Chapter Fourteen Coconut
Chapter Fourteen Coconut
Valerie
“Wexler!”
Pots and pans tumbled loudly onto the floor in the kitchen, and then Andrew was in the bedroom, breathless. “What? Are you
okay? What happened? Is it the baby?”
“No! It’s hot. Don’t you think it’s super hot?” She was splayed on his bed like a starfish in just a bra and underwear.
His palm was on his chest, and his lips were in a thin line. “Woman, you are going to give me a fucking heart attack.”
“Sorry,” she said coyly. “I’m just so hot.”
He walked to the thermostat and made it colder and then turned on the ceiling fan.
“This should help.”
“Andrew?”
“Yes, Marquez.”
“Thank you.” She almost burst into tears. The feeling she felt for him just then was overwhelming. He was so sweet, and she wanted to tell him how much she appreciated everything he did for her and how much he meant to her. In the past months he’d become the most important person in her life. It scared the hell out of her because doubt still lingered: Was it only because of the baby? Did he feel the same way?
He smiled and kissed her forehead. “I really like you, Andrew,” she blurted out.
He wiped away the lone tear that came out of her eye and kissed her lips tenderly. “I like you more, sweetheart.” He ran his
fingers softly through her hair until she felt herself melt into the bed. The AC was working. Or was it Andrew’s tenderness
and patience?
Ten minutes later, he stood up, and she missed him almost immediately. He walked into his closet and put on a thick sweater,
then cracked up with laughter. “How are you not freezing?”
“I’m in heaven right now.”
“Good,” he said, and then went back to the kitchen to make dinner.
The next morning, Valerie sat at the edge of the bed struggling to find her feet. At thirty-five weeks, all she could see
was the way her belly button had popped out like the thermometer people used when making a turkey.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” he asked when she huffed out and tossed herself back onto the bed, defeated.
“I can’t put on my shoes.”
He chuckled and then bent down on one knee. “You know... since I’m already here.” He reached into the nightstand and took
something out. She couldn’t see what it was. “It’s a great time to ask you a question I’ve been wanting to ask you.”
She panicked and awkwardly tried to sit back up. “No. No. Things are great, don’t mess it up. Get up. Don’t ask me anything.”
He laughed so much that he fell on his butt.
“I was just going to massage your feet, crazy.” He showed her a bottle of lotion.
“Oh.”
He chuckled. “Hand me your shoes, silly woman.”
“I hate you, you know,” she said without any anger.
“I know for a fact that you like me. A lot.”
“Ugh. I should have kept that to myself. You’re not supposed to use my hormonal vomits against me.”
“Hormonal vomit?” He laughed. “Kneeling really is a trigger for you, isn’t it. I have to admit, I love to see you freak out
at the thought of marriage.”
“Why?”
“Because one day... maybe not for a long time, but one day, you’re not going to freak out.”
“Look who’s vomiting craziness now. Just help me with my shoes, please.”
He squeezed her feet. “Have you checked your BP today?”
“Not yet.”
“Your feet are really, really swollen, Valerie.” He stood and grabbed the monitor. The humor from a moment ago was gone. He
helped her with the cuff and then pressed the button on the monitor. They waited for it to squeeze, beep, and stop.
“One thirty-nine over ninety,” she said, her voice trembling. He looked as scared as she did.
“You don’t want to freak out and make it worse. It’s not one forty. Let’s take a breath and call the doctor.”
Andrew handed her the phone, and she dialed.
Andrew
Andrew tried to make Valerie feel calm, but he was just as freaked out as she was. Her feet were so swollen that he’d had
to lend her one of his own flip-flops so they could go to the hospital and meet Dr. Bakshi. As soon as they walked in, Valerie
was taken into a room and poked and prodded. Her pressure had increased a little more.
“I’m only at thirty-five weeks. It’s too early, Andrew,” Valerie cried into Andrew’s arms.
“It’s going to be okay. Shhh,” he said, as he held her and stroked her hair.
Dr. Bakshi came into the room and checked the chart and all the monitors, as well as looking Valerie over.
“Okay, this is what I’d like to do. I’m going to give you something to help control the hypertension. If your pressure stabilizes
and remains stable, I’ll admit you, but we need to monitor you. Every day the baby stays inside is a good day.”
“And if the BP doesn’t stabilize?” Andrew asked.
“We have to deliver him.”
Valerie started to hyperventilate.
“No. No. Calm down,” the doctor said. “Thirty-five weeks is not catastrophic. Plus, we have no reason to believe your BP won’t
stabilize with the drugs.”
“And if the BP does drop, does that mean she could make it to forty weeks?” Andrew asked.
“It’s not likely, but anything after thirty-eight weeks is considered full-term, and even thirty-five isn’t terrible. But
let’s have you stay at the hospital and keep baby and mom comfortable. When your pressure spikes, it puts you both in distress.”
“Okay,” she said, but the monitor beeped faster. Her anxiety was not helping the situation at all.
Dr. Bakshi called out orders, and the nurses did their thing. Andrew stood next to Valerie. “I’m going to call Carmichael.
I think you’re officially on maternity leave. I’ll take some time off too.”
“No. If I’m stable today, then you can go back tomorrow. No reason for us both to miss work. The next round of the spelling
bee is next week, and I know how important that is to you.”
“Not more important than you and the baby, Val.”
“I know, but the hospital is ten minutes from school. If there is an emergency I’ll call you. You sitting here staring at
me all day isn’t necessary, especially when I’m sure my mother will be sitting right next to you the entire time.”
“Well, I’m not making that decision until I see your pressure stabilize. Let me at least explain what’s going on to Carmichael.”
Valerie agreed and closed her eyes. For years she’d done yoga, and she even used to meditate. This was the time to practice
those things. Calm. Relax. Those were the things that needed to happen. Everything else was unimportant at the moment.
At some point, Valerie fell asleep. She didn’t know how long she’d been asleep, but when she awoke she had an IV and the monitors weren’t beeping like they were earlier. Mostly, the beeps were a soft lull.
“You’re up?” Andrew said as her eyes fluttered open. Her mother was also in the room.
“How long have I been sleeping?”
“Four hours,” he said.
“Holy crap,” she said, and yawned. “Hi, Mom.”
Her mother kissed her forehead. “Your BP is better.”
“Thank God,” she said, and then pointed to the pink water pitcher. She was parched. Anabel poured her some water, and she
drank.
“You guys don’t have to stay, you know? I can call—”
They both waved her off. “This is the plan,” Andrew said. “I’m staying nights and your mom is staying days. I’m literally
ten minutes away and you will call me if you have even a hiccup. Otherwise, I’m not moving from this room until the baby is
born.”
“Sergeant Wexler’s back.”
“It’s not a joke, Valerie. I mean it.”
“I know. And I understand. I’ll call you if there are any issues.”
“I’m going to run home and grab some clothes and a shower, and I’ll be back in about an hour.”
“Okay,” she said, and her eyes misted.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
He’d never called her baby before, and it made her fall more in like with him. Hell, she was well past like. She was in love. Whether she said it out loud or kept it to herself, the truth was, she was in love with the man. She’d been fighting it, because she was terrified he’d wake up years from now and regret winding up with a woman he didn’t love just because of a baby.
“I’m scared.”
“I know. Me too, but it’s going to be okay.” He cupped her face and kissed her repeatedly and so sweetly, it made her plummet
into Loveland. “We’ve made it all these months. You’re at the finish line. The doctor explained it all to me while you were
sleeping, and you’re where you need to be right now.”
“Maybe someone could explain it to me.”
“I’ll explain it when Andrew leaves,” Anabel said. “What drugs you’re on and how they work and what you can and can’t do while
you’re on bed rest, which isn’t really bed rest because they want you to walk around.”
“Okay.”
He kissed her forehead. “You sure you’re okay if I step out for a little while?”
“Yeah, it’s okay. I’m freaking out a bit, but I’m okay.”
She almost said those three little words, but she bit her tongue and smiled as he waved goodbye.