by Joy Redmond
Finally, Colombo finished taking pictures downstairs, upstairs, and came into the living room holding a shell casing. “I dug this out of the doorframe,” he said, dropping it into his pocket. “Well, that’s all we can do for now. Thanks, everyone, for your cooperation.” He shook Tommy’s hand. “Son, you’re a brave man. This young lady owes you a lot.”
Tommy blushed, looked down at the floor, and then briefly glanced at Tori. “Well, she’s my neighbor – and friend.”
Tears rolled down Tori’s face as she saw the expression on Tommy’s face. His look told her everything she needed to know. All was forgiven – but she knew things would be different between them from then on. She saw Tommy in a new light, and she’d never forget what he had done. Someday she’d find a way to repay him, but at that moment all she could do was smile at him in gratitude. Through her tears, she saw him smile and nod in silent understanding. No words needed to be spoken.
Finally, the second ambulance arrived, and the paramedics began preparing Tori for the transfer. Just as they were carefully putting her on the stretcher, she felt fluid gushing down her legs and forming a puddle beneath her.
“Oh, my,” one of the paramedics said, “It looks like they’re going to have something to talk about in the emergency room for quite a while after you get there, young lady. They don’t often treat bullet and stab wounds at the same time they’re delivering a baby.”
The paramedics carried Tori out to the ambulance as Wes and Tommy ran alongside. They loaded her in and Wes called out, “I’ll be driving right behind you, honey.”
“I’ll be driving right behind Wes,” Tommy said and ran across the back yard.
Tori watched the reflection of the swirling blue lights and listened to the siren blasting. She smiled through her pain. God was sending her son back to her. Just like Grammy said He would.”
It took less than ten minutes to get to the hospital, but they were some of the longest minutes of Tori’s life as the pain of her contractions grew stronger and more frequent. .
When they pulled up in front of the emergency room entrance, two orderlies rushed outside. The paramedics opened the back door of the ambulance. The orderlies pull the gurney out and quickly began to wheel Tori inside, making Wes run to keep up.
Everything was a blur to Tori. She hurt everywhere. Once inside the emergency room she heard the paramedics give a nurse the information. Then a doctor rushed to Tori’s side. “We’ll get you stitched up, and then get you up to the labor room, honey. It sounds like you’ve had one heck of a night. Is this your first baby?”
“Yes,” Tori managed to answer.
“Well, first ones take their good old easy time in getting here. I’ll have you patched up long before the little one decides to make its grand entry.”
“I don’t think this one is going to take long,” Tori said as the doctor began to stitch.
Her contractions were coming harder by the time she was ready to be wheeled to the labor room. Things were happening so fast she couldn’t focus on all the movements. She was being pushed through double electronic doors, pushed down a hall, and into the labor room. Wes was on one side of her and Tommy was on the other.
Just as they started through the labor room door a nurse held up her hand and said, “Only one person is allowed in the labor room.”
Tommy said, “I’ll be waiting in the lounge, Tori.”
Tori looked up at Wes’ worried face. “Go get Grammy! She has to be here when our baby is born!”
Wes clasped Tori’s hand. “No, Tori. I can’t leave you–”
“Wes Asner, I can have this baby without you, but I need Grammy to be here. Go – now!”
Wes hesitated only a moment, and then said, “Okay, I’ll be back soon. Hold on until I get back.”
As Wes rushed out the door, a nurse took Tori’s hand. “Tori, you’re going to be fine. I’m Nurse Jillian and we’re going to take good care of you and help you have your baby. Don’t worry about a thing.”
Another contraction wracked Tori’s body with pain, and she instinctively whispered, “Jill, I need you!”
“Hold on, honey,” Nurse Jillian said softly, “I need to get you into a gown and some warm booties.” Nurse Jillian had Tori undressed and redressed before Tori could have counted to ten. Then Nurse Jillian said, “I need to examine you to see how much you’ve dilated.
She was quick with the examination, too. “You’ve dilated ten centimeters, honey. You’re baby is about ready to meet the world!”
Tori barely heard the nurse’s words as another wave of contractions swept through her. She screamed, “Jill! Don’t leave me! I can’t do this by myself. Please don’t leave me!”
Tori was delirious with pain, shock, and sorrow. She was giving life to a new soul and had lost her lifetime soul mate in the same night. It was more than she could bear. At that moment Tori wasn’t sure she wanted to live if it meant going on without Jill. The entire world seemed to be collapsing around her and all she could do was scream Jill’s name in pain and frustration.
Through the fog in her tortured mind, Tori heard a familiar voice. “I’m here, Tori.”
“Jill, is that you?” Tori said, although her voice seemed faraway.
“It’s me, Tori. Don’t worry, I’m not about to leave you.”
For the first time in Tori’s life, she knew what Grammy’s visions were like. It was as real as anything she ever experienced – and she was filled with joy and sorrow by the revelation. Jill would always be with her in spirit and would be able to communicate with her, but Jill would never be able to see Tori’s son and he would never know what a wonderful person Jill was.
Tears rolled down Tori’s face and soaked the pillow. “Jill, don’t leave me – please!”
She heard the voice again. “I’m here, Tori.”
Tori returned to lucidness, but the overhead lights in the labor room momentarily blinded her. As her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she was glad that Nurse Jillian was holding her hand. She turned her head to thank her – and found herself looking directly into the tear-stained face of her lifelong friend.
“I’m right here, Tori,” Jill said softly as she reached up to stroke Tori’s face. “I’m not going anywhere!”
Tori’s mind reeled. Was she hallucinating again?
“I’m here, Tori. Everything’s going to be fine.”
Through Tori’s tears, she saw Jill was in a wheelchair, her head bandaged in white gauze. She was deathly pale, but her smile was angelic – and at that moment, Tori had never seen anyone more beautiful.
“Oh, dear God! I saw you go down – I thought you were dead!”
“So did Cody. And I would be dead if he’d been a better shot. But we can talk about all that later. At this moment you need to concentrate on having your baby.”
“If he had been a better shot, I’d be dead!” Tori said. Another contraction hit her and she squeezed Jill’s hand unmercifully as the pain coursed through her body. When the pain subsided, Tori asked, “Are you going to be okay? How bad is the wound?”
“It’s not all that bad. I’ve got a concussion, a large gash, a few stitches – and they shaved this side of my head,” she answered as she ran her hand over the right side of her head. “I’ll need bed rest for about six weeks, then I’ll be up and running. About the same time you’ll be going full steam ahead again.”
“Should you be out of bed now? Does anybody know where you are?” Tori frantically asked, fearing that Jill risked her well-being by coming to her.
“Not really,” Jill said with another angelic smile. “Everybody left my room because they thought I was asleep – well, they should have made sure there wasn’t a wheelchair in the room. Anyway, I sneaked off so I could be with you. Nothing and nobody was going to stop me!”
Just as Jill finished her sentence, Nurse Jillian hurried to Tori’s bedside. “I’ve got to get you across the hall and into the delivery room. Dr. Harrison just delivered one. When there’s a full mo
on the delivery room is hopping.”
“Ooh,” Tori cried, biting the back of her hand. “I’ve got to push!”
Nurse Jillian turned the bed sideways aligning it with the doorway. “Don’t push, Tori. Not yet!”
Tori began to pant hee-hees, doing her best not to answer nature’s call and push. Again, the activity around her became too rapid to keep focus. Her legs were put in stirrups, a sheet draped across her abdomen, cold Betadine poured over her bottom.
A female voice said, “I’m Nurse Bea, and I’ll be helping Doctor Harrison.”
“Okay,” Tori managed to say.
“You’ve crowned, Tori,” Nurse Bea said. “It has dark hair.”
Tori managed a smile. “Like his daddy’s.”
Dr. Harrison walked into the delivery room and said, “Well, I hear you’re going to be famous around here for a unique situation.”
Tori smiled through her pain. “Well, Doc, you know how I like to be the center of attention – and I’ve got to push!”
“Don’t push until I get over there with my catcher’s mitt. We don’t want it flying across the room.” Dr. Harrison hurried across the floor.
“Then you better hurry–”
“Okay, now push!” Dr. Harrison said.
Nurse Jillian raised Tori’s shoulders up until her chin rested on her chest, and Tori pushed with all she had.
Nurse Bea gasped. “The baby has a caul over its face.”
“That’s the inner fetal membrane,” Dr. Harrison replied. “That’s the second time in all my thirty years of delivering babies that I’ve had to tear the membrane off a baby’s face.”
Nurse Bea added, “And look – on the forehead, centered just above the eyes. It’s a tiny drop of blood.” Nurse Bea made the sign of the cross. “The all-seeing orb of a prophet!”
Tori smiled, remembering what Grammy had said about visionaries skipping generations in their family, but she didn’t say anything.
The baby cried loudly.
Tori propped on her elbows as Dr. Harrison lay the baby across her abdomen and clamped the umbilical cord. Tori cried and laughed, and lovingly gazed at the tiny infant who was screaming, kicking, and flailing her arms and legs.
“A little girl!” Tori said. “Oh, my. Wait till Grammy sees you! She’s going to love you to pieces.”
Tori smiled as Dr. Harrison gently handed the baby to her, saying, “Here you go, Tori. Your brand new baby girl.”
Tori was still surprised that Dr. Harrison was handing her a baby girl, but she was ecstatic that their child had finally arrived in spite of everything that had occurred.
As Nurse Jillian took Tori’s precious daughter from her arms to clean the infant off and bundle her up, Tori fell into a deep sleep.
When she awoke she was in an empty room. Apparently, she’d been moved to a private room on the maternity ward. Her first thought was of Grammy. Where was she? Where was everybody else?
As she tried to grasp the situation, she looked up and saw Dr. Harrison come into the room carrying her daughter in his arms.
“Are you awake,” he said with a smile. “You’ve been through a lot, young lady, but now I think it’s time for you and your daughter to get better acquainted.”
He placed the baby into Tori’s arms, gently patted her arm, and then slowly turned to leave the room. “I’ll check back with you later.”
Tori gazed into her daughter’s tiny pink face and ran her fingers through her dark hair. “Hi, little precious. I’m your mommy. We haven’t named you yet because you sort of took us by surprise, but we’ll come up with something special, don’t you worry.”
A moment later, Tori felt a cool gust of wind sweep gently across her face. She looked up and shivers ran through her entire body as she saw Grammy standing next to the bed – but she looked different. Her body stood straight and tall and her fingers weren’t crooked and bent. Her smile was radiant and her eyes sparkled.
“Goodbye, my sweet girls,” Grammy whispered. “I love you. I’ll love you always.”
Tori gasped as Grammy’s figure slowly begin to fade away until there was nothing left and she was again alone in the room with her precious child.
Tears filled Tori’s eyes as the meaning of what she’d just witnessed became clear to her. Tori sank back into her pillow, closed her eyes, and she remembered the words Grammy had often said to her through the years. “Celestial beings visit their loved ones here on earth.”
Tori’s tears ran down her cheeks as she whispered, “Bye, dear sweet Grammy. We love you, too. See you later, alligator.”
Tori held her precious baby in her arms, looking deep into her innocent eyes, and telling her, “Grammy will always be around us. She’ll guide you through life just like she did me. She’ll do it from Beyond. Her spirit is strong-willed and she’ll watch over us.”
Tori let her tears flow for a few more minutes. How was she going to live without Grammy? She had to hold on to the belief that Grammy was still around – always would be.
She wiped her face and looked into the bright eyes of her daughter. “Just wait until your daddy gets here. He’s going to be so proud when he sees how beautiful you are. You’re going to have a special life, just like I had, and you’ve got the most wonderful daddy in the world.”
The baby’s bright eyes seemed to follow the movements of Tori’s lips, and she seemed to understand every word Tori said.
A moment later, Wes walked into the room, hurried to Tori’s side, and held out his arms. Tori handed him his new daughter. As his tears rolled, he held his face close to the baby. “Hi, little lady. I’m your daddy! I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you.”
Then Wes looked at Tori and took her hand gently. “Oh, my, sweetheart. We did good. She’s beautiful – just like you!”
Tori didn’t say anything. She just marveled at the look of sheer joy in Wes’ eyes as he held their daughter in his loving arms. He counted fingers and toes, and announced, “I’d say we made a perfect child!”
Tori laughed. “What’s this we stuff? I think I did all the mixing and baking.”
“That, you did.” Wes nodded in agreement. “But you have to admit that I gave you some of the basic ingredients.”
“That, you did,” Tori said with a smile.
Wes pulled a chair next to Tori’s bedside and lowered his body into it while holding the baby. They sat in silence – their first moments together as a real family. When the baby started squirming, Wes gently handed her baby back to Tori.
With the baby safely in Tori’s arms, Wes’ face grew sad. “Tori, honey–”
Tori reached for Wes’ hand and squeezed it. “I know, Wes. Grammy is gone, but it’s okay. I’m at peace with it.”
“How do you already know?” Wes asked with a puzzled look.
“Let’s just say the angels told me and leave it at that,” Tori said. “Where are Momma and Daddy?”
“They had to leave so they could be with Poppy. They told me to tell you they’d be back to see the baby as soon as possible. Your mom is taking it hard, but she’s happy about the baby. This is a bittersweet night for her.”
“Momma is strong, Wes. She’ll deal with it, and she’s got Daddy to lean on.”
“Yes, she does.” Wes shook his head and blew a weary breath. “What a day! What a night!” He wiped his nose with his handkerchief, looking as if he were ready to collapse.
“I don’t ever want another twenty-four hours like it again,” Tori said as she patted his arm. “But it’s in the past. We’ve got the rest of our lives to look forward to with our precious daughter. By the way are you disappointed that we had a little girl?”
“Don’t be silly. Who could be disappointed with this little beauty?”
“Good. Have you called your parents?”
“Oh, yeah, and they’ll be coming later, too. They’re thrilled to have a granddaughter!”
“I bet they are,” Tori said, pausing a moment before adding, “Wes, if it’s okay with
you, I’d like to name her Anna Morgan. We can call her Morgan.”
“I like it. It’s a pretty name and I think it’s fitting.” He smiled. “Anna Morgan Asner. The whole name has a nice ring to it.”
“I like the name Morgan,” said a nurse as she walked into the room. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I need to take the baby to the nursery – and you have a visitor.”
As the nurse took baby Morgan from Tori’s arms and turned to leave, Tori said, “I bet it’s Jill. I know she’s busting a gut to see–” she stopped in mid-sentence as she looked up and saw Tommy Hill standing in the doorway, looking unsure as to whether it was okay to step into the room.
Tori held both arms out and said, “Tommy! Come here, you, and give me a big hug!”
Tommy hurried to Tori’s bedside, threw his arms around her neck, and hugged so hard Tori thought he was going to choke her.
Finally, Tommy turned loose and said, “You sure look pretty for just giving birth.” He tucked his head and his face turned red. “But you’re always pretty to me. You always have been.”
Tori took his hand in both of hers and squeezed it. “Tommy Hill, I think you’re the most handsome man in the world. You have a beautiful soul, and it shines through so strongly it’s blinding. You’re my hero!”
Tommy’s face turned scarlet. “Ah, shucks, Tori.” He shifted his feet, and then added, “I can’t wait to see your little girl. I know she’s the most beautiful thing in the world. Maybe more beautiful than you.” He winked.
Wes patted Tommy on the back. “You are so right, old buddy!”
Tommy’s face lit up brighter than the sun when Wes referred to him as an old buddy. It was as if he had received the highest compliment that could have been given to a fellow human being.
Tori smiled and continued holding Tommy’s hand tight. “I can’t wait for you to see your goddaughter either.”