by Cher Etan
He straightened up, moving toward the other table. The frantic activity had calmed down somewhat, whatever the crisis was, it seemed to have passed.
“Is she alright?” Max asked Dr. Mulholland softly.
“I think she will be,” she said smiling at him. Max nodded his head in gratitude.
“Thank you,” he said feeling a huge lump in his throat and moisture blurring his eyes.
“Don’t thank me just yet. She’s not out of the woods. We’ll watch her closer in the ICU for the next 24 hours to be absolutely sure. Your little girl will go to NICU. It's going to be a long day and night.”
Max nodded his understanding. “Okay then. What can I do?” he asked.
“Pray I guess; if you’re the praying type.”
“Just tell me they’ll be okay.”
Dr. Mulholland looked at him, shaking her head. “Not in my hands but I can promise you we’ll do everything in our power to give you back your family in one piece,” she said.
“That’s all I can ask,” Max said and moved out of the way for them to move Christine and the baby out. He followed them until he was stopped at the ICU door. He turned around and walked back to the waiting room. He had calls to make.
He looked up and saw Martha standing by the waiting room table watching him come.
“How are they?” she asked looking anxiously at him.
Max tried to smile, he really did, but he couldn’t quite manage it. Before he knew it, he was folded up on Martha’s shoulder, weeping quietly.
“They’re alive? Tell me that they are alive,” she said holding tight to him.
‘They’re alive. Christine was bleeding pretty bad though. And the baby…they stuck all these tubes in her…”
“Her?” Martha said perking up. Max straightened up from her shoulder to look her in the eye.
“Yes. We have a baby girl.”
Martha smiled. “I’m so happy for you,” she said face beaming.
Max smiled back. “It's wonderful right?” he said wetly.
“It really is,” Martha said. “And they will be just fine. Both of them. I promise you that.”
“You promise?” Max repeated.
“Yes,” Martha said. She pulled out her phone. “Now, I need to call some people and let them know.”
“I think you should wait. Christine and…the baby won’t be out of danger for twenty four hours.”
“All the more reason why we all need to pray together on this one. We’re going to form a prayer circle and keep them safe inside,” Martha said.
Now Max wasn’t what one would call a believer but hearing Martha say that made him feel much better about everything. Somehow he knew they would get through this in one piece.
*****
Christine and the baby came home four days later in good health. Christine was a bit weak with blood loss and the whole pushing a baby out of her body thing so Martha was staying over to look after her. The announcement of the baby’s birth had been placed in the paper to notify anyone who needed to know. They didn’t have a name yet so for now they were just calling her ‘baby’.
“I think all this post baby expelling of fluids is like…thee most disgusting part of being pregnant,” Christine told Max as they lay back in bed watching the baby sleep.
Max smiled. “It's funny you should say that because I don’t think you’ve ever looked more lovely.”
Christine gave him the most intense side eye. “Really? It's one thing to be supportive Max, it's quite another to tell blatant lies.”
Max laughed out loud; Christine felt like she hadn’t seen him laugh so much as he’d been doing in the last few days in all of the time she’d known him.
“I’m not lying. You’re glowing…there’s just something about you,” he shrugged staring at her.
“You mean tiredness from waking up six times a night, leaking breasts and uncombed hair?”
Max’s threw back his head and laughed. “Yeah, all that. And the hemorrhoids and everything else that you’ve been complaining about. It's all beautiful.”
“You are so high on baby poop it's not even funny,” Christine said watching him with an indulgent smile. She could see him wanting to burst into laughter again. Martha came into the room and she was carrying a tray with a bowl of porridge on it, a plate of waffles, and a flask of cocoa. On the tray was also an envelope.
“You have mail,” she said.
“Who writes snail mail anymore?” she asked taking the envelope.
“Your mother apparently,” Martha said putting the tray down on the foldout chair.
Christine moved her hand away from the envelope. “What does she want now? She already burned through that fifty k I gave her?” she asked slightly petulantly.
“Why don’t you read the letter and avoid speculation?”
Christine sighed. “I don’t know if I have the strength for her bullshit yet.”
“Cordelia said she went off to better herself. Maybe this is a progress report,” Martha said.
Christine snorted her disbelief but Max picked up the envelope from the tray and read the return address. “Jackson Mississippi? Why there?” he asked passing the envelope to her.
She shrugged, but her curiosity was piqued and she opened it. A single sheet of paper fell out and they both stared at it.
“Well? Aren’t’ you going to read it?” Max asked.
Christine sighed and picked up the paper and straightening it out to read it.
Dear Chris,
I hope this letter finds you well and healthy. I just heard from Uncle Andrew that you gave birth to a baby daughter and it filled me with such joy and pain I was compelled to write you. I don’t know if you will read this, I won’t blame you if you don’t. I know I haven’t earned the right to expect anything from you. I left you with my mother when you were very young. I suppose in your eyes, it was abandonment. In my eyes, at the time, I was doing what was best for you. My mother is much better at this mothering thing than I am. I think we both can agree on that.
But I digress. This letter wasn’t meant as some sort of self-justification for my decisions. It was prompted by a sort of nostalgia for you and for the child you’ve just borne. I remember holding you in my arms. You were the most precious thing I had ever beheld, and you stared back at me like you knew who I was. I just wanted to protect you. I wanted the best for you.
Now you have a child of your own. Maybe you can understand a little bit that instinct to protect. That instinct to put your child’s needs before your own.
Christine snorted with derision. “Wow. Talk about revisionist history,” she said.
“Keep reading,” Max said leaning back on the headboard, his hand on the baby’s head.
Christine sighed but went on reading.
That instinct to put your child’s needs before your own. To sacrifice for them and protect them.
Christine grimaced at Max who gestured for her to continue.
So I may be late, but I hope I’m not too late. I don’t know if you know but I dropped Kevin. He’s gone from my life as are all the toxic men I used to choose. I’m making better choices because I want to be better for you. I’m attending a cooking school here in Jackson. It's run by an old friend of mine, and I’m doing well. He has a job for me at his restaurant here if I pass all of my certifications. Your mama gonna have a legit job; that’s something right? It’s a start at least. I want to start loving myself more, so I can love you better. You and my grandbaby. Kiss the little girl for me. Tell her I’ll see her soon.
All of my love.
Mom.
“What the fuck am I supposed to do with this?” she asked Max.
He shrugged. “Hey, at least your mother is willing to make an effort. My mother just complains and intrigues and tries to play games.”
“There’s no guarantee these are not games.”
“There are no guarantees in life Chrissy dearest,” Max said.
“Have I told you I really hate those
nicknames you give me?”
“Several times,” Max said picking the baby up quickly as she started to move around in preparation for fussing and crying. “We have to come up with a name for this little one before we give her a complex.”
“Gwendolyne,” Christine said.
“A real name,” Max replied with a side smile.
“How about Gina?” she suggested.
“Gina…hmmm. I like it.”
“You do?”
“Yes. Don’t tell me it was one of your joke names.”
“No, I actually like that name.”
“Great. Gina it is.”
“Gina Richards-Lestrange,” Christine said trying it out on her tongue. “It’s a good name.”
“Yes.”
“Ethew,” Gina said and they both stared at her in shock.
“I think that was agreement,” Max said.
“I think it was too,” Christine agreed. “Now if only all our decision making was that easy.”
“Decision making about? Your mother? My mother? We ignore them until they grow up.”
“High five,” Christine said. They high fived to their decision and then Max leaned forward with a laugh and kissed her.
“Speaking of decision making…” he said against her mouth.
“You are a randy French bastard you know that?”
“Hey…I’m not a bastard; my parents were married when I was conceived,” he retorted.
“Oh really, well mine definitely weren’t so I guess I’m the bastard,” Christine said.
“Can females really be bastards? I’m never sure,” Max said thoughtfully.
“The number of things you’re never sure of could fill a small country,” Christine scoffed.
“Don’t be mean,” Max sulked.
“Aww, my widdle baby,” Christine said pinching his cheeks. “Did I hurt your feelings?”
“I don’t know about my feelings but you’re definitely giving me blue balls with your gratuitous display of boobage,” Max said looking down at the offending organ.
Christine smiled. It was true that she’d exposed her breast as soon as Gina awoke because she knew it was a matter of time before she would be pining for some nourishment.
“You’re going to have to get used to that.”
Chapter 15
It was a total accident that they met. Max was in New York for a Formula One business meeting. The meeting had wrapped up early and he’d returned to his hotel to pack. He’d been invited to go out for the evening with the other executives but he was in a hurry to get home and see his wife and child. Gina was about to celebrate her two month milestone and Christine had just started to feel like her old self again. The inflammation on her left breast had subsided at last and Gina was only waking up three times a night now. They were finally finding a rhythm again and he figured it was time for them to get back to a sexual rhythm. He’d picked up a beautiful diamond necklace in the hotel gift shop that he was intending to give her as a two month milestone present as he persuaded her to spend some quality one on one time with him. Not that he thought he’d have to do a lot of persuading…he saw the way she looked at him when she thought he wasn’t looking.
He was walking out with his bag packed heading to check out when he saw him. He had seen Rudy maybe twice in his life but he wasn’t likely to forget. He stopped short, staring and then before he knew he meant to, his feet were taking him toward the man. He was sitting in the hotel bar, looking like he was waiting for someone.
“Rudy Sinclair as I live and breathe,” he said coming up to the man and invading his personal space.
Rudy turned around to look at him in puzzlement. “Do I know you?” he asked the taller man.
“Probably not,” Max said inkling his head to the side, “but you might remember my wife, Christine.”
Rudy tensed visibly and Max smiled. “Ah, I see the name rings a bell,” he said.
Rudy put up his hand, “Look, I don’t want any trouble.”
“Oh you don’t? For someone who ‘doesn’t want any trouble’ you sure do go looking for it.”
“Hey listen, I didn’t even want to speak to your wife that day. Your mother put me up to it.”
Max stared at him, “I beg your pardon.”
“That day…at the Ritz…I wasn’t gonna try anything, I swear. I was just minding my business when your mother got in touch with me and asked me to seduce Christine again. She offered me too much money to turn down. My family keeps me on a tight financial leash,” Rudy explained in a tone that could be described as whiny. “I couldn’t really turn that down.”
Max was frozen in shock. He’d approached Rudy maybe to just intimidate him, maybe to give him a piece of his mind – he hadn’t been sure. And now the guy was throwing all this information at him that he hadn’t been expecting and hardly knew what to do with. His mother had paid Rudy to seduce Chris? That would explain the timing and the pictures. The Ritz wasn’t known for entertaining paparazzi. If he hadn’t had such a visceral reaction to those pictures he might have figured out that something about the set up smelled, a lot sooner.
“Look, weirdo. I won’t tell you again. Stay away from my family. If I see or hear of you anywhere near my wife again, there will be consequences and I guarantee you won’t like them.”
Rudy looked around. This was a five star hotel and security was tight; it wasn’t like they would tolerate bar brawls. He smiled at Max. “And what will you do if I don’t?” he challenged.
Max smiled. “Well let’s see. I’ll start with that cute little B&B you own in the Catskills; run it out of business. Then there is your adult entertainment distribution network. The backbone of your family’s wealth isn’t it? How would you like it if I dismantled that as well. Your chain of fast food restaurants? I’ll run them into the ground. Do you think I can’t do it? Try me.”
Rudy stared at him. “All this over a piece of tail?” he sneered.
Max’s eyes narrowed. “Now, I was going to let you go without administering a beat down because obviously you’re a pathetic low life who isn’t worth the oxygen it takes to keep you alive. But you know I can’t let that pass right?” he said.
Rudy opened his mouth to say something obviously ill advised.
Max did not let him. Before he knew it, his hand had balled into a fist and he was connecting solidly with Rudy’s right eye. The shorter man flew out of his seat and landed hard on his bottom, breathing hard and looking shocked. Hotel security began to close in and Max turned quickly, hands above his head and walked to reception as their eyes followed him.
“I’d like to check out now,” he said to the receptionist. She looked extremely flustered but took his black card and ran it and then returned it to him. A porter was waiting with his bags and a driver had already been summoned to take him to the airport. Max added a generous tip for the ‘damage to the bar’ and then walked out of the hotel and left. Nobody tried to stop him.
*****
“Honey I’m home!” he called as he came in the door. They had moved to a five bed-roomed bungalow in its own compound when Christine was five months pregnant and they’d only just finished moving in properly. He walked through the living room looking for his wife but the house was silent. It was only as he crossed right over to the other side that he saw them through the floor to ceiling windows, sitting outside on the grass. Gina was lying on a blanket, kicking her legs and gargling to herself while Christine sat cross legged next to her, doing some light yoga and watching her daughter.
“Hey beautifuls,” he called through the window.
Christine turned around and beamed at him.
“Hey you. Back so soon? I wasn’t expecting you till tomorrow.”
“Disappointed?” he asked leaning on the door jamb.
“Not even a bit,” she said with a grin. He stepped through the door and walked to them, dropping to the ground on the other side of his daughter.
“Hello darling,” he said leaning down to kiss Gi
na on the forehead. She gargled happily, looking up at him like she was really pleased to see him. Max ran his fingers through her curly brown hair and smiled. Then he looked up at Christine.
“Hello darling,” he said and leaned over his daughter to kiss his wife.
“Hi. I like that nickname,” she murmured.
“Oh. I’m so relieved,” Max said with a wry smile.
Christine picked up his left hand. “What happened?” she asked. The bruises were still visible where his knuckles had connected with Rudy’s eye.
“Got in a fight,” Max said shortly.
“Uh huh?” Christine said encouragingly.
“You should see the other guy,” Max evaded.
“Black eye?” she asked.
“Yep,” Max said with satisfaction.
“Did he deserve it?” Christine asked.
“Absolutely, one hundred percent.”
“Wow, that sure huh?”
“Yep,” Max said.
“Okay then enough with the one syllable conversations. How was the meeting?”
“The meeting went well. We discussed new designs for the cars where we can collaborate. It was productive. We’ll need to set up a division in A&R to deal specifically with this batch of cars for next season. It should be interesting.”
“It sounds fun,” Christine said ruefully.
Max smiled at her. “You know if you want to join our A&R team all you have to do is say.”
“Don’t tempt me,” Christine said.
“Come on, we have far better benefits than that crappy job you have with the city,” he coaxed.
“Hey. It's not a crappy job.”
“Fine. But you can do better is all I’m saying.”
“Fine. I’ll think about it.”
*****
Christine got back from putting Gina down to find Max in the kitchen, cute apron in place, serving dinner onto plates. Judging by the look of things or rather the smell of them, it was quite a feast. There was no way Max had time to cook it in the time it took her to bathe and put Gina down to sleep.
“Take out?” she asked.
He grimaced, “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice that part.”