers, reading about child development, cruising all the mom blogs, which were so detailed, so obsessive… what to eat, what not to eat while pregnant, how to soothe a crying infant, what danger signs to look for, how important her own instincts were; she felt as if a vast new world were opening up…
After working all day with Gini, Catherine closed her computer. “Okay, honey, we’re going shopping.”
“Shopping for what?”
“I think we’d better get you some professional looking maternity suits before you bust completely out of your clothes.”
Gini smiled. “You know?”
“Hahaha, anyone who looks at you knows.” She put her hand on Gini’s tummy. “Have you told Ric?”
“No, I want to tell him in person. I want to see his true reaction.” She threw her arms around Catherine. “Can you believe I’m pregnant? No way in the world did I ever think it could happen. I’m glad you know. It was killing me not to tell anyone.”
That night Ric and Gini face-called. “Sweets, you look beautiful. You must have had a wonderful day.”
Catherine yelled across the room. “We went shopping.” Gini gave her a look.
“Well, shopping must be good for you. I’ll be in Boston next Tuesday. Please tell me you will be there.”
“Tuesday?” She looked at Catherine, who nodded. “Yes, I’ll be there Tuesday. Oh, Ric, I can’t wait. It has been so long since we have been together.”
“I know, this long-distance romance is for the birds. Never again will we be apart for so long.”
Monday morning, Gini was getting ready to take a shower. She looked down at her naked body. The bump that had been down in her abdomen had spread all the way up to her ribs. She rubbed all over it with her hands. She was going to have a baby, Ric’s baby.
Tuesday morning, she was just finishing up the laundry when she got a text:
Just landed, see you soon.
She texted back:
Will you text me when you get in the building?
Why? You aren’t alone?
Yes, I’m alone, silly; I have a surprise for you. I just want to make sure it’s ready.
Okay, Jimmy’s here.
Gini wore a flowing top, which hardly showed the baby bump. She would have towels in her arms when he walked in the door.
I’m here.
They greeted at the door, hugging and kissing with the three folded bath towels between them. He put his hands around her face.
“You’re so beautiful.”
“Ric, close your eyes.”
He smiled and kissed her again.
“I’m serious, close your eyes. I have a surprise for you.”
“Ooooh.”
He closed his eyes, and she guided him to the breakfast bar and sat him on a bar chair. She put down the towels and took both of his hands in hers and slipped them up under her blouse.
“I love the touch of your soft skin.”
“Okay, open your eyes.”
He leaned forward and kissed her.
She moved his hands around on her tummy. He just smiled.
“Ric, look down.” She pulled her top up.
He slowly went from looking into her eyes down to his hands, with a smile on his face. When he saw her tummy, his expression changed.
“Gins, you’re… are you pregnant?” He looked at her.
She nodded her head.
“We’re going to have a baby?”
She nodded again; her eyes were filling with tears.
He looked back
down. “We’re going to have a family?”
He looked up; now his eyes were tearing. He hugged her. “Life is good, so wonderfully good. How long have you known?”
They pulled back; he continued to rub her skin.
“Remember when I got sick on the boat?”
He nodded.
“Morning sickness. I finally figured it out when my clothes were getting tight.”
“When? When is it due? Do you know what sex it is?”
“No. Due in December. I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow. Do you want to go?”
“Absolutely! Gini, we are going to be together. No more weeks apart. I can’t stand being without you.”
“I agree.”
The next day they were in the examining room waiting for the doctor. Linda was surprised when she saw Ric standing next to Gini and holding her hand.
“Dr. Nelson, this is Ric Santini, the father.”
“Hello, Ric. Congratulations. How are you feeling, Gini?”
“Really good. No more sickness.”
“Let’s take a look.” The doctor did the exam. She moved the stethoscope all around, placing it in several spots, then moved it again as if listening for something special. Gini was getting concerned. Ric squeezed her hand.
“You’ve grown quickly,” Linda finally said with a smile.
Gini relaxed.
“Let’s take a look with a sonogram. We may be able to see if it’s a boy or girl.”
Ric felt a thrill run through his body. Margarita’s pregnancies never were far enough along to determine the sex.
Dr. Nelson put the screen so they could all see it. She moved the wand all around, sometimes pushing in deep. Gini looked intently, but couldn’t see anything that looked like a baby.
“Come on,” the doctor said quietly, “turn around. Yes, it’s a boy. See.” She pointed to the screen.
“Ric, a boy!”
“I know, sweets, a son.” He never looked away from the screen.
“He’s big like his daddy.” Linda continued moving the wand.
Sometimes the heartbeat was loud. Other times it sounded slushy, almost like there was an echo.
“Aha! Yes, I thought so. There’s two. Look, you can see a small part of the head. She again pointed at the screen. Twins!”
“No,” Gini said. “Ah… just no.”
She looked at Ric in horror.
“Gins, instant family.” He leaned down and kissed her and then smiled broadly. “Thank you, Doctor. Thank you.”
She smiled. “I’ve done nothing here.”
“We can’t have twins. We can’t. How will we take care of them?”
“Sweets, we’ll hire help if we need to. Don’t worry, you’ll see, it’ll be great.”
The doctor never could get a good look at the second one for the gender.
Suddenly her excitement became tinged with dread. Before, she had sloughed off the fetuses, but now there were human beings who would rapidly grow inside her. Could her small body handle the growth and extra weight? Dr. Nelson told her the human body was amazing in how it adapted to drastic changes, especially a woman’s body during pregnancy.
Both the doctor and Ric tried to ease her fears. She was a high-risk pregnancy, mostly due to her hypoglycemia—her blood levels had to be constantly checked. But because of the extra attention, if any issues came up they would be detected quickly and resolved. They made it sound like she was better off than the average woman. Nevertheless, she still had concerns.
She now, more than ever, wanted a divorce. It would be more complicated having to explain she was with Ric and they were going to have twins, but it was time. There was a small nagging in her head that she had slept with Franco. But there’s no way the babies could be his if she’d conceived after the middle of February.
Chapter 16 – Family
When Franco got on the plane in New York, he was determined to be back in a week. He was going to save his marriage and be with the woman he loved.
When he walked off the plane in Shijiazhuang, he was met by two government agents and a military soldier holding a long rifle.
“What’s going on?”
One of the agents took his arm. “Come with me.”
Franco took out his phone and turned it on. He had one message from Luca:
There’s a problem. I’m working on it.
They took him to a room, sat him in a chair, and took his phone. Franco had learned a lot of Chinese over the past few years, but he didn’t understand the words they were spraying at him. What he did pick up was that the injured worker had reported negligence by Franco’s company.
He kept asking for his lawyer but was denied. Finally, he convinced them to let his lawyer be a translator, but the two were never left alone.
The next day he was taken from the airport. They took him to a large concrete building in town and put him in a room. There was only a bed, toilet, and sink. It wasn’t a jail cell, but Franco knew exactly where he was, the detention center. He had heard stories from other foreign businessmen about people being locked up for years, most of the time for nothing.
A couple of days later, he was allowed to talk to Luca. Luca told him he was working with the consulate to get Franco out of there. The worker had convinced the authorities that Legotti Engineering had cut corners on the equipment, not using the proper parts, and that Franco especially was at fault, always rigging something up.
Ms. White and Ms. Anderson were well known, called “The Sisters of the Children.” Catherine’s wit and Gini’s bright smile and blue eyes made the pair very popular with the talk shows.
Ric and Gini went to Florida together as often as they could, and he followed her when she was invited to speak at various functions. She had concealed her pregnancy as long as possible. It was now apparent to all that she was going to have a baby, and there was no doubt Riccardo Santini, the dashing entertainment manager, was the father. They were seen together everywhere in Boston.
One afternoon in Florida, Gini took her reader and went to the pool. Her two-piece top held her breasts tight and pushed them up; the bottoms slung low below her belly. She sat in the chair, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the warmth of the sun all over her body.
“I told you you’d get fat if you ate so much.”
Gini recognized the voice. She turned to Kat and smiled. “Yes, you did warn me.”
“I assume you’re pregnant.”
“Twins.”
“And I suppose they are Ricky’s.”
“Yes, again.”
Kat sat looking at Gini for a few minutes. Gini closed her eyes again.
“May I touch them?”
“Touch? My tummy?”
“Yes.”
Gini reached over, took Kat’s hand and laid it on the baby bump. The slim brown fingers adorned with rings and long shiny nails decorated with vibrant colors slowly moved over the pure white skin.
“Beautiful.” She reached over with the other hand and rubbed around and then sat back. “I want to be you. I want a man to look at me like Ricky looks at you. I want a man that would do anything for me, anything. And I want to have a family. You’re the lucky one.” She got up and walked back to the food table.
Gini grabbed her cover-up and followed her. She picked up a plate and filled it with food, then went and sat at the table with Kat.
“There’s no reason you can’t have it all. You’re beautiful with your long slim body and exotic eyes. Valentino seems happy with the situation. Doesn’t he want a family?”
“Oh, no. He made it quite clear, no children.” Kat lowered her head. “I’ve had one abortion; I won’t have another.”
Gini reached over and put her hand on Kat’s shoulder. “Then leave. Go find the life you want.”
Kat took hold of Gini’s hand. “You’re sweet. But I have nowhere to go.”
Ric and Val walked out the back door. Kat immediately jumped up and went to him, but stopped almost as quickly when she saw Diane was with the
m.
When Gini asked Ric about Valentino and Diane, he told her Val had wanted to marry her. She was a widow with children and grandchildren, and not interested in being married, wanting her freedom. They had been together for several years, and Ric knew Val was deeply in love with her.
“And what about Kat?”
“Eye candy, bed partner, that’s all. He doesn’t, and probably never will, love her.”
“That’s so sad for Kat.”
Dr. Nelson wanted to see Gini weekly. Her hypoglycemia was in check, but Linda had concern because the second child, a girl, was much smaller than the boy. She seemed to be developing okay, and none of the tests showed any problems. Perhaps the two were just going to be built like their parents, one tall, the other petite.
Gini went to her next doctor’s appointment alone. Ric was in Rhode Island.
“Gini, I think I’m going to move your due date up. I’m a bit conflicted, but I think you are probably three to four weeks further along than we first calculated. I’m going to say November fifteenth, with conception the last week of January or the first week of February. Were you sexually active then?”
She sat and thought for a moment. She and Ric had been together since November, so yes, she was sexually active. Franco—oh no; she had slept with him right after her mother had died in January.
“Are you sure? I remembered having a period the middle of February.”
“Yes, that’s why I’m conflicted. You said it wasn’t much of one, right?”
“My periods are all different.”
“I think you had a small bleed caused by the pregnancy. Your body was trying to slough off the embryo. I’m going to put November fifteenth as the due date.”
On the way home, Gini continued to recall when she and Ric had been together. Not before they went to California, because she was sick, and not for some time after because she needed time to figure things out. No, there was no way these babies were Franco’s. She wasn’t going to let that happen. She and Ric were the parents, and they would be married once Franco signed the divorce papers. Franco had said he was going to try to save their marriage, but once again she had heard nothing from him for a couple of months. Obviously, being together wasn’t a priority for him. She just needed to approve the final draft, and then send the papers to him.
Green Stone Ring Page 27