“I figured that,” I lied, recalling the slight pang of jealousy I’d felt when she’d answered the phone initially.
“I’m clocking off in a few but I’ve asked her to come and check in on you from time to time.”
“That’s sweet of you,” I replied. “I’ll be fine though.”
“I know you will be fine. But no need to be all stoic and all right now. It’s okay for you to admit you need support. It’s okay for you to admit you need me,” he said as a matter of factly.
“David…”
“Yes, I’m incorrigible,” he stated, laughing heartily. I laughed along with him, forgetting my sadness.
“Seriously, where is Daniel,” he asked, as puzzled as I was about Daniel’s whereabouts.
I grabbed my phone off the side table and rang Daniel again. No answer. I didn’t bother to leave a message this time.
David stood up and removed his phone from the pocket of his light blue scrubs. “I’ll give it a go,” he suggested. I could hear Daniel’s phone ring several times before the answering machine beep. In a deep throaty Aussie accent, David said into the phone, “This is David. Your wife’s in hospital. Where the bloody hell are you?” he asked. Hanging up, he stated, “That’ll get him here in no time.”
I sighed in response, grateful he was there with me, but wondering where Daniel was.
“I’ll stay here with you ‘til he comes in,” he promised, plunking himself into the seat next to me.
“I’ve never seen you in scrubs,” I noted.
“I’ve never seen you in a hospital gown,” he replied.
“Touché.”
He smiled in response.
“What are you doing on the maternity ward?” I asked.
“Repairing a cleft palate on a set of twins,” he stated quickly. His phone buzzed wildly and he picked it up. “Yep…. Okay. Look mate, I don’t care how you get here. Get here,” he commanded. “The Presby,” he stated. “Room 218.” Hanging up, he turned to me, “He’s on his way.”
“Okay,” I replied. “Where is he?”
Tight lipped, he replied, “He’ll be here.”
I could tell by the look on his face, he wasn’t pleased.
“David, where is he?” I asked again.
“He’s been out and about…drinking,” he replied. “Says he’ll have to take a cab to get here.” Noting the concern in my eyes, he replied, “If they discharge you tonight, I’ll take you home.”
I felt sadness and anger at Daniel’s behaviour. Not only had he not come home, but he had failed to get in touch with me, failed to return my calls, and failed to be there when I needed him the most.
“Teme,” David called out. “Try not to worry. I’m here for you.”
My door was partly ajar and through that opening, I heard commotion in the form of a raised voice then some deep and pronounced male giggling. Moments later, the platinum blond blur that was Johnny burst into my room.
David sat up in his chair, startled.
“Teme.” Johnny started. “These are for you,” he announced, pulling out a bouquet of yellow roses from behind his back. With a slight swagger, he made his way over to me, to David’s fury.
“Easy mate, hold up,” David challenged, standing up in an attempt to block his passage. “Where’s Daniel?,” he asked.
“On his way,” Johnny replied, swiftly darting past David to get to me. His energy was contagious. “Sorry to see you’re up in here. Hope all goes well. Didn’t mean to keep your man away from you tonight, had one drink, one thing led to another, and…” he stopped short, as though not wanting to incriminate himself. “The short and tall of it is he’s here now.”
Though angry at Daniel for not being there, I smiled in response to Johnny’s apology and accepted his flowers. Johnny is bad news, I recalled David saying to me one afternoon, when we bumped into him at the Lakeside Café. He might be bad news but his positive energy and zest for life is always welcome, I thought.
Johnny plonked himself down in the seat next to my bed with reckless abandon. David looked at him suspiciously. “You’re not planning to stay, are you?” he asked.
“Just hanging around for Daniel, he won’t be able to drive himself back home.” Johnny admitted.
“You got here by taxi, didn’t you?” David asked skeptically.
“I drove here,” Johnny stated, chuckling slightly. “What’s with the interrogation Doc?”
“You’re off your head mate,” David said sternly. “You’re in no condition to drive!”
“Somebody stop me!” Johnny said mockingly in his best Jim Carey voice. Carelessly, he nearly toppled over the glass of water on the tray next to me. Seeing ahead, I sturdied the tray. “Taxi!” he exclaimed, giggling over the fact that he’d nearly spilt my water. It was belly laughs for me.
A furious David stated, “Right. I think it’s time you left. Temwani doesn’t need this drama.”
“I’m not going anywhere, matey,” Johnny announced in a comical Aussie accent. “As I said, I’m waiting for Daniel to catch up so I can give him a ride home. But if you insist, I’ll be taking a taxi. Taxi!” he exclaimed again.
“Alright,” David said, clenching his jaw. “Settle down then,” he ordered, moving to stand by the right side of my bed in a protective stance.
Johnny ignored him and made small talk with me. “You know, I’ve got a good name for your little boy,” he stated. We’d recently found out we were expecting one of each - a baby boy and a baby girl.
“You do?”
“Yep, you better name him after yours truly,” he joked. “I’d be completely honoured if you did.”
I laughed gregariously in response. “You are pretty full of yourself Johnny, aren’t you?”
“Not full of myself, no. Full of surprises, yes,” he replied.
“Well, you’re a surprise we’d rather not have at the moment,” David interjected, eyeballing Johnny.
“Whatever mate,” Johnny replied. “Can’t stand the heat, get out of the fucking kitchen…”
“Settle down,” David insisted. “She needs to take it easy, and you’re not helping,” he urged.
“You need to take it easy,” Johnny replied in jest. “Need to get that big old stick out of your ass.”
David frowned in response, deciding to ignore him for now. He absently scrolled through his phone, pretending to be otherwise engaged.
Not for much longer. Daniel rushed into the room moments later. “I came as quickly as I could,” he said, adjusting his tie. “How are you – how are the babies?”
“We’re all fine,” I said tearfully.
“What happened?” he questioned. The smell of booze on his breath was quite apparent. My heart sunk at the fact that he had been out drinking again when he was supposedly at work.
I explained.
He wasn’t listening. A furtive glance in David’s direction, interrupting me mid speech, Daniel stated, “He shouldn’t be here.”
Okay, I’m here in hospital, and all you can comment on is the fact that David’s here with me? “Really?” I asked.
“Yes, really. He shouldn’t be here. We had an agreement,” Daniel stated.
David interjected, “I’ll be here for as long as she needs me to be here.”
I could see fury insurmountable rising in Daniel. He got up suddenly, too quickly, as though to swing a right hook David’s way, but didn’t. His face paled before he made a quick dash for the ensuite bathroom. Door slightly ajar, we heard him violently retching and vomiting into the toilet.
“A little too much to drink tonight,” David noted, stating the obvious.
“Well, at least he knows how to hang loose,” Johnny stated. “More than you’d ever know being all uptight all the time.”
“You need to act your age,” David replied.
“You need to act your wage - barber slash butcher slash surgeon,” Johnny replied, tapping on his gold Rolex watch, flaunting it at David. David frowned in response.
&nb
sp; “Enough guys,” I requested, tired of the bickering. It was wearing me down.
Heeding my request, Johnny shot up and out of the chair he was in, and looked in after Daniel, leaving the bathroom door fully open. Standing next to him, he held Daniel’s tie out of the way as he was sick in the toilet. I felt my stomach churn in disgust.
David sat down next to me, passing a furtive glance towards Daniel and Johnny, the look of disdain on his face very hard to hide. Turning to look directly at me, he said point blankly, “He doesn’t deserve you.”
Tears in my eyes, I stated, “I’m starting to believe you.”
Placing a firm hand on my shoulder, he beckoned, “Don’t cry. It’s all up from here,” he promised. “It has to be. I’m gonna make sure of it.”
I laughed mid tears. “And how are you gonna do that, Superman?”
“Ha, ha,” he replied. “I’ve got my ways.”
Eventually Daniel left the bathroom, and retired onto the sofa beneath the bay window. “Sorry babe,” he muttered. “I just need to sleep this one off,” he said.
I hated the way he used the word sorry so loosely.
Johnny said goodbye and headed off, promising to come by the next day for Daniel.
Not long after, a knock on the door was sounded and Sharlene came in, medical chart in hand. “Full house I see!” she exclaimed.
“How’s the lady?” she asked.
“Better, but I’ll let her tell you herself,” David said, moving out of the way.
“Hi, I’m Sharlene,” she stated, offering her hand. I took it. She held it for a moment before manually checking my pulse. Turning the blood pressure monitor on, she checked the EKG feed. “Babies are looking well, your blood pressure is a little on the low side though,” she said, concerned. “Under a bit of stress?”
“A bit of stress?” I queried, motioning at Daniel who had made his way back to the bathroom and was hovering over the toilet bowl once again. “That’s an understatement.”
Sharlene raised an eyebrow in response. “Well, you’re going to have to take it easier than you have been. Don’t want these little ones to come on out early, now, do we?”
“No,” I replied, relieved to hear that the babies were fine, but concerned about my blood pressure.
“Your ob/gyn is Dr George Dimitriou?” she asked.
“Yep,” I confirmed.
“He’s on tomorrow night but we buzzed him to see if he could come in and do a brief evaluation. Doctor Foley will see you in the interim, but Doctor George will be here in a few.”
I nodded, comforted that Doctor George would be coming by.
“Okay, that’s all the checks we need done for now,” Sharlene concluded, plotting some figures on a chart before closing the folder that contained my file.
“Doctor Dimitriou?” David asked.
“Yes, the one and only!” Sharlene exclaimed.
“He was my clinical supervisor in med school,” David recalled. “Could get a baby out via c-section in 4 minutes flat!”
“George being my ob/gyn, is this a coincidence?” I asked.
“I’m afraid it is, this time,” David replied, with a wink. He squeezed my hand, a reassuring gesture in my time of need. “Look, I’m gonna head out for a bit, do the rounds. I’ll come back when I’m done. Will you be okay?” he asked.
“I’ll be fine,” I managed, not wanting him to leave.
“I’ll be back in no time,” he promised, sensing my anxiety.
“Okay,” I said, already wishing him back as he walked out.
George came in not long after. Boy was I was glad to see him.
Motioning over at Daniel, he stated, “Are you the patient, or is he?”
“Tell me about it,” I said.
He laughed in response. “Try to reduce the amount of stress in your life,” he urged. “I can’t emphasize that enough. We don’t want these little ones born too soon, now do we?”
“No, of course not.”
“Good. We’re on the same page.” Unstrapping the blood pressure cuff from my arm, he noted, “Blood pressure is on the lower side, but I’m not too concerned. Make sure you get enough rest, and only light duties at home if you absolutely must,” he ordered. “I’m also putting you on bedrest for a few weeks, in the hopes that this will encourage you to settle down, reduce the stress and let someone else do the heavy lifting,” he stated, motioning towards Daniel.
“Bedrest, meaning…”
“You’re working from home, or quitting work for now, altogether,” he stated.
“George, you know I can’t do that, I’ve practically been on bed rest the past two weeks already.”
Arching a brow, he re-stated, “You need to reduce the amount of stress in your life. You’ll have to do something, unless you want to have these babies come early,” he stated. “It’s non-negotiable.”
“Okay, then.” I reluctantly agreed with his recommendation.
After George had done his evaluations, he turned to David who’d just returned from doing his rounds. “You’re the brother in law?”
“Davenport,” David stated, introducing himself to George.
“No introductions necessary,” George said, “Class of ‘96?” he recalled.
“Yep.”
“Good to see you mate,” he said. “How’s the practice back in Aus. Busy?”
“As busy as we can be mate, just taking a sabbatical for the moment, doing a bit of work up here,” David explained.
“Well, we need you here, that’s for sure. Let’s catch up some time, even if it is just for a brew at the local,” he requested.
“Sure, no doubt,” David replied.
“You know when I first met these two, I knew dad looked familiar,” George said. “Didn’t know he had an identical twin, did he?”
“No, trust me he didn’t.” I said.
“Explains why you’re pregnant with twins now, hey?” George said, turning to me.
“Exactly,” I replied.
“So, everything’s all good?” David asked, seemingly irritated at the mention of anything to do with Daniel.
“Yes, mom and bubs are good,” he confirmed. “Superwoman here just needs to learn to take it easy.”
“Bedrest?” David asked.
George nodded to the affirmative. “For at least 6 weeks.”
“Right,” David said pensively.
Turning to me, George stated, “It is just bedrest I’m asking for. It’s not like I’m asking you to give up a kidney,” he joked.
David smirked at the comment and I laughed.
“That’s more like it,” George said. “A little less stress, a lot more laughter,” he added. “No strenuous exercise, and definitely no sex,” he ordered.
I raised a brow in response. “Daniel’s not going to like that,” I noted.
David averted his eyes from me when I snuck a look at him sideways. I could tell he was secretly happy.
“It isn’t up to him,” George stated. “Doctor’s orders. Now, get some rest, drink lots of water, laugh much, stress little, and keep the drama to a bare minimum,” he said, before heading off. “My regards to Dad,” he added as an afterthought.
“Man, this is awkward,” David started after George had left. “Father to be is out like a light, and it’s just you and I here, and somehow I’m privy to everything that’s going on in your life.”
“It is awkward,” I agreed. “But I’m glad you’re here with me.”
“Good,” he said, heartily. “Hey, do you want to go for a quick walk, catch some fresh air, get something to eat from the canteen?” he asked. “It’ll be a while before you get discharged.” Motioning at Daniel who was fast asleep, he stated, “It’ll be a while before he gets up.”
I was hungry. “Okay,” I agreed, quickly getting up.
“Take it slow,” David suggested, swiftly carting a wheelchair next to my bed. “You’re on bedrest, remember,” he reminded me, helping me into the wheelchair. He slipped the blanket that
was on the end of the bed onto my lap and stretched it over my legs. I smiled as he did so.
“Thank you,” I told him. He nodded in response.
As we went out to the courtyard, I asked, “Aren’t you afraid that people will talk?”
“They can talk all they want, for all I care,” he replied. “Besides, it’s not as though we’re doing anything worth taking about anyway,” he said. “Not yet anyway,” he added.
“David, I wish you’d stop with this wishing we’d be together.”
“You know me,” he replied. “The day you’re with me, the day we’re together is the day I’ll stop wishing.”
“You’ve got it bad,” I stated.
“Tell me about it,” he replied. Changing topic, he stated, “So, no sex. For 6 weeks. I don’t reckon your old man’s gonna be thrilled about that.”
“Yep, well, he’s going to have to deal with it.”
“No sex. That means no sex of the solo kind either,” David said as he smiled wickedly, waiting for a reaction.
“David!” I exclaimed loudly, giving him the reaction he expected.
“Why are we having an X-rated conversation here?” I asked.
“We just are,” he replied. “Don’t friends discuss sex?”
“You know it ain’t right,” I stated. “Besides…” I started. “Talking about sex is off limits.”
“So, what’s it like?” he asked.
“What’s what like?” I asked.
“We’re friends, right?” he questioned.
“Of course we are,” I stated, not liking where this was going.
“Good,” he replied. “So, what’s it like being married to my brother? Was he the first one to pop your cherry?”
I closed my eyes in disbelief. “Are you for real David?”
“I’m very real.”
“I’m not discussing my sex life with you.”
“Why not, we’re friends, aren’t we?”
“Yes, but friends don’t make each other feel bad,” I said.
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