Disclaimer: The characters in this story don't belong to me, they are owned by Erle Stanley Gardner's pen. I don't receive any economic good for them. I only write for the pleasure of doing it.
Many thanks to the incredible to tengland2 for helping me complete and correct this new story.
This story is a prequel to "My Life without You", due to your very generous comments.I decided to make this short story so that they knew a little more about the life of our favorite couple, before the events of "My life without you", I hope you enjoy it.
All the errors are only mine.
Della felt the need for some quiet time to herself, gathering up her book, several magazines, she walked out onto the back porch. Leaving the items on the table, she went back for the pitcher of tea, bowls of veggies, fruits and several dipping containers. Once back outside, she settled into a lounge chair, glass of tea in hand. Her mind wonders over the last couple of weeks, how upside down her world had become.
Della's mind drifted back nearly fifteen years ago, when she first came to Los Angeles.
She had graduated from four years of business college, with excellent secretarial skills and had been hired to work in one of the business near home. But the business world didn't interest her and she didn't want to spend life before marriage in a secretarial pool. Having had a visit over Thanksgiving from her aunt Mae, who had invited Della and Margaret to Los Angeles for Christmas vacation. It would give them both the opportunity to do some job hunting and see if one or both would like it out there.
Della smiled, as she remembered her parents had not been happy when she left for Los Angeles. They were sure Mae would lead her astray. As for Margaret's family, they were heading to Zurich, so it didn't seem to matter that their daughter had chosen to go with her best friend.
Upon their arrival in LA, they got settled into Mae's bungalow in Bolero Beach. After a good night's sleep, Mae gave Della an early Christmas present so the girls could go out on their own. A new car, paid in full, insurance and registration taken care of. What if they didn't stay, they knew they couldn't take the car home. Mae just smiled, knowing the only reason the girls would go back home would be to pack, she even offered to pay for the U-Haul, the driver and helper.
Della smiled, she had just turned 22 when she accepted the position of confidential secretary to Perry Mason. Having done her research, she knew enough about the man and more. From the first moment that Della appeared in front of him, Perry was lost in love with her. Della also felt the same, but it took her more time recognize it. It was Perry who had asked if she knew of anyone else in need of a job, even part-time. It seemed this private investigator friend was looking for office help, hence how Margaret went to work for Paul.
Both girls had written their resignation letters for the secretarial pool at the temp agency at home. Della's family was not happy that she had decided to move to LA and had threatened to disown her if she made the move. Della, remembered smiling as she said good bye to her family and walked to the street getting into Margaret's car. The door closed for a time, as neither girl looked back.
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Della loved her job with Perry, there was always something going on in the office and even the courthouse. It wasn't long before she had organized the office as she felt comfortable with, hiring Gertie as their permanent receptionist, two typists and a stenographer. At some point, of spending nearly all their waking hours together, they started spending their nights together as well. About the same time Paul and Margaret had announced they were getting married. Perry and Della congratulate their friends, Perry thought about proposing marriage to Della but then discarded the idea knowing full well that it was not the time.
When Margaret found out she was pregnant, Perry and Della were happy and excited for her and Paul. That night Perry invited them to dinner to celebrate the soon to be new member of the Drake family.
One month after the news of the baby Drake, Della has started not feeling well, blaming it on stress, work, hours worked and not eating regularly. More than once, Perry had left the office, only to return finding Della asleep on the office couch. He finally got Gertie to make an appointment with Della's doctor, taking the blame for it. Perry in the background had the illusion that Della's malaise is no more than the announcement of the stork in their lives.
Della went to an early Thursday morning appointment, having blood work and a physical done. Her doctor scheduled her for another appointment the following week to get the results. It was the second appointment when she found out there was only a 20% chance of her becoming pregnant and no guarantee that she would carry to term. Della went her apartment after her appointment, as she couldn't face Perry, she needed time to think. Getting herself something to drink, she sat on the couch, leaning back she started to cry again. The phone rang several times, knowing it would either be Perry or Margaret, she didn't want to talk to either of them. It was nearly 6:30, laying on the couch, when the apartment bell rang several times, then she heard the keys in the front door lock. It could only be one person Perry using his emergency key, he called out to her as he came entered. Seeing her on the couch, he put down the bags, he was carrying to sit on the edge of the couch, taking her hand. He wiped the tears from her eyes, wanting to know why she hadn't at least called to say she was at home. He wanted to know how things had gone. She told him what the doctor had said and recommended a specialist in women's health. But Della rejected the suggestion, she didn't want more tests, so that the doctors could tell her, what she already knew that she would probably never be a mother.
Della finally got up to take a quick shower, while Perry reheated the take-out dinner he had brought home. They started eating at the kitchen counter, talking for hours. That night Perry stayed with her, comforting her all night.
At Perry's insistence, Della met with Dr. Beverly Harris, within the next month. They had spent over two hours, reviewing what the results had shown. Beverly had explained that there was about a 20% chance that Della would become pregnant and if she did, she may not carry to term. She gave Perry the news over an early dinner, he just took her hand and suggested they get married anyway, they love each other, had good jobs, nice home and could start working on adopting children. But Della rejected Perry's proposal, affirming that she was not going to take away the opportunity to have a child of his own blood. Perry told Della that he did not care about having a child if she was not the mother. For him it was not important if the child was biological or adopted, it only mattered that she was the mother. Even so Della rejection his proposal of marriage.
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Della got off the lounge chair, pouring herself more tea, moving the tray of veggies and fruit to the bench. Sitting back on the chair, glass on the bench, she stretches out on the lounge chair again. Her mind wondered back to the fifth wedding annivsary party for Margaret and Paul. They had made the announcement that they were expecting again, to only Perry and Della the day before.
Shortly after the party and announcement, Della went back to see Dr. Harris for what had become her semiannual checkup. It was then that Dr. Harris informed Della that a miracle had arisen, she was almost three months pregnant. Tears began to burst with emotion, she could not believe such great joy, let alone wait to tell Perry. She was also excited to imagine that Margaret's baby, would be about the same age. When Perry heard the news, his emotions were so great that he did not know what to say, the eloquent lawyer was left without words, speechless. Perry did manage to find the words to convinced her, that she no longer had an excuse not to get married.
Their vows were taken in a simple ceremony, in a park over looking the ocean. They invited a few close friends, Margaret and Paul happy because their friends finally joined their lives, Aunt Mae excited that her niece was marrying the man she loved, Arthur Tragg, Hamilton Burger, both their wives and of course Gertie. All of them offered all the happiness of the couple.
Margaret and Della started house hunting, apartment living was no longer an option. Margaret had suggested that they should find two houses in the same neighborhood. The realtor had come by Perry's office, meeting both couples and getting ideas of what they each wanted. He had shown them several houses, but none of them appealed to Margaret and Della. Finally, the realtor found two houses next to each other, nice neighborhood, and good school district. Both couples returned visiting both houses and decided this was what they wanted.
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Della had felt good at the start of her pregnancy, she even barely had morning sickness. But unfortunately, it didn't last long, as complications were to set in. Her blood pressure and sugar levels were to be the main problems, causing her to have to go home on more than one occasion. Dr. Harris recommended absolute rest, in order to continue the pregnancy with the least amount of complications. Gertie had tried had to help find files for Perry, most where buried on his desk. She had found out that information, when she called Della to ask her where to look and announced that he didn't like her coffee either but was drinking it. Mae worried, about the well-being of her niece, she called every day to find out about her.
Perry every night when he got home before going to sleep he approached Della's bulging belly and sang his little boy before sleeping and the baby thanked him moving for him.
Just passing her seven month checkup, Dr. Harris wanted to seeing her twice weekly, as her pressure was still to high and the baby may arrive early. Della was sure she was having a boy for Perry, he wanted another girl in his life. But what mattered most was that this baby would be healthy and theirs regardless of whether it was a boy or a girl.
It was two weeks later, Della found herself in the emergency room of Rampart General. She woke up in the night, with contractions, she waking up Perry scared, she knew it was too early for the baby to be born. Dr. Harris had met them there and after checking, Della and the baby's condition, she called Perry into the room. Telling both of them, that the baby's condition was critical and needed to be delivered within the next 30 minutes. But she needed to know, before going upstairs, that if the choice comes down to saving Della or the baby, what would be their decision. Dr. Harris had stepped out of the room, closing the door for their privacy. Those words hanging asking air, Della didn't give Perry any option, except the choice had to be the baby. Perry didn't want to hear that, they were both going to survive. Finally, Dr. Harris came back into the room, announcing they had to take Della. Perry, took Della's hand, kissing her forehead, whispering that he loved her. He stepped into the corridor, he leaned against the wall, watching his wife and soon to be born child disappear behind the double door and asking God to save his two great loves.
What seemed like hours later, Della woke still in a sleepy haze, feeling Perry's head on the pillow, her hand in his. Realizing she had woken, Perry sat upright, pushing the call button.
"Perry, please tell me, our baby is alright," she barely whispers. He leans over to kiss her lips sweetly, before she could go on.
"My beautiful lady, we are now parents of a very tiny girl, our little miracle, just as beautiful his mother, currently in a neonatal incubator. I have seen her, she has ten tiny toes, ten tiny fingers and from what I've been told for someone so tiny, she has a set of tiny lungs." Perry smiles, "she was quiet when I briefly saw her."
"Her father's daughter. Perry," she whispers, "please I need to see her." Della tried to get up but her mind and body did not cooperate.
"Not now my lady, she can't be moved out of the neonatal unit, you have to recover your strength for our daughter," says Perry, seeing the tears in Della's eyes. He hated having to tell her it wasn't possible at the moment. "As soon as Dr. Harris says you can be moved, I promise, I will personal escort you to her, now quiet my lady, I promise you that our little miracle will be fine."
"Please, Perry, don't leave her alone. If I can't be there, you have to be. She needs us."
Perry could never refuse Della anything, kissing her forehead. "I'll be back to check on you." He got down to the neonatal unit, he quietly walked up to the window, leaning against the wall, he looked at his daughter and put his hand on the window, wishing he reach in and touch his daughter's check.
The charge nurse, smiled when she saw Perry, she recognized this big burly man, as the famous criminal lawyer, who fought hard for his clients and won. If only the DA, police or a judge could see him now, the great Perry Mason being taken down by a tiny little girl. She found the largest rolling lounge chair and rolled it over to him. Telling him, he could stay for a while, but would have to leave when asked. Perry thanked her as he sat down looking at the baby. She was so tiny in the glass crib, tubes, wires and gadgets all around her, leaning closer he noticed the tiny needle in her arm and tubes in her nose. Perry wiped the tears from his eyes, there was nothing he could do for his princess or her mother. He felt so helpless looking at his little girl behind the glass of the incubator. Perry promised his daughter that she would always be his princess and he would be for her the knight in shining armor that would protect her from all evil.
After a couple of hours Paul arrived at the hospital, bringing with him, a change of clothes for Perry. That Margaret had commissioned, she knowing how vehement Perry, that he would not leave the hospital until Della and her daughter were released. Della smiled at Paul's coded touch on the door of her room.
"Hi, beautiful, how are you? The nurses told me that I have a beautiful goddaughter," Paul said giving Della a kiss on the forehead.
"Yes, Paul is a girl, but because she was born early her lungs are very small and she has to be in an incubator for a while." Della replies with a lump in the throat. "I have not seen her yet." Della says with tears in her eyes.
"Do not worry beautiful, my goddaughter will be fine and you will see that soon you will have her at your side. Being the daughter of Perry Mason, she must be as stubborn as he, and having her mother's patience, she managed to overcome any obstacle. "Paul smiles at Della.
Della gives a slight smile of thanks to Paul, "Paul please, you can send one of your men to pick up Aunt Mae, with all the fixed trouble that Perry has forgotten to call her."
"Do not worry beautiful, Margaret has already talked to Aunt Mae. Tomorrow I'm sending one of my men to pick her up at Bolero Beach and come here to LA."
"Thanks Paul."
When Perry got to Della's room, he found Paul keeping her company. He asked Paul to stay until he could shower, shave and dress. After Paul, leaves Perry paced a called to Mae to inform her that she was the grandmother of a beautiful girl. Then a second call to Margaret to thank her for sending Paul, with the change of clothes and he updated her, then let Della talk to her for a moment before hanging up.
Three long days passed for Della, until Dr. Harris gave permission for her to get out of bed and be able to see her baby to the neonatal unit. Della was taken by Perry in a wheelchair to the unit, when she was in front of her daughter's incubator, she started to cry. She could not bear to see her so little, with needle in her arm and tubes in her nose and how she still had trouble breathing, although the doctors had told her that she was progressing by leaps and bounds. Perry hugged Della, bringing her close to her chest and promising that everything would be fine and that sooner than she imagined she would have her baby in her arms.
When the two were back in Della's room, Perry told his wife, "Our daughter needs a name. Something other than me calling her my Princess." Says Perry.
"Guess it's too late to tell you no spoiling her." She smiles, Perry just shrugged his shoulders. "I was sure I was going to have a boy, so I had variations mixed with your name."
"First reason, I'm glad we have a daughter, couldn't deal with our child with my name," replies Perry, taking her hand.
"How about Mary, after your mother, Mae for her middle name?" She asks.
"One more Elizabeth after you, we can call her Lizzie." Says Perry. He promised her again, that he would always love and protect both of them.