20. Leah
CHAPTER 20
LEAH
L eah stared at her phone. It showed half a dozen missed calls from Dan, plus several texts. He’d written that he was sorry and that he wanted to talk. Dan had been sending these messages every few days for the past couple weeks.
These were the words that Leah had secretly dreamed of hearing over the past months, but now that she saw them, she couldn’t bring herself to reply. Yes, Dan was sorry now. But he’d still shown both of them that his work was more important than her or their children. Even if he wanted a part in Leah’s life now, she wasn’t sure if she could let him back in. After all, as Leah had reminded herself over and over again during her pregnancy, her babies deserved only the best.
Yet not replying to Dan was hard, too. Leah missed him terribly. Each time one of the triplets kicked, each time she ate lemon sorbet or walked in a park, each time she thought of work, Leah thought of Dan. There were so many moments she wished she could share with him.
Even this moment. Leah was doing nothing more than sitting on her couch, her swollen ankles propped on a footstool, flipping through a book of baby names, and she wanted nothing more than to ask Dan what he thought. They’d talked about baby names back in her first trimester, and Leah smiled as she remembered the names they’d discussed. Her smile widened as she remembered how they’d argued over the sex of the baby. Maybe, with three babies, Leah was having at least one boy and girl — she didn’t know. She’d decided not to find out until delivery day.
Then her smile faded. As much as she might want to joke with Dan about baby names, she needed a partner for the hard times as well as the lighthearted moments. Dan couldn’t just show up when he felt like it. He couldn’t just participate in the fun parts. He had to be ready to choose her, even when things were tough. And he wasn’t.
So, she was better off on her own.
It was probably the thousandth time she’d come to the same realization in the past few months, but it hurt even more this time. Before, she and Dan weren’t together because of a mutual decision. Now, they weren’t together because of her decision. That made it all the harder to stand her ground.
With a sigh, Leah put down the baby-name book. She needed to choose six names — three girl names and three boy names — just in case, but she hadn’t even started. It just didn’t feel right. And now she was caught up in thoughts of Dan, so her pleasant morning was pretty much out the window. Maybe she’d take advantage of the fact that there were fewer crowds in the daytime and go to the store.
As Leah heaved herself up from the couch, she marveled at the fact that she still had two weeks to go before her planned C-section. She wasn’t sure how she’d be able to move at the end of the pregnancy, if she was already waddling this much now.
Slowly, she gathered her purse and slipped on her shoes — when she’d finished her final day at work, she’d also given up on any shoes with heels or laces. It was all about the slip-ons from here on out. As she made her way to the door, she felt a twinge in her stomach and paused, her hand resting on her bump. She’d been having a few Braxton-Hicks contractions, which Moira assured her were normal at this stage of pregnancy.
“Hello in there.” She rubbed her stomach, feeling a round something that could be a head or a bottom, and smiled. It was wild to think that she’d be meeting three brand-new humans in just a couple weeks. At least she had a bit of time left to prepare. She’d need every second if she was going to get herself ready.
Leah took the elevator to the ground floor and began her slow walk to the supermarket down the street. It was a cold December day and she was chilly, despite a warm coat and hat. Christmas lights twinkled at her from the nearby shop windows, which made her smile. She loved the holidays and was excited about the fact that her babies would be born just after Christmas. Maybe she should consider some holiday names, like Noelle.
She waddled slowly towards the supermarket. As she went, she thought through her shopping list. She had taken advantage of the last few weeks away from work to relax and prepare. She’d been trying to cook extra food and freeze it, to prepare for the postpartum period. Several friends and her mother had volunteered to move in to help, but Leah had turned them down. She’d accept all the meals and visits and help they had to offer, but she wanted to do this alone.
As Leah entered the supermarket, she glanced at the stack of newspapers near the front. She had never been good at keeping up with the news, but she liked to see at least a few headlines so that she’d know what was going on in the world. Today, she was surprised to see RMA Pharmaceuticals on the front page. She hesitated. She wasn’t sure she wanted to read about her employer, not if Dan might be mentioned. Still, she tossed a paper into her cart and continued into the store. Maybe she’d read it later, back at home.
Leah perused the supermarket. Late in pregnancy, her love of carrots and sorbet had changed to a deep craving for olives and peanut butter, so she put a few jars of each into the cart. Then she added a few ingredients to make meals, some for now, and some to freeze for later. Finally, she hesitated in front of the diaper section. Did she have enough? Leah had a very well stocked cupboard at home, but babies needed a lot of diapers…
“Leah?”
Leah turned, surprised to see her friend Brandy from work. Brandy was holding a small plastic box of sushi and an orange juice.
“Oh, hi, Brandy!”
They exchanged an awkward hug around Leah’s belly. Although they’d been in frequent contact via text and calls, Leah hadn’t seen her friend in person since her last day of work.
“How are you doing?” Brandy looked Leah up and down. “You’re glowing!”
“I’m not so sure, but thank you.” Leah smiled. “How are you? How’s work?”
A slight grin appeared on Brandy’s face. “Well, I’ve been sworn to secrecy, but there’s something going on that you are going to love. Keep an eye on the papers.”
“Um, I will. Thanks.” Leah considered pressing her friend for more information, but Brandy was already moving away down the aisle.
“Sorry, I have to get back to work. But call me anytime, okay?”
“I will.”
Brandy left, and Leah’s gaze fell to the newspaper in the cart. Surely, the mention of RMA in the paper couldn’t be what Brandy had been talking about, right? Still, curiosity got the better of her, and she moved aside a loaf of bread to find the paper. As she scanned the first page, her eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open.
CEO of RMA Pharmaceuticals, Dan Marley, has turned heads today with a groundbreaking decision. As of January 1 st , the runaway success Forenal, a drug to help couples get pregnant faster, will be made available completely free of charge.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Adams,” Leah whispered out loud. “He could be doing this for lots of reasons.” She kept reading.
The move surprised financial analysts, but Marley commented that someone special helped him see why drugs like Forenal should be universally available. After an initial trial period, Marley hints that further drugs may be made more affordable to everyday consumers.
The article went on to talk about Forenal in more detail, but Leah’s eyes were too full of tears to read further. Dan had done this for her. Because of him, thousands of couples would have a better chance at having babies of their own. Dan must have remembered what she had said at the conference.
The full impact of this hit Leah. Dan had chosen her and her principles over profit. Dan had chosen her. Leah felt a tear roll down her cheek. This was the sign she’d needed, the one she hadn’t gotten from a simple apology. They still had a lot to talk about, but Leah was more than ready to talk now.
Suddenly, she knew she had to see Dan. At the very least, she needed to thank him for what he’d done for her. The groceries didn’t matter. She would walk to the office, right now, and find him.
Leah abandoned the cart and began shuffling towards the door. As she walked, though, another Braxton-Hicks contraction ripped through her and she had to stop, rest her hand on one of the shelves, and breathe until it passed. This had been stronger than the other Braxton-Hicks contractions she’d experienced. A lot stronger. Perhaps the babies sensed that things were changing between their parents.
Once the pain passed, Leah straightened up and continued towards the door. But as she walked, she experienced a very strange sensation and heard a loud splash. When she looked down, she was standing in a pool of liquid. As if this wasn’t enough to tip her off, another, much stronger, definitely real contraction gripped Leah.
She wasn’t going to Dan’s office. Not at all. Instead, she was having these babies. Right now. She was in labor.
An older woman hurried over.
“Miss, are you all right?”
“I think I’m in labor,” Leah said. A wave of disbelief washed over her. Surely it was too soon. Were her babies in danger?
“I think you’re right,” the woman said. “Let me call you an ambulance.”
Leah nodded. “Thank you.” Now that the contraction had passed, her pain was a lot less intense, but she still felt worried and uncomfortable. And she wished Dan were here.
The woman made the call. It seemed like barely a few moments passed before a team of paramedics were entering the store and helping Leah onto a stretcher. Leah gave them the name of her doctor and hospital and off they went. The hospital was close, so the ride was quick. Leah had another contraction in the ambulance, but this time she was better prepared and was able to breathe and stay calm through it.
When they arrived, a friendly nurse pushed Leah in a wheelchair to a private suite overlooking the city. Leah was momentarily surprised, then realized that Dan must have arranged this. He did know her doctor, after all. Another wave of affection seized her heart.
“Your doctor is on the way,” the nurse explained. “In the meantime, how about we get you cleaned up and into some dry clothes?”
“Yes, please.” Leah felt better once she was wearing a hospital gown and sitting on the bed. Then another stab of worry went through her. She’d come to the hospital so unexpectedly that she didn’t have her hospital bag or anything else with her. And her mother, who’d planned to drive down to be with her, was still in Madison.
Luckily, at that moment, Moira arrived. She looked as put-together and relaxed as ever as she crossed the room to Leah.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m all right.”
“Do you mind if I examine you?”
“No problem.”
As she lay back and Moira began checking her progress, Leah answered a few questions about how many contractions she’d had and how her water had broken. When Moira was finished, Leah sat back up.
“Well, I’m pleased to say that everything is looking great. We can go ahead with a C-section as we originally planned, but since you’re a little preterm and everyone is healthy, you may be able to deliver the babies instead. What do you think?”
Leah nodded. “I’d like to try.” This was all happening too fast, but Leah felt decisive. “If that’s safe for the babies.”
“Absolutely. We’ll get you hooked up to some monitoring to make sure, and you’ll have regular checks.” Moira met Leah’s eyes with a sympathetic gaze. “This must all be a lot to process. Is there anyone I can call?”
Many people would have been willing to come, from Leah’s friends to her parents, but only one person came to mind. There was one person Leah wanted — no, needed — by her side today, as she gave birth to the triplets. She just hoped that he wanted to be here.
“Will you please call the father? Dan Marley?”
“Of course.” Moira got to her feet. “The nurse will be in in a moment to get everything set up. I’ll make the call now.”
She left, and Leah lay back, overwhelmed by the fact that she was about to give birth and by the gesture Dan had made. She could only hope that he wanted to come and that he could put aside their months of not talking to help her through this.
Leah sank into another contraction, torn between fear and hope. Would Dan come? Even if he did, this wasn’t exactly a romantic way to reconcile with the man she loved…