D: What are you baking anyway?
M: Brownies.
D: I’d give you all my fries in exchange for a brownie.
M: Forgot to order dessert?
D: Actually yes, I did, but it wouldn’t matter if I had, nothing compares to your brownies.
M: Are you trying to seduce me?
D: That depends. Is it working?
M: That depends, how good are the fries?
Daniel could not stop smiling. He was so down all day and chatting with Marienne had lifted his spirits more than he could have hoped. He missed her so much he typed it.
D: I miss you.
But, although it was insanely accurate he wasn’t sure he should say it. He backspaced and erased, then typed something else instead.
D: Hey, why did you think I was going to yell at you?
He waited and saw the message that said ‘Marienne is typing…’. It disappeared, but no response popped up. ‘Marienne is typing’ appeared a second time then vanished, still no response. She was typing and erasing too.
D: You still here?
M: Yes.
D: Why did you think I’d yell?
M: Maybe yell wasn’t the right word.
D: Okay, there are lots of words, choose another.
M: Always the English professor.
D: AWAYS stalling. I’m in no hurry, stall all you want, I’ll wait.
M: :P
D: Still waiting.
M: *sigh*
D: Waiting.
M: I was afraid you might think the problem was my fault.
D: WHAT? Why on earth would I think that?
Again he saw that she was typing and stopping, yet no responses came.
Oh my God, don’t tell me someone suggested to her that she was to blame.
M: I don’t know.
D: Did the doctor say you had done something wrong?
M: No. He said this just happens sometimes.
Daniel hesitated unsure how to ask for more information without upsetting her, and unsure he wanted to hear the answer.
D: Did someone else say it?
M: Not in so many words.
“Fuck,” Daniel said.
Who the hell was giving her a hard time?
He knew there was no way she’d have run home from the doctor and rung her mother, and that was the only person who seemed likely to say something so stupid and hurtful. He couldn’t think who she would have told, other than Frank.
No, he wouldn’t possibly…
D: Someone obviously said something.
M: I probably overreacted.
D: That’s possible, it depends what the person said.
He was dying to know, but he didn’t want to push her too hard. He drummed his thumb against the laptop. Again it showed she was typing, then stopping.
Please tell me who’s upsetting you.
M: I tried to call Frank when I left the doctor’s office, but he was in a meeting and couldn’t come to the phone. So I went online. By the time he got home I was pretty freaked out. When I told him there was a problem I think I overwhelmed him with too much information.
D: And?
Daniel’s jaw clenched.
What the hell did he say to her?
M: He asked “how did this happen?”
D: Did you tell him that the doctor told you it just happens?
M: Daniel, you know Frank. In his mind nothing “just happens”, someone has to be to blame.
D: That’s ridiculous. Plenty of things “just happen” every moment of every day.
M: I know, but it made me think that maybe I’d done something to cause it. Who knows, maybe I did.
D: You’re the most cautious pregnant woman in the world. Unless this problem is caused by eating too many nutritious homemade meals or avoiding alcohol, I don’t see how it could be anything you’re doing. Your baby’s not even close to being born yet, and you’re already a great mum.
Daniel stared at the screen, but no reply came.
Shit. Did I upset her, or did we lose the connection?
His thumb picked up speed as it drummed on the edge of the table.
D: Are you still there? Are you okay?
M: I’m here.
D: Oh good, I thought I lost you.
M: I’m not that easy to get rid of.
D: I wouldn’t know, and I’ve no intention of trying to find out.
M: Thank you for saying that.
D: Saying I’ve no intention of getting rid of you?
M: Well, that too, but I meant thank you for saying what you said about me being a good mum.
Daniel was relieved he’d said the right thing. He wished he was there to give her a hug.
D: I’m not just saying it, you know. It’s true.
M: I miss you.
D: I miss you too.
He hit send with no hesitation. He was glad she said it first, because he had wanted to say it so badly. Plus he was thrilled she felt the same way.
M: If I’d talked to you earlier maybe I wouldn’t be surrounded by brownies now.
D: Is this about my accent again?
M: Little bit.
D: Crazy American women.
M: Seems to me you’re pretty fond of us crazy American women.
D: Some more than others.
M: My oven is going to beep in two minutes.
D: Is that some sort of euphemism?
M: Very funny.
D:
J
M: I’ll let you get back to your tropical paradise now. Thanks for making me feel better.
D: My pleasure. Do you really feel better? You’re not still blaming yourself?
M: I do feel better. And I’ll freeze some brownies for you.
D: Get some sleep tonight, okay?
M: Yes sir.
D: LOL You realize I know you’re only humoring me when you say that, right?
M:
J
D: Good night Marienne.
M: Good night Daniel.
He watched as the light went out beside her name then closed his eyes.
Fucking Frank.
He ran both hands through his hair.
How could he not know that Marienne would take that comment to heart? Stupid bloody arse.
He rubbed his eyes then stared at the computer, scrolling back to see if she’d named the specific problem she was having. She hadn’t. He brought up his home page and typed into the search area ‘common placenta problem early pregnancy’.
By the time Justine arrived two hours later Daniel knew more about placenta-related pregnancy problems than he ever could have imagined. He could see why Marienne was freaked out. There was so much information and most of it was scary.
He concluded she must have mild placental previa, as it was the only condition that seemed to have a decent chance of correcting itself as the pregnancy progressed. He hoped that would be the case for her, because the alternatives were the scarier ones.
Justine breezed through the door and tossed her purse on the couch, then flopped onto the bed.
“Owww,” she said.
“What’s wrong?” Daniel logged off and carried his laptop back into the room.
“Sunburn.” She craned her neck to examine her shoulders. “I knew I should have worn long sleeves on the boat. Will you lotion me?”
“Of course.” He grabbed the bottle of after sun cream from the dresser.
She braided her hair and twisted it up, tucking in the ends to get everything off her shoulders, cringing with every movement. Daniel sat down next to her and unzipped her dress, carefully moving the straps. A pale line of skin accented each shoulder while the rest of her back blazed bright red. He rubbed the lotion on his hands then gently placed them on her.
She jumped, then he felt her relax beneath his fingers. “Mmmmmmm, that’s better.”
“How was dinner? You have them all wrapped around your little finger now?” he asked.
“Not quite, but I’m getting there.” She sounded pleased. “What about you? What were you doing on the patio?”
“Googling.”
Justine let out a laugh. “That sounds like it should be so much more fun than it is. What were you Googling.”
“Information about placentas.”
“Ewwwww. Why?”
“I heard from Marienne. She seems to be having a complication with her pregnancy. I didn’t want to get too nosy, but I was curious how serious the problem was, so I looked it up.”
“Pregnancy seems like one big complication if you ask me. The nausea finally stopped and now she’s got some other issue already?”
“Pregnancy’s not the easiest thing in the world, but you do get a baby out of it.”
“You say that like it’s a good thing.”
“It is a good thing.”
“Well, I suppose it’s a good thing if you want a baby.”
He stopped lotioning. “Do you ever think about it?” He held his breath.
“No,” she said, without hesitation.
“Seriously?”
How is that possible?
Now that Marienne and Frank were having a baby, he thought about it all the time.
“Seriously. I am so not ready for all that.”
“I’m not saying tonight.”
“Definitely not tonight.” She winced as she stood up and stepped out of her dress. “I can’t even practice the fun part tonight.”
“You hardly need practice at the fun part.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere. Literally.”
“Was worth a shot.”
Daniel debated whether or not to bring up babies again. It bothered him that she no longer seemed to have children anywhere in her future plan. He decided to let it go. He was certain cranky, sunburned Justine was even less likely to change her opinion.
“I’m going to get ready for bed. I’m exhausted.” She walked toward the bathroom. “Let’s sleep in tomorrow. Maybe we can do brunch at that place on the beach. At a table in the shade.”
“Sounds good.” He crossed the room and hung the ‘do not disturb’ sign outside. The words ‘If you want a baby’ popped back into his head. He hoped the
if
was supposed to be a
when
, but something in his heart told him it wasn’t.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
A loud noise startled Marienne awake, so loud she jumped out of bed, not an easy task for someone seven months pregnant. The noise sounded again and she sighed with relief as she realized it was just the furnace banging. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and her tension ebbed. Then a small rush of liquid ran down her leg.
Fear swept over her as she realized her water might have broken. She stood perfectly still, willing it to be nothing, then came another gush.
She felt the color drain from her face. She grabbed the cordless phone and headed to the bathroom. She was too jittery to press the buttons properly. It took three tries before she dialed Frank’s number correctly.
Please pick up, please pick up, pick up, pick up.
There was no answer. She tried his cell phone, and it went straight to voicemail.
Cold and shaking she dialed the doctor’s office. The on-call nurse told her she needed to come in to the hospital immediately. Marienne explained that she had no way to contact her husband, and the nurse offered to send an ambulance. The thought of an ambulance terrified her further. “That won’t be necessary, I’ll call a friend.”
Still shaking she dialed Daniel and Justine’s number. The phone rang once. Twice. “Please pick up,” she said. She heard Daniel’s sleepy voice on the other end of the line.
“Hello?” he said.
“Daniel.” Her voice was three octaves higher than usual.
“What’s wrong?” He sounded wide-awake. His clean, crisp voice helped her focus.
“I think my water might have broken.” She struggled to hold back tears. The phone bounced wildly against her ear, and she needed both hands to steady it.
“Is Frank with you?”
“No.” The panic escalated in her voice. “I can’t reach him, but I’ve called the doctor, and they said I need to come into the hospital right away.”
He didn’t wait for more information.
“I’ll be right there,” he said, and hung up the phone.
****
“Marienne thinks her water may have broken,” Daniel said to Justine’s sleeping figure. He rushed around the bedroom pulling on pants and a sweater and grabbing his wallet off the dresser. “Do you want to come with us to the hospital?”
“What?” Justine groaned and rolled over. “Hospital? It’s three in the morning. I have a presentation at eight. No way.”
“Well, I’m driving her.” He was aghast at her utter lack of concern. “Franks’s not home, and the doctor wants to see her straight away.” He tried to impress upon her the importance of the situation in an attempt to get some sort of semi-human response out of her.
“Daniel,” She whined. “People have babies every day, I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
“She’s not full term.” He pulled on his socks. Exasperated and anxious to leave, he was still desperate to make some impression on Justine.