In the dream, Daisy leaned forward, gripping Ken’s hand, and bore down and pushed. It was strange that she felt no pain. The room was green with green tile floors and green tile walls. The nurses wore green scrubs and green surgical masks on their faces.
“That’s it, Daisy, keep pushing,” Dr. Reynolds said from behind the green mask.
A cry filled the room. Daisy sniffed and leaned back, turning her head to look at Ken and tell him it was all okay, but he wasn’t next to her anymore. He stood off to the side, holding the baby, but he didn’t look at the baby. He stared at her with a look of sheer terror on his face.
“What’s wrong? Ken, what’s wrong?” she asked. The world shifted and turned. Somehow, she stood off to the side. A bright light shone down on the operating table where red blood covered the green sheets. All the red and all the green and the bright lights reminded her of Christmas.
“I can’t stop the bleeding.”
“Someone needs to go talk to the husband.”
Daisy turned her head and saw a male doctor in green scrubs put a hand on Ken’s back. Ken cradled the baby next to his chest like a football with one arm. He covered his face with his other hand, and his entire body shook with a silent sob.
Suddenly, her mother appeared next to him. “I’ll take the baby now.”
He looked up at her. “It’s not your baby,” he said in Spanish.
“No.” Her mother shook her head. “It’s not your baby. Give it here. Time for you to go now.” She insistently held out her arms.
Daisy opened her eyes. She lay in her own bed. She rolled to a sitting position and put her hands over the swell of her stomach. Her heart beat a rapid rhythm, and her head pounded. She tried to shake off the cobwebs of the dream. Parts of it made no sense, while parts of it felt very real.
Before she could stop them, tears fell out of her eyes. She looked over her shoulder. Ken lay on the pillow, soundly sleeping, a look of peace and contentment on his face.
She quietly left the room and walked to the baby’s room. They hadn’t really done any work in here yet. The crib, dresser, and changing table sat in the middle of the room. They were waiting to find out what they had before they put the nursery together.
She sat on the soft glider chair, her arms wrapped around her belly. “God,” she whispered, “what did that mean? What do I need to do?”
She was due in two weeks. She felt good and had great energy. Was the dream an omen, a warning from God, or the result of cheese ravioli for dinner?
Rubbing the small of her back, Daisy paced in front of Ken’s desk. He sat back and said, “Please sit down. You’re making me dizzy.”
Ken went back to writing numbers into a column on the pad in front of him as if that settled the matter. He had a big annual meeting in two weeks and hadn’t fully prepared for it yet. Every day brought them closer to Daisy’s due date, and he really wanted to have this work finished so he could focus on her.
She stopped and turned, putting her hands flat on his desk. “This is important, Ken, and I don’t understand why you’re reluctant to go over this paperwork with me.”
He set the columnar pad aside and picked up the manila envelope she’d brought in with her. “I’m not reluctant. I just don’t understand what the big deal is.”
“It isn’t a big deal right now, but if something happens to me, it might become a big deal,” Daisy said.
She angled her body and slowly sat in the chair across from him. He pulled out the stack of papers. The first one was titled “Last Will and Testament.” He also saw a notarized statement, a living will, and sealed envelopes addressed to both her parents and his.
“Why are you making such a fuss about this?” he asked. She’d used a purple sticky note to flag a page on the will, so he turned to it. He frowned as he read the words.
In the event of my death before all the adoption paperwork can be finalized, I leave my first-born child to my husband, Kenneth Dixon. He is listed as the father on the birth certificate and is going through the adoption proceedings at the earliest available time. In attachment C, you will find the signed and sealed Voluntary Surrender of Parental Rights received from the child’s natural father.
“Honey, do you really think all this is necessary?” He stood and walked around the desk, sitting in the chair next to hers. When her eyes filled with tears, he wanted to soothe her and make all of her fear go away, but he didn’t know how to.
“Ken, I just feel like this is important,” she said, breathing hard, “Like, I don’t want to wish we had.”
“What do you think is gonna happen?”
She waved his words away like batting at a fly. “If something happens to me, you need to be legally covered to take custody. Too many people know you aren’t the biological father. I don’t want anyone to take advantage of that and take the baby from you.” Her voice ended on a high-pitched hiccup.
His jaw clenched at her words. Despite both of them knowing that he considered this baby completely his, he understood what she meant. “Nothing is going to happen.”
“Will you please just initial and sign, then keep the letters here?”
“Of course.” He took one of her hands in both of his. “What are these letters to our parents?”
She looked at their joined hands and then met his gaze. “The one to my parents is to ensure they understand how I feel about you taking the baby and to appeal to them not to fight it. The one to your parents is to ask them to support you in raising the baby and not try to convince you to give it up.”
He closed his eyes, begging God to keep him from snapping in impatience at his very pregnant, very hormonal, and nearly hysterical wife. She’d had the same dream three nights in a row and hadn’t been the same since the first one.
Finally, he said, “I’ll sign the legal forms. You take them and file them. I’ll keep the envelopes with me. But I won’t need them because nothing is going to happen.”
“One more thing,” she stated. “I also signed a living will, but I want you to hear me. If it comes down to the baby or me, you save that baby. Do you understand?”
He knew a lot could go wrong during childbirth. He also knew that it almost never came down to an even choice between which person survived. Either the child or the mother would have a better chance. If it came down to it, he would make the logical choice. He also didn’t want to lie to his wife. But informing her that he understood her wishes was not really lying. It took him several heartbeats to say, “I understand.”
Immediately, she relaxed, and a smile lit her up as the tears faded away. “It’s such a relief to finish it. Maybe now that I’ve taken care of this, the dream will go away.”
“Yes, now your mind can rest. And so can you.”
She cupped his cheek with her hand. He leaned into her touch, savoring it. “I know you’re tolerating this. I appreciate it, though. I’m an attorney. It’s just that I understand the legalities of what can happen. Now I know what can’t happen.” She stood and handed him a pen. “Sign where I’ve marked, and I’ll go file everything.”
Daisy followed Ken into Brad and Valerie’s house. She felt immensely pregnant today, more than ever. Maybe because today marked her due date, and nothing at all gave any indication that she’d go into labor anytime soon.
At least she’d slept for the last week. The second she had all the paperwork filed and legal, her dreams faded, and sleep returned.
She walked into the living room and found Valerie lying in a recliner with her feet up. She had passed her due date almost a full week ago. Her doctor had told her they would consider inducing her if she didn’t deliver today or tomorrow.
“Hi, you.” Daisy perched on the edge of the couch. “How are you?”
Valerie screwed her face up and rubbed her hip. “I will be much better by this time next week. I feel confident about that.”
As they talked, Alex strolled into the room. Daisy had never seen anyone so graceful and poised while pregnant. Alexandra had barely gained any weight, and if she didn’t have such a large stomach, no one could have told she was due in a week. She rubbed the sides of her belly and said, “Brad laid out some breakfast makings for us in the kitchen.”
Brad, Ken, and Jon all prepared to leave. They planned to be in their conference room by seven-thirty. Ken bent and kissed her and said, “This will be the fastest annual meeting in recorded history. I promise.”
“Especially since I’m running it,” Brad said, scrolling through his phone.
From the kitchen, Alex’s cousin Jeremy came into the room. He carried a thick leather book and sat on the corner of the couch. “I got this. You guys go on.”
Daisy looked at Ken and said, “Ken, we all have phones. We don’t actually need a babysitter.”
Ken shook his head. “The three of us feel better knowing someone’s here who isn’t pregnant.”
Alex threw her head back and laughed. “You better go.”
They walked out of the house, and Valerie put down the footrest of the recliner. “I think I do want to eat. Will someone please help me up?”
As Alex took one hand and Daisy took the other, Jeremy stood and said, “Ladies, please. I enjoy living, so I don’t want to explain to your husbands why you all went into labor while helping Valerie get to her feet while I sat there like a bump on a pickle and watched.”
He walked forward and took Valerie’s hands in his, taking her weight and helping her stand. She rubbed her hip and shifted her body, then thanked him.
In the kitchen, Daisy grabbed a plate and selected a slice of rye bread and a scoop of egg salad. As she slathered mayonnaise on the bread, Alex said, “I can’t believe the guys actually went to this meeting. Jon has been hovering like a helicopter for a month now. I can barely get him to spend the entire morning at work.”
Valerie shook her head. “Big annual meeting with all the department heads. It’s always the last Thursday in February. I imagine Brad could have changed the date this year, but they have consultants that come in from out of town.”
Daisy shrugged. “I don’t really care that they left us. I just think it’s kind of funny.”
Alex chuckled. “I think the only person who doesn’t actually find it funny is Jeremy.”
“Just hold your water, and all will be well,” he said with a wink.
Alex walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of orange juice. At the sound of liquid hitting the ground, she gasped and inspected the pitcher as if it were the source of the noise. Daisy realized what happened and rushed toward her. Alex looked down and saw the puddle forming at her feet. “No. I’m not first!”
Jeremy immediately took her elbow and said, “What did I just say? Okay, cousin, you’re with me.”
Alex shook her head. “No. It’s not me first. Valerie goes first, then Daisy, then me. I’m not even due for another week.”
“Sorry, sweetheart. We don’t make these decisions.”
“Do you have a change of clothes with you, maybe in your car?” Valerie asked. Alex pressed her lips together and shook her head. Valerie patted her on the shoulder and said, “It’s okay. I can go get you something.”
As Valerie started from the room, she froze and bent at the waist. Daisy rushed to her side. “Are you okay?”
Valerie looked up at her. She had sweat beading on her brow. She panted, “Contraction. Hard one.”
Daisy met Jeremy’s eyes. “Do you want to call them, or shall I?”
“You send text messages. I’ll drive.”
“We’ll take my SUV,” Valerie said. “Brad made sure it was accessible before he left.”
Outside, Alex put her hand on the hood of the vehicle and leaned against it, moaning out loud. Daisy rubbed between her shoulders. “Can you get into the car?”
“I have to, don’t I?”
Jeremy helped her into the back seat, then rushed around the hood to help Valerie. Daisy climbed into the passenger’s seat and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She sent a text to Ken.
As soon as she got confirmation that it sent, she texted Rosaline.
About a mile into the drive, Daisy had to close her eyes. Jeremy’s darting in and out of traffic, ignoring speed limits, running lights, it all started to overwhelm her. Her heart skittered, and a sour taste in her mouth perpetuated some nausea. She trusted his driving because she didn’t believe he’d intentionally put them in danger, but the tension mounted with every broken traffic law.
It took them twenty minutes to get to the hospital. In that time, Valerie had two more contractions, and Alex panted and moaned the entire time. Jeremy pulled to a stop outside of labor and delivery and left the vehicle at the curb. He ran in. Daisy could see him talking to someone at the desk.
“Oh no,” Alex moaned, throwing her seatbelt off. “He needs to do something.” Before Daisy could respond, Alex had the door open and stumbled out of the vehicle. Daisy opened her door and carefully scooted out of the seat. “Are you okay?”
“I think it’s almost time,” she panted, gripping her stomach. “I need to push.”
Just then, Jeremy rushed out, followed by two nurses with wheelchairs. As Daisy helped Valerie out of the car, a pain doubled her over. She cried out and clutched her stomach.
Wide-eyed, Jeremy said, “You’ve got to be kidding. Not you, too!”
A pickup truck pulled up behind them, and three identical looking men jumped out of it. Daisy leaned against the door of the SUV, just as their husbands all ran up to them.
“Oh, thank You Lord above,” Jeremy prayed.
Ken arrived at her side just as the pain subsided. A frown brought his eyebrows together. “You, too?”
“Apparently. That was the first one, though, so it might be a false alarm. Alex is in active labor, Valerie’s is escalating.”
“Do you need a chair?”
She shook her head. “I can walk.” She pulled her phone out of her coat pocket. “I should probably let my mom know.”
“Good call.”
Daisy and Ken slowly followed his brothers and their wives into the building. The nurses took them to different rooms. Daisy stopped at the desk. “Hi. Daisy Dixon. I’m due today and just had a pretty strong contraction.”
The woman behind the desk raised both eyebrows. “You all three went in labor on the same day? That has to be some kind of a record.” She gestured at Ken. “Your brothers look just like you.”
He smiled a tight-lipped smile. “You don’t say.”
“Just hang tight. We’ll get you checked in. You preregistered?”
“We did,” she said, then shot a text message to her mom and Camila.
An hour later, Daisy stood next to the window, wearing a hospital gown and a robe, looking out at the parking lot. She’d had two more contractions on the heels of the first one and could feel the changes happening in her body as labor progressed. It hurt, but so far, she’d hadn’t had trouble working through the pain.
Little fingers of excitement kept dancing up and down her spine. It looked like today she would hold her new baby. She looked over her shoulder at Ken. He leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets and a distant look on his face. He will make such an excellent father, she thought, as love threatened to beat her heart right out of her body.
Rosaline tapped on the door and walked in, her face glowing with a smile. “Alex and Jon have a baby girl.”
“Oh, a girl, they wanted a girl.”
Ken asked, “How’s Alex?”
“Fine. It was fast. She barely had time to think about it before she was born.”
“I can’t wait to see her.” As Daisy spoke, she put her hands on the bed and bent forward. It felt like something inside of her spread her stomach open and squeezed it together at the same time. “Ahhh,” she said, leaning forward on her forearms and rocking her hips back and forth.
Ken rubbed her lower back, quietly supporting until the pain subsided. She chuckled as she straightened. “Well, that was stronger.”
Rosaline gestured behind her. “I’m going to go check on Valerie, then head back to Alex. Ken, Dad has his phone in his pocket.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He stood close to Daisy. “Do you want to walk down the hall?”
“Maybe.” Did she want to get so far away from the bed? “Yes. I think so. Can we go see Valerie?”
He smiled and brushed a lock of hair off of her forehead. “Sure.”
She felt fine now. Rubbing the side of her belly, she and Ken slowly walked out of the room. Her parents sat in her private waiting room. Her father read his Bible and her mom watched a show on her tablet. They looked up as soon as her door opened. “I’m going down to see Valerie.”
Her mom smiled. “We’re right here.”
Daisy nodded and walked next to Ken. Her mom had talked to her a few weeks ago about the birth. She remembered her mother’s words as she waddled down the hall. “I just want it to be your time with Ken. I think the rest of us, and his family, can wait until the baby’s born,” she’d said. “It’s a very special, intimate time between husband and wife. He isn’t going to want to chat with people, and you’re going to be busy.”
She’d hugged her mom and thanked her for her insight and wisdom.
Now, they walked down the hall three doors, through the empty waiting room connected to her room, and into Valerie’s room. She lay in her bed, monitors strapped to her belly and an IV in her arm. Brad stood next to the window, his hands in his pockets. “Hey, guys,” she said with a smile. “I’m happy to see you. You just missed Auntie Rose and Uncle Phillip. They went to check on Alex. Did you hear she had a girl?”
“Mom told us.” Ken gestured toward her. “Everything okay? What’s with all the monitors?”
“Oh, this? I had an epidural. I don’t want to feel a thing.” She patted her stomach. “I know I’m having a contraction because the machine tells me so.”
Daisy walked over and looked at the printout that showed lines on graph paper. While she watched, the lines got larger and more frantic. “Is this a contraction?”
Valerie glanced over. “Yep. Looks like a good one, too.”
Her sister-in-law hadn’t even broken a sweat. Her hair was beautifully brushed, and her lip gloss gleamed. For the briefest moment, Daisy considered whether she should have asked for an epidural, but then she remembered the birth plan she and Ken had worked out. She’d made him promise to remind her she didn’t want one.
“Valerie’s had enough pain to last a lifetime,” Brad said.
Daisy knew he alluded to an abusive relationship that ended with Valerie thrown from a second-story window. “Right. I don’t blame her.” She felt the tightening of her muscles and looked at Ken. “We better go… oh!”
She gripped the footboard of the bed and breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. Ken immediately came to her side and put his hands on her hips. Somehow, his touch actually made things better, helped her cope.
As soon as the contraction eased, she straightened and said, “I think we better go back to our room.”
“Can’t wait to get together with all of us tonight,” Valerie said with a grin. “Three babies on the same day. I wonder what those odds are?”
Brad walked over to the side of her bed and picked up her hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it. “God is not limited by odds,” he said gruffly.