by Carrie Daws
Romancing Melody
© 2013 by Carrie Daws
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN: 978-1-62020-135-0
eISBN: 978-1-62020-187-9
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture was taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Cover Design and Page Layout by Hannah Stanley
E-book conversion: Anna Riebe
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For baby Jacob
and his brave parents
Hear, O Lord, and answer me,
For I am poor and needy.
Guard my life, for I am devoted to You.
You are my God; save your servant
Who trusts in You.
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
For I call to You all day long.
Bring joy to your servant,
For to You, O Lord,
I lift up my soul.
Psalm 86:1-4
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Coming Soon!
Also by Carrie Daws
Book Club Discussion Sheet
Contact Information
Chapter 1
THE CONTRACTION SURPRISED 21-YEAR-old Melody Podell, and she almost dropped her glass. The water sloshed as she slammed the glass onto the table and grabbed the chair for support. Breathing through the pain, she looked at the digital reading on the microwave. 5:37pm. Third contraction in less than an hour, she thought, and this one was a lot stronger. I’d better sit for a while. David will be home soon.
Comfortably propped on the couch, she twisted her long, dark brown hair into a bun and held it on top of her head with one hand while fanning herself with a folded copy of the May 9th edition of The Army Times. Predictions for a busier than usual hurricane season for the Atlantic filled the evening news.
And Mom thought Fayetteville, North Carolina, would be a safe place. I suppose it is, minus the late summer hurricanes.
Feeling her stomach tightening, she looked at the wall clock. 5:50. Maybe that clock is off a few minutes from the microwave.
As she breathed through the end of another contraction ten minutes later, she reached for the phone. No answer at work. David must be on his way home. No reason to panic. It’s probably just Braxton-Hicks.
At 9:52pm the phone rang in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Womack Army Medical Center on Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Sara reached for it.
“Thirty-five weeker came into the ER in heavy labor. She’s on her way up to Labor and Delivery. We’ll need a NICU team.”
“Be right there.” Sara hung up the phone, removed her reading glasses, and looked at her supervisor. “Thirty-five weeker. We need a team to L and D.”
“Okay,” her supervisor said. “Wanna take it?”
Sara walked down the hall thinking through her night. Thirty-two years on the job had taught her to take advantage of every quiet moment, even if they were while she moved from one station to the next.
The Rovack baby’s lungs are doing a little better, she thought. But I’ll bet he needs another dose of surfactant. Wonder if McKendrick will head to surgery tonight? She checked the time on her small wristwatch. The redness on his abdomen is definitely more pronounced than when I worked Tuesday. Scavetta is rooming in tonight and should discharge in the morning. That will put us down to nine babies before this new one. Thirty-five weeks, though. He shouldn’t be a problem.
Chapter 2
MELODY LURCHED FORWARD IN BED, sitting up with her hand to her chest. Her heart raced as she pushed her hair behind her ears and tried to take deep breaths. The dream remained fresh in her mind, propelling her down the hall to four-month-old Cole’s nursery.
Gently pushing open his door, she held her breath as she watched in the soft glow of the froggy nightlight, allowing the movement of her baby’s chest to reassure her. His lips puckered briefly and relaxed again as he moved an arm out beside him.
She silently crossed the plush tan carpet to stand at the crib side. Her precious Cole. How close they’d come to losing him. Her mind still clearly remembered all the wires coming out of his small body. His birth at 35-weeks had surprised both her and her husband, David, but labor seemed to go well.
Until Cole came out. Underdeveloped lungs. Surfactant. Broad spectrum antibiotics. The medical terms circled in her head and invaded her sleep. The scary hours as her boy was intubated and she could hardly pull herself from his bedside. The tears she’d shed when the nurses finally extubated him and she watched him take those wonderful breaths on his own. The days spent in the hospital as he gained the strength to come home.
Pull yourself together, Melody. Doctor Braddock said Cole is looking great. His check-up went smoothly last Thursday. There’s nothing to worry about.
She moved to the glider just a few feet from the crib and sat down, looking at the mobile hanging above Cole’s peach-fuzz covered head. David had fallen in love with the cute frogs and snails, declaring it the perfect design for a boy. “After all,” he’d said in his deep southern drawl, “boys are made from frogs, snails, and puppy-dog tails.”
I’m just missing David, she thought. What a rotten time for a deployment.
He’d left with his team on August 29, and she expected him to be gone just over four months. He’d worked hard to earn his place in a Special Forces unit at Fort Bragg, and she didn’t want to put his career in jeopardy. SpecOps is his dream. I can’t ask him to walk away.
But her heart was torn. How is a marriage supposed to survive this life? Between deployments and training, he’s gone more than half the year. He’ll miss Cole’s first tooth, learning to roll over, maybe his first steps. How am I supposed to do this by myself? Doesn’t a boy need his father?
Sighing deeply, Melody stood to look at Cole one final time before heading back to bed. Maybe this time her dreams wouldn’t center on those horrible eight days in the NICU.
Melody felt guilty dropping Cole off at the Child Development Center Friday morning. The free childcare offered to spouses of deployed soldiers was nice, but Cole was still so young. She paused outside the door, almost turning around to go back for her son, when her phone vibrated.
“Still coming?” the text read.
Melody sighed deeply. Lunch will be a nice treat. I’m
not being selfish. I’m taking a break so that I can be a better mom. Cole is safe. And it’s only for three hours. She repeated the well-rehearsed speech in her mind as she typed out a reply to her friend. “On the way.”
“Look at my handsome boy awake from his afternoon nap.” Melody leaned over the crib, smiling at her son. She tickled his belly, looking for his usual quick grin. His blue eyes, so like his father’s, just peered back at her.
“My goodness, your nose is runny. Is that why you’re slow to smile today? Let’s get you cleaned up.” She laid him gently on the changing table to check his diaper and clean his nose.
“Now where did you catch this?” Melody thought back. The CDC was a week ago. He squirmed at the nasal aspirator but was soon breathing more clearly. Maybe the commissary this morning? How long does it take to catch a cold, anyway?
She stood him up to face her, allowing him a moment to push against the table with his feet.
“Are you ready to eat?” Melody smiled at him, moving in closer to rub her nose against Cole’s. He bounced, smiling at her and cooing in response. “Oh, yeah? You’re ready to eat?”
Melody moved in again to rub noses with him and realized as she picked him up that her nose was a little wet. She looked again at Cole and grabbed a tissue. “Looks like you might have caught a cold, baby boy.”
Settling in the glider, Melody positioned a pillow to support Cole while he latched onto her. Rubbing his head gently, she said, “I think we’ll just stay home the next couple of days while you get over it. Not like we had someplace to go, anyway.”
Melody approached the front doors to RockFish Church on Sunday morning, looking at every person within view.
She has to be here today. Please, God, let her be here.
The greeters held open the glass doors for the crowd exiting from the first service. Melody navigated the crowd entering for the second service, carrying the car seat with Cole safely buckled inside it.
The full foyer overwhelmed her for a moment, but then, finally, she saw the wonderful NICU nurse who had helped her understand everything that had happened at the hospital. Pushing through the crowd, she called out, “Sara! Can I ask you a question?”
Sara turned her head from the lady she was talking to. “Hey, Melody! What’s up?”
“I know you’re off duty and all . . .”
“Is everything okay with Cole?”
“No. Well, maybe. I . . . I’m just not sure.” Melody looked at Sara, tears beginning to mist her eyes.
Sara stepped closer and touched Melody’s arm. “Come on. Let’s go talk.”
Sara led Melody to the reception office, the first door down the hallway. Melody put the carrier down on the cushioned chair as a tear fell down her cheek.
“I’m sorry. I’m probably overreacting. It’s just with David gone and my mom so far away . . .”
Sara reached to the desk behind her and grabbed the box of tissues. “It’s okay, Melody. I don’t mind helping.”
“He’s just had this runny nose since Thursday afternoon. And now he doesn’t seem to be interested in eating much. I mean, he’s still eating, but not like he used to.”
“Let’s take a look, okay?”
Melody nodded, and Sara reached for the carrier. Putting the handle down, she pulled the light blanket away and looked at Cole.
“You do have a runny nose there, kiddo.” Sara felt his head. “Have you noticed any kind of fever?” Sara grabbed a tissue to wipe Cole’s nose.
“Sometimes. It’s like 99.2 or close to that. I think the highest has been 99.4.”
“He seems to be a little warm right now, but that could just be because it’s still plenty warm outside. I think autumn forgot to tell October to cool down a bit.”
Melody smiled as she dabbed at her tears with a fresh tissue.
“When’s the last time he was in for a well-baby check-up?”
“About two and a half weeks ago.”
“And that went okay?”
Melody nodded.
“It’s probably just a cold. Keep an eye on him for the next day or two, and if he doesn’t get better, or if his appetite continues to decrease, take him in to see his doctor.”
Chapter 3
MOM, I JUST DON’T KNOW what to do for him.” Melody sniffed and wiped at the tears again.
“Did you try a humidifier in his room? Or a warm bath?”
Melody nodded before speaking into the receiver, imagining her mom’s slight frame stood before her instead of 2,800 miles away. “I tried the humidifier, but his cold just seems to be getting worse. Now he’s coughing, and his fever is climbing.”
“What’s his temperature?”
“It’s hanging around 100.5.”
“Oh, sweetie, I’m sure it’s nothing. It could just be teething. Lots of babies get a temperature right before a tooth pops through. He’s almost five months, so that first tooth should be making an appearance any time now.”
“You think so, Mom?”
“You said Sara wasn’t concerned yesterday, right?”
“Yeah.” Melody peeked in Cole’s room and watched him sleep. Was it just her imagination, or was he breathing faster?
“As long as he’s still eating, I would wait another couple of days. If you don’t see a tooth by Wednesday, or if his fever hits 101, then you should take him in.”
“I wish you were here, Mom.”
“Me, too, sweetie.”
“Mrs. Podell?”
Melody looked up from where she sat in the waiting room, struggling to hold Cole. She stood, grabbed the infant carrier, and followed the nurse in the happy-colored, kid-friendly scrubs down the short hall to a room.
“Come on in, Mrs. Podell, and have a seat. You called this morning to say Cole is sick?” The nurse blew a puff of air upwards, sending her bangs away from her eyes, but the errant red locks fell back in almost the same position.
“Yes. It started with a runny nose, and then a low fever developed.” Cole twisted his head in her arms to look at the nurse. “The fever’s been going up, and now he’s not really wanting to eat much.”
The nurse logged into the computer beside Melody and clicked on Cole’s chart. Cole rubbed his face on Melody’s chest and turned his head to look out the door.
“When did all this start?” The nurse reached out to feel Cole’s fuzzy head.
“The runny nose started last Thursday.”
The nurse typed a few notes. “Six days. What about the fever?”
“I started checking him on Friday, but it was only about ninety-nine then. By Saturday night, it had climbed just a little, not even a half a point, though. And by Monday morning, it was just over a hundred.”
“All right.” The nurse typed a few more quick notes. “And when did you notice a change in his eating habits?”
Cole squirmed, so Melody turned him around to face the nurse. He quickly reached around for Melody, and she turned him sideways on her lap. He looked back at the nurse and then laid his head against Melody.
“I guess a little on Friday, but more so yesterday. Last night he didn’t eat much at all before bed, and during the night he really didn’t seem to want much.”
“How much would you say he’s eaten today?”
Melody squeezed him gently to her. “I’m not real good at saying. He’s still breast feeding, and I can’t really tell.”
“Not a problem. How about this? How often does he normally feed and for how long?”
“About every three hours for 25 to 30 minutes.”
“And today?”
“I keep trying every hour or two because he’s been fussy, but he’s only latched on a couple times, and then only for five or ten minutes.”
The nurse watched Cole for a moment, calmly lying against Melody. “He definitely doesn’t look like he feels good.”
“Do you think it’s just teething?”
The nurse smiled at her. “I’m sure it’s something just that simple. Let me get his temperature an
d weight; then I’ll finalize these notes to Cole’s chart. Dr. Braddock’s running just a bit behind this afternoon, but it shouldn’t be too long.”
Melody held Cole close. After the nurse finished, he had snuggled into Melody and fallen asleep. Now, twenty minutes later, fear was setting into Melody’s mind once again. What if this isn’t just a cold? What if they send him to the hospital? Can I get ahold of David? Should I even tell him?
Melody began to rock slightly. David needs to focus on his job. I can’t distract him. But what if this is serious? How bad does it have to be for the Army to send him home?
“Mrs. Podell, I’m sorry to keep you waiting.” Dr. Braddock closed the door behind him and washed his hands. “I see my patient fell asleep on me.”
He sat down at the computer and read the few notes the nurse had taken and then turned around to face Cole. “Well, his temperature is definitely a bit higher than I’d like. Other than not eating, what else have you noticed?”
“He’s been grumpy and not sleeping well. He’ll sleep for an hour or so and then wake up for awhile. Even at night.”
Cole coughed.
“When did the cough start?”
Melody sighed as she tried to remember. “I’m not sure. Sunday afternoon, maybe. Or maybe Saturday night. I, I just . . .” Tears began gathering.
“It’s okay, Mrs. Podell. Don’t stress over your answer. Let me just take a listen to those lungs of his.”
Melody shifted in her seat so that Cole’s weight fell more against her as she removed her arm from his back to give the doctor access. She watched him move the stethoscope around and turn to make some notes in the computer. He’s just being thorough. Nothing is horribly wrong with my baby.
“I’m going to take a look in his ears too.” He reached for the instruments hanging against the wall and a disposable cover. After he finished with the ear facing outward, Melody gently turned Cole’s head to give Dr. Braddock access to his left side. He turned back to the computer to make a few more notes as Melody nervously began rocking Cole.
“Okay. I can tell you definitively that Cole has an ear infection in his right ear. He seems to be working hard to breathe, and while I don’t hear noise in his lungs, the air doesn’t sound as free as it should be. Congestion, runny nose, cough—that’s all obvious. This is probably just an early winter cold, but I want to run a couple of simple tests to make sure, okay?”