Into Magnolia (Sandy Cove Series Book 3)

by Rosemary Hines

  Michelle nodded. “How’s he doing?” she asked, tipping her head toward Caleb’s isolette.

  “So far, he’s doing fine. Go on over,” she said. “Gloria, this is Caleb’s adoptive mom,” she told another nurse. “Michelle, right?”

  “Yeah,” Michelle replied, smiling to the other nurse. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Let’s go have a look at your little guy,” Gloria replied.

  As Michelle gazed down at Caleb’s tiny form, her eyes filled with tears. “You think he’ll be okay?” she asked.

  “He’s got a journey ahead, but so far he’s doing well,” she said. “You know that you are welcome to come see him anytime, right?”

  Michelle nodded.

  “We really encourage parents to be as involved as possible. If you reach your hands in through these openings, you can touch him. Just move slowly and give gentle caresses.” She inserted her own hands and showed Michelle how to reach in and make skin-to-skin contact with little Caleb.

  After Gloria withdrew her hands, Michelle took a deep breath and slowly extended her arms, reaching through the two openings until she was inches from his fragile body.

  “Go ahead,” the nurse nudged. “He won’t break.”

  Michelle allowed her fingertips to touch Caleb’s leg. He twitched slightly at her touch, and she began to pull back.

  “He’s okay. Go ahead. He might move a little like that, but just hold your hand steady.”

  She reached for his leg again. He moved slightly, and then was still again, except for the continuous rise and fall of his chest from the respirator. She gently caressed his leg.

  It felt so soft and warm, yet almost furry, like he was covered in a soft down. She didn’t remember that with Madison.

  As if reading her mind, Gloria said, “He’ll feel different to you than a full term baby. He’s still got a covering of soft hair. It’ll fall out over time.”

  Michelle was mesmerized. It seemed so incredible that this little boy was about to become part of their family. Someday she’d be able to tell him about this day and all he’d overcome at such a young age.

  “Thank you for letting me touch him,” she said.

  “Just hang in there,” Gloria replied. “Before you know it, we’ll be able to get him off that respirator, and then you can actually hold him in your arms.”

  Michelle smiled. “That will be wonderful,” she said.

  “Coming back later today?”

  “Yeah. I’d like to bring my husband and daughter. What are the rules about siblings?”

  “How old is your daughter?”

  “She’s five.”

  “That’s fine. We actually encourage siblings to come visit, as long as they’re healthy and haven’t recently been exposed to any communicable diseases like chicken pox or roseola. You’ll need to bring her immunization record with you when you come.”

  “Okay,” Michelle replied. “As soon as my husband gets off work, we’ll come over.”

  “See you then,” Gloria said with a smile.

  Steve held Madison’s hand as the family of three entered the NICU. She was unusually quiet and clung tightly to her connection with her dad. He glanced at Michelle, who was looking excited and nervous.

  A nurse greeted them at the washing station inside the first set of doors. She supervised as the three of them carefully scrubbed their hands and lower arms, providing a stepstool for little Maddie, so she could easily reach the sink. Then they walked through the second set of doors into the actual unit.

  “Hi there,” Nurse Gloria said, squatting down to Maddie’s level. “Did you come to meet your new brother?”

  Madison nodded soberly, surveying the room and moving closer to her father.

  “He’s right over here,” Gloria told the little girl, gesturing to Caleb’s isolette. “Would you like me to take you to him?” She held out her hand to Maddie, who reluctantly let go of her dad’s hand and accepted it.

  Gloria looked up at Steve and Michelle and smiled. A stepstool had been placed near the isolette for Madison’s visit. Gloria scooted it with her foot, and Madison climbed up.

  “It looks kind of scary in there, doesn’t it?” she asked the little girl.

  Maddie nodded, staring at all the equipment and the tiny baby.

  Gloria began pointing to various items and explained their functions in very simplified terms. Madison appeared to be listening intently, nodding after each explanation. Steve smiled to himself. She was growing up so fast. How would the addition of this new fragile life contribute to that process?

  He looked over at Michelle, who was also watching Madison. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he drew her close. She flashed him a smile and then pointed to the isolette as Gloria showed Maddie how to reach inside to gently touch the baby.

  Madison looked over at the two of them. Steve nodded at her. “Go ahead, pumpkin. It’s okay.”

  After touching the baby, Maddie quickly withdrew her hand. She stared at her new brother as if watching for some kind of reaction. “Good job,” Gloria said. Madison turned to them and smiled. Then she reached into the isolette and put her hand on him again.

  “I think he likes me, Daddy,” she remarked.

  “I think so, too, honey,” he replied.

  “You touch him now,” she ordered.

  Michelle looked up at him grinning. “You heard her. Your turn now, Dad.”

  Steve gave a mock salute and followed her directions. As he reached the side of the isolette, he suddenly felt a wave of fear. As if tuning in to his psyche, Madison said, “It’s okay, Daddy. Just put your hands in here.” She pointed to the openings in the side.

  He took a deep breath. “Okay, pumpkin. Whatever you say.” He winked at the nurse in an attempt to hide his anxiety, but his mind was flooded with a million new concerns. The gravity of their decision to adopt was one thing, and he had come to a place of peace and confidence about that.

  But this was something they could never have anticipated.

  Would Caleb even survive? Would he have permanent disabilities as a result of his premature birth? The idea of a son had filled his mind with adventure. Camping, hiking, fishing, and sports – those were the things you did with a son. But would this little guy be too fragile for those types of activities?

  “Come on, Daddy! What are you waiting for?” Madison chided.

  Steve shook off his fears and returned to the moment. “Sorry, pumpkin. Just thinking about some things.” Gloria smiled a knowing smile. She glanced at Michelle, who moved closer to the foot of the isolette.

  Gloria helped Madison down, scooted the stepstool over and nudged her to climb back up. Then Steve carefully reached inside Caleb’s protective world. “Hi there, little guy,” he said softly, as his hand came to rest on their son.

  The baby stirred slightly then stopped. Glancing up at Michelle, he noticed the tears in her eyes, and without warning, his own vision began to blur as well.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  The next few weeks took on a whole new routine for the Baron family. They began preparing a nursery, and Michelle decided to delay her leave from school until Caleb was released from the hospital.

  As soon as her last class was dismissed each day, she left school and picked up Madison on her way home. Steve tried to leave work by four, whenever possible. After an early dinner, they’d head straight to the hospital to spend the evening with little Caleb.

  He continued to improve and was weaned off the respirator after the first few days. A tiny tube, with prongs that fit into his nostrils, continued to feed him a gentle stream of oxygen, while a machine monitored his breathing and set off an alarm whenever there was a pause in the rhythm.

  Both Michelle and Steve went through a special CPR class for infants, in preparation of bringing him home. They’d have to be prepared to intervene on his behalf if the need arose.

  Amber did not return to school. She gradually recovered from her C-section under her mother’s watchful care. Stacy s
eemed like a different person, now that her husband wanted them back. He’d been out from Arizona to visit several times, and Amber and Jack were beginning to see that he really was earnest in his desire to reunite the family.

  Bonnie held several family counseling sessions, in which both children were allowed to vent their anger and difficulty trusting him again. She prepped Mr. Gamble in advance, directing him not to attempt to defend or justify his choice to leave them when he did.

  “They aren’t ready to hear your side of this right now, and they may never be. Remember, you’re dealing with kids here — kids who counted on you to be there for them. Regardless of whatever the dynamics were in your marriage, in their eyes there’s no justification for abandoning them,” she’d firmly asserted.

  Amber’s father carefully followed Bonnie’s lead, accepting the verbal blows with the humility Amber and Jack both needed to see.

  Although Michelle offered to continue tutoring Amber, she declined. With the exception of one request, she distanced herself from her former teacher, saying that she needed time to rest and that she’d make up her classes the following year.

  “All I ask,” she’d said, “is for the chance to say goodbye to Caleb before he goes home from the hospital. I want to see him one last time, without all those wires and tubes.”

  Michelle agreed to this request, believing it would give Amber the closure she needed – the opportunity to take a snapshot in her mind of a healthy baby, ready for his new life.

  Although she was still haunted on and off by the fear that Amber would change her mind, every time those thoughts threatened her, she turned to God.

  Caleb is yours, Lord. You love him more than any of us ever could. Please guard him and place him in the center of your perfect will for his life. You know what’s best, God.

  And then a peace would wash over her.

  He’s yours, Michelle. I’m giving him to you.

  Finally the day arrived for Caleb’s release. Stacy and Bonnie accompanied Amber to the hospital, and Steve and Michelle met them there. They’d decided not to bring Madison, choosing to spare her of the emotions they knew Amber would probably experience.

  As they pulled into the parking lot, Michelle caught a glimpse of Amber, Stacy, and Bonnie nearing the hospital entrance. “Let’s wait a few minutes,” she said.

  Steve looked at her. “Whatever you think.”

  “I just want to give her a little time with him before we go in. We’ll have the rest of our lives with Caleb, but this might be the last time she sees him.”

  “Might be?” he asked.

  “I know that’s what we agreed to, honey, but I’m not going to close the door on the possibility that she might see him in the future. Someday, he may want to find his birth mother.”

  “Yeah. I guess you could be right. I just don’t want to give her the impression she can drop by to visit from time to time,” he said.

  “That’s not going to happen, Steve. They’ll be moving to Arizona soon.”

  “You’re sure about that?”

  “That’s what Bonnie says. And you’ve seen Stacy. She’s a different person now.”

  As they walked through the hospital halls a short time later, Michelle reached for Steve’s hand. He looked over and smiled a nervous smile. “Guess this is it,” he said.

  “Yeah,” she replied, returning the grin.

  Rounding the corner of the NICU, Michelle spotted Amber through the glass. She was standing with Caleb in her arms, gazing at him intently and speaking to him.

  They pushed open the first set of doors into the wash station, and Stacy and Bonnie looked up immediately. Bonnie smiled, but Stacy quickly turned to Amber, a concerned look clouding her face.

  Panic momentarily gripped Michelle’s heart. Had Amber changed her mind about Caleb? She tightened her hold on Steve’s hand.

  “It’s okay, honey. Let’s wash up and go on in,” he said reassuringly.

  She nodded, and a minute later they were in the unit.

  “Amber?” Bonnie said softly.

  Amber looked up, her face aglow with love, and her eyes brimming with tears. She glanced back down at Caleb, leaned over and kissed him, then walked toward Michelle and Steve.

  Her voice shaking, she said to the baby, “These are your new parents, Caleb. They are going to take good care of you for me.”

  She looked up at Michelle, and the tears began to trail down her cheeks. Gazing down again, she whispered, “I love you.” Then she extended her baby toward Michelle.

  Without a word, Michelle moved forward and reached for the tiny bundle. As she cradled Caleb in her arms, her heart broke for the young girl before her.

  Trying hard not to cry, she shifted Caleb into one arm and wrapped the other around Amber’s shaking shoulder. She leaned over and kissed the top of her head.

  They stood together, clinging to each other for several moments. Aside from the beeps of the monitors in the unit, all was silent.

  Then Amber looked up at Michelle. “Take good care of him,” she said, sorrow thickening her voice.

  “I will,” Michelle whispered.

  Stacy and Bonnie moved forward and drew Amber into their arms. As she collapsed into them sobbing, they supported her weight and gently led her toward the door.

  Steve came over to Michelle and stood by her side as she watched them leave. Amber did not look back.

  Then the nurse brought some items over for them. “Here are a few preemie diapers and other baby products we send home with new parents. And this is the monitor you’ll be using to keep an eye on Caleb’s breathing patterns.”

  Steve took the items from her.

  “You have a car seat for his ride home, right?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he replied. “All strapped in and ready to go.”

  “Good.” The nurse peeked at Caleb’s little face almost hidden by the tightly wrapped receiving blanket. “You be good, now,” she told him.

  Turning to Michelle, she said, “Call anytime. We’re here ‘round the clock.” Then she added, “We’ll miss that little guy.”

  “Thank you so much for everything,” Michelle said.

  She smiled. “Bring him by sometime. We’ll send you information about our annual NICU reunion. Hope you’ll join us!”

  “We will,” she promised. Then turning to her husband, Michelle said, “Ready?”

  “Ready.”

  And they left for home; baby Caleb sleeping peacefully in his mother’s arms.

  Two weeks later, Magnolia Middle School was a flurry of activity as the eighth graders prepared for their graduation ceremony. Steve took the afternoon off to stay with Caleb so Michelle could attend.

  First to spot her, Katy quickly rushed to her side. “Mrs. Baron! You came!”

  Michelle smiled and gave her a hug. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Katy had been such a help to her over the course of the year. How Michelle wished she’d had more time to give this sweet, shy girl! Each student had so many needs, but it seemed that Amber’s had dominated them all.

  Soon students surrounded her, asking her questions about the baby. She’d explained to her classes about the adoption before taking her leave of absence, carefully omitting the information about Amber being the birth mother.

  “Did you bring pictures of him?” one girl asked.

  “I brought one,” Michelle replied, pulling out a photo of her family of four.

  “Is that your husband?” another girl asked, pointing to Steve.

  She nodded with a smile.

  “He’s cute,” the girl said. “So is the baby.”

  Michelle laughed. “Thanks.”

  Daniel Durand’s voice over the school intercom interrupted their conversation. “All eighth graders report to your homeroom to begin lining up for graduation.”

  “Better go,” Michelle said to all of them.

  She watched the cluster of kids disperse. Only Katy remained behind.

  “Mrs. Baron?” she said.
/>
  “Yes, Katy?”

  The girl looked her squarely in the eye. Something she never would have done at the beginning of the year, when her shyness was almost crippling. “Thanks.”

  “For what?” Michelle asked.

  “For everything,” she began then added, “You are the best teacher. I’m really going to miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you, too,” Michelle replied. “Maybe you can stop by Magnolia sometimes next year on your way home from high school. You’ll be out a half hour before us.”

  “Yeah. I’ll for sure come by,” the girl promised. She hugged Michelle, and then took off for her homeroom.

  Michelle took a seat in the section with the faculty, looking forward to sitting back and enjoying the ceremony since her substitute would be herding kids through the lines while the school counselor called out their names from the podium.

  As she watched the kids parade past, she noticed how grown up they looked compared to how they’d been at the beginning of the year. Many of the boys had shot up several inches, and the girls, who wore their fancy graduation dresses, looked much more mature and lady-like.

  Her thoughts wandered to Amber. Who would have thought in September that she’d miss seeing her so much at this ceremony?

  All the frustration Michelle felt those first few months melted away as she’d gotten to know this hurting teen. What would become of the girl who’d given Michelle and her family a blessing they never could have imagined?

  Be with her, Lord. Please help her to find a life that will be fulfilling — a life that includes the love of a good and godly man and a wonderful family of her own.

  Michelle watched, as the students who had shaped her first year of teaching, officially became high schoolers. After the ceremony, she congratulated as many as she could spot in the ensuing crowd. Then she walked the hall to her classroom.

  The room was vacant when she entered. Although there were some new papers on the back counter and several books scattered on desks, most things were pretty much the way she’d left them.