by Brown,Dick
“Why, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. I just think it will be best for the baby if we restart your labor and get the baby out.” He turned and instructed the nurse to begin the procedure. “Nurse, start the Pitocin IV.”
“I’m so tired, I just want to get it over with,” Cass said to Rod, who’d been sitting at her bedside holding her hand for more than five hours.
“Doc said the IV should get things moving again. Just be patient.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re sitting there in a comfortable chair and I’m spread-eagled in this contraption with nurses coming in checking every two minutes to see how much I’ve dilated. I’ll trade places with you anytime.”
“Come on, Cass, that’s just pain talking. They say childbirth is one of the most painful experiences you’ll ever have and the one you forget the quickest.”
“Right, but they aren’t here, I am, and my back is killing me. My head hurts. Hell, my whole body hurts. Nobody told me it would be this painful.”
“You mean your mother never talked to you about what you could expect?”
“Are you kidding? My mother never even told me about starting my period—Essie did. She taught me all the female things I had to go through that any mother should tell her daughter. But not my mom. Essie and my girlfriends taught me all about feminine hygiene and sex. Ouch! Did you see that? The baby is moving again.”
Dr. McCombs returned to the room.
The nurse said, “The contractions haven’t restarted. There’s only been minimal movement, doctor. I think the baby’s in distress.”
Dr. McCombs examined Cass. “The baby is in breach position, Cass. We’re going have to do a C-section. Nurse, prep her. We need to start right away.”
“Is the baby okay? Is there something wrong? You’ll tell me if it isn’t normal, won’t you?”
“Everything is fine. You need to relax. I’m going to give you an epidural so you won’t feel a thing, but you’ll be conscious for the procedure. Rod, I think it best if you wait in the outer waiting room. I’ll come get you as soon the baby is cleaned up. Now go, we have to hurry.”
There were two other fathers-to-be already in the waiting room. Rod saw the coffee machine and got a cup of hot brew. He took a seat and tried to drink the coffee, but it tasted like it was mixed with Drano instead of cream. He couldn’t concentrate on reading the three-month-old magazines. So he just started talking to anyone that would respond.
“This is my first. How about you guys?”
The oldest of the three, who looked like he might be a farmer, spoke up, “This is my fourth. Still trying to get a girl. Hope this one’s it ’cause it’s going to be the last one no matter what it is. I’m getting a vasectomy next week.”
“What about you?” Rod spoke to the bearded man dressed in a dark blue suit and tie with shined shoes, reading a book. He didn’t look up from his book. Rod shrugged at the farmer and took another sip of the awful coffee.
“I saw the face you made drinking that machine coffee,” the farmer said. “The cafeteria keeps fresh-brewed coffee going all the time. It’s just down the hall and to your left.”
“Thanks. Can I get you anything?”
The farmer shook his head.
Rod thought he would give the guy in the suit one more chance and walked over to him. “Hey, I’m going to the cafeteria. Can I get you anything?”
The man with the Jesus beard and long hair raised his head, but he didn’t answer right away. “I’m going to the cafeteria. Can I get you anything?” Rod said again.
The man finally spoke. “Unless you’re blind, I think you can see I’m reading.” He lowered his head and went back to reading his book.
Stunned, Rod said, “Fine, suit yourself.” He turned and left for the cafeteria, wondering what that guy’s problem was. After getting some good coffee, he returned to the waiting room and settled in for the long wait. The time dragged by slowly. He leaped to his feet when the double doors opened. It was the farmer’s doctor.
“Congratulations, Mr. Owens. You have a beautiful, healthy baby girl.” With a broad smile, the farmer looked at Rod and exclaimed, “There is a God!” He left with the doctor to see his wife and baby girl. Rod decided she would no doubt be spoiled rotten and called out his congratulations as the doors to the swung shut.
The other guy never looked up from his book. Rod was thinking, This guy won’t make a very good father. He’ll be too preoccupied to pay any attention to his new baby. With that kind of personality, how did he even get his wife pregnant in the first place?
Unannounced, Dr. McCombs burst through the double doors into the waiting room. “Rod, she’s beautiful. Looks just like Cass did when I delivered her. Come on, I’ll take you to her.” Rod followed the doctor and felt pity for the man still reading his book.
He entered the room. Cass was holding the tiny infant, naked under a blanket, against her bare chest and beaming from ear to ear.
“How are my girls doing?” he asked.
“Happy, but exhausted,” Cass answered. “She just snuggled up against me. Do you want to hold her?”
“Is it okay? I’m not wearing scrubs. I don’t want to give her anything.”
“It’s okay.”
Rod gently took the tiny baby wrapped in a pink blanket and cuddled her under his chin. “I can’t believe she’s so small.” Already he was thinking of where she’d go to college, what she would study, and how he wouldn’t let her date until she was eighteen.
He reluctantly handed her to the nurse, who took her to the nursery, then leaned over and gave Cass a gentle kiss. “How are you feeling?”
“I’ll be okay in a few days. This scar will sure ruin my bikini figure next summer,” she said, smiling.
“When can you and Nicole Noel come home? Which one do you like?”
“I like Nicole and want her middle name to be Worthington.” She looked for Rod’s reaction with apprehension. “I know it will be unusual for a girl, but I think it will please Gramps.”
“Not exactly what I had in mind, but if that’s what you want, fine.”
“Dr. McCombs says I need to stay for a day or so to let this incision begin to heal. I’ll need some help when I get home. He says I need to stay off my feet for a week or so.”
“Don’t worry. Mom is chomping at the bit to come and stay as long as you need her.”
“Great, I’d like that. By the way, did Earl win?”
“Oh my God, I forgot all about the election results. I’ll go down the hall to the nurses’ station and call him. I can’t believe I’m a father,” he marveled. “We’re parents. It sounds so strange. Do you think we’ll be good parents? It’s kind of scary, isn’t it?”
“Now you tell me you’re scared of being a father. Relax. You’re a natural. I saw how tenderly you handled her. We’ll be great parents. Now go find out if we won.”
Cass’s true feelings about being good parents weren’t as strong as she stated. She had the feeling she was going to be doing most of the child rearing while Rod continued to spent long hours at work.
“Be right back.”
Rod called home. The phone rang several times before Earl finally picked up. “It’s a girl. Her name is Nicole Worthington Miller. We’re calling her Nicole,” Rod said before Earl could speak.
“I can hardly hear you for all the noise. You can fill me in later. We won!” Earl shouted into the phone. “Can you believe it? We won by only one percentage point!” Earl said, still shouting.
“Congratulations, man, that’s great. You deserved it. Cass won’t be home for a couple of days. She had a rough time and finally had to have a C-section. But she and the baby are doing fine. You guys hang out at the house as long as you want. There’s plenty of room and food if you want to sack out for
a while. I’ll call you later. I need to get back to Cass.”
While Rod was on the phone, Cass was moved to a recovery room. He entered the room and broke into a big smile when he saw Cass already nursing baby Nicole. Cass looked up, all smiles and pleased with her progress.
“The nurse brought her in all cleaned up and laid her on my chest for some more bonding time. Then she latched on to my nipple on her first try. She’s going to be a genius. I’m glad she’s so hungry. Look, she’s already finished with the left one. Now she wants to start on the right one. I’m really enjoying this.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” said the nurse who had stayed to help her if she needed it. “Most newborns nurse every hour or two twenty-four hours a day for weeks. Best you try and get some sleep between nursing times.”
Cass tried to sit up in her bed after she had finished to hand Nicole to the nurse. “Oh, damn!” She fell back into bed holding her stomach. “That really hurt.” Her face twisted in pain.
The nurse admonished her to stay flat in the bed and let other people do the lifting.
She regained her composure. “I’m not used to having someone do everything for me.”
The nurse smiled. “You better enjoy it while you can. It doesn’t last long.” She left to take Nicole back the nursery full of newborns.
“I’m so happy for Earl,” she said to Rod. “He really deserved to win after all he went through. I think we did a hell of a job on such short notice.” Cass closed her eyes and breathed a heavy sigh. “Do I really have to stay another day? I want to take Nicole home now,” she pleaded with Rod.
“Sorry doctor’s orders. We’ll be home before you know it, I promise.”
Chapter 77
And then there were three
Two days later, Rod pulled up to the front door of the house with Cass and Nicole. “I think we’re going to have to get a minivan like the rest of the soccer moms drive. These sport cars won’t cut it with a baby on board.” He ran around to open Cass’s door, took Nicole from her, and helped her up out of the car.
“We definitely are,” Cass said. “I can’t take getting up from these low seats anymore. How about tomorrow you take care of that little chore?”
When Rod reached for the front door handle, the door flew open. “Welcome home!” Earl greeted them. Cass stepped in first and was pleasantly surprised at the immaculate condition the house was in, knowing Earl had hung out with Rod while she was in the hospital. She took the sleeping Nicole into her beautifully decorated gender-neutral nursery. With the baby down for her nap before feeding again, the three friends settled around the dining-room table. It seemed so long ago that they hammered out a winning strategy for Earl’s campaign at that same table, but it was actually just weeks ago.
Reminiscing about the many crises and changes during the campaign, Cass said, “I think changing your name from TJ to Earl for your campaign was a brilliant idea.” She then focused her attention on Rod. “And I think it’s time you changed your name, too. You’ve come a long way since you were a high school jock. You help run one of the most successful defense companies in the country and deal with international heads of state and power brokers in Washington.”
“And what is your point?”
“My point is since you travel in lofty political and industrial circles, you should have a more professional sounding name like your given name, Rodney, instead of your high-school nickname Rod. It sounds too sophomoric for the life you live now. It worked for Earl. Just think what it might do for you if you decided to run for office someday.”
“First of all, I have no interest in running for office. And second, I like Rod. There are plenty of famous people named Rod. There’s Rod Steiger, a great actor. I loved Rod Serling’s TV series, Twilight Zone. Rod Taylor’s another great actor. How about Rod Stewart, the great singer-songwriter?”
“Okay, okay, at least think about it.”
“I will later. Right now we need to celebrate.” Rod broke out an expensive bottle of vintage wine they’d received as a wedding gift and saved for a special occasion.
“I think this is a pretty special occasion to break out the really good stuff. Chateau Haut-Brion, anyone?” He inserted the corkscrew and slowly extracted the cork.
Cass immediately placed her hand over her glass.
“You’re not having any? This may be a once-in-a-lifetime occasion.”
“None for me. I’m nursing in less than an hour.”
Rod quickly went to the refrigerator, retrieved his favorite cran-apple juice and half-filled her wineglass. He poured Earl and himself a half glass of the most expensive wine either of them had ever tasted.
“Thanks. Now I can at least pretend I’m drinking wine for the toast.”
“This has been one hell of a year,” Rod said. “I, for one, am ready for it to be over.”
“I second that,” Earl said.
“Okay, then, let’s raise our glasses to salute our new mother Cass, baby Nicole, Earl, our new congressman since he has no opponent in the general election in November, and the future of RJ Systems.”
The click of glasses and a resounding “Cheers!” filled the room.
“Thanks a lot you two. I have to run – lots to do. First thing I need to do is put together a staff and locate living quarters in DC. Catch you guys later.” And Earl was gone.
Chapter 78
Election aftermath
“Finally some peace and quiet.” Cass said. “Now maybe we can have that talk we’ve put since Christmas.”
“What talk?” Rod asked, “I thought we had already done that. What do you want to talk about now?” Completely oblivious to the storm that was about to hit him. They sat at the dining table still covered with campaign paraphernalia and the wine bottle of happier moments.
In a soft and serious tone, Cass said, “I’ll go first. Now that I have Nicole, I won’t be bothering you as much about being home. When you went to work for Jack, you became a different person. I have tried to adjust to your long absences and late nights, but an empty bed wasn’t what I bargained for. You are married to the company, and I can live with that. I will expect you to satisfy my sexual needs when you are available, but our lives have changed and will be different from now on. I will dedicate my time to our daughter and you have the company to fulfill your life.” Cass paused. “And, yes, I still love you and look forward to us growing old together. Just not the way I had planned.”
Stunned by Cass’s blunt assessment of their life, Rod reacted defensively. “I’m sorry if I haven’t lived up to your expectations. All I have ever done was love you and try to measure up to the standard your family expected of you. I’ve cherished every moment we have had together and will continue to love you the rest of our lives. I’m sorry if that isn’t enough. There are circumstances at the company that make demands on me over which I have no control. I thought you understood that.”
“What I understand is, I foolishly thought I could break the family tradition of more than a hundred years. I will always love you and will adjust to what our lives have become. Welcome to the blue bloods of Bois D’Aarc.
Other books from Dick Brown and Soul Mate Publishing:
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Available now on Amazon:
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