Dr. Wilson is done. He left me there to relax and be still for over an hour. The nurse comes in and lets me know that I can slowly get up and get dressed. I’m sore and completely loopy. My body and mind are in a tranquil state. The nurse helps me get into my panties and pants. She helps me walk out to the waiting room, where Ella is on the phone. She ends her phone call and helps me to the door. “How are you doing, Beth?”
“I’m doing good, very relaxed.” She helps me into the car and buckles me in. My foggy brain is slowly coming back to life. We sit in silence for a while. “Ella, I think we need to postpone girl’s night till Saturday. Is that ok with you? Do you think you could call Kate, tell her what happened, and see if we are on for Saturday night?”
“Sure.”
“Ella, don’t be mad.” I want to tell her … I need to tell her because I can’t tell Grant or he will lose his marbles.
“What would I be mad about?”
“El, I put all my embryos in me.”
“That was the plan, right?” she slowly ask me.
“No El, not two, but all four. I put four embryos in this time. I only had four left. I couldn’t sit there and choose which ones to put in and which ones to throw away. Those are mine. I swore to Grant that this was our last go around, no more IVF for us. I couldn’t pick and throw away.” I rush to explain.
“BETH!!! Grant is going to shit his pants if you end up pregnant with four babies. Did you think what happens if all four take?”
“No, I didn’t think. El, I had about a 60 second time frame to let the doctor know what I wanted. I don’t think all four will take. At the most two will. That is a big IF!”
“If this is what you want then I support you. You know I have your back in any decision you make. Well, I’m hoping for a boy, at least one. We need a little boy in our gang. We need some balance, especially when my girls and Kate’s go through puberty. Our poor husbands will vanish once a month. Can you see Chris and Keith dealing with periods, bras, tampons, and boyfriends?” She laughs so hard that she starts to snort.
I start to laugh and whack her hard in the shoulder. “Cut it out, I can’t laugh!”
I hear my ring tone for Grant go off in my purse. I answer my phone.
“Hey sweetheart, how is your day going so far? Are you at your meeting?”
“Hi handsome. Yes, I am at my meeting. Did you make it to Daytona?”
“Yep, we are checking in now at the hotel. Then we are going to go cruise around the loop. I’ll call you tonight when I get back to the hotel. Are you and the girls going to hang out tomorrow?”
“No. Kate is having a babysitter issue, so we are just going to do it Saturday.”
“Well then maybe tonight you can send me some of your sexy pictures.”
“Ha, we will see! Have fun and please be safe.”
“You know I will. I love you, sweetheart.”
“I love you too, bye.”
“Bye sweets.”
“You aren’t going to tell him, are you?” Ella cautiously says to me.
“Not now. He is about to have a fun weekend with his buddies. Hopefully by this time next week I will be able to tell him that he is going to be a daddy. I want to do this the normal way for once. Please say you support me on this.”
Ella puts her hand on my leg and rubs her hand on my thigh. “Beth, I love you, and I am here for you and have been. You know that! I am just nervous for you. I want this to work for you so bad. I talked to Kate. We’re on for Saturday. “
“Thanks.” It’s all I can muster up, I feel so torn, scared and lonely. I wish I had girlfriends who wouldn’t give me that look of pity all the time and stutter with words because they don’t know what to say like I am glass and going to break. I get enough of it from my husband. I guess I just want this time to be as normal as possible. I wish I didn’t feel so alone right now. I wish Grant was here to hold me. Three more nights and he will be in my arms naked on the family room floor. I have to focus on that.
We pull into the driveway. Ella walks me in and lets the dogs out for me. “Beth, I hate to do this to you, but I have to get to work. Kate said she will stop by on her lunch break. Do you need anything before I leave?” I walk to my bedroom, strip off my pants, and curl up under the covers. I grab Grant’s pillow that smells of him and wrap my arms around it.
“No, I’m good El, thank you so much for your help this morning. I am just going to go to sleep and let my embryos settle in.” She tucks me in as if I was a child, kisses my head and walks out.
“I’ll call you tonight and check on you … love you.”
“OK, love you too!” I shout back not knowing if she heard me or not. I know she let the dogs in because they run in and jump up on the bed with me. I slowly drift off to sleep.
I awaken when the dogs are going crazy prancing on my bed. Kate is here. I look at the clock and see it is one o’clock.
“Bethy-baby, how are you feeling?” Kate is a nut, she’s been calling me Bethy-baby since I was six years old when she moved next door to me. She was so excited to be older than me by six months so her nick name for me has always been Bethy-baby.
I croak out, “I’m real good, just tired.”
“Well I got you a turkey and spinach wrap and a raspberry and strawberry smoothie for lunch. You hungry?”
“Yes, I’m starving. Thank you so much.” I prop myself up on the bed to a sitting position as she places the bag and smoothie on the night stand. She walks out to let the dogs out in the backyard.
“I brought them these bones to chew on so they should be content for a while” she says as she prances into the room. She lies down on the bed next to me and closes her eyes.
“Are you going to take a nap?” I ask as I have the straw in my mouth and trying to suck the smoothie up.
“I’m just closing my eyes. I’m so tired Beth.”
“Be my guest and sleep. I’m going to eat this delicious lunch and then join you.” Katie Bear, as I used to call her as my nickname for her, has been my “sister from another mister.” She is my everything. She has been with me through all of my life plans.
Kate is a gorgeous blond bombshell. She has shoulder length blond hair, a hint of freckles on her nose, sapphire blue eyes, and is a little taller than me, but not as tall as Ella. She has killer legs, and a body like Malibu Barbie. The real shocker is looking at her you would never know that she pushed two babies out of that body at one time. She went home from the hospital in pre-baby clothes. GAG! I know, I hate her too. She is a Veterinarian … yep this hot chick next to me just became a doctor a few months ago. She is an equestrian doctor. She has always had a love for horses, but she takes in all animals.
Her granddaddy is a Veterinarian and has his own practice. When he retires next year the practice will be all hers. Kate spends her days tackling animals, then goes home to her hubby Keith and two year old twin girls, Nicole and Julia. Kate met Keith three years ago at a bar. They hit it off great, their developing relationship went fast. She got pregnant two months into their relationship. Once she found out they were expecting twins they got married at the court house. A few months later they were a family of four.
I know I have been so caught up in my fight to get pregnant that we haven’t talked much. Something is going on, and she doesn’t want to bother me with her life issues, but she is my best friend. I wish she would open up. I stare at her. She is softly snoring, I know she is exhausted. She is practically a working, single mom. Keith is a police officer and works crazy shifts, shifts that don’t work around the 9-5, five days a week job and daycare hours.
I finish my lunch. I get up to go pee, then let my babies in from the back yard. Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm seem very content with devouring their treat from Kate. I go back to bed. She is sitting up trying to comb through her hair with her fingers.
“Sorry I was such miserable company. I can’t believe I fell asleep when I should be taking care of you.”
“Girlfriend, I’m good. Obviously you
needed the sleep, so I don’t mind. You can go back to sleep, that is what I’m doing.”
“No, I got to head back to the office, then I promised the girls I would get them early and take them for frozen yogurt.”
“Where’s Keith?” I ask, knowing we are going into dangerous territory.
“Who knows Beth, he is never home. He says he is working night shift, then working doubles, then working overtime. I get the same run around. I have a gut feeling he is having an affair. Right now I am so busy with the girls and work that I haven’t done any digging or even asked. I guess right now I just don’t care.”
“Katie Bear, I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you come and talk to me about this? You know I am here for you?”
“I know, but this is just embarrassing and a situation I never thought I would be in. I know our relationship happened so fast, but I thought we were truly in love. I thought he loved me as much as I loved him. Oh well, shit happens!”
She gets up, walks around my side of the bed, tucks me in, and kisses me on the cheeks. “Do you need anything else?”
“Nope, I’m good. Thank you for bringing me lunch.”
“No problem, we will talk Saturday. My parents are taking the girls, so I can stay as long as you need me. Love you.”
“Love you too!”
I roll over and sleep.
I am awakened by a baby crying. I roll over and nudge Grant to go get the baby. My hand rubs over the bed where the sheets lay cold. I sit up quickly to see a hall light on. I get out of bed and grab the baby swaddled in a yellow blanket. I hold the baby against my shoulder, slowly rock while saying ‘Shh’. I hear Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm whining. I call out to Grant, but I hear nothing. “Grant, where are you?” Nothing! I go into the garage and see Grant slouched on the motorcycle. There is blood dripping all over the garage floor. I run to him, screaming ‘GRANT’! The baby is screaming, I am crying. Grant slowly turns his head to me, while blood is all over his face. He mutters, “Put the baby down and help me!” I just hold onto the baby and walk backwards. “I can’t put the baby down.” He yells to me “it’s me or the baby” … I stumble and the baby falls …
I awaken out of my sleep, sweat dripping off of me. I’m shaking and cold. “What the hell was that nightmare about?” I ask myself. I walk to the kitchen where I see my dogs laying on the couch. Opening the sliding door I let them out. It is 7:20 p.m. I go to the kitchen counter, pick up the phone and call Grant.
“Hey sweetheart, how are you?”
“Grant, I can barely hear you, where are you?”
“We are at some bar eating. Hold on a sec and let me go outside.”
“Grant, please tell me you are not drinking. I worry so much when you are on that thing. Plus I just woke up from a nightmare from hell.”
“Beth, I am having one beer. We’re not planning on leaving anytime soon. Plus out hotel is less than a mile away. What was your nightmare about?”
“I had a dream that you were bleeding to death on your motorcycle. You were asking me to help you.” I bite my bottom lip and try to suppress the tears that are forming behind my eyes.
“Sweetheart, are you OK, do you want me to come home? I can be there in two hours. I don’t like how you are sounding.”
I inhale a deep breath. Don’t want to worry Grant. I am sure he can hear the fear in my voice from the terrible nightmare I just woke from.
“I’m good, just a bad dream and a long day. I just miss you and worry. No, stay with Sean and finish out your weekend. Sunday will be here soon enough.”
“Alright, Love. I love you so very much. Call me if you need me. You know I will come home if you need me to.”
“I know handsome. I love you! Please be safe! Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, my sweets.”
Opening the door to the pizza guy, I give him the money and tell him to keep the change. After walking to the kitchen with the take out boxes, I get out the plates and wine glasses for Kate and Ella, and pull out a bottle water for myself. “Bridesmaids” is in the DVD player. I look at the clock and see that it is 6p.m. They will be here any minute.
I put the dogs outside, as the ladies are walking into my house. I love how we are so casual with each other. They come in through the garage since they know my garage code.
Kate finally looks like her old self; she is smiling and holds up her bottle of wine. “Let’s get this night started, ladies!” Kate shouts while raising the wine bottle.
“Kate pour me a glass; I need to use the restroom.” Ella says as she sashays to the bathroom.
“Bitch, this whole bottle is mine … find your own” Kate shouts down the hall to Ella. I look into the wine cabinet and look for a bottle that I know Ella will like. Hopefully I won’t need any of these bottles anytime soon. Ella comes back from the restroom and puts her iPhone on the base charger on the kitchen counter. She turns on LMFAO “I’m sexy and I know it”. Ella starts to get all Latin on us and out does us by shaking her hips and rubbing her ass against Kate. I sit on the bar stool just laughing at the two most important girls to me. These ladies are my world, and even though these moments are becoming few and far between, I cherish these moments tremendously.
The girls are done shaking their hips. I take the pizza out of the oven. Kate hugs her wine bottle to her chest like a baby. Ella grabs the salad and their wine glasses off the counter. We sit at the table and talk. I adore the girl talk with my girls.
Kate finally has enough wine in her to spill her guts out. She tells us that she caught a text message from a strange number multiple times on Keith’s phone. That one text said “that she wanted to suck him off.” She said that she’s moved him to the downstairs guest room. They haven’t had sex in three months. Kate starts to tear up at the mention of getting divorced. She can’t live like this and be treated like shit.
Ella slurs “I sorry mi amore. You want me to kick him in the balls for you?”
“Be my guest, if you can find him? Can you believe that asshole hasn’t been home in three days, nor has he called to say hello to his daughters. Who the hell gives up like that on being a parent? I didn’t plan for a baby, let alone two, but those girls are my world and I can’t fathom going a day without hearing their sweet voices. It literally breaks my heart to see what my babies will go through.”
Me being the only sober one, I start to cry. Cry for my best friend and for her daughters. For a life that is about to flip upside down for her and her daughters. I wipe my cheeks and start to clear the table.
I tell Ella to go turn the movie on. As we settle into the couch when the doorbell rings. “Who the hell is that?” Kate slurs as she gets up off the couch and walks to the door. She opens the door and mutters, “What the hell are you doing here?” She opens the door a little more as I see Keith walk into the foyer.
I notice right away that he is not here for Kate, his gaze is on me and he isn’t losing focus. “Keith, what’s going on?” I say as I unexpectedly feel nauseas. Keith is white as a ghost and barely can look at me.
“B … Beth umm, I heard on the radio that there was lane closures on A1A south bound. There is a massive fatality accident involving 8 motorcycles and three vehicles. I called it in to get the drivers names, knowing that Grant was out that way.” He pauses then continues, “Umm … Beth.”
My heart is in my chest, and I am looking at the girls and they are white. The blood has drained from my face and my ears are pulsating. “Spit it out Keith, is Grant hurt?”
“Beth, he was one of the riders. He was rushed to the hospital and left the scene in critical condition. “
“Keith, you’ve got to take us there!” Kate voices to her husband. “We can’t drive. We have been drinking and Beth is in no condition to drive the trip out there.”
I run into the laundry room to grab my purse and flip flops. I look at the clock above the flat screen TV. It’s 7:20p.m. I fold over and vomit. I collapse to the floor trying to catch my breath. I feel like my lungs are shrinking up in my
chest cavity. I can’t breathe.
Ella rushes over to me, “Beth let’s go! Get up and walk to the car now! We need to go, you can’t do anything sitting on the floor and you don’t know anything till we get there.” She sternly speaks her words into my ear. I walk to the door, seeing Kate talk to Keith.
Keith looks at me with tears in his eyes. “Beth once we are close by, I’ll call the hospital and see if they can give us a report on him.”
I get into the back seat of his police cruiser with Ella. She is holding me and telling me to not freak out. She keeps grabbing my wrist and counting my heartbeats. “Beth, think of the baby, the one that is trying to grow inside of you. You have got to calm down and think of that right now” as she places her hand on my lower stomach “that is all you can control right now.” She holds me and chants, “breathe in and breathe out, breathe in and breathe out.” This is all she says the whole way while rubbing her palm over my belly.
All I can think of is that terrible nightmare, seeing Grant’s face covered in blood. “Oh please God let me be able to identify him, let him live, let him be Ok.” I silently repeat this over and over. I can’t lose him, Grant is my world. What seems like hours we finally pull into the ER. Ella helps me out and she is by my side the whole time.
I rush to the check in desk. “Grant Thomas, please he was in a motorcycle accident.” I rush all my words together so quickly that I hear Ella repeat it to her just slower.
“Are you family?” She snidely says.
“Yes, he’s my husband, this is his sister.” I tell her, knowing full well they wouldn’t let Ella back there, but she is a nurse and she can help Grant and me. She looks away from her computer and discloses that he’s in room eight.
Life's Perfect Plan (The Life Series) Page 3