"I didn't mean to upset you," he said. He brought Jacob around to the front of his chest and looked down at him, almost as if he could see him. "Such a miracle," he repeated, in an awestruck voice, "I just can't get over it."
But then Kate wandered in, sighing and flopping herself in one of the chairs by the couch.
Matthew's head bounced up.
"My sister," Bethany said. "What's up, Kate?"
"Just bored," she replied, watching Matthew holding Jacob.
"Nice to see you, Kate," he said politely. "Listen, Bethany, I'd better go. I know you're busy here with everything."
She took the sleeping baby from him, placed him in his playpen, and walked Matthew to the door. Then she motioned for the limo driver to help him out.
"Thanks so much," she told Matthew, "I had a lovely time."
They stood very close now. His hand came up and felt the front of her face, left then right cheek, forehead, smoothing back her hair. He kissed her lightly once, then again, before he left.
"Stud-muffin," Kate told her, when she was in the house again.
Bethany laughed, as she headed for the bedroom with sleeping Jacob. "Yes, he's quite attractive."
"Anytime you get tired of him, just let me know," Kate called after her.
*****
Half way to his house, Matthew's cell phone rang.
"So, how did it go, my man?" Nat's voice said, as Matthew heard a loud band playing in the background.
"I held her baby. His name is Jacob."
"Wow, I didn't even know she had a kid. I've got to catch up here, things are moving too fast."
Matthew laughed. "Yes, she has a six month old beautiful baby boy." Then he grew serious. "Her husband died five months ago. I just don't know how she could go on after that."
"Sometimes people can do extraordinary things if called upon. You of all people should know that. Oh, by the way, Catherine called me a few minutes ago."
Matthew groaned. "Trying to get information I suppose."
"The usual," Nat said. "This time she was asking about Bethany. How long has Catherine been chasing you now?"
"About a year, give or take. You think she'd get the hint by now."
"She probably wants the one that got away. I knew a hunter like that one time. Said he was looking to bag the elephant."
Laughing now, Matthew replied, "I'm just not in the mood to get bagged right now in my life."
"Don't blame you. So, did you call Bethany yet? Make sure she got to bed all right?"
"No. If you'd hang up, I could do just that."
"See 'ya."
Bethany heard her phone go off just as she'd put Jacob to sleep in his little crib in her bedroom. She searched for it, and found it by his baby seat in the kitchen. He'd been gumming it, so she wiped it before answering. "Yes?"
"Just wanted to make sure you're okay," Matthew said softly.
His voice brought up a whole host of feelings from the evening. When he'd kissed her so lightly on the porch, she'd felt the light kisses down to her toes. But she'd also felt guilty at her feelings of attraction to him.
"I'm fine. Just cleaning up a bit," she replied finally.
"And what's on your agenda for tomorrow?"
"Probably some time for walks in the park down the road here. I might make cookies if I have the energy."
"No church?"
"I haven't been to church in more than five months," she said.
"I understand," he said, in the same soft tone. "Maybe one day you'll see He really does have a plan for all of us. We just can't question it."
"How can you be so upbeat? Aren't you angry?" They both knew what she meant. He couldn't see.
"I suppose I could be," he said thoughtfully. "But what a waste of my time that would be, don't you think? I'd rather be bowling or something."
Smiling now, she said, "I think you scored better than I did. I'd better practice up."
She could tell he was smiling too now, as he said, "So I'll give you one day off, then you have to come back to work for me on Monday. How's that for a slave driver?"
"Okay. See you then." And as she hung up from the call, she realized she was looking forward to Monday.
Chapter 4
But, they weren't able to go to the park. Jacob ran a fever from teething starting Saturday night, and through to Monday morning.
"His cheeks are so bright pink," Bethany said worriedly, after she'd prepared for work. He sat in his baby seat in the kitchen, and she touched his cheeks and forehead while he gurgled contentedly and flailed his arms.
"Now don't worry," her mother said in a calm voice. "I just gave him some of the non-aspirin liquid. He'll be fine. You'll get yourself sick if you worry too much."
"You'll be with him all day?" Bethany asked, as she watched her sister come into the kitchen, yawning.
"Of course. Just go now. I can handle it."
But Bethany was so distracted, she took a wrong turn again getting to Matthew's house, and she was a little late, arriving at eight-thirty.
She opened the front door, set her things in the den, and wondered where Matthew was. After checking the kitchen, she heard a noise in one of the rooms downstairs.
It turned out to be a workout room, off the kitchen, complete with mirrored walls, weights, benches, a stair-climber and a treadmill. She'd never seen this room before.
But her breath came out in a gasp as she watched Matthew run on the treadmill. He just wore shorts and running shoes, but she thought the rest of him was extraordinary, with well-defined pec muscles on his chest, sinewy arms and back, hard thigh muscles, and now his body held a slight sheen from running. He was one solid man, she thought.
A few seconds later, his head came up, and he stopped the treadmill. "Bethany?" he said, turning towards her.
"Yes," she said, "I didn't mean to interrupt you. Just wanted to apologize for being late today. I was spacing out and took a wrong turn after the highway."
But he just grabbed a towel and laughed. "I'm late today too. I'm usually finished with my workout by the time you get here. It must just be the day I guess. Mondays are like that."
He wiped at his face and chest while she still admired his fine body.
"Well," she said, "I'd better get to work. I'll be in the den."
"Be there in a minute," he replied breathlessly, "I just need to take a shower."
And the thought of him in the shower, soaping himself, was a very nice picture for her to contemplate, she thought, on the way to the den. Then guilt set in, and she frowned at her wandering imagination.
She sat reconciling an account as he came in about half hour later. He'd changed to a polo shirt and chinos, probably the most casual she'd seen him dress, as he sat in front of his computer with Mutty at his side.
After an hour, she called her mother. "How is Jacob?" Bethany asked somewhat anxiously.
"He's about the same. I called the doctor and he said that was pretty much the norm for teething. A fever, I mean."
"All right. You'll call me if there's a change?"
"Of course. Try not to worry."
After she hung up, Matthew asked, "Everything okay at home?"
"Actually the baby has a fever from teething. He's such a sweet baby, even with a fever, he barely cries."
"Would you like to take the day off?" he asked in a concerned voice.
"No. It's all right, really. I'm almost at the end of this one account here and I can finish it today."
After they had lunch, though, she wondered if she should take him up on the offer of the rest of the day off. She just couldn't seem to concentrate and still hadn't finished the account.
But soon, she received a call from her sister.
"What is it?" she said to Kate impatiently, as her sister hesitated.
"You need to come home."
"For what?"
"Mom just said for you to come home." And Bethany heard commotion in the background.
Now she started to panic, and
her voice grew louder. "What's going on, Kate? Where's Mom?"
"She went in the ambulance," Kate told her.
"Tell me what you're talking about, quickly," Bethany snapped.
"The baby had a seizure."
"Oh, God. Is he okay?" Bethany's voice grew louder, as Matthew stared at her, frowning.
"I guess you could meet her at the General Hospital. That's where they were taking him."
Bethany snapped the phone shut. "I have to go," she told Matthew, as she gathered up her things. "The baby had a seizure."
"Which hospital?" he asked.
"General," she said over her shoulder, as she ran out the front door.
Bethany pushed all the speed limits, until she was finally arrived at General emergency entrance. Grabbing her purse, she ran into the nurses station. "Jacob Cox," she said breathlessly, thinking of all the times her Samuel had been in this hospital, and in the end, wasting away before her eyes.
"Come with me," the male nurse said. "He's over here."
She followed into a curtained off room in emergency. Jacob lay on the huge gurney, looking very tiny, as he waved his fists and feet in the air. He wore just a diaper and t-shirt, and his right hand was hooked up to an IV solution.
He wasn't crying, but Bethany was in tears after seeing him. Her mother came over and hugged her. "I just wanted to be safe," she said to Bethany. "Can't take any chances with my grandson."
"Can I hold him?" Bethany said, wiping at her eyes.
"Sure, sweetie. Here, let me help you." Working around the IV bottle, Bethany held him close, as he squealed, recognizing her. She sat on a bedside chair with him.
"Can I feed him?" she asked her mother.
"Let me check."
She came back in a few seconds. "Yes. They said that's fine."
Bethany fastened Jacob's lips on her breast, while murmuring entreaties and soothing sounds. He fed for a while then fell asleep against her.
"He's exhausted. What happened?" Bethany asked her mother, while she buttoned her blouse.
"He just stiffened up all over, and he was jerking his legs up towards his chest. His eyes rolled back a bit, and that's when I called the emergency."
"Oh, my." Then her eyes filled with tears again.
"It could be just the fever from the teething," her mother assured her with a hug. "I've heard of that happening."
Just then, an older grey-haired man came in the curtained area. "I'm Doctor James," he said with a smile. "I'm a pediatric neurologist."
Bethany looked up at him. "Do you need to examine Jacob?" She didn't want to put him down. He'd been through enough, she thought.
"Yes. Just put him right here on the bed please."
Trying not to wake him, Bethany lay Jacob on the gurney. His arms jerked at that, but she thought it was probably the cold air on him. She watched as the doctor listened to his heart and lungs and tested his reflexes.
"He's a good weight," he said to no one in particular, "his heart is good as well as his lungs. No congestion. When did the fever start?"
"Sunday," Bethany answered, still dabbing at her eyes.
"There are so many things this could be," he said, looking up at her, while Jacob let out a little sigh and opened his eyes. "We'll run blood tests, but we'll also have to do a spinal tap for meningitis."
"Isn't that painful?" Bethany whispered.
"Not really. We'll sedate him beforehand. He shouldn't feel anything."
He hesitated, before he said, "During your pregnancy, did you have any viruses? Were you ill?"
Bethany thought back. It seemed as if her pregnancy went smoothly and she never even had morning sickness. "No. Not that I can remember."
"We'll do an MRI and an EEG to make sure his brain is formed properly with no lesions or other problems."
The more Bethany listened to him, the worse she felt. "How long will he have to stay here?"
The doctor smiled at her. "We'll watch him-"
But, before he could finish, Jacob began seizing, with his little arms and legs jerking spasmodically.
"Nurse!" he called. "We need Phenobarbital here."
Bethany sobbed, backing out of the way, as they ran quickly around the bed and injected a syringe into his leg. Slowly, Jacob's jerking stopped and he slept soundly.
Matthew waited in the hallway while Ollie checked to see if Jacob was still in emergency.
Several minutes later, Ollie came back. "Yes, Matt, he's still in there."
Sighing, Matthew said, "I don't know why I'm here. They'll never let me in. I just wanted Bethany to know I was here for her, I guess. So she wouldn't feel alone."
But her mother came out to the hall just then, and said, "Matthew? I didn't know you were coming up." She squeezed his hand. "Would you like to see Jacob and Bethany?"
He smiled. "That would be wonderful."
She led him into the curtained area, after being buzzed in by a nurse.
"Bethany?" he said softly.
"Oh, Matthew," she cried, as she impulsively walked up and hugged him. "Thank you for coming."
"Is he all right?" Matthew asked, as his arm held her close to his heart. "I don't hear him."
"He just had another seizure," Bethany said, wiping at her eyes, "they gave him some medicine."
"Pray with me," he urged, as he took her hands in his. "Lord God, we send a prayer to you today to protect Jacob and make him better so he can grow up healthy. Let us know what he needs for his health. Bring him the best medical care. And most of all, let him know we love him, sweet boy that he is."
Bethany's sobs punctuated the silence, while Matthew held her close to him again. "Shhh," he comforted, "It will be all right. You'll see. We've prayed and we'll pray until he gets better."
As if hearing the words, Jacob's little eyes opened, and he stared up at Bethany innocently. "Oh, my baby," she said, as she carefully picked him up again, and held him in her arms.
Matthew smiled, while his hands came up on Jacobs legs. "He looks better?"
"Yes," Bethany said softly, "he really does."
The next few hours were spent with blood tests and an MRI scan on Jacob's brain. Matthew stayed with Bethany while her mother paced the hall outside the ER.
As they took Jacob to the MRI, Kate came in. "How is he?" she asked Bethany.
"They don't know yet."
"I'm sorry about the call, Beth. I just didn't know what to say to you."
"It's all right," Bethany told her. "Sometimes people run out of words to say, I guess."
Kate's eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry, Beth. If I could take back all the years, I would."
"This isn't about you," Bethany said irritably.
With that, Kate ran out into the hallway, crying.
"You were hard on her," Matthew said softly.
"Well, she's been hard on us over the years," she said hotly. "I don't think 'forgiveness' when I think of my sister."
"Jesus forgave," he said simply.
They both stood as the specialist returned to the curtained off section later that evening. Jacob was sleeping again on the gurney now, covered with a blanket.
"The news is not good," he said seriously. "Jacob has Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome. He runs the risk of grand mal seizures. He has lesions on the frontal lobe of his brain."
Bethany let out her breath in a long gasp and sat on a chair. "So it isn't the fever? What does this mean for his future?" she asked, as her tears started again.
"It's uncertain. He could have seizures when he's tired. He runs the risk of falling. And, there is a chance of behavior disorders later on." But then, his voice was brisk. "Let's concentrate on how to make him more comfortable. The more seizures he has, the worse it will be for him. We'll start him on Clonazepam and prednisone. We may change that as things roll forward. We'll keep him overnight for observation and to monitor his dosages."
Still in shock from the diagnosis, Bethany said slowly, "Can I stay with him?"
"Yes. We have a room upstai
rs on the third floor with an extra bed for you."
After he'd left to arrange for the room, Bethany looked up at Matthew who rubbed his eyes now. "You don't have to stay. I'll be back at work as soon as he's stable. Maybe a few days."
He brought his hand on her shoulder, unable to speak for a minute. "Don't worry about that. Don't worry about anything at all. I'll take care of everything."
She smiled, watching her beautiful baby boy sleep. "How? With prayer? You really think that will help him?" Her voice sounded bitter.
He took both her hands in his. "God, please help baby Jacob to recover and give his mother faith again. You are truly a miracle worker, and we need Your help, now."
He continued, "I'll start a prayer chain in my church congregation and they'll help me online too."
She stood and gave him a quick hug. "See you soon."
And before he left, he gave Jacob's foot a light squeeze, and smoothed his little t-shirt.
When Matthew got home, he made his way to the den and turned on his computer. He felt his watch and realized it was almost nine o'clock at night. Too late to really do anything over the phone, but he searched online for the syndrome the doctor mentioned. And the synthesized voice of his computer read off the symptoms and diagnosis as well as the grim prognosis for Jacob's future.
But along with this, he listened and heard something called Ketogenic Diet, a high fat, medium protein and very low carb diet that had been very successful in treating seizures in children. And his hopes were lifted. He wanted to call Bethany, but thought she'd be tied up at the emergency, and he didn't want to bother her.
He was excited about this, and decided to call in another specialist from Mayo Clinic in the morning to look over the records.
Then, there was the prayer chain. He phoned the pastor at his church and explained the situation. They decided to have a three for one phone tag, that is, they'd each call one person who would then need to call three others for the prayer chain. And also, over the internet and on Facebook, linking various pages for the chain.
Romance for Matthew Page 4