When The Lights Went Out...

by Judy Christenberry

  “I’m Jack… the father of the baby.” He was afraid to say his last name in case they threw him out.

  “Ah, I see you decided to tell him. Good.”

  “I didn’t tell him. Someone else did,” Sharon said, not looking at him. “That’s why I—things got difficult.”

  “Sir, I don’t know what the two of you will work out about this child, but your job right now is not to upset Sharon.”

  “I’m trying to take care of her, Doctor. And I’ll do so in the future.”

  “No wife to interfere?”

  Jack stared at her. “No, no wife… yet. Sharon will be my wife as soon as I can arrange it.”

  “Good for you,” Dr. Norman said in approval.

  Sharon looked from the doctor to Jack, both smiling, and closed her eyes.

  Jack ended up in a corner of the curtained-off area. One nurse was putting in an IV. Another was rolling in a machine. Then she began preparing Sharon for the ultrasound. He wasn’t sure what was involved, but if they were going to look at his child, he was, too.

  The doctor had turned away to speak to another doctor. She stepped back inside the curtain as the nurse was spreading gel on Sharon’s stomach. Jack watched in fascination and decided he could definitely see a rounded area that he didn’t remember feeling when they’d made love.

  “Jack,” the doctor said, and he shifted his gaze. “If you want to see your baby, your best position will be on the other side of the bed at Sharon’s head.”

  He took that position and also picked up her hand, taking it first to his lips, then holding it against his chest.

  In a moment, he saw a vague picture with a strong heartbeat. He almost fell to his knees. His wife hadn’t wanted him involved in her pregnancy. He’d never gone to the doctor with her.

  “Sharon,” he whispered, leaning down. “Honey, can you see? Do you see our baby?”

  “Yes,” she said, squeezing his hand. “I see.”

  “Good,” the doctor said briskly. “Very strong heartbeat. I thought so.” She stepped back from Sharon’s bed, and the nurse began cleaning up, wiping the gel away. “You have nothing to worry about today, young lady, but I want you to take it easy for several days. Stay home from work. Then come to my office next week and I’ll see if you can resume normal activities.”

  “Thank you, Doctor,” Sharon said, not smiling. Jack put the hand he’d been holding back under the cover, kissed Sharon’s cheek and followed the doctor outside the curtain.

  “You’re sure?”

  “I don’t lie, Jack. But I don’t want her dealing with a lot of stress.”

  “No, I’ll see to it,” he assured her. Then, having spotted Andy, he called to him. “Over here.”

  The doctor excused herself, and Jack greeted Andy. “She’s in here. Let me see if they’ve got her tucked back in.” He peeked into the curtain area. “You ready for Andy?”

  She nodded.

  Jack pulled back the curtain so Andy could roll his chair in.

  “Andy, you should’ve sent someone so you didn’t have to come so far,” Sharon said.

  “It wasn’t a problem. I took a taxi,” Andy said with a grin. “Besides, I would’ve just worried about you if I hadn’t come. What did the doctor say?”

  “She’s rehydrating me. Then I can go home, right, Jack?”

  “Right, sweetheart,” he agreed, not bothering to discuss what home he was taking her to.

  “Good. When will you be back at work?”

  “Doctor said she should take the rest of the week off,” Jack said. He didn’t want any misunderstanding on that point.

  “Jack, I’m not sure that’s necessary,” Sharon protested. “I think I can—”

  “You’ll follow the doctor’s orders,” he said sharply, determined on that point.

  She tried to sit up, her temper rising. The nurse who was tucking her in said, “Remember you’re supposed to stay calm.” She gave Jack a pointed look. Then she added, “In half an hour, we’re going to bring you a luncheon tray. Until then, I suggest your visitors let you rest.”

  Jack had never been so summarily invited to leave. He glowered at the nurse, but Andy tugged on his sleeve. “Why don’t you push me out to the lobby, Jack? I’m a little tired from my rush down here.”

  “Okay,” Jack said, his voice gruff. He stepped to the bed and gave Sharon another of those gentle kisses. “I’ll be back,” he promised. Then he pushed Andy to the lobby.

  “Are you all right, Andy?” Jack asked as he took one of the plastic chairs beside Andy’s wheel chair.

  “I’m fine. I just didn’t want you getting in a fight with the nurse in front of Sharon.”

  “I wouldn’t—well, maybe I would. I don’t see why I had to leave.”

  “Because you and Sharon haven’t worked everything out.”

  He hung his head. “I know. When I got there, she told me she’d lied, the baby is mine. But she looked so miserable, so sick, all I could think about was getting her some care. She needs to rest. She falls asleep every time I’m with her. Except today.”

  “Have you two spent much time together? I mean, you must’ve since it’s your baby, but I didn’t know—”

  “It was in the elevator. I’ve already told Kane, and I’m telling you, but I know Sharon won’t want that spread around.”

  Andy stared at him.

  “She was having hysterics and I was trying to comfort her. One thing led to another. It’s hard to explain.”

  “And in the future?”

  “I’m marrying her. She and the baby will be with me.”

  “There’s just one thing, Jack. She doesn’t trust men. She said one time that there was no point in marrying a man, because he’d leave anyway. You’re going to have a hard time convincing her.”

  He’d already suspected as much, but Andy’s warning confirmed it. What could he do to convince Sharon that he would stay?

  When Sharon’s IV had finished, she slowly opened her eyes as the nurse removed the needle. “Does this mean I can go?” she said sleepily.

  “Yes, it does, and your husband is here to take you,” the nurse said, smiling.

  Sharon looked up to find Jack behind the nurse.

  She should tell them he wasn’t her husband. But why bother? They wouldn’t be back here together.

  “Sir, if you want to take her in the hospital gown, instead of dressing her again, just wrap the blanket around her and put her in the chair. You can drop the gown and blanket off later.” Then she added sternly. “If you don’t, we’ll add it to the bill.”

  “That would be easier, thank you,” Jack agreed. Sharon didn’t protest. Jack picked her up and she snuggled against him. She shouldn’t, she knew, but he was so comforting. Then he put her in the wheelchair.

  “She should go right back to sleep when she gets in bed. Wake her for dinner, then back to bed. Okay?”

  “Got it. Thanks.”

  It didn’t sound too exciting, but Sharon kind of liked that schedule. Of course, her mother wouldn’t be home from work for several hours, but she’d leave her a note.

  The transference to the car was smooth, as was the ride. In fact, Sharon didn’t remember the ride. The next thing she knew, Jack was lifting her again. It seemed darker than it should be, but maybe the sun was behind a cloud. What did it matter?

  She next came awake as Jack withdrew his arms. “Jack, don’t go!” she protested, her own voice waking her completely. “Oh, I didn’t mean that. I— Thank you for taking care of me.”

  “My pleasure. And I’m not going.”

  He pulled the cover over her, then pulled the hospital blanket from beneath her. “There you go, sweetheart. Sleep tight.”

  With a sigh, she closed her eyes. The touch of his lips barely registered. She was asleep.

  The next time she awoke, she was feeling remarkably better. So much so that she recognized Jack’s voice at once. “Jack? You’re still here.”

  He came into sight. “I am. Why would I
leave?”

  “Well, you might need to get home or something.”

  “I am home.”

  That stopped Sharon. She hadn’t seen Jack’s bedroom when she’d visited the Friday before. But it was obvious this wasn’t her bedroom. “Why did you bring me here?”

  “To take care of you. I’ve got dinner ready. Do you want it here in bed, or will you come to the table?”

  “I’ll come to the table. Then I’ll go home. I’m sorry. I didn’t intend for you to go to so much trouble. Oh,” she exclaimed, looking at her wristwatch. “I need to call Mom. She’ll be worried.”

  “I called her.”

  Sharon stopped getting out of the bed. “You did? Is she all right? What did she say?”

  “She offered to come over at once, but I told her it wasn’t necessary.”

  The thought of her mom was comforting, but Sharon chastised herself. She was an adult. She could get home by herself. “Of course not. I’ll go ahead and leave now while it’s still daylight.”

  “No, you’ll eat first. If you leave, I’ll take you. You don’t need to be riding the El. It’s too rough.”

  “I ride it all the time. What do you mean—why did you say if? Of course I’ll be leaving.”

  He stepped to his closet and dragged out a dark robe. “You may want this so you won’t get a draft.”

  She looked down her back to discover the gap between ties. “Oh! Thank you.”

  Before she could return to her argument, he seated her at the table and put a plate of food in front of her. Hunger made the decision for her. The hospital food hadn’t been particularly filling and she was hungry.

  They ate in silence, a real contrast to their last meal together. She watched him from beneath her lashes, wondering what he was thinking. He’d been wonderful today, taking care of her, even if he was autocratic. But they were going to have to discuss the future. She supposed she should promise to let him visit his child. But it would break her heart every time.

  She put down her fork. “You can visit our baby.”

  He smiled. “Good for me.”

  “If you don’t want to, it’s all right.”

  “Eat your dinner.”

  When she’d finished, she said, “I’ll go change so you can take me home.”

  “Before you do that,” he said calmly, “I have something to discuss with you.”

  It had to come sometime. She drew a deep breath. “Okay.”

  “I want to marry you.”

  She opened her mouth to tell him it wasn’t necessary, but he held up a hand. “It’s my turn. You can talk in a minute.”

  She nodded.

  “I want to marry you because I love you like I’ve never loved anyone. I want to wake up with you beside me. I want to share the trials of my day with you. I want to take care of you and my child. I want other children. I want to walk through life together.”

  Sharon stared at him. Finally, she said, “That’s a beautiful speech. I’ll always remember it. But we both know you’re proposing because of the baby. You’ve already been trapped in a marriage once. I won’t do that to you. As I said, you can visit the baby if you want, but it’s not necessary. I’ll take good care of her.”

  “Him. I’m pretty sure it’s a boy.”

  “You are? It’s too early to tell.”

  He smiled, a smile that made her want to trace his lips, to kiss that smile right off. “I can tell.”

  “You can not!”

  “We’ll see in seven months.”

  She blinked several times to disperse the tears. “Jack, it’s all right. You don’t have to pretend.”

  “I’m not pretending. Just a minute.” He got up and crossed the room to the coffee table in front of the couch. He picked up a folded piece of paper and came back. “Here’s our prenuptial agreement.”

  She stared at him, unable to control the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

  He knelt beside her chair. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. I have to explain. When you marry me, you have to know you’re not getting a great family. We’re majorly dysfunctional. We don’t touch, we don’t care, we aren’t there for each other. The only thing I really care about is my company. I built it from scratch. By myself. I’m so proud of it.”

  She nodded, the tears still coming down.

  He unfolded the paper. “But my company, my creation, means nothing to me compared to you and our baby. This paper says that if I leave you, if I betray you in any way, you get my company, lock, stock and barrel.”

  The tears were coming down faster and she shoved at the paper. “I don’t want your company.”

  “That’s the point, Sharon. I don’t want it either if I can’t have you and our baby. I’m not going to leave you. I may get angry with you. If I do, we’ll have a big fight. But I’m not leaving, no matter what.”

  He stood and pulled her into his arms.

  “Jack, are you sure?”

  “Oh, yeah. I’m sure. Will you marry me?”

  “Yes,” she whispered just before her lips met his.

  A week later, she was back at work, relaxed and happy, with a wedding planned for the weekend after this one. She couldn’t believe how her life had changed.

  “Morning, sweetheart,” Jack said, as if she weren’t living in his condo. As if they hadn’t woken together this morning.

  “Jack, what are you doing here?”

  “I want you to come with me,” he said, holding one hand behind his back.

  “I should tell Andy if—”

  “He knows. Come on.”

  “Where are we going? Do I need my purse?”

  “Nope.” He led her to the lobby on her floor and pushed the down button. An elevator stopped, but he wouldn’t let her get in. “Not that one.”

  When the one on the end opened, their elevator, he tugged on her hand and led her into the elevator.

  “What are you doing, Jack?”

  He said nothing, watching the lights on the panel. Suddenly, he pushed the emergency button, stopping the elevator.

  “Jack!”

  “Easy, Sharon. I’ll start it again in a minute.” Then he pulled his hand out from behind his back, and held before her a long-stemmed red rose and a ring box.

  “I think it’s about time we replace those old memories with some new ones.” He went down on one knee. “Sharon Davies, will you marry me, be my wife for the rest of my life, love me and never leave me?”

  “Yes, I will, as long as you promise the same,” she said softly.

  “Done!” he exclaimed and stood up. He opened the ring box and a beautiful diamond ring sparkled. He took it out and put it on her finger. “Now it’s official,” he whispered and kissed her finger. “You’re my elevator bride.”

  “Yes, and we’re definitely going up. I love you, Jack!”

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