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Chapter 11
Last chapter for the day
Chapter 11
March 6, 1982-7:30 AM
“Mr. Worthington?”
James moaned and the perky red headed nurse gently touched his shoulder, pulling away when he opened his eyes, blinking and staring around at the dull hospital room.
“What? What time is it?”
“Seven thirty sir.”
“Do you need to change my bandages this early?”
“It’s…it’s not that sir. Your wife called.”
James’ mouth dropped open slightly and he blinked rapidly, speechless for a few moments.
“…She…she called? Why?”
“I don’t know sir. You can call her back if you feel up to-“ the young girl cut off as James swung his legs over the side of the bed, shakily getting up. When he tried taking a step, though, he fell and had to cling to the mattress to keep from hitting the floor. The nurse smiled a little.
“I’ll go get you a wheelchair.”
James hardly registered watching the nurse talk to someone at the desk, or going over to one of the phones. He should have at least tried to make out what the place looked like, but he didn’t. He was too nervous. Why the hell would Mandy been calling now?
“Mr. Worthington?…Mr. Worthington?”
James shook his head slightly, glancing at the girl and smiling a little when he noticed the phone in his hand and that it was ringing.
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing sir.”
He put the phone to his ear, anxiously licking his lips. Was she calling to say she’d had enough, that she was really going to leave? Was…
“Hello?”
His heart skipped several beats when he heard her voice. God, it had only been a few days but…
“Helloo? Anyone there?”
He coughed, shoving his hair back from his face.
“Hey Mand.”
He could almost see her tense up a little just from the slight silence at then the sound of her voice.
“James.”
“You called.”
“Yeah…yeah I did…” she sounded a little regretful, maybe upset. What the hell had happened?
“Mand, you’re upset about something.”
“Not upset just….confused” he shivered a little when he heard her pressing her lips together, almost saw her mouth pressed against the receiver.
“I um…I had the baby, on the fourth.”
He blinked, coughing.
“What? You weren’t due until June.”
“Yeah, well, baby thought otherwise.”
“Is it….I mean…all right?”
“Perfectly fine. You should have seen the look on the doctor’s faces” she laughed nervously.
“A beautiful little boy. Black hair, blue eyes, eight pounds and twenty one inches. They were confused as hell” he heard her nails clicking against the table and suddenly knew why she’d sounded so upset. He waited a few moments for her to speak, chest tightening.
Finally, she spoke again in a soft whisper.
“You know I don’t want to risk saying anything over the phone but…I think I’ve changed my mind. About what you asked.”
He smiled a little, closing his eyes and sending up a small prayer to any Gods that had put their hand in this. Not for himself, at least not completely. More for the fact that had really just sunk in with Mandy’s words, the same reason she was changing her mind. The knowledge that were she ‘like other women’, their son probably wouldn’t have lived.
“James, you there?”
“Yeah Mand, I’m here. So, have you picked out a name?”
“I was thinking Seth.”
“Sounds perfect. Anyway, the nurse is making motions that I think mean I need to leave.”
“All right. If they say you’re ready…I’ll come pick you up in a few days and we’ll talk about it more when we get home, okay?”
“Okay….I love you Mandy.”
He heard a few tears in her voice, and felt a sense of calm settle over him when he knew she was smiling.
“Love you too.”
March 6, 1982-7:30 AM
“Mr. Worthington?”
James moaned and the perky red headed nurse gently touched his shoulder, pulling away when he opened his eyes, blinking and staring around at the dull hospital room.
“What? What time is it?”
“Seven thirty sir.”
“Do you need to change my bandages this early?”
“It’s…it’s not that sir. Your wife called.”
James’ mouth dropped open slightly and he blinked rapidly, speechless for a few moments.
“…She…she called? Why?”
“I don’t know sir. You can call her back if you feel up to-“ the young girl cut off as James swung his legs over the side of the bed, shakily getting up. When he tried taking a step, though, he fell and had to cling to the mattress to keep from hitting the floor. The nurse smiled a little.
“I’ll go get you a wheelchair.”
James hardly registered watching the nurse talk to someone at the desk, or going over to one of the phones. He should have at least tried to make out what the place looked like, but he didn’t. He was too nervous. Why the hell would Mandy been calling now?
“Mr. Worthington?…Mr. Worthington?”
James shook his head slightly, glancing at the girl and smiling a little when he noticed the phone in his hand and that it was ringing.
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing sir.”
He put the phone to his ear, anxiously licking his lips. Was she calling to say she’d had enough, that she was really going to leave? Was…
“Hello?”
His heart skipped several beats when he heard her voice. God, it had only been a few days but…
“Helloo? Anyone there?”
He coughed, shoving his hair back from his face.
“Hey Mand.”
He could almost see her tense up a little just from the slight silence at then the sound of her voice.
“James.”
“You called.”
“Yeah…yeah I did…” she sounded a little regretful, maybe upset. What the hell had happened?
“Mand, you’re upset about something.”
“Not upset just….confused” he shivered a little when he heard her pressing her lips together, almost saw her mouth pressed against the receiver.
“I um…I had the baby, on the fourth.”
He blinked, coughing.
“What? You weren’t due until June.”
“Yeah, well, baby thought otherwise.”
“Is it….I mean…all right?”
“Perfectly fine. You should have seen the look on the doctor’s faces” she laughed nervously.
“A beautiful little boy. Black hair, blue eyes, eight pounds and twenty one inches. They were confused as hell” he heard her nails clicking against the table and suddenly knew why she’d sounded so upset. He waited a few moments for her to speak, chest tightening.
Finally, she spoke again in a soft whisper.
“You know I don’t want to risk saying anything over the phone but…I think I’ve changed my mind. About what you asked.”
He smiled a little, closing his eyes and sending up a small prayer to any Gods that had put their hand in this. Not for himself, at least not completely. More for the fact that had really just sunk in with Mandy’s words, the same reason she was changing her mind. The knowledge that were she ‘like other women’, their son probably wouldn’t have lived.
“James, you there?”
“Yeah Mand, I’m here. So, have you picked out a name?”
“I was thinking Seth.”
“Sounds perfect. Anyway, the nurse is making motions that I think mean I need to leave.”
“All right. If they say you’re ready…I’ll come pick you up in a few days and we’ll talk about it more when we get home, okay?”
“Okay….I love you Mandy.”
He heard a few tears in her voice, and felt a sense of calm settle over him when he knew she was smiling.
“Love you too.”