by Alexis Gold
He was right back at practice the next day and Delilah was working away in her office when he got home and poked his head in the door to check on her.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, not coming into the library very far, so as not to interrupt her as much.
“I’m good! The little guy is doing really well today, too. He’s eating a lot and he’s been pretty active.”
“That’s good!” he said. “Hey, I picked up some ice cream on the way home, I thought you might like some. I wasn’t sure what flavor to get so I got a few. Well, I better get out of your hair so you can get to your work.” He smiled at her and left her alone.
Later that night, she wandered into the kitchen and opened the freezer. His offer of ice cream had tempted her out of bed. She was floored when she saw that he’d picked up six different flavors. As it turned out, she liked all but one of them and she rolled her eyes thinking how fat she might get, but she wasn’t so worried about it that she didn’t eat it.
Cameron began to leave so early in the morning that she didn’t see him at all, where she had been used to seeing him just in time to chat over coffee before he left. She missed seeing him in the morning. She thought it was a little weird, but she chalked it up to just being a little lonely and didn’t think too much of it at first.
He ate dinner with her at night, and would check on her during the day, either calling her or sending a text to make sure she was alright. She liked the frequent contact, and she began to hear from Renee and Maryanne as well, from time to time, just checking in on her to see if she needed anything, and to ask how she was doing. It was really nice and it touched her that they cared.
Delilah and Cameron were sitting at dinner one night and she brought up a subject she’d been wondering about but hadn’t discussed with him.
“Cameron, I have a baby appointment with the doctor in a couple of days, and I know you’re really busy with practice during the day, so I made it an evening appointment, in case you want to come along with me. You don’t have to, you shouldn’t feel obligated or anything, but I thought I’d offer, in case you’d like to go. They’ll be doing another sonogram.”
He looked at her with wide excited eyes, and she thought she might as well have told him that Santa was going to be having Christmas dinner with them. He was thrilled with the idea.
“Oh wow! Yes! Definitely! I’d love to come. Thank you so much for being thoughtful and scheduling that around my practice. That was really nice!”
She smiled at him.
“No problem. I was also going to say to you; you seem to enjoy touching him and feeling him move around and kick, but I kind of feel like you might be nervous to touch me… and I want you to know that I’m okay with you spending time with the belly whenever you want, if you want to talk to him, because he can hear you, or touch my stomach, don’t be afraid to do that. You’re not really invading my personal space.” She smiled at him encouragingly.
He sighed and looked at her as though she’d just lifted a mountain off of him.
“Thanks, Delilah, I really appreciate that. I’ve wanted to be around him more, but I did feel like I might be too close to you, and I didn’t want to say anything. I know we’re kind of making up the rules as we go here, but I wanted you to be comfortable and feel safe and happy, so I didn’t get too close.
“Thank you for sharing this experience with me. It’s really important to me, and I’m glad to have you here and take care of you, but it’s really nice of you to let me be part of his growth and development, too. I appreciate that.”
She patted his arm and smiled at him, and when her hand touched his skin, the closeness seemed to pull at him at little, like tight tether drawing him toward her. He smiled a little and pulled his arm away, finishing his meal and saying that he needed to take care of some things.
Though he checked in with her regularly, Delilah didn’t see him again until the evening of the baby doctor appointment when he came home a little early to go with her.
She had been a little lonely around the house, not seeing anyone, and she almost felt like she wanted to hug him when he walked in the door and smiled at her, his eyes lighting up at the sight of her, but she held back, and just waved with a big grin on her face.
“Hey! There you are! It’s nice to see you! It’s been quiet around here,” she said trying not to sound like she was complaining or scolding him.
He turned his gaze from her a little and laughed lightly. “Yeah, it’s been really busy with the team, and I’ve been pretty focused on them. Sorry about that. How are you doing? Are you feeling alright?” His eyes rose back up to meet hers, and their gazes held each other for a moment in silence, and then she took a deep breath and nodded her head.
“Yeah, I’ve been alright. This little guy is running out of room and I don’t think he likes it, but he’s good and I’m getting better. I’ll be anxious to get this cast off soon.”
She indicated her arm, still wrapped up. “I’m hoping to get it off before I go so I can get out into the sea and go swimming. I’d be sorry to miss an opportunity like that, especially because of a cast.” She shrugged and smiled and he looked at her as if he didn’t know what to say.
Cameron was at a loss for words. He’d begun to be used to her being there, used to having dinner with her at night and talking to her about their days and though he’d made an effort to be gone from the house more often to give himself some space away from her, he hadn’t really thought about what it would be like when she was gone, and the idea made him uneasy.
He had begun to stay away more because of the little string of connection that was building between them; the string of gravity that felt like it pulled him toward her whenever he was around her, and he was trying to get rid of it. Time away from her had not helped as much as he thought it would. He found himself wondering what she was doing and checking on her more often, which kind of defeated the purpose.
“Well, let’s get to that doctor appointment, shall we?” he asked, opening the door for her. She nodded and pulled on her sweater, walking out the door into the late afternoon sun. He helped her into the Murano and drove her to the obstetrician’s office.
The doctor had been used to seeing Delilah by herself, and though he knew that she was a surrogate mother pregnant from an in vitro procedure, he did not know who the father was, as that information had been kept private and only made available to the doctor who took Cameron’s specimen at the baby design facility.
When Cameron walked into the office with Delilah, the doctor was not only thrilled to see him, he was utterly shocked, and Delilah covered for him immediately.
“This is Cameron; he’s a friend of mine. He wanted to come along to offer some support for me, and he’s really curious about how all of this works. Is it okay if he comes in with us for the appointment?”
The doctor could not hide the ear to ear grin plastered across his face.
“Yes! Well, what an honor, Mr. Bellamy, I can’t tell you what a big fan I am! You’re doing so well this year! My fantasy football league has you down to be at the Super Bowl again. We’re really excited about all that you’ve been accomplishing!” The doctor would have gone on, but Cameron cleared his throat and put his arm around Delilah.
The doctor stopped short and smiled.
“Uh… yes. Sorry about that. Anyway, please come in and have a look! Pregnancy is a fascinating world. You won’t believe what you’re going to see.”
They both followed him into the examination room, and she laid down on the table and the doctor pulled her top up and smeared goop on her ever growing belly.
Cameron watched all of it with complete fascination, and he couldn’t hide his excitement. He reached over and held Delilah’s hand while the doctor turned the lights down and ran the wand over her skin.
The monitor before them flickered and in moments they could see the tiny form of the baby inside, curled up into a ball, moving a little, and then Cameron asked,
“What
’s that sound?”
The doctor smiled and said,
“That’s the boy’s heartbeat. He’s got a good, strong heart. He’s a pretty big boy, too. He may be born before the due date at this rate. I’m guessing he takes after his father, whoever that may be. If you look closely here, and there,” he said,
clicking the monitor with his mouse and making marks on the images he froze,
“you’ll see his hands and feet, and that’s his head, there. It looks to me like he’s got some hair on his head, but that might be a shadow, I’ve been wrong before.”
Cameron was glued to the monitor, grinning widely and holding Delilah’s hand tightly. She smiled up at him, though he didn’t see her, and she was glad yet again that she had decided to do this for him and give him a son that made him so obviously happy.
The doctor switched on the lights and cleaned Delilah’s stomach for her.
“Now, I read about your car wreck,” he said, and his whole face seemed to frown, “and I want to make sure you’re doing alright. Is everything feeling like it should? You’re getting enough rest and eating right, and you’re not on any medication that I haven’t given you, are you?”
“No, I’m doing alright. I’m anxious to get this cast off, and my ribs are still really sore. The baby has a habit of kicking them and it hurts pretty bad when he does that, but otherwise, I’m getting better.”
“Yes, unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about that. Ribs have to heal on their own. I could wrap them for you, but it wouldn’t do much good and I think you’re probably uncomfortable enough as it is.” He gave her a sympathetic smile and patted her shoulder.
She pulled her clothes back over her stomach and the doctor walked them out of the office, thanking them for coming in and shaking Cameron’s hand a few times before he let him get out the door.
Delilah just chuckled at him as he tried to make his escape. “Wow, the doctor was really impressed with you!” She winked at him and laughed.
“Yeah, I get that now and then. I guess it comes with the territory,” he said, helping her into the van. “That’s alright though. Nothing could bring me down from the cloud I’m on right now. That was amazing!
“Did you see him? He’s getting so big! He’s much bigger than the last ultra sound I got. I’m so excited that I got to be there this time, thank you so much for that, Delilah, I just loved being there. That was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen!”
She watched him going on and on about the experience and was very glad she’d asked him if he wanted to go. What a gift for him to be able to be there, and what a gift for her, to see the joy that she was bringing to this man.
He had dinner delivered to the house and they enjoyed it together, and he helped her clean up afterward, though there wasn’t much to take care of. She turned to look at him and said,
“I was thinking of going for a walk on the beach to watch the sunset, would you like to come with me? I could use the exercise.”
Still flying on his cloud of bliss, he agreed right away.
“Sure! That sounds good. Let’s go!”
She wrapped her sweater around her just in case it got cool, and they walked out through the back yard to the sand and the surf, side by side, taking their time.
Delilah picked up some sea shells as they went, but not many, as it was difficult for her to bend over. Cameron offered to help her and she just smiled.
“It’s alright. I’ve got some good ones here. Thanks, though.”
He nodded and looked away from her; the string of gravity pulling at him just a little bit, again.
“So, I have a question, and you really don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to, but I’ve gotten to know you pretty well, I think, and you are a really great guy, Cameron. How come you’re having a surrogate baby?
“Why isn’t there a dream girl in your life; someone you’re in love with that you wanted to start a family with? Your mom and sister are amazing and it just seems so strange to me that you’d be doing this on your own.”
He kicked some sand and pushed his hands down into his pockets.
“Well, that’s kind of a long story. There was a girl in college. I really loved her. I did. I thought that she was the one; you know… the one I’d give a ring to and stay with for the rest of my life. But she just wanted me because I was the star football player, and she liked being on my arm.
“I was ready to propose to her and I found her in bed with the quarterback from our arch rival team… in my bed, actually, and it was rough for me.
“We broke up right away, of course, and she stayed with him. I just… had a hard time getting over her. After that I really only wanted to focus on the game and on my career. It’s actually good that it worked out like that, I think, because I probably wouldn’t be as far along as I am now if I’d been focused on her instead of the field.
“I think that happens to a lot of guys; they get distracted by their personal lives and it affects their game. Football is my whole life, except for now, of course, I’ll have the baby this winter, and you’re here, so there’s more on my plate than there normally is, but that’s how I know I’m right about this.
“I can already feel myself being pulled in another direction. I have to work hard when I’m on the field, to keep my mind there instead of here with you and the baby.” He felt relief telling her the truth, and he hoped it didn’t make her feel awkward.
Delilah smiled to herself, warmth spreading through her, and she rubbed her hand on her belly.
“I’m like that, too. No guys, just school, and now this, of course, but I’m really focused on my studies. It’s my whole future, and it’s really important to me. Thanks again for the office, it’s such a big help to me, when I am spending so much t-” she stopped short and cried out in pain, doubling over so fast that she almost hit her knees. Cameron caught her and held her carefully, panic racing through him as his eyes moved all over face, hating to see her in pain.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” he asked, his breath short.
She gripped his arms fiercely and bent over slightly. “I need to change position… I… Agh!!” she yelled out again and ground her teeth, holding in the pain she was going through.
“What?” he asked desperately, not knowing how to help her.
“It’s the baby…” she gasped, breathing fast, “he kicked me in the ribs really hard and I feel like I can’t even breathe, it hurts so bad.” Tears began to roll down her cheeks and she drew in as deep a breath as she could.
“What can I do?” Cameron asked hurriedly, anxious to do whatever he could to help her.
“I need to lay down, now,” she said between gritted teeth.
He looked around and saw that the sand beneath their feet was wet, so he yanked off his shirt and spread it on the sand, then fell to his knees beside it, helping her to sit on his shirt and then lean her back and head down in his lap. She breathed shallow and fast for a few minutes, and then began to calm down and stretch herself out, holding on to Cameron’s arms for support until she was able to breathe well again.
He sat there, not knowing what to do to help her, watching her and worrying. It occurred to him that he could rub her shoulders to try to relax her, and he moved his hands around her neck and began to massage her. It seemed to help, some.
After a few more minutes, she was better, and she laid there in his lap and looked up at him as he gently pressed his fingers into her muscles and skin.
“Thank you, Cameron, you were a huge help.”
He looked down at her, visibly upset, and shook his head. “I didn’t know what to do… I felt helpless just sitting here watching you in so much pain. That was awful! How are you feeling? Is it any better?” His eyes searched her face again, looking for clues as to how she was really doing.
She looked up at him and sighed. “It’s better. I’m so sorry.” Her breath caressed his skin and his muscles tightened at the feel of it. He wanted to look away from he
r, but he couldn’t.
“Don’t be sorry,” he said quietly, moving his hand from the back of her neck to the side of it and gently touching her cheek, rubbing his thumb lightly over her skin. She felt like she was floating, as she laid there in his arms, looking up at him.
“You put your shirt in the sand for me? Look at you out here with no shirt on. I feel bad about that.” She gave him a small smile and he didn’t return it. He just looked at her with serious eyes, his thumb brushing her cheek and her chin.
“It’s nothing at all,” he said, almost in a whisper. She reached her right hand up and slipped her fingers around his wrist, barely touching him, but not letting go. Cameron’s gaze locked on hers and almost as though it wasn’t really happening, like it was a dream, he lowered his face to hers, closing his eyes, and brushed his lips in a feather soft touch against hers.