Georgia Peach - Book One

Chapter 18 - Time Marches On

SIX WEEKS LATER...

I immediately sit up in bed, feeling bile rise in my throat. I roll off the bed and dart towards the bathroom. Everything I ate the night prior came up at that moment once I reach the toilet, "Babe. Are you okay?" Dylan calls out from the bed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little bit nauseous this morning," I respond as I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.

I lean my back against the cold porcelain tub, smiling ear to ear. Damn, that didn't take long! I bet he did put a baby in me that first night we tried. Dylan approaches the bathroom, standing in the doorway, "What's wrong, baby? Why are you sitting on that cold floor? Are you okay?" he asks.

I reach down to pat my tummy, "I think I may be pregnant. I need to take a test," I blurt out.

"Wow, really?" he asks, flashing a sly grin.

I nod as tears well in my eyes. He walks over and reaches out his hand for me, I place my hand in his, and he pulls me up to a standing position, "Want me to go grab a test?" He asks.

"Yes, that would be great. Grab two if you don't mind, just in case."

He wraps his arms around my neck, leaning in to kiss me on the forehead. My arms wrapped around his torso, and I pull him into me. I don't know, I can't explain, but I just feel different. He turns the lever on the shower, allowing it time to heat up before walking over to the toilet to urinate. I quickly brush my teeth and climb back to bed to watch television for a bit. Georgia enters the bedroom, climbing onto the bed next to me. I pull her in for a hug, "Hey, baby girl. You wanna watch television with Momma?" I ask.

"Yep, can we watch cartoons, Momma?" she asks.

I flip through the channels finding a cartoon for her to watch to keep her occupied as I get up and pull out Dylan's clothes and underwear to take to the bathroom, "Baby, Georgia is in our bed watching cartoons. Here are your clothes so you can get dressed in here. I'm going to shut the door to give you some privacy," I tell him.

"Alright, baby, thank you," He responds from inside the shower.

I return to the bed to lay down with Georgia, cuddling up close. Dylan struts out of the bathroom, fully dressed after a few moments, approaching the bed, he leans in to kiss Georgia on the forehead, "Good Morning! How's Daddy's princess sleep?" He asks.

"Good," She responds.

"Did you have good dreams, angel?"

She nods her head, smiling big, revealing her perfect white teeth. He playfully pinches her little nose and then reaches out his hand to me, "Alright, Ri, I'll be back, baby. "

I reach out to take his hand, "Okay, I'll make breakfast while you are gone."

He blows a kiss before walking out of the bedroom, and I roll out of bed to quickly get myself cleaned up and ready for the day. I whip up some banana chocolate chip pancakes and sausage this morning for breakfast while he's gone.

He returns moments later, handing me the bag as he strolls in. I rush to make them a plate and then dart into the bathroom to take the test. Ugh, I'm so anxious; I know I'm pregnant.

After a few minutes of torture, I look down at the results. AHHH! I'm pregnant!!!! I'm so elated! I take the second test just to make sure, and it comes back with the same result. I can hardly contain my excitement, so I dash out to the living room to give Dylan the good news, but I'm stopped in my tracks once I get a look at his face. He is on the phone speaking to someone while sitting at the recliner, his face red and his eyes wet with tears as he rubs the back of his head. I walk over, placing my hand on his shoulder to comfort him. He reaches up to hold my hand, "How did she die?" he asks.

My heart begins racing as he continues, "When is the funeral?" he tearfully questions.

I feel very lightheaded suddenly, as I am overwhelmed with sadness. Who is he talking about? As he finishes the conversation and disconnects the call, he puts his hands over his face. I come around to sit on the arm of the chair and lightly scratch his back, "What happened?" I ask.

"Gran passed away last night." he chokes out. 

I lean down, placing my cheek against the side of his head, "Oh no, I'm so sorry, baby," I tell him.

Tears begin to pool in my eyes. Miss Norma was one of the best women I know. I know this is devastating news for him; he was so attached to her. He wraps his arms around my hips and lays his head down on my leg, "She lived a good long life. I'll just miss her."

I gently stroke his head, "I know she did. She was a great lady."

He looks up at me with those beautiful blue eyes, wet with tears, "That was Mom calling. She said she has arranged for the funeral to be a week from today."

Shit! That's my Saturday to work. I'll need to see if someone would switch with me. I bet Lucy would. I don't bother telling him this. I'll try to work it out because I know he will need me to be there with him, "You better call Seth and let him know. He loved Miss Norma," I tell him.

He nods as he takes his index finger and wipes the tears from his eyes before grasping my hips and looking up at me once more, "Wait! What were the results?" He asks.

I nod my head, smiling. A smile crosses his face as he pats my thigh, "Man! That's awesome, baby! Gran would have wanted it this way. She always said she never wanted anyone to fuss over her when she passed. She said she wanted us to be happy for her that she made it home."

I begin to chuckle, "That sounds like Miss Norma."

He pulls my shirt up to kiss my belly, "I'm going to be a Daddy again!" he says excitedly.

Georgia comes up to us, tapping Dylan on the shoulder, "Daddy, why are you sad?" She asks.

He pulls her to his lap, "Gran went to heaven, baby, to be with the angels. It's okay sweet girl, don't get upset. Gran is having the time of her life up there."

She reaches up to hug his neck as he leans in to whisper into her ear, "You are going to have a little brother or sister to play with, baby. Momma has a baby in her belly," He tells her as he points to my belly.

She looks at him with wide eyes and looks up at me, "Momma, you have a baby in your belly? Where is it?" She asks as she reaches over to pull my shirt up.

Dylan and I both laugh, "Well, it's too small to see now, but the baby will pop out when they are ready," I respond.

"I want a sister. I don't want a brother. Boys are yucky!"

Dylan nods his head, brushing her hair back off her shoulder, "That's right, baby, they are yucky!" he replies as he kisses her forehead.

He pulls me down on his lap next to Georgia, and he embraces us, inhaling audibly, "Ahhh, my girls, I love you both so much."

"We love you too, don't we, Gigi?"

She nods her head, stretching out her arms as far as they will go, "I love you and Momma this big."

"Oh, wow, that's a lot!' I tell her.

Dylan interrupts, "Should we tell anyone yet?"

I sit in silence to contemplate for a moment before answering, "No, let's wait until things settle down. I got time before I start to show. I can't be more than six weeks. That's when we first started trying," I respond.

He nods, pulling Georgia and me in for a cuddle. Surely that's the best thing we could do right now. We will just wait a while to announce things. What's the rush?

A week later, we attend Norma's funeral. Lucy was able to trade with me so I could be there for Dylan and his family. The funeral parlor was packed wall to wall with friends and family. Brie came back into town. She just graduated from the University of Tennessee, and she looked stunning. She had been working out while she was down there. She was dating some guy she met down there, but I guess they broke up. She had the revenge body thing going on, and she wore it well. We only communicated by phone while she was gone, but I was so excited to see her finally. Seth must have been excited too because he asked me to keep John Luke while he took her out for coffee. Those two always seemed close; too bad they couldn't come together to be more than friends. They are so cute together, in my opinion.

Once the dust settled a few weeks later, we made our big announcement, and everyone was thrilled. I called my parents to let them in on the big news, and they couldn't be happier for us. I was so excited to have another baby to cuddle with; I knew I was meant to be a Momma.

FOUR MONTHS LATER...

Dylan came with me to my ultrasound appointment so we could see the gender of the baby. It was a boy! He's healthy and active on the ultrasound. We were so excited. Georgia was extremely disappointed she would not have a sister to play dress-up with. Nevertheless, we were anxiously awaiting to welcome our new addition in the next few months.

While I continued to work part-time at the hospital, one person, in particular, came in for an unexpected visit while I was scheduled. I was in shock to find it was Suzy! She had a black eye and some bruises, all the while toting two little kids around the same age. I entered the room to assess her. When she saw it was me, a look of embarrassment crossed her face. She put her head down in shame as I walked in and closed the door behind me to provide her privacy. Since I am a professional, I calmly approached her and pulled up a seat. The kids look so malnourished and pitiful. It breaks my heart to see that. What is she doing? I look up to make eye contact with her, "So, Suzanne, can you tell me what brought you in here today?" I ask.

"I fell," She whispers as she continues to look down.

Bull s**t! I shift in my seat, "How did you fall?"

She shakes her head, "I don't remember."

I gaze up at her for a moment to read her. I know she's hiding something. I exhale audibly, "What were you doing at the time of the fall?"

"I was in bed. I must have fallen out or something," She responds as she looks around the room while avoiding eye contact with me.

I clear my throat, "Are you in pain?"

She crosses her arms and winces in pain, "A little bit," She answers.

"Did you take anything for the pain before you came in?"

She glances over at the kids; they are sitting quietly next to her while holding hands, "We have some graham crackers and juice. Would the kids like to have a snack?" I offer.

She looks up at me with tears pooling in her eyes, "Yes, I think they would like that," She responds, her voice is raspy.

I reach over and grab a tissue, handing it to her before leaving to raid the nourishment room for some graham crackers and apple juices.  As I bring them back in, I hand each child a handful of graham crackers with apple juice. They begin to devour them right in front of me; it's devastating to watch, "Why are you being so nice to us?" Suzy asks.

I snort, "Because I genuinely care about the well-being of others. That is why I do what I do."

She chuckles, "Well, you are a better woman than I am."

"Listen, Suzy; I need to know. Are your injuries the result of a beating?" I blurt out.

She fidgets in her seat but remains silent, "Alright, you won't say. Let me explain something, and I'm only going to say this once, then I'll be finished. You need to get your s**t together. You have more than just yourself to worry about now. I assume that these children are both yours. They shouldn't have to see their mother like this. Don't even think about reaching out to my husband for help because he will turn you down every time. You have done enough damage to people in this town for a lifetime. Don't do this to your kids. Get your big girl panties on and do what you have to do to protect yourself and your kids, "I tell her sternly.

She doesn't respond; she continues to look down as if ashamed. My hands are trembling. I can't believe I just said that. I will probably get in trouble, but I don't care, "How far along are you?" She asks quietly.

"I'm almost twenty weeks."

She reaches up to wipe her eyes with the tissue, "Mariah, I am so sorry for what I did to you. I really am. I'm also sorry for what my cousin did to you. I was just so jealous of you. When you came into town, and Dylan's head was turned, I couldn't help but resent you for it. I was just petty and insecure; I realize that now."

I sigh audibly and cross my legs, "Apology accepted. Just don't leave me any more notes or pictures in my mailbox. I won't be so forgiving next time."

She nods, crossing her arms in front of her, "So, I can refer you to someone who can help you if you need me to," I offer.

She shakes her head from side to side as a look of panic crosses her face, "Do you mind if I assess you?" I ask.

She shakes her head, still not saying a word, tears streaming down her cheeks. I approach her to take her vitals and to assess her. She appears to be very tender around the right flank area. She grimaces as I palpate the area, "May I see what you have going on under your shirt?" I whisper.

She lifts her shirt willingly as I look underneath while covering her up respectfully. She is bruised severely on her flank. I glance over at the children, and they are silently watching me while finishing their snack, "Okay, I'm going to send the doctor in to look at you. He may order some x-rays to make sure you don't have broken bones. He may even do a CT scan of your head," I inform her.

I walk over to the sink and wash my hands before exiting the room, "Thank you. Please don't tell anyone I was here, Mariah."

I stop to turn around, facing her, "I won't. That's not what we do. What happens in this room stays here," I tell her, reassuringly.

She flashes a smile as I turn back around and exit the room. I notify the doctor of my findings, and he immediately walks in to assess her. They send her in for an x-ray and a CT scan; it was determined she has two rib fractures, but fortunately, no head injury, and she is released shortly after. She refused any assistance offered to refer her to someone that could help her. I feel just awful for her two children having to watch their mother go through something like that. My heart breaks for them having to endure that kind of home life. I'm sure they see more than what children should have to see.

When I get home, I decide to keep this to myself and not tell Dylan. It would be against my code of ethics as a nurse to talk about my patients, but something tells me that Suzy will not be around to bother my family or me anytime soon.

FIVE MONTHS LATER.

Bentley James Hudson was born on April 6th at 7:45 am, weighing 8 lbs 14 oz and 20 inches long. We are thrilled; he was a perfectly happy and healthy baby boy. We brought him home, and he was a Momma's boy to the core. Such a good baby, we were blessed beyond words with two perfect kids. Dylan was overjoyed having a little boy. He couldn't wait to teach him how to fish and ride a bike. Georgia got used to the idea of having a little brother, and she loved to help with him. Our little family was complete. I have the most loving and supportive husband I could have ever dreamed of. I have two beautiful children, my career on track, and I also maintain a healthy relationship with my mother. Everything just fell into place as it should have, and I could not have been happier with how life turned out. I guess I have Aaron and Lacy to thank for that. I often think about how devastated I was and how desperately I wanted to win Aaron back when he broke things off with me, and I just laugh. Life gives us obstacles. Luckily that obstacle led me here and to Dylan, and I wouldn't change it for the world.