A Womb With A View by Kakie

Chapter 12

In Detroit, Larry was putting his son to bed when his cell phone rang. Jamie, who was wiping off the table, reached into his coat pocket and pulled it out. She glanced at the name on the caller-ID and dropped it back in the pocket.

"Forget it, Ally. You and your child may get him from now on but you are not going to interrupt my son's last night with his father. Whatever you have to say to him can wait."

The phone rang again a few minutes later and again it was Ally. She once more dropped it back in the pocket.

A little while later Larry returned to the kitchen.

"Is he asleep?" she asked.

"Just about."

"How about some coffee before you head home? You have a long day tomorrow."

"Tell me about it. It's going to be a long drive to Boston. I'd love some coffee."

She nodded and went to the coffee maker. "Your cell phone rang while you were with Sam. The caller-ID said it was Ally."

He pushed the buttons and began listening to his messages. "Larry, its Renee. Call me as soon as you get this. It's about Ally." The message ended and the next one began. "Dammit, Larry. Ally said you always have this phone on and with you. Listen carefully. There's been an accident. Ally fell on the ice and has been rushed to Memorial. She's bleeding Larry and I don't mean just from her head. It's bad. John's at the hospital now and I'll be there in a few minutes. Her parents are on their way. Hurry, dammit."

Larry felt like he had been punched in the stomach. He felt sick. Jamie noticed his change in color and became worried.

"Larry, what is it?"

"Ally," he said, barely able to get the words out. "She fell on the ice. She's in the hospital. I have to get to her."

Jamie touched his arm. "Let me help you."

"No," he said as he jerked his arm back. "You've helped enough."

"What does that mean?"

"You knew that with the due date so close that it was imperative that I be available twenty-four hours a day. You saw who it was on the phone. Why didn't you answer it or come and get me?"

Guilt seeped into Jamie's body. "I didn't know," she whispered. "I thought she just wanted to talk and I didn't want her spoiling Sam's time with you. I'm so sorry."

Larry grabbed his coat. "I swear Jamie, if your stunt cost me anything, I'll never forgive you." He ran out the door.

Jamie touched the window. "I'm sorry, Larry."

Larry started his car and made a call to his secretary. "Becky, its Larry. I'm sorry to call you at home and I know technically you're no longer my secretary but I need your help."

"Sure, Larry. What is it?"

"Ally's had an accident and is in the hospital. I need you to call the airlines and get me the next flight to Boston and a rental car when I get there. Put the charges on my Visa. Afterwards call me on my cell phone and give me the information."

"Got it. What else?"

"Then I need you to call Renee Raddick and give her the information." He recited Renee's number from his address book. "Thanks Becky, I owe you."

"I'll take care of everything. I hope she's okay. Can you call me with an update?"

"I will. You're the best, Becky. I hope your new boss knows how lucky he is."



Larry arrived at the airport in record time and found his ticket ready. Bless that Becky, he thought as he hurried to make his flight. He buckled his seatbelt and took a deep breath. He watched the night sky as the plane took off.



Larry parked his car in the ER parking lot and ran inside. He checked with a nurse and got Ally's location and hurried through the hospital. He paused when he saw Renee and John sleeping on the couches in the waiting room. Rather than wake and pump them for information, he decided to go to the source. And he found the source talking to George and Jeannie.

"Larry, thank goodness you're here." Jeannie squeezed his hand, a gesture noted by him. Jeannie turned back to the doctor. "Dr. Sweeney, this is our son-in-law Larry Paul."

Dr. Sweeney extended his hand to Larry who accepted it.

"Ally? Where is she? How is she? What about the baby?" Larry's questions came out in a panic.

Dr. Sweeney walked Larry to a quiet section of the waiting room and signaled for him to take a seat. "Mr. Paul, when your wife fell tonight, she was unconscience when she arrived at the hospital." Dr. Sweeney went on to explain things in medical terminology that went right over Larry's head.

"Dr. Sweeney, in simple English terms, how are my wife and baby?"

"Mr. Paul, we had to deliver your daughter by c-section after which your wife slipped into a coma."

Larry's face went stark white. "Coma? She's in a coma?"

"Yes, I'm afraid she is."

Larry closed his eyes and ordered him self to take deep breaths. "Is she...". He couldn't bring himself to ask the question. "Will she come out of it?"

"We hope so. The medical profession has made many advances over the years but we still don't know what makes some people come out of comas and others not."

A movement caught Larry's attention and he saw a nurse coming towards him.

"Mr. Paul, I thought you might want to meet your daughter." The nurse handed Larry the newborn and stepped to the side.

Dr. Sweeney stood up and placed his hand on Larry's shoulder. "I'm going to give you a few minutes with your daughter and then we'll resume our conversation."

Larry barely heard him as his baby girl held his attention.

"You are so beautiful," Larry said. "Wait until Ally sees you." Larry realized what he had said and a gasp of pain escaped his mouth. This could not be happening, he thought to himself. Life could not be so cruel as to give me a daughter and take her mother away at the same time. He stared at the baby until the pain became too much and the tears began to flow.

"She's beautiful," Renee said as she sat next to him on the couch.

Larry nodded as he turned away. He didn't want anyone seeing him cry.

She gently took the baby from him and handed him a packet of tissue. "I've already been through three of those and John has gone through two."

Larry nodded and grabbed the tissue. He walked to the window and looked out.

Renee handed the baby to the nurse when she returned and joined Larry at the window.

"If you think for a second that Ally won't pull out of this, then you don't know her at all."

His gazed remained fixed on the street below. "How do you know that? Lots of people don't come out of comas."

"But none of those people is your wife and my best friend. She has everything to live for. She has you and she has her daughter. She has the life she always dreamed of and wished for. She is not, I repeat, not going to let it slip through her fingers."

"I wish I could believe that."

"If you can't believe that, then believe in magic. Ally did. She also believed in hope and true love and destiny. She married you on Christmas Eve. Believe in the magic of that. What I'm trying to say, Larry, is for the first time in your life you need to believe in the good in something instead of looking for the bad."

He turned away from the window and looked at Renee. "Believe in the good?"

Renee nodded. "Ally believed that marrying you was the best thing she ever did. She was convinced that you were not the same man who left her all those months ago. I wasn't so sure but seeing the love and pain in your eyes tonight, I'm beginning to think she was right. Don't disappoint her by giving up hope." She glanced at her watch. "I'm going home. Will you call me if there is any change?"

"Of course."

"Are you staying here tonight?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

Renee smiled. "I didn't think so. Good night."

He watched as Renee disappeared down the hall. Did he have enough strength to keep his hope alive? He walked down the hall and found Jeannie and George sitting in a small waiting room outside the ICU. He sat next to Jeannie.

"Any news?"

"No," she said sadly.

George stared at his son-in-law for a long minute. He noticed that Larry looked as bad as he felt. He could see the fear and pain in the younger man's face. George realized how much Larry loved his daughter. "Did you get to see the baby?"

"Yes, the nurse brought her to me. She's perfect."

If there was any doubt left in George's mind, hearing the pain in his son- in-laws voice chased it away.

"I want to see her."

Jeannie and George nodded. They understood. The ICU was very strict when it came to visitors. Only one visitor at a time for five minutes every hour. They had each only had two visits and were anxious for another.

At that moment the ICU nurse entered the waiting area. "I can take one of you now."

Jeannie and George looked at each other and then at Larry.

Jeannie squeezed his hand. "Go on. She needs to know you're here."

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Please take our son-in-law to see his wife," George said to the nurse. She nodded and led Larry through a corridor.

Larry found Ally as one of six patients in the ICU. He wanted some privacy but did notice that the nurses and doctors were occupied with the other patients. He sat down in the chair beside her bed. He touched her cheek. She's not in a coma, he thought to himself. She's just sleeping. But the machinery she was connected to told a different story. He took her hand and kissed her fingers one by one.

"Come on, honey, open your eyes." He waited a few seconds certain that she would hear him and come to. But nothing happened. "Ally, it's me Larry. I'm here with you. I need you to open your eyes. I want you to see our daughter. She's so beautiful." He watched closely but still no response.

"Mr. Paul? Your five minutes are up. I need you to return to the waiting area."

Larry looked over at the nurse standing at the foot of the bed. "I'm not finished yet."

"Mr. Paul, please respect our rules. You can come back in an hour."

Larry considered railing at the young nurse but decided against it. The idea of Ally coming to and finding out that he had been banned from her because of his behavior was more than he could bear. Larry nodded to the nurse and then kissed Ally gently on her lips. "I love you," he whispered.