Authors: Brenda Jernigan
The doctor nodded curtly, then with apparently no time to waste, turned to leave.
Adrian grabbed the doctor's arm. "She will be all right, won't she?"
"We'll do everything we can."
The next few hours seemed like the longest of Adrian’s life. He paced. He prayed. And then he paced again. Adrian almost wished he could cry, because he felt like he was suffocating inside.
If something bad had to happen, why couldn't it have been to him? Dani was the sweet one. She only deserved the best. He ran a trembling hand through his hair. God, maybe he didn't deserve her at all.
He had put her life in danger during the hurricane; she'd almost choked to death when he surprised her at the restaurant, and now this. He was the one who had insisted on taking the damned trip. It was all his fault.
Adrian looked around and found he had wandered back to the chapel. Getting down on his knees, he began to pray. "Please don't take her from me. I know I don't deserve her, but please give me another chance. Please." Finally, hot, wet tears slid down his face. Never did he think one person could mean so much to him.
After awhile, Adrian pushed himself to a standing position and wiped the tears from his face. Feeling oddly relieved, he went back to the cold, stuffy waiting room.
Finally the doctor came through the doors, removing his green surgical cap as he
came forward. He wasn’t smiling. "It would be best if we sit down.”
Adrian stiffened. “I’ll stand.”
“She came though the surgery. Seems your wife had a cyst on her ovary, and it ruptured during delivery. It’s likely the same thing would have happened at the hospital, so, it wasn't your fault."
Adrian let the breath out that he’d been holding.
"How is she?"
"She's in critical condition I'm afraid
, and she’s lost a lot of blood. But she seems strong. With time and luck, she should pull through. She's weak, at the moment and is still unconscious."
"She'll pull through!" Adrian stated with firm authority. "Where is she? I want to see her."
"You need some rest, son."
"No! I need my wife."
“Look. She’ll be in recovery room until she comes out of the anesthesia. They monitor her for a while, and when she’s stabilized, she’ll go to a room. The charge nurse will let you know. Go get something to eat, or better yet, try to get some rest. You need your strength, too.” He reached into his pocket. “Here is a pager to carry. We’ll buzz you as soon as we put her into a room.”
Adrian nodded and went to the cafeteria. He knew there was no way he could sleep. He placed the pager on the table next to his sandwich, but he couldn’t eat. Instead he drank a cup of black coffee
and he waited. Sometime later the buzzer went off and Adrian almost tipped over his second cup of coffee.
Adrian stopped at the nurses’ station. “Where is my wife?”
The nurse glanced up at him with a patient frown. “And you would be?”
Adrian smiled then, realizing these people had no idea who he was. “Adrian Massimino.”
"Ah,” the nurse said. “I've put Mrs. Massimino in room 320."
Adrian wasted little time finding Dani’s room four doors down from the nurses’ station.
Dani was much too pale, he thought as he stood by her bedside. Tenderly, he brushed a tendril of blonde hair from her cheek and began to talk to her about anything and everything. He held her hand while he explained his childhood and how he started his own business. Soon one hour led to three, and still he talked.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my job when you asked, sweetheart. But if you'll just get well, I'll never keep anything from you again.
"Do you know we have a beautiful baby? You’ve got to wake up, so I can show you. We can't live without you, Dani. You must get well.” Adrian swallowed the lump in his throat. “I love you more than life itself. I don't want to go back to the way my life was before I met you. Fight, sweetheart. Do it for me. If not for me, then do it for the baby."
Adrian wasn't sure when he stopped talking, but it had to be somewhere close to dawn when he pulled a chair next to the bed and slumped down.
Someone was shaking his shoulder.
"Wake up, Mr. Massimino. You've been here all night."
Sleepily, Adrian raised his head and with a scratchy voice asked, "How's my wife?"
"I checked her vital signs before I woke you,” the nurse said. “They’re better. See, look at her cheeks. They have color in them. Now, why don't you go wash up and see the baby. I bet you your wife will be awake when you get back."
"I--I don't want to leave her."
"You won’t do any of us any good with you passed out on the floor."
"Guess you're right. But promise me you won't say anything about the baby. I want to tell her."
The nurse nodded as she said, "I promise. Now, shoo."
Dani could barely hear Adrian's voice. Why was he babbling so about his childhood? She was so tired. Much too tired to open her eyes, but she had to try because she had to take care of the baby.
"The baby!" Dani came straight up into a sitting position, a stabbing pain in her stomach made her cry out. Her head swam, but she fought for control while she ran her hand over her stomach which was very tender.
However, she was no longer pregnant. Wait! She remembered having the baby, but she didn't remember hearing the baby cry. “Oh God, no!”
A man in a white coat entered her room with a stethoscope draped around his neck. "I'm glad to see your eyes open. You gave us a bad scare."
"Where's my baby!" Dani looked frantically around the room. “Is something wrong? And where is my husband?”
"Calm down, you’ll just upset yourself. And we don’t want you to pull your stitches."
"Stitches? What happened? And where am I?"
"You're at Ocean Way Hospital. Your husband had you flown over here."
"My baby. What happened to my baby?" She clutched the doctor's arm.
"The baby is fine, your husband has gone to get the baby,” the doctor said. He eased
her back against the pillows. “Let me explain what happened." The doctor filled her in on the events that had taken place while he made notes on his clipboard. "If your husband hadn't been such a quick thinker, I'm afraid you wouldn't have made it, young lady."
A nurse entered the room, carrying a vase full of flowers. You're a well-loved young woman. I had to practically push your husband out of the room this morning. Do you know he sat beside your bed and talked to you all night until he fell asleep sometime this morning?"
"He did?" So she hadn’t dreamed about all that.
"Yes, ma'am. It's plain to see how much he loves you."
"And he took care of you and the baby," the doctor added. "I think you've got a good man. Someone you can always count on."
"Thanks to you both.” Dani shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs between her and remembering. “But my baby--what did I have?"
"Sorry, Mr. Massimino told me he wanted to tell you himself," the nurse said with an apologetic smile.
"Did I hear my name?" Adrian entered her room carrying a small bundle wrapped in a white receiving blanket. Dani couldn't stop the tears that gathered in her eyes.
"I believe we have someone here who would like to meet their mother."
"If you'll excuse us. I don't think we're needed anymore," the doctor, gesturing for the nurse to follow him out of the room.
Dani held up her arms to take the tiny bundle. She pulled back the blanket to see a beautiful, olive skinned baby with a thick thatch of dark hair wearing a pink diaper shirt. She gazed up at her with wide, dark eyes. "She's beautiful."
"Just like her mother." Adrian smiled down at her as he sat on the bedside.
"Thank you, Adrian." She leaned up stretching to kiss him. "You were there for us when we needed you most. I love you so much."
"Not half as much as I love you, sweetheart." Adrian wrapped his arm around her, but had to pull back quickly
when their bundle protested at being caught between them.
"Sweetheart, I've taken the liberty of naming our daughter since we never got around to discussing that issue. I think you'll approve."
"Well." Dani hoped she'd like his choice. "Tell me."
"Meet your daughter, Stormy Massimino."
"Oh, Adrian. It's perfect!”
Without warning, thunder rumbled outside, and Dani glanced out the window to see that it was dark and rainy. Then she turned back and smiled at her husband. She knew where Adrian had gotten the name.
"Yes, sweetheart. A beautiful new home, a beautiful new family, white sandy beaches, and it's going to rain like hell all weekend." Adrian grinned.
"
September storms
, God, how I love them!"