Full Circle Love (A Four Part Anthology of Cat & Zach Stories)

by Lori Leger

“That was epic. Did you see the expression on that pointy little face of hers? I thought her eyes would pop right out of her skull.” She looked up at her husband. “Did she really have chlamydia, or did you make that up in order to make your big, fat wife’s day?”

  “Rumor has it she got it from sleeping with some college kid a couple of years ago. By the way, I found the perfect rug for the nursery.”

  “And?”

  “And you’re not fat, just pregnant. I mean, there are two babies taking up lots of space in there.” He laid his hand lovingly upon her abdomen.

  “No kidding.” She placed her hands on her lower back and made a feeble attempt to arch it, an impossible act while sitting in the chair. “I can’t even stretch anymore.” She considered the ravages her formerly trim figure had undergone during this pregnancy—the waddle in her walk, when Zach allowed it and her exceptional girth. Would her body ever recover? She hadn’t gained much weight, but surely her bladder would never be the same. The organ in question sent a spasm, a not-so-subtle protest against the tiny feet, or elbows, or baby butts pressing against it. “Oh hell, I’ve got to pee, again.”

  “Restrooms are way over there.” Zach pivoted her chair in the opposite direction, clear on the other side of the store.

  “Of course they are.” Cat spied the bright restroom sign and released a low groan as she remapped her inner navigational chart. Zach pushed the wheelchair and she used the signs along the way to mark their progress—like beacons along an airport landing strip. Fitting analogy, since she was nearly as big as a plane. STORAGE … CABINET HARDWARE … FASTENERS … APPLIANCES … and finally RESTROOMS, her source of relief. “I think society should make it completely acceptable for pregnant women to wear adult diapers. It would save tons of footsteps, for those who are allowed to walk, anyway.”

  Zach nodded. “And time. It would save lots of time.”

  She didn’t bother to answer her husband, knowing she’d practically blackmailed him into taking this little side excursion before her doctor’s appointment. He didn’t want her on her feet any more than she had to be, per doctor’s instructions. He’d begged her to bypass the trip, even offering to take pictures of suitable rugs and text them to her. She’d insisted on being there in person. So he’d loaded up their borrowed wheelchair and indulged her.

  She left him standing just outside the women’s restroom with the chair. Within seconds after relieving herself she discovered they had a serious problem.

  Cat exited the restroom, trying to remain calm. It was one thing to have your water break in the Home Depot, something she’d dreaded happening. It was considerably worse to mildly hemorrhage in the DIY section. She sat in the chair and cleared her throat. “We’ve got to go, babe. Now.” Whatever panic she’d refused to give in to took up immediate residence on her husband’s face.

  “What? Is it time? What’s going on? Did your water break?”

  “I’m bleeding, Zach.”

  His face turned a pasty white. “How much?”

  “I think we should go straight to the hospital.”

  He took two steps in the opposite direction, turned back around and pointed at her. “Sit! Stay! I’m going to get a wheelchair for you.”

  “Zachary!”

  “What?”

  “I’m already sitting in a wheelchair.”

  “Right.” Zach rushed her to the car and lifted her easily into the front seat. Maybe not as easily as it would have been twenty-nine and a half pounds ago, but still easy enough for her macho husband.

  She took the opportunity to place her hand on his face and give him a kiss. “I love you, but hurry.”

  “I love you too, babe. It’ll be fine. I know it will.”

  The rapid, sharp clip of heels alerted Zach to his sister-in-law’s approach. He met her immediately and gave her a hug. “Thanks for coming, Kel. I’m a freaking basket case here by myself.”

  “How is she? Have you heard anything yet?”

  He shook his head. “There are three teams of doctors in with her now. I’m about to lose my mind waiting to hear something.” He scratched distractedly at his five o’clock shadow. “I haven’t scraped up enough nerve to call Ms. Ellen and Doc yet.”

  Kellie cringed and made a face. “Let’s not attempt that until we talk to Dr. Brown.” She pulled up the couple’s flight itinerary on her phone and showed him. “They just docked in Seattle, Zach. They won’t be flying out of there until 7:15 tomorrow morning, 9:15 our time. Their connecting flight from Houston should land at the Lake Coburn airport around 4:00 p.m.” She dropped her phone in her purse. “It’s too late to attempt finding an earlier flight out of Seattle. Especially one with only an hour and a half connect time like the one they have.”

  She covered her face with both hands. “God, I hope Cat doesn’t have these babies until they get back. Poor Pops won’t be able to get mom to leave the house again.”

  Zach nodded. “Misplaced guilt is a terrible thing, and there won’t be a damn thing we can do to stop her from blaming herself.”

  The sound of the door opening had the two of them bolting up as Cat’s doctor exited her room.

  “How is she? Is she going into labor?”

  “Is my sister okay? Are the babies okay?”

  Dr. Brown lifted his hands at the onslaught of questions. “She’s not showing any signs of early labor. But I’m afraid there’ll be no way around a Caesarean delivery.”

  “Now, as in today?” Zach felt a sudden rush of light headedness.

  “No, no. The bleeding isn’t bad enough to schedule an immediate section. I’d rather be fully prepared. Just in case, I’m calling the teams I’ve assembled for a meeting. They’re all here today, so the timing is perfect. I’ve ordered a single course of steroids to speed the development of the infants’ lungs. I’m going to suggest that we schedule her section no later than five days from now. That’s barring any complications that would push up that delivery date.”

  “Complications?” Zach’s stomach flipped at the word. Complications were never good.

  “Her water breaking, contractions, further bleeding, or worse, a full blown case of hemorrhaging. I’d rather err on the side of caution and proceed with a schedule. That way, we’ll be better prepared if we have to jump into immediate action.”

  Thoughts of his wife in any of those situations, especially the latter, had Zach’s heart constricting with terror. His feelings of dread must have translated to his face.

  Dr. Brown gave him a comforting pat on the arm. “Don’t worry, daddy. We’ve got this covered.”

  Much relieved at the doctor’s vote of confidence in his team, the tension ebbed from Zach’s body. “Can I see her now?”

  “Sure you can. You may have to give the nurses a couple more minutes to finish getting her set up, but then you both can see her. Try to keep her calm and you do the same.”

  The father-to-be paced at the door until he could barely stand it.

  “Zach, go on in there,” Kellie insisted. “I’ll wait until the room clears to go in. You need a minute alone with her.”

  He nodded, and entered the room, standing by until the occupants finished up their business with his wife.

  Cat caught his eye and smiled. “No babies today, thank goodness. Mom would freak out if they came before she got home.”

  “That’s exactly what Kellie and I were just discussing.” He leaned over the side of the bed that wasn’t occupied with nurses, drips, and wires to give his wife a kiss. “Hi beautiful. How’s my girl?”

  She lifted her free hand to caress his face. “I’m good, now that you’re here.”

  “Are you in any pain?”

  “Not a bit. It feels a little strange to have everyone making such a fuss over me. They tell me it’s down to mild spotting. Oh, thank you,” she called out to the nurses as they left. Her eyes softened affectionately as she acknowledged her sister’s entrance into the room. “Hey, sis.”

  Kellie approached Cat’s bed and threw
her arms around her. “You had me worried.”

  Cat shrugged. “Sorry, that was not my intention.” She glanced at the door. “Is Brad outside with the kids?”

  “Oh, hell no. Traveling with those two isn’t our idea of fun. I fed Michael and put him down for a nap, and Brad was creating new artwork with Diana when I left” She flanked Cat on the opposite side of her bed. “So, how are my Godchildren? Are they prepared to behave themselves enough to stay in there a little longer?” She leaned over Cat to speak into her significant belly. “Or is Auntie Kellie going to have to lay down the law for you two munchkins?”

  Cat placed her hands on the sheet-covered mound. “I’m going to try my best, Kel. If it looks like they’re giving me any trouble, I’ll call you so you can scare them back in there.”

  Zach couldn’t keep his laughter at bay. “If it were that simple, we wouldn’t be here.”

  “I guess not.” Cat turned back to her sister. “Please tell me you didn’t call mom. I don’t want her to worry.”

  Kellie shot a look of nervousness in Zach’s direction. “No, but we were considering it. I think we should wait until they’re about to board the plane in Seattle. I’ll call her around 8:00 tomorrow morning. They should be at the airport by then. That way, they’ll know to come straight here after landing in Lake Coburn.”

  Cat sent a somber glance at her sister. “I think that’s best. It’ll cut out a lot of worry time on her part.”

  Kellie fidgeted under Cat’s intense stare. She opened her purse and began scrounging for something. “Where’s the nearest cold drink machine?”

  Zach stood, sensing the sisters needed some girl time. “I’ve got it, Kellie. What do you want?”

  “I’ll take a diet tea if they have it. If not, a cup of water will do. Thanks Zach.”

  Cathryn waited several seconds after her husband left the room before turning back to her sister. “I want to talk to you about something.”

  Her sister’s face fell. “Oh hell, I knew there was something. My ‘Spidey Senses’ were tingling.”

  Cat scraped her teeth along her lower lip. She took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I have this feeling, Kellie.”

  Kellie’s eyes widened with undisguised fright. “Are you cramping? Let me get the nurses.”

  Cathryn shook her head. “Not that kind of feeling. It’s just … I don’t know. I’m afraid, sis.”

  Kellie’s hand flew up in front of her face. “I don’t want to hear any of this from you.” She pointed at Cat’s belly. “You and those babies are going to be fine.”

  Cat’s tone sounded serious. “If anything happens to m—”

  “Nothing is going to happen. You’re being paranoid.”

  “Kellie!” She waited until her sister had settled into her fine-I’ll-listen-if-you-insist stance—arms crossed stubbornly against her torso. “If anything happens to me, do not let my husband blame himself. This is no one’s fault.”

  Kellie’s eyes welled with tears. She sat, deflated, upon her sister’s bed. “What’s got you thinking this way? What exactly is it that you see happening?”

  Cat shook her head. “Something—not good. I’m sorry. I can’t explain it any better than that.” She relaxed suddenly, settled back into her pillow. “But, it’s okay now that I’ve told someone. If something happens, I’ll know that you’ll tell Zach what he needs to know, right? It’s not his fault.”

  Kellie wiped her eyes and nodded. “Okay, but don’t expect me to tell him to ‘find someone else’ to be happy with, because that’d be more than I could bear.”

  Cat sent her sister a sad smile. “That won’t be necessary.”

  “Oh … well, good then.”

  Kellie beamed, obviously mistaking her older sister’s meaning. Cat decided to let it go. She got what she wanted. As for the other, she suspected that without her, Zach would spend the majority, if not the rest of his life without a partner. Just as she would do, if something ever happened to him. She closed her eyes and took a moment to pray that whatever happened, he’d have their children, and grandchildren, and great grandchildren, to fill his days with joy and laughter.

  Was she overreacting? Was it just that infamous hormonal ‘pregnancy paranoia’ her mom had always insisted she’d suffered from?

  God, she hoped so.

  Chapter 21

  May 30th – 35 weeks and 1 day

  T minus 35 days, and counting

  Ellen and Gavin Barton rushed through the door of the OB unit, both barely recovered from their Alaskan cruise and flight home. In several long strides, Zach joined Cat’s mom and stepdad. He hugged Ellen, whose face revealed lines of worry over her daughter’s condition. “You two must be beat.”

  “And worried,” Ellen added. “How is Cathryn? Are she and the twins in any danger?”

  “Not at the moment. She’s been spotting some but they’re keeping a close eye on her. Dr. Brown and his teams are fully prepared to take the babies sometimes this week.”

  Doc Barton wrapped his arms around his wife’s midriff from behind. “Is he certain about what’s causing the bleeding?”

  Zach nodded. “She has no sign of abdominal pains. Her ultrasound shows the cervix is more than halfway blocked and she’s significantly effaced. He says it’s slightly more common in pregnancies involving multiples. He wants her here where he can monitor her.”

  “So there’s zero chance of a normal delivery at this point.” Ellen looked from Zach to her husband, as though one of them could tell her differently.

  “Sounds to me like that ship has sailed.” Gavin looked apologetically at his wife.

  “It has, sir. Dr. Brown insists that attempting to deliver a baby that way would only cause severe blood loss.”

  The other man gave his wife a comforting hug. “He’s right, Ellen. A Caesarean section is much safer under these conditions, for both Cathryn and the babies.”

  Ellen seemed to process the information and come to a decision to accept it, for better or worse. She looped her arm around Zach’s waist and plastered a smile on her face. “Caesarean delivered babies are always so much prettier, Zachary. Their little heads are perfectly shaped from not having to pass through the birth canal. She’ll be fine, you’ll see.”

  “I think so too, but you know your daughter as well as I do. She’s still disappointed. She said she was looking forward to the experience of labor.”

  Ellen cringed. “That’s not something you hear every day. If she only knew how difficult some of them are, she’d be thankful to skip it. You know, I carried Cat with no trouble, but hemorrhaged for Kellie. Kellie did for her first, and now Cat is threatening. It makes me wonder if there’s a genetic weakness carried by the women in my family.” She took a step toward the door. “Can we see her now?”

  “They’re changing her sheets, but they should be finished soon. If you’d shown up ten minutes earlier you could have met the team Dr. Brown assembled. They left a few minutes before you came in.”

  The room cleared and Zach entered his wife’s home away from home for the past two days. “Hey babe, look who’s here to see you.” He loved seeing her eyes light up at the sight of her visitors.

  “Mom.”

  Ellen rushed to her daughter’s side, throwing her arms around her. “How are you, Sweet Pea?”

  Overcome with emotion, all Cat could do was nod, before her face crumpled into a teary mess.

  Zach brought the box of tissues to his wife. “Everything will be fine now that your mom’s here.”

  Cat dabbed at her eyes. “It’s only nerves, babe.” She clutched at her mother’s hand. “I was so afraid I wouldn’t get to see you before … before the babies were born. I just wanted you here.”

  “Oh honey, not as much as I wanted to be here. I didn’t think the stupid flight out of Seattle would ever end. If that wasn’t enough to wrack my nerves, they delayed it over an hour and we nearly missed our connecting flight from Houston. I thought I was going to have a stroke. Gavin was cal
m through it all, but I was frantic.”

  Cat found the ability to smile at her stepdad through her tears. “Good ole, Pops. You had it all under control, didn’t you?”

  He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I sure did. If we’d missed that flight I would have hired a friend of mine to fly us back in a smaller plane.” He adjusted the collar of his polo shirt. “This old fart’s got connections.” He patted her hand and gave her an indulgent smile. “So, what’s going on here?”

  “I feel fine, Pops. No pain at all. Dr. Brown says the bleeding is minimal.” Cat grabbed her mom’s hand. She bit her lower lip as her large, liquid brown eyes filled with tears. “Did Zach tell you about …?” Her voice faltered.

  Ellen nodded. “The delivery method, yes, he told me. I know it’s not what you wanted but it’ll be safest for all of you.” She settled next to her daughter on the bed.

  Zach cleared his throat. “And your mom assures me that our babies will be exceptionally handsome because of it. No misshapen little cone heads for our sons.” He recognized the flash of challenge in his wife’s expression. Mission accomplished.

  “Silly daddy, our daughters will be beautiful, regardless of how they are born.”

  Ellen voiced her own opinion on the matter. “Personally, I hope you have one of each, so we don’t have to hear one of you gloat over who guessed correctly for the rest of our lives. Now tell me, did anything happen to bring this on? A fall, or a slip, or something?”

  “No, ma’am. We were doing a little shopping at the Home Improvement store before her doctor’s appointment—”

  “I wanted to look for a rug for the nursery,” Cat volunteered. “I had to go to my doctor’s appointment, anyway, so I figured we’d leave the house a little early and take care of that first.”

  “So, this happened before the doctor’s appointment?”

  “Yes, ma’am. She’s had a slight case of cabin fever, and was adamant about wanting to pick out the rug herself. I made sure she was in that wheelchair the entire time, except when she got up to go to the restroom. That’s when she noticed the bleeding.”