Chapter Seventeen
Camille
I lightly tugged the thin blue bonnet on my head, feeling the reassuring weight of the hospital blankets cocooning my lower half. By seven a.m., I’d already endured far too many needles, now with a plastic tube connecting my hand to a bag of clear liquid hanging from the stand Trenton was pushing. His other hand was on the left railing of my bed, walking alongside me, struggling to keep pace with the nurses who easily navigated the same long hallway his legs seemed reluctant to follow.
“You’re sure they understand?” I asked.
“Not that it matters, honey, but yeah. Of course they do. Taylor and Falyn are having a good time at Dad’s with the kids, and Raegan is planning to visit you tonight.”
“I could’ve waited. I should’ve waited.”
“We can. You wanna get out of here? I’ll shut this down right now and you can go home, but only if you’ve changed your mind. Not because you feel bad about not taking care of everyone else.” He straightened the blanket, tugging it toward him a bit to flatten the soft peaks in the fabric.
Trenton had been fussing over me all morning—adjusting my pillows, fetching ice chips, and generally hovering. But the moment I slipped into the soft, worn fabric of the hospital gown, something shifted in him. His smile seemed harder to maintain, weighed down by a worry I’d never seen before, a heaviness that felt foreign in our normally lighthearted exchanges.
He fought for hours to feign confidence and positivity, his voice light and almost cheery as he cracked jokes to lighten the mood. But I could see through the facade. Each step he took beside my gurney, guiding me toward the surgical suite, seemed to add to the tension in his shoulders. The smile he wore became more strained, a brittle thing that barely masked the anxiety flickering in his eyes. I could practically feel his fear, pressing down on both of us as we moved down the corridor.
“You look beautiful, baby doll. You’re going to do great,” he said, leaning closer as he spoke.
“Yeah, she is,” Chuck said. He’d been pushing me from the head of the bed but slowed to a stop just ahead of swinging double doors. “This is where we drop you off, Mr. Maddox. You’ll hang out in the waiting room for a bit and then someone will let you know which room she’ll be in after recovery.”
“Okay,” Trenton said, wiping his sweaty hands on his jeans. He put his hands on the rails of my bed and leaned down to kiss me, licking his lips first. He was definitely nervous. He never did that. “See you soon. I love you more than anything, you know that, right?”
I reached up to touch his cheek. “I do. You show me every day. See you in a few hours.”
He stood and took a few steps back, nodding. He looked to Chuck. “Take care of her.” It was more a command than a request.
“Will do,” Chuck said, pushing the gurney forward, whistling a commercial jingle. He peeked down at me with his deep brown eyes and winked, having no idea he was now the warden for Trenton Maddox’s most precious possession, and failure meant death.
Heather, the nurse on the other side from where Trenton had been, looked down at me, gently patting the hand free of tape and tubing. “He sure loves you.”
“Like no one else ever has,” I said as the doors swept open.
“This is it. My moment to shine,” Chuck said, steering the gurney next to another bed in the middle of the surgical suite. “I’ve been waiting to show you my parallel parking skills since the moment we met.”
“Ten minutes ago?” I quipped.
“I’m not one to wait around when it comes to showing off my talents, Cami,” he shot back with a wink.
Heather, standing nearby, chimed in with a smile. “It’s true. Chuck is the star of the show, always.”
She lowered the rail on the side of the gurney, and Chuck finished his precision maneuver, pushing it flush against the surgical bed. With a swift move, he engaged the brake, and the gurney gave a soft jolt as the wheels locked into place.
“Okay,” Heather said, preparing the IV stand and tubes. “Slide right on over for me. Try to keep your gown from getting tucked underneath you if you can.”
I followed her directions, lying down flat. There were other nurses and techs in the room, but they were busy preparing the sterile field.
“Hi,” a man said, leaning over into my line of sight. “Remember me?”
“Dr. Sleep, I presume,” I teased.
He chuckled. “Don’t go using my superhero name unless I’m in full cape and spandex. Here, it’s just Dr. Dan.”
“Understood. Dr. Dan it is. Let me know if you ever need a sidekick. I’ve got some pretty sick one-liners.”
He laughed, glancing at Heather. “I like this one. I’m going to infuse my usual cocktail with a dash of ‘waking up fluent in five languages’ and a sprinkle of ‘unlimited tacos for life.’ You’re coming out of this either ready to impress at a UN meeting or enjoying the best damn fiesta anyone’s ever seen.”
“Meeting a taco angel was not on my bingo card today.”
Everyone in the room paused to appreciate my response, sharing a collective chuckle.
“What did you give me?” I asked Dr. Dan. “I’m suddenly exhausted. Feel like I hit a wall.”
“Nothing just yet. Did you have a restless night? Maybe it’s finally catching up with you.”
“Yeah, that’s definitely a possibility.”
“Here in a bit,” he said, shifting into professional mode, “I’m going to place a mask over your nose and mouth and have you take some deep breaths for me, okay? We’ll get the good stuff flowing through your IV. You’re about to have the best nap of your life. You might experience a metallic taste in your mouth—that’s normal. Have you ever had general anesthesia before?”
“I don’t think so. I was in a pretty bad car accident a few years ago, but no surgery.”
“Any complications from your hospital stay that you’re aware of?”
“I don’t know, Dr. Dan. But in my defense, I was unconscious for most of it.”
He breathed out a laugh. “Fair enough. I’ll double check your chart, just to make sure we’re in the clear before I get started. Any questions?”
“Nope, seems like you know what you’re doing, even without your spandex.” I shivered, finally feeling the chill in the room sneaking underneath my blankets.
“Want another blanket from the warmer?” Heather asked, her long lashes blinking above her mask.
“Yes, please.”
She disappeared for a moment, and then returned, a comforting heat settling the shivering that had taken over my body.
“Chamomile?” a deep voice called from the double doors. Dr. Ley walked over, standing just above me, winking. “Trenton told me to call you that.”
I smiled, feeling even more relaxed. “Aw. I used to hate it when he called me that. Now I love it.”
He chuckled. “I’m going to scrub up, and once you’re comfortable and asleep, we’ll get started. This is going to make things a lot easier for you moving forward. Any questions?”
I shook my head. “Not that I can think of.”
“Okay,” he said with a reassuring pat and nod. “I’ll be back in a bit. Let me know if that changes.”
I stared up at the sterile ceiling, the rhythmic beeping of the machines a mechanical lullaby. Conversations floated in the air—low but lively, the chatter of nurses and surgical techs punctuated by the shuffle of footsteps on a linoleum floor still sticky from a fresh wipe-down. I found myself longing for the nap that was just moments away, but an undercurrent of dread twisted in my stomach, anticipating the pain that awaited me when I woke—both physical and emotional.
In that heavy silence, I felt my unfulfilled dreams disappearing from reality. Every hope and prayer of sharing the news with Trenton, feeling the gentle flutter of our baby kicking inside me, growing too big for my clothes, the excitement and even chaos of labor and delivery—all of it hung suspended in that moment, and at the same time, was slipping away. I’d never see the absolute joy and pride light up Trenton’s face the first time he held our newborn child, and the grief of finality seared through me, knowing that chapter was about to close.
Sure, we had other options, paths we could explore, but this moment felt like an irrevocable ending. I couldn’t help but mourn what could have been, the loss settling in my chest, threatening to engulf me.
Dr. Dan stood above me with the oxygen mask in his hand. “You ready?” he asked.
I nodded, but just as I reached up to wipe away a tear that had escaped the outer corner of my eye, the double doors banged open and a woman screamed.
“Wait! No one move!”
The buzzing in the room faded for just a heartbeat, a pause that left everyone frozen before hushed conversations erupted. A flurry of movement surrounded the woman who’d barged in, their voices rising and falling in an urgent symphony of concern. I caught Dr. Ley’s voice weaving through the commotion, his words rapid and clipped but too low for me to grasp any meaning.
I strained to angle my head, desperate to catch a glimpse, but their mouths were all obscured by masks, making it impossible to decipher what they were so furiously discussing. The tension was palpable, a tightrope of anxiety strung between them, and my heart raced as I tried to interpret the frantic gestures and hurried exchanges.
Dr. Ley finally broke away from the group, putting one hand gently on my shoulder, the other pulling down his mask. “It seems… well, we’re not doing the surgery today, Camille.”
“What?” I asked, looking around at the multiple pairs of eyes staring at me, waiting for my reaction to whatever news they already knew. “Why not?”
“We’ve been waiting on your labs. They just came back, and,” he breathed out a laugh, shaking his head in stunned disbelief. “You’re pregnant.”
I blinked, unable to process what he said. “I’m… pregnant.”
“Congratulations,” he said with a smile.
“Congratulations, Cami!” Heather said.
“W-what?” I stammered, feeling dazed. Chuck helped me to sit up, and I swiveled to hang my legs over the edge of the bed. “I don’t understand. I—” I looked up at the IV bag, then down at my hand. “Is this okay? Do we…”
“It’s saline, it’s perfectly fine. You’re fine. You’re just…” he laughed again. “You’re having a baby, Camille.”
“I’m…” I looked down at my middle, touching my stomach through the hospital gown. “Oh my God. Oh my God!” I cried, my eyes filling with tears. “Can someone… can someone get my husband?”
Chuck wheeled the gurney next to me. “Let’s get you back to your room. Heather will get him from the waiting room, and you can meet him there where it’s more private.”
He helped me off the surgical bed, sitting me up for the ride back. As we left the surgical suite, the voices behind me erupted in excited chatter.
Down one hall, a turn, and then down the next, we soon arrived in a room, the bed turned down and ready for me. Chuck helped me move again, and as I settled in, another nurse arrived. She approached me with a wide grin, the warmth in her expression adding a glimmer of reassurance to counteract the panic and confusion.
Her chestnut-brown hair was pulled back into a neat braid that rested over one shoulder. Her hazel eyes were soft but alert, complementing the pastel-blue scrubs she wore, patterned with tiny yellow sunflowers that seemed to brighten the room. “Hi, Camille, I’m Andy. I’m just going to get you disconnected here,” she said, efficiently removing the IV from my hand and replacing it with a Band-Aid. “Is that better?”
“Yes, thank you.” I sat back once she raised the head of my bed. The world felt like it was moving in slow motion and racing by at the same time. Part of me wondered if Dr. Dan had already put me to sleep and I was dreaming.
The curtain was pulled back again, but this time, it was Trenton. He was wide-eyed, looking around. “Are you okay? They said the surgery isn’t happening today but wouldn’t tell me why. What’s going on?” Two deep lines formed between his brows as he sat next to me and took my hand in his, preparing for whatever I was about to tell him. “You’ve… you’ve been crying. What is it, baby?”
“The labs came back right before they put me under.” I tried to get out the words without sobbing.
“What? Is it bad?”
“No,” I squeaked, shaking my head.
“Cami… what ?” he begged. “What the fuck’s going on? Is it bad? Did they find something?”
“I’m pregnant,” I blurted, laughing and crying at the same time.
Trenton shook his head, unable to understand.
“They did a pregnancy test as part of the lab work,” I continued. “Someone barged into the room right as they were about to put me under and screamed to stop because the test was positive,” I said, wiping my cheeks with the back of my free hand.
Trenton looked down, blinked, then returned his stunned gaze back to me. “They’re sure?”
I sniffed and nodded. “They’re sure. Dr. Ley will be in soon.”
“We’re,” he hesitated to say the words. “We’re having a baby?”
“We’re having a baby!” The words tumbled out through simultaneous tears and laughter.
“No fucking way!” he yelled, throwing his hands on top of his head. His eyes glossed over, and his face crumbled, his bottom lip trembling. “It’s… they’re sure? It’s not a mistake, right? They’re like… sure sure?”
“We’re sure,” Dr. Ley said as he strolled in. The words he said next seemed to blur together as he explained that I was around six weeks, but because my periods were so irregular we’d have to wait to better pin down an exact due date, but it was likely early December. He talked about lab numbers, discharge procedure, and asked us to call for our first prenatal visit in the next day or two. As quickly as he arrived, he shook Trenton’s hand and left, leaving us alone.
I wiped a tear from his cheek as he stared at me, his bottom lip trembling. “December? I… just… wait a second. This is… this is real.”
“We’re really pregnant,” I beamed.
Trenton exhaled in total disbelief, and then gently cupped his hands along my jaw, leaning in to touch his lips to mine. When he finally backed away, he put a hand on my stomach, leaning down. “Hey, you.” His voice broke. “We’ve been waiting on you for a long, long time.”
“What if,” I began, but he shook his head quickly, closing his eyes.
“Please don’t. Don’t say it. Just… let’s just forget everything else and be happy. Right now, I just want to think about this baby, our family, and nothing else.”
I touched the back of his head. “Okay. You’re right. No what ifs.”