A Chance to Choose

Chapter 2

2

Never in a million lifetimes would he have imagined, he could or would have delivered a baby, but two of them? A sudden grin crossed his lips as he slowed his Jeep Wrangler to a crawl in the parking garage of Camden Hospital. He wheeled into the first available space and thrust the gearshift into park mode. He pulled the sun visor down in front of him and gazed into the mirror. His bright blue eyes looked tired and murky, and a stubble had found its way onto his jaw. He slid his hand across the prickly beard, brushed his eyebrows backward, then tried to get his fly-away hairs a little tamer. That will work. He unfastened his seatbelt, opened his door, hit the lock on his key fob and headed toward the automatic sliding glass double-door entrance to the hospital. With brisk strides, he hastened through the corridor to the information desk. An aged woman greeted him. “Can I have Chloe Terrison’s room number and can you direct me to the nursery?” She smiled and proffered directions, pointing her finger towards the elevators at the end of the massive lobby.

The deeper into the building he ventured, the more he smelled iodoform disinfectants in each hallway. The elevator doors opened as soon as he reached them. Several people exited before he stepped inside, after a man and an aging couple, along with a heavyset woman. “Can you push floor two, please?” Ben squeezed against the wall to make more room in the tight area. The guy responded and pressed the second-floor button. Perfect. When the elevator opened, a huge arrow with words in the middle ‘Nursery This Way,’ greeted him. He drifted behind the elderly couple to the thick-glassed window and gazed at all the cool pink and blue caps sported by the infants. Snuggly wrapped in matching blankets, some babies were sleeping and others crying their lungs out. Behind all the basinets, several attendants were dressing two babies, one in a pink gown and one in blue. There they are. He would recognize them no matter how far they were away. Delight pierced his heart. I may be their God father. He chuckled as he continued to view all the excitement going on through the glass.

Ben remained in the exact spot for several minutes. When the vicinity grew overcrowded, he backed away and proceeded to Room 207. He knocked on the door, waited a few seconds, then shoved it open. “Hey, Chloe.” His straight blond hair tumbled against his cheek as he drew close to her bed.

“Ben!” She cheered in a jolly tone. “The hero has arrived.”

He greeted her with a hug. “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing great, but physically just so, so.”

He peered intently. “I’m sorry.”

“Listen to this.”

Ben shifted his footing. “I’m all ears.”

“We get to leave first thing in the morning.”

He caught a glimpse of a roll around chair across the room and pushed it next to her. “I dropped by the nursery and saw the babies. They’re incredible.”

“Thank you.” Her cheeks tightened as she grinned. “The doctor instructed that we must get a bilirubin light for the twins to sleep under for a week or so. Plus, have them at his office every morning at 8:30 a.m. so they can check their bilirubin levels.”

Ben tilted his head in a nod. “That means they have jaundice or something like that?”

“Yep, that’s what the nurses indicated. One doctor informed me that a baby’s liver doesn’t fully develop until they are 40 weeks old.”

“Wow, how old are they?”

“37 weeks today.”

“I wasn’t aware of that.” He touched the bottom of his palm to his head, “Oh, before I forget, I chatted with Mitchell and he’ll be here soon.”

“Before you go, I want you to hear me out about something.” She pulled the bedcovers closer around her.

Ben’s eyes narrowed, “I think I know what you’re about to say.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve thought about it long and hard.” Her grin faded. “I’m closing the bakery while you’re in London.”

“I knew it. Chloe, you don’t have to do that.” Her statement startled him.

“I’ve decided.” She glared at him. “You deserve a vacation. I will be away from the bakery for at least a month or more and you may not have another opportunity to take a day off.”

“I’ve agonized over going to London ever since I received that plane ticket.”

“But still…”

“It doesn’t seem reasonable to leave since the babies are here.” He scooched closer and drove his fist into his palm.

“How long has it been since you’ve seen Tori, ten years?” She propped against her elbow.

“Eight years, almost nine.” He counted his fingers as he contemplated when they first met. Tori was the cutest thing walking across the grassy area of the campus of NYU. It was the first time he’d set eyes on her. Those tanned legs. Ooh!

“Ben… Ben?”

“Sorry. I was lost in a memory,” he sighed with exasperation.

“When does your flight leave?”

His voice went shaky as the words spilled from his mouth. “A little before five in the morning.” He cleared his throat.

“The bakery will survive a week not being open. We can make a sign for the front window that says I had the babies and the shop will re-open in seven days.”

He coiled his right index finger through one of his belt loops. “I don’t believe businesses do that anymore.”

“Well, this one’s going to. You’ve been nowhere since you worked for me and... I’ve noticed you haven’t dated either.” She took a quick breath. “All you’ve done is stick close to the bakery. I’m starting to worry about you.”

He stood and meandered over to the window. “You’re embarrassing me.” Blood pounded through his temples.

“Why haven’t you dated?” She asked in a demanding timbre. “Once upon a time I thought you and Kandice had a thing going.”

He eased to the foot of her bed. His hands started to shake as his embarrassment turned to annoyance. He gripped the bed railing in front of him. “Kandice is like a sister, nothing more. Can we please change the subject?”

“You need to think about looking for a wife. You aren’t getting any younger. How old are you anyway?”

His back stiffened as his mouth clamped tight. Determined not to yell, he spoke in a low voice. “I’m 28, but you already knew that.” A muscle quivered at his jaw. “I’ll bring Tori back and we’ll get married, is that what you want to hear?”

“Absolutely not. Why are you getting so upset? Look at me, I want happiness for you. You need to fall in love and start a family. And... with someone who won’t hurt you.”

He scratched his now steaming forehead. “How did you know Tori hurt me?”

“You told me a long time ago, you don’t remember?” Chloe hit the bedcovers with her hands.

“Vaguely.” He rolled his eyes. “You can’t say I won’t get hurt. Everyone suffers when it comes to relationships.” He braced himself for her next words.

“You’ve got it all wrong.” Her eyes were boring a hole through him.

The door to Chloe’s hospital room flew open and two nurses ushered in the babies. Ben leaped towards the glassed bassinets, “Awe, Chloe, they’re fantastic.” He leaned over them and kissed their foreheads.

“Mrs. Terrison, we need to go over a few things with you. Do you want…” One nurse eyeballed him as if to say… get out, but she was nice enough not to state it out loud.

“I’ll excuse myself so you can have your privacy.” He teetered toward Chloe and gave her a slight squeeze. “Congratulations.”

With his lanky self, Ben slipped from the room as Chloe’s powerful words struck him like nails pounding into a wooden barricade. He had no time for romance. Make time. Something deep inside him yelled it so intense that he shuddered and stopped his trajectory. What just happened? “There aren’t any girls my age around.” Wait. There’s Caroline and Tori. He’d fly to London and see what pans out. A smile found its way on his lips as he reached the elevator.

He took his phone, typed as fast as his fingers would move and sent a text. Chloe. I’m going to London. See you in a week. Thanks for the pep-talk.

Ben turned his Wrangler in the graveled driveway of his super small, one-story residence along Penobscot Bay. His headlights shone on the Tiffany blue siding he’d painted himself. It helped the dwelling capture a stately look amongst the similar houses on Water Edge Way. Upon inching up the icy porch steps, he noticed blown snow had accumulated against the front wall. He shivered as he jingled his keys to find the correct one. With the key shoved inside the lock, he opened the door and hurried to his bedroom to change his soiled clothes. He chose a pair of joggers and a jersey, then grabbed a soda from the fridge. After brief rummage through the hall closet, he turned up a suitcase. His cell phone buzzed in the distance. It’s in my pants pocket. Without hesitation, he busted it to his bedroom, found his phone and pressed talk. “Hello.”

“How are you, Ben? This is Tori Bailey.”

At a loss for words, Ben stepped to his picture window and gazed at the snow hitting the water across the bay. He became agitated hearing her voice. Why? “Hi, Tori.”

“Are you still coming to London?”

“Yes. My plane leaves at 4:55 in the morning. I should arrive sometime tomorrow night.” He moseyed out the door and steadied himself against the iron railing on his porch. Huge wet snowflakes hit his face.

“Can I pick you up?” Tori volunteered.

“No. I’ll call you once I get checked into the hotel.” His neck tightened. Why does she get on my nerves?

Laughing sounds came from the other end of the phone. “I can’t wait to see you. We’ll have so much fun. Hey, listen, I won’t be able to pick you up until 11:00 p.m. or so, is that all right?”

“Yes. That’ll be fine.” The whys still choked at his throat. Should he be blunt and ask her why she sent him the ticket or just let it go? Deep down he speculated she had alternative motives behind his visit. He squeezed his fists tight as he stopped himself from asking. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Click. Was I rude? Why did she hang up?

A fierce burst of wind sent a chill through his body. He pulled at his shirt and glanced at his bare feet. The mail. The snow-covered yard would chill him to the bone if he fetched it barefooted. What the heck. He danced across the yard, pried open his mailbox and pulled out an unusual pink envelope that laid on top of his bills, junk mail and other advertisements. The return address was hard to see in the dark. Is it from London? Why would Tori send a letter? As he stood in the snow gazing at the envelope, his feet went numb. “Get back inside the house, dummy.” He made a mad dash. Halfway through the yard, he slipped and fell. A burst of laugher exploded from him. What else could happen today? Not giving up the opportunity to make a snow angel, he stretched out his arms and legs and started flapping back and forth. “It’s freezing.” He quickly jumped up and got out of the bad weather, raced to the thermostat, and flipped it up to 75. The now wrinkled, damp envelope, went on the nightstand and the junk mail tossed into the trashcan beside his bed. Soaked to the bone he stripped, hustled into the bathroom and turned the shower to hot. He tiptoed inside, let the hot water soak away the day’s excitements and anxieties, then poured body-wash onto his hand and scrubbed. The steaming water soused his back. He wiggled his toes until the numbness went away.

The pink envelope on his bedside table came rushing to the forefront of his thoughts. He twisted the knob to the off position and snagged a towel from the rack. What would be inside? At his dresser, he dug through the middle drawer and drew out another pair of joggers. This time, he searched for a heavy pair of socks and put his hands on the first long sleeve t-shirt he came across, a Jack Daniels shirt given to him by a friend who lived in Lynchburg, Tennessee. He plopped onto his bed and grabbed the envelope. He tore away the nice smelling flap and unfolded the soft pink paper and read Tori’s handwritten words:

Ben, will you please forgive me? I need to tell you so many things. My love for you is still at the center of my heart. All I can think about is your arrival. Tori.

That’s strange. It makes no sense. He didn’t believe the girl could care for anyone. “Why go to London?” His deep-rooted voice boomed inside his body. “I’ll hope for the best.”

Ben stopped in front of the cedar chest at the foot of his bed, took a deep breath and lifted the lid to old memories. Her picture’s in here somewhere. He rummaged through the items inside. Here it is. He slid his fingers along the front of the large photograph album as flashbacks flooded his mind. To touch her again would be a dream come true. Is that the reason you want to visit? He pushed the notion away. Remnants of Tori and him gravitated upon his soul when his eyes glued to her picture on the first page. There you are. “You were so beautiful.” He smoothed his hand over a closeup picture of her. “Why did you hurt me?” A tear fell onto the plastic-covered page as his emotions overtook him as he swung the old pages. A photo at the top right brought a second smile to his lips. The memory of them together at his brother’s graduation reemerged. “We had a great time on that trip.”

The past came alive as he strolled through the photos of them together. He was startled when he flipped to the last page. “What?” On the back flap, stuck with tape, was a yellowing white cloth. With a tug he ripped it off. As he unwrapped it, a ring dropped to the floor. “I gave you that ring.” How did it get in here? The emerald embedded with diamonds sparkled in the light.

Upon re-folding the thin linen around the magnificent piece of jewelry, he slipped it inside the last plastic page among the photos of him and her. Did Tori put the ring in there? Another question that needed an answer.

The whys of how she’d hurt him was still a blur, but in a matter of hours, he prayed the whys wouldn’t count anymore.