Chapter 35
Tucker
This was a disaster. Everything was going wrong.
I stood outside the hospital room while the anesthesiologist gave Ava the epidural. They thought I was the bad guy.
I knew what it looked like. Maybe I could get Dr. Simmons to talk to someone about her condition. Or if Dr. Chancellor would get here for the delivery, he could explain it.
I had to be patient. It would get straightened out. My utmost concern was for Ava. She was operating in pure terror. Of course, she was. The pain had to be terrible. She had no idea what was happening to her.
Surely, the epidural would help.
And I still had to tell everyone. It had been a race since I got home.
I texted Gram first.
Me: Ava is in labor. She had a seizure. Rosie called 911. She’s getting an epidural. It’s about as bad as you might imagine.
I didn’t wait for an answer but moved on to the next. Ava’s dad.
Me: Ava went into labor early. She had a seizure. She has no memory. Rosie called 911.
Right as Gram’s reply came through, the phone buzzed with a call. Marcus.
“What the hell happened?” His voice boomed so loudly I had to pull the phone away from my ear.
I figured he’d want details. “When I got there, the EMTs had already arrived. She was hiding in the corner.”
“What was the dog doing?”
“Standing guard. Rosie called for help like she was supposed to.”
“But it still happened!”
He wasn’t thinking straight. It wasn’t like Rosie could prevent a seizure. “She was huffing pretty hard with the labor pains. It probably hit right away. Looks like she fell. She has a bruise on her face.”
“The dog was supposed to prevent that!”
“There’s no telling how fast it happened. Look, she’s getting an epidural. I need to call Isadora to handle Rosie and bring us our bag.”
“You didn’t bring the bag?” Every sentence was an accusation.
“Not on the ambulance. And I don’t have my car. Look, we’re okay. We’ll figure this out. We can talk when you get there.”
“I’m walking out of the office right now. I’ll go straight there.”
I didn’t point out that he wasn’t getting a bag either, and he didn’t have an amnesiac wife in labor. “I need to notify everyone.”
“I’ll call back from the road.” He hung up.
I blew out a long breath. This was hard.
I read Gram’s message. Should I come up?
That was a good idea. She could bring the bag when she did. Better than Isadora going out of her way. But not yet. Things were too wild for visitors.
Me: Yes. I’ll let you know when we have a timeline. Right now, they think I hurt her or something. I need to get that handled. I left the bag at home. It’s on the dresser. Can you bring it?
Gram. Of course. I’ll see to Rosie. You can let me know when I should come up.
Me: We’ll need a few more things.
Gram. You can send me a list.
I relaxed a small degree. She could bring the scrapbook. We needed that. Ava hadn’t wanted it to get damaged in the duffle bag, so it was in her office. The important videos were on both of our phones.
Ava’s phone. We would need to find that, too.
I would explain all this to Gram when we got to that point.
I texted Isadora next.
Me: We’re settled. Please let Rosie out of the office if you haven’t. Gram is coming to look after her until she comes up here. Thank you. I’ll update you.
Isadora: That was so scary. Are you okay? Is Ava okay?
Me: As much as we can be. She’s getting an epidural, and we’ll go from there.
Isadora: I’ll be praying for you both. Baby, too.
Me: Thanks.
Right. The baby. In all this, I was mostly worried about Ava and the dog and her trusting me and getting to the hospital.
But the baby was on the way. Ava just found out she was pregnant.
She didn’t even know his name. Had she understood that I was the father? Did any of this make sense to her at all?
She’d been focused on the pain. She was so afraid.
I leaned against the wall. This was too much, too much.
I had to pull myself together. Ava was in there, lost and confused. I had to get proof of her condition. Get the doctors involved.
But all the doctors’ offices were closed now. Maybe they would page Dr. Chancellor. I would have to try if they didn’t. He had said that an obstetrician on call would deliver her if he wasn’t available.
Another stranger. A doctor who didn’t know or understand.
A middle-aged woman in a floral dress approached, her hair swept into a glossy black updo. “Are you Ava’s husband?”
I shoved my phone into my pocket. “Yeah.”
She held out a hand. “I’m Clarissa, a social worker here at the hospital.”
Right. The one who would decide if I had hurt her.
I stood up straight and reached over for a handshake. “Nice to meet you. Ava’s getting an epidural.”
She nodded. “Could you sit with me for a second?”
I didn’t want to. I was ready to get back in the room the moment I was allowed, but maybe I wouldn’t be allowed if I didn’t pass her test.
“Sure.” I followed her down the hall to a section of chairs. They were empty.
“Let me make sure I have the details right,” she said.
We went through the basic questions. Names. Address. Birthdates.
“Can you tell me how Ava got the bruises? The nurses are concerned about her condition.”
I had to get this right. “Ava has epilepsy. We have a seizure dog at home to help her. My best guess since the EMTs were already there when I got home from work is that she fell when she had the seizure, and Rosie called 911.”
“The dog called an ambulance?”
“We have a special service dog phone. Rosie is highly trained.”
She used a stylus to take notes on an iPad. “I see. So, you were at work all day?”
“Yes, I left at eight that morning.”
“And Ava was alone?”
“She was with Rosie.”
More scribbles. “Did she have the bruise when you left that morning?”
What was she talking about? I already told her how she got it.
But I had to be calm. “She did not.” I decided to repeat myself. “She most likely got it when she had the seizure.”
“How do you know she had a seizure if you weren’t there? Did she tell you?”
Now, we would get to the part that was hard to believe. “Because she lost her memory.”
“Her memory?”
“Yes, her seizures cause her to lose her memory. That’s why it’s critical that I get back in there with her.”
Clarissa lifted an eyebrow. “Are you afraid of what she might say when you’re not in the room?”
What the hell? “No. She can say whatever she wants. I’m worried about her.”
“Because she lost her memory.” More scribbles.
I should have answered differently. I tried again. “The dog calls 911 if she detects a seizure.”
“I see. How often does Ava have these seizures?”
“Rarely. It’s been over a year.”
“And the dog always catches them?”
“This is the first one since we got her.”
“I see.” More writing.
I tapped my foot impatiently. “Are we done?”
Her eyebrow lifted again. “I’m here to assess Ava’s safety.”
Right. “What else do you need to know?”
“Have you ever been accused, arrested, or convicted of domestic violence?”
What kind of question was that? “No.”
“Do you have feelings of anger, frustration, or rage that you feel could get out of control?”
“What? No.” Other than maybe right now, with her.
She watched me. “How long have you been with Ava?”
“Since we were seventeen. So, uh, eight years.”
“And how long have you been married?”
“Eight months.”
There went that eyebrow again. “Did you know Ava was pregnant when you got married?”
“Yes, of course. That’s why we got married.”
More scribbles. “Do you have reason to suspect the child is not yours? Did this make you angry?”
I knew a leading question when I heard one. “Do I need a lawyer?”
She looked up from her tablet. “What makes you think you need a lawyer?”
“This sounds like an accusation. Look, she’s my wife. She has a condition almost nobody understands. And she’s alone and scared. I need to get back to her.”
Clarissa set her tablet on her lap. “Mr. Giddings, if I don’t believe Ava is safe with you, you don’t get to see her at all. I call the authorities.”
I let out a long, slow breath. This day kept getting worse.
I pulled out my phone. “I’m happy to wait out here. Her neurologist is Dr. Simmons. He’s been her neurologist for years and can easily verify her condition and our personal history. Her OB/GYN is Dr. Chancellor. If he comes in, he will also be able to verify everything I’ve told you.”
Clarissa took my phone and tapped the number into her form. “All right, Mr. Giddings. I’ll follow up with these physicians. I’ll check in with you and Ava in a little while.”
I sagged onto the chair. I’d passed.
She got up and swished down the hall. I took a moment to compose myself and headed back to Ava’s room.
No one was outside of it. I wasn’t sure if I could go in.
I paced on either side for a moment, then knocked.
The nurse in green scrubs who’d had trouble getting Ava to take the IV, opened the door. “We’re almost done. I’ll come for you.”
I hadn’t missed anything. As the door closed, I got a glimpse of Ava curled on her side. She must have been between contractions, as she had her head down and didn’t seem in distress.
I leaned against the wall again.
We would get through this day. We had to.