Lauren instantly began to do as she was asked. Liz was still frozen in the doorway. Being older, she knew that something was wrong.
“Are you in labor?”
“No, I don’t think so. I’m bleeding, though.” Charleigh took the pad from her cousin and put it in place while she spoke. “We need to go as quickly as we can.”
Once she was dressed, Charleigh got up. She went over and took two plush blue towels from the linen closet, just in case the bleeding got too heavy. Touching Liz’s shoulder, Charleigh let her cousin see the fear in her eyes. Her voice was steady, “It’s going to be okay. Let’s go.”
***
Liz called her dad from the road to inform him of their emergency. While she was on the phone, Charleigh could hear Lauren sniffling from the backseat. She reached a hand backwards to touch the little girl’s knee. It was replaced by a small, bony hand as Lauren gripped onto Charleigh’s tightly.
“It’s going to be fine, you hear me?” Charleigh spoke the words, though, she was not so sure she believed them for herself.
“Ok,” Lauren whispered and squeezed tighter.
Josh had a deputy meet them outside the gate of Rock Creek’s elementary school in Blue and escort them the rest of the way to the hospital in Durant. The red and blue lights were already on as they approached him in Charleigh’s Tahoe. Liz flashed the headlights, to let the officer know to go.
Doctor Emerson stood with two nurses and the ER attending when Liz pulled the SUV into the ambulance entrance. Josh was there as well, and he hugged both of his terrified daughters as the medical team worked to load his niece onto a gurney. He sent Charleigh a worried smile as she was wheeled by and inside.
The entire Randall family was waiting in the ER when Doctor Emerson came out. Madie and Lenore were among the group. Liz and Lauren had repeated their story a total of ten times by that time.
“How is she, Doc?” Wobbly, John stood up. He’d rather be standing than sitting when they received the bad news.
Ronald Emerson looked around the group of worried faces. They had reason to be. He knew how much Charleigh meant to them. He’d known the young woman since she was a tiny thing, and felt much the same way. Taking a deep breath, he gave the logistics, “Charleigh is stabilized. The bleeding has stopped, though, she lost a significant amount. I’ve set her up with a blood transfusion.”
“That’s a relief to hear,” Madie said, “What about the babies?”
“Mother and babies are all fine,” Doctor Emerson assured.
“What happened? It’s not normal for her to have bled like that, is it?” Liz stood up next to her grandfather.
“It’s called placenta previa,” the doctor replied. “The bleeding happens when the placenta either detaches from the wall of the uterus or slips down to cover the birth canal. In Charleigh’s case, her placenta is currently the cervix.”
“How? Why?” Caroline asked from where she sat, with Chris in her lap.
“There’s not a definitive reason. Although, I’ve seen it mostly in women who are carrying multiple fetuses, like Charleigh.” Doctor Emerson took a deep breath and then continued, “I want to keep her tonight for observation. If she’s on the up and up in the morning, then I‘ll release her. From here on out, I want her on bed-rest to avoid any further complications.”
“We’ll do what we can, but you know Charleigh. She’s a hardheaded one. Never been able to sit still for long,” John said, finally able to sit back down, since he now knew his granddaughter was going to be fine.
Ronald Emerson shook his head. “I just finished talking with Charleigh, and I got the impression that she’ll do anything and everything she can to make sure those babies are delivered healthy.”
“Can we see her?” Lauren asked feebly.
“Not tonight. She should be home tomorrow,” Caroline told her daughters, shaking her own head.
“Actually, Carrie,” Doctor Emerson spoke up, “Charleigh asked me to bring Liz and Lauren back, if they were still here, before we put her in a room. Is that okay with you? For just a few minutes.”
When the two young girls stepped into the room, they saw that she had her eyes closed. Charleigh’s head was turned slightly towards them. She lay unmoving. At first, Liz and Lauren thought she was asleep.
“Stop staring at me like that,” She said, not bothering to open her eyes. “You’re acting like I’m dead, and we’re far from it.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Lauren whispered as she came closer to the bed.
“I told you it would turn out, and it did, right?”
“Well, yeah, but…” Liz said, with tears in her voice. She hurried over to the chair next to her cousin’s bed and plopped down.
“I was scared, too,” Charleigh replied, with a sigh. She finally opened her eyes, and reached out to the girls. They both touched her hand. “But Doctor Emerson said that the bleeding’s stopped. As long as I take it easy over the next couple of months, we won’t have anything else to worry about.”
“Yeah, but…” Liz said through the tears that had begun to fall.
“Listen to me, ok?” Charleigh looked from one cousin to the other, feeling the tears welling up in her own eyes. “I need both of you to do me a favor and stay positive. I also need you to keep reminding me to, because I am terrified of losing my little boys.” And because I could die.
It wasn’t something that she wanted to think about. Still, Charleigh knew the possibilities. She had all of the pregnancy books. She’d read a lot of stuff on the internet. Unfortunately, Placenta Previa had shown up on her computer screen a time or two, and Charleigh knew all about it.
And she was determined not to be one of the statistics provided in those articles.
Ok,” Lauren replied, nodding her head.
Charleigh looked over to Liz. She was wiping at the moisture on her face. She nodded, but didn’t say a word.
“So, here’s what we’re going to do once I get out of here,” Charleigh told her two cousins, taking a deep breath. “Be prepared for lots of sleepovers on the weekends. From here on out, I’m confined to my bedroom.”
Chapter Forty-five
Dear boys,
I know some day down the road you are going to ask me about your dad, about how I met him, and about the time that we spent together. Anything that you ever want to know, I will answer your questions as honestly and sincerely as I possibly can. I hope you will believe me when I tell you that you were wanted. It was only a few weeks before Jamie’s death that we were talking about how much he wanted to start a family. So, even though your dad never actually knew about the two of you, I want you to know how badly he wanted children. To be the kind of father that his own was not. He would have made a wonderful father, I think, and pretty impressed with himself for getting a two-for-one deal.
Charleigh sat back against the pillows on her bed, chewing on the end of her pen, as she thought about what to write next. After finishing the last of her mother’s journals, she had decided to begin writing letters to her unborn children. Of course, Charleigh kept a journal, which she would let them read if they ever asked, but this book was especially for them.
It was only four days since finding out about the Previa. Seeing all that blood had scared Charleigh half to death, but it felt more like four months. She’d never stayed in bed this long against her will. Her depressions after her Dad and Jamie’s deaths were a different story. Back then, she didn’t ever want to see the light of day again. It really wasn’t all that long ago, though. Just a few days past six months ago was September 11th. The day Jamie and so many others were stolen away from their loved ones.
Really? Six months? Charleigh could hardly believe it. Still, she didn’t want to ponder too much on those dark days. Although she still wasn’t completely herself, she didn’t want to be pulled backwards by her thoughts. She would miss Jamie without thinking about all the rest. It was the only way, Charleigh had found so far, to keep herself in the present. And not lose her mi
nd completely to the grief.
Besides, Charleigh had so much to look forward to, even without Jamie to share it with, and she was extremely excited about it.
Just as she was about to put pen to paper once more, the rumble of an engine drifted into the bedroom through the open French doors. Charleigh was used to hearing cars and trucks passing by on the highway beyond her property. It seemed that the sounds always found their ways into the house, but she just blocked it out anymore. The sound of this vehicle, however, was closer, and it was coming up her driveway.
Carefully, Charleigh climbed out of bed. She took her steps slowly, one at a time, toward the French doors and out onto the balcony. There was a cool breezy and it blew a few loose strands back and away from her face. Coming around the opposite end of her house, Cord drove his battered old 1962 Dodge truck toward the barn and lot.
When the man climbed out of the truck, Charleigh waved to try and get his attention. He never even bothered to look in her direction.
“Hmm,” Charleigh said to herself. She got a total of thirty minutes each day to get up out of bed and do all of the necessary tasks she needed to do, like taking a shower. Because her shower stall had a built-in seat, Charleigh didn’t consider that to be a part of that time. She decided to walk down to the barn and talk to Cord.
“You should be in bed,” he called out, looking up from Marco Polo’s hoof when he heard approaching footsteps. It could only be one person. Charleigh.
“I know. I was just there until I heard your truck pull up,” she replied coming into view. “That’s where I’m headed back, too. I just wanted to see how you’re doing and how the horses. And to maybe ask you a question.”
“I’m fine,” Cord replied with a smile. “The horses are good. Nothing to worry about. And what’s the third.”
She stood with her hands resting on her bulging baby bump, wearing a pair of Jamie’s faded flannel pajamas and one of her dad's thermal undershirts. She had her mess of curls pulled up in a bun. Charleigh looked a mess. A beautiful mess, in Cordell's opinion. One he would just keep to himself.
“I wanted to ask you a question.”
“That’s right. Ask away,” Cord told her, turning away to scrape dirt from under the horse's hoof.
“Well, I was wondering if you’d stay with me tonight?’ she sighed. “Granddad was here, but I sent him home to get a good night’s sleep. He thinks the mattresses in the spare bedrooms are too soft,” Charleigh laughed, rocking back on her heels. She rubbed her palms across the fabric of the shirt that covered her belly.
Cordell looked at her for a long moment and then back to the task at hand. “If I say yes, will you get yourself back up to the house and into bed?”
“I suppose I would go back to bed, no matter what your answer is. Doctor’s orders, you know.”
Considering everything Charleigh told him, he looked back up at her. Studied her bright green eyes. He couldn’t just leave her there alone. “I would need my toothbrush, some pajamas, and a change of clothes for tomorrow.”
Charleigh's tired face brightened at his answer. “That’s fine. Take all the time you need, Cord. I’m going back to bed. You can find me there when you get back.”
She turned and headed toward the door. Just before pushing the door open, Charleigh turned back to him and smiled. “Thank you, Cord.”
***
It didn’t take him very long to finish with the horse, and then Cord headed back toward the ranch. He called Charleigh from his cell phone on the highway to tell her that he’d be back in about an hour’s time. She told him to come right on in when he got there. Obviously, then, Charleigh was leaving her doors unlocked, which Cord thought was a horrible idea. That was another one of his opinions that he’d just have to keep to himself.
Coming down the driveway to the ranch, Cord turned left at the oval in front of the main house, which he’d never done before, or at least he could never remember doing it before. He wanted both Mrs. Matthews and Miss Martin to know where he was. If anything happened, they could reach him at Charleigh’s.
He came up the front steps and knocked on the door. Madie appeared there a few moments later.
“Hello, Cordell. Everything okay?” She asked, pushing the screen door open for him to enter. Once he was inside, and the heavy door was closed behind him, the old woman turned and led him toward the back of the house. She settled back onto her stool at the island.
“Yes, ma’am. I was just coming from Charleigh’s. Marco needed to be shod,” he replied, sat down on a stool across from his employer.
“How is Charleigh today?” Lenore asked, coming into the kitchen with a sack of flour. Some kind of white, powdery substance was already smeared across her forehead.
“Weird.”
“What do you mean weird?” Madie took off her glasses and laid them on the counter beside the stack of papers she was reading before Cordell knocked on the front door.
“She’s taking all of this so calmly, I guess is the best word for it,” the man said with a shrug.
“Well, dear, what else can she do?” Lenore asked, scooping flour out of the bag by the cupful. “She’s going to be cooped up in her bedroom for the next two months, until those babies are born. And then another six to twelve weeks before she can get back to work. I’d say the girl is trying to make the best of her current condition.”
Cordell agreed with the old woman on that, and he rarely, if ever, agreed with Lenore on anything. He went to stand up. “She asked me to come stay with her for the night. So, that’s where I’ll be tonight. Be back bright and early in the morning.”
“That’s nice of you, Cord,” Lenore told him, making a face at her sister. “Why don’t you ask her if she’d like to come and stay with us out here at the ranch?”
“I’ll ask her, but she may say no.”
“Which she has every right to, considering she’s going to be bedridden for the next two months,” Madie agreed, returning Lenore’s look. She knew what her sister was thinking, and it was ridiculous. There was nothing going on between Charleigh and Cordell. Not this soon after Jamie’s death, anyway. “Just ask and see what Charleigh says, Cord. Let the matter alone if she says no.”
“See you ladies tomorrow.” He nodded and was gone.
When Cord got back to Charleigh’s house, he found her propped up on the bed channel-surfing. It was just where she’d told him that she would be. No surprise. He tapped lightly on the door.
When she turned toward him, Cord smiled and said, “Hi.”
“Hey, I’m just sitting here, trying to find something to watch,” Charleigh replied, returning the smile. She patted the empty space beside her. “Have a seat.”
Cord went over to the bed. He stood there for a minute and then decided to sit as closely to the edge as possible. Her bed covers were so pretty. And expensive, Cord was sure. The last thing he wanted to do was to get them dirty.
They sat quietly for a while, both staring straight ahead at the large television set on the dresser against the opposite wall. A satellite box was on top. It wasn’t an awkward silence, at least not for Charleigh. Cordell, on the other hand, was nervous that he’d do or say something stupid to embarrass himself.
“So, is there anything you like to watch on Thursday nights?” Charleigh finally looked over at him.
“I don’t know. Don’t watch much TV. Just have the regular two channels back home, anyway,” he said with a shrug.
“CSI is one of my favorites. It should be coming on in a couple hours or so. Would you like something to drink? I’ve got soda, water, juice, and milk?”
“I’m fine for now. I can find something downstairs later,” Cord replied.
“Oh, no need. I got everything right here in my handy, dandy mini-fridge.” There was a small refrigerator next to the bed on Charleigh’s side. Boxes of food were piled on top. She’d been watching a lot of cartoons lately, with an extra-large overdose of Blue’s Clues, The Food Network, HGTV.
“W
hat have you got over there?” he asked, trying to look over to Charleigh’s side of the bed without getting his muddy shoes on the covers.
“All kinds of different stuff. Strawberry Pop Tarts. A couple different kinds of cereal. I’ve got some veggies and ranch dip in the fridge. A few TV dinners.” Charleigh said, looking at her unorganized pile. She turned back to Cord. “Take your shoes off and get comfy.”
And he did. Once Cordell was finally about to relax, they watched some television, ate some snacks, and just talked like friends do. Charleigh talked a bit about Jamie, how much she missed him, and having to raise her children without their father. She didn’t elaborate too much. And Cord didn’t push her.
They watched CSI and then flipped over to watch old reruns of I Love Lucy on TV Land. He hadn’t laughed that hard in a very long time it seemed.
The time passed by quickly. At ten o’clock, they turned the channel back to watch the local news. Once it was over, Cord looked over to find Charleigh sound asleep next to him. She looked very sweet and angelic, with one arm under her head and the other resting on her belly. As quietly as possible, he took the chenille throw from the end of the bed and covered Charleigh up to her shoulder. Then, Cord took his boots, and crept over to the bedroom across the hall.
Chapter Forty-six
Waiting for her grandparents at the airport, Charleigh aimlessly flipped through a Parenting magazine. She was sitting in the passenger seat of the Tahoe, with Madie behind the wheel, trying not to think too much. Once Grant and Mel arrived, they were all headed toward the medical complex for another ultrasound.
And after that, Charleigh had an appointment with Doctor Emerson. It had been two weeks now since she’d found the blood in her panties, and he just wanted to check and make sure everything was going as well as possible. She didn’t know how much better it could get. Her placenta was either over her cervix still, or it wasn’t. Either way, Charleigh could only keep following the doctor’s orders to make sure her babies were born healthy.
You're Gone (Finding Solid Ground) Page 34