A/N: I know the TOP program exists, but my mother's busy so I can't ask
her the specific details of it. I think I have the basics so you guys will
get the jest of it.
"Mom, I told you not to let her come in her by herself!" Maria bustled in behind another woman she assumed was her mother.
"Maria, w-what's going on?" Liz pulled the infant protectively to her chest. Hannah opened her eyes for a quick second before grunting and closing them to fall back into a deep sleep.
Liz smiled down at her daughter before turning back to them.
"Actually, Liz, don't worry." The other woman stepped forward. "My name is Amy Valenti, and you already know my daughter, Maria."
"I'm Winifred, as I already introduced. I can tell you're already worried about why we're here, but there's no reason to." She smiled softly at Liz. "In Orange County, where you currently live, there is a great program for people like you. It's called Time Out For Parents."
Liz looked at her skeptically. "And what is this?"
"It's for single parents with children with special medical issues. What we do is offer care for the child at no charge to the parent as well as help with medical bills. Usually, we install these children or infants in homes of strangers, luckily, Amy Valenti here has been a part of this program for five years and is willing to take care of the baby for you, when you decide to go back to work." She finished.
Liz stared. Help with medical bills could be a great thing considering she was a single eighteen-year-old mother. She hadn't even thought of what kind of daycare she was going to send her to or anything else for that matter.
"Also, usually, we will supply you with a crib or diapers occasionally, depending on your monthly income."
Liz glanced down at her daughter who was beginning to grunt some more. She was tiny, yes, but she was adorable. Her face scrunched up like she was ready to cry. A tiny squeal came out but her face and lungs were gathering the energy to let out a real cry.
"She looks hungry," Liz said hoping to get them out of the room and time to think about the program.
"You go ahead and feed her. One more thing, Liz, in the state of California there must be a father's name on the birth certificate." They stood and left the room, Maria shooting a sympathetic look back at Liz's shocked face.
****
"Isabel, has she called you yet?" Max said standing impatiently in her doorway.
"No, Max, and she probably won't in the next couple of days. In case you didn't know, childbirth is an extremely tiresome event. In a few days she'll call and fill me in. She might even call you now that she's born." Isabel explained gently.
"Thanks." He turned around and went back to his room. He had been awake since Liz's phone call a few hours earlier. She was a little more than a month early. The thought terrified him. What if something had gone wrong? What if he could have been there for her? He should have, and he knew it. Now he was kicking himself because he wasn't. Because he was unable to disobey his mother's wishes.
****
"How's Mommy doing?" The afternoon nurse walked in.
Liz smiled it was such a new thing to be called Mommy. It was a name earned and it was something special.
"Fine. She just ate again."
"That's wonderful, Mommy." The nurse took her and laid her down. "I have to take her to an exam room down the hall, the doctors going to run a few more blood tests. Don't worry, Mommy, they won't hurt her, in the long run they may save her life. She'll be back in a few minutes."
Liz watched her daughter be pushed off in the basket.
"Hey." There was a knock on the door a few minutes later. Maria and Alex walked into the room with a bouquet of yellow roses.
"Hello, guys." Liz said.
"Where's the baby?" Alex asked disappointed, he had fallen in love with her at first sight.
"She's having some small tests run."
"When will she be back?"
"In a few minutes, why don't you two sit down?" She offered.
"Sure, why not?" Maria asked. She handed her the bouquet and placed a small kiss on her forehead.
"So, Maria told me her mother's offered to be Hannah's TOP."
"Yeah. I was thinking about that. Should I do it. I think it would be best actually."
"Yeah, and Amy's really good with children. Look at Maria for instance, she turned out great." Alex said with a smirk.
Liz raised an eyebrow. "If that's my baseline, maybe I better find elsewhere to send my daughter." Liz teased.
"Good point." Alex nodded solemnly. He ducked to avoid the blow he was coming but not fast enough.
Liz chuckled. "Don't make me laugh too much it hurts, stitches remember?"
"Oh yeah." Alex sobered. "So when's my baby coming back?"
****
Max's cell phone rang and an unfamiliar number popped up on the display screen. He answered it quickly.
[I] "Hello?"
"Max?" He heard. He knew that voice. He would know it everywhere.
"Liz?" He said desperately.
"Yes. Look, Max, I called you for a purpose. I need to put your name on the birth certificate. In the state where I'm at, it's required. They may send you child support papers or whatever, but, I'm gonna try to get them to waive it."
"Liz, where are you?"
"I can't tell you that. But, Max, don't be surprised if you get a document in the mail, alright. Don't try to find me, us. We're doing fine. She's doing fine. We were just a little early. She didn't want to be in there anymore. Bye Max." She hung up the phone and wiped angrily at the tears that had made their way down her face. [/I]
"Ms. Parker, have you decided what you are going to do with TOP?" The worker entered the room again.
"I think it would be the best thing in the world for me." Liz agreed.
****
"Hello, Ms. Parker." The doctor woke her up.
It had been the first time she had rested for any length of time. "Hi." She rasped.
"I'm sorry for waking you up, but we've found more conditions for Hannah." He entered the room.
"It's alright, where is she?"
"In the nursery. They'll keep her for a while." He said. "Would you mind if my friend's son joins us? He thinks he's my intern." The doctor smiled.
"Sure, why not?" Liz said. If the doctor was comfortable with him why shouldn't she be?
"Hi!" A young man walked in.
He wasn't extremely tall but not short. His hair fell into his eyes. Usually that got on her nerves but on him it was kind of cute. It was the first time she had remotely looked at a guy since Max.
"Hi, I'm Kyle Valenti." He held out his hand.
She took. "Liz Parker, as you already know." She knew that name, Valenti. She searched her brain for it. Maria's mom's name was Valenti!
"No chance you're related to an Amy Valenti?" She asked.
"Yeah, she's my stepmother." He smiled, "You know her?"
"Yeah, she's my TOP."
"Looks like I'll be seeing you around then." He winked at her.
"Alright, Kyle, you can be in here if you promise not to flirt with my patients." He said firmly but with a smile.
"Sorry." He stuck his hands in his pockets. And took his place by the doctor.
"Kyle's gonna be a doctor someday." He explained smiling at him then turned to his charts. "Ms. Parker, the tests have come back."
"Ok." She struggled to sit up
Kyle was immediately at her side helping to support her arms and stayed until she was comfortable. He stepped back and jammed his hands in his pockets again.
"Thanks." She said quietly. "Now tell me about Hannah."
"We've found a series of small holes in her heart." He held his hand up to keep her quiet. "They're all fixable. We want to wait until she's a little older so we won't delay much of her development. It's a major surgery but the chances are extremely high that once she has this surgery, she will live her life out as a normal little girl."
"It can be fixed, like her murmur?" She asked anxiously, suddenly wanting to hold her as if she could protect her from the world.
"Yes. We'll do the surgery at the same time. She will be heavily monitored until the surgery. We're going to put her on an Apnea Monitor. We'll explain everything when it's time for you to go home. Amy Valenti, your TOP, is already trained for Apnea Care. Any questions?"
"Not at the moment, can I see her please?" He asked.
"Yeah, it's time for another feeding anyway. How far apart are her feedings?"
"Every two hours."
"That's perfect." The doctor smiled easily. "You're doing great."
"It's only been two days."
"I know, we might send you two home tomorrow."
"Good, home is good." Liz nodded.
"Yes. You'll be more comfortable."
Kyle studied Liz's lost look. She wasn't ready to go home yet. He'd have to think about that one.
****
"Liz?" The knock was soft knock on the door.
"Come in." She called. She pulled Hannah closer and covered her head with a small blanket while she nursed.
"Hello, Liz." Amy Valenti walked into the room. It was the first time she had come unaccompanied by Maria.
"Hello, Mrs. Valenti." She smiled at her.
"Liz, I know you're scared to take her home and I know that after a C- Section or any birth, is a difficult thing. If you want, I know you're not ready to go home by yourself yet, if you want you can stay with us until you're rested. I talked to my husband about it. He says it's fine." She said.
"Mothers go home all the time right after birth." Liz replied. She didn't want to go home alone any more than Amy wanted her to go home but she put on a good argument anyway.
"Those mothers have husbands." She said determinedly.
"Maria offered to help at our place."
"I would feel much better if you came home with me. That way you wouldn't be alone with the Apnea Monitor the first week or two. And it will give Hannah time to get comfortable with me before you leave. You'll leave after Thanksgiving, alright?"
Knowing that Amy was every bit as stubborn as her daughter, Liz gave in.
"Mom, I told you not to let her come in her by herself!" Maria bustled in behind another woman she assumed was her mother.
"Maria, w-what's going on?" Liz pulled the infant protectively to her chest. Hannah opened her eyes for a quick second before grunting and closing them to fall back into a deep sleep.
Liz smiled down at her daughter before turning back to them.
"Actually, Liz, don't worry." The other woman stepped forward. "My name is Amy Valenti, and you already know my daughter, Maria."
"I'm Winifred, as I already introduced. I can tell you're already worried about why we're here, but there's no reason to." She smiled softly at Liz. "In Orange County, where you currently live, there is a great program for people like you. It's called Time Out For Parents."
Liz looked at her skeptically. "And what is this?"
"It's for single parents with children with special medical issues. What we do is offer care for the child at no charge to the parent as well as help with medical bills. Usually, we install these children or infants in homes of strangers, luckily, Amy Valenti here has been a part of this program for five years and is willing to take care of the baby for you, when you decide to go back to work." She finished.
Liz stared. Help with medical bills could be a great thing considering she was a single eighteen-year-old mother. She hadn't even thought of what kind of daycare she was going to send her to or anything else for that matter.
"Also, usually, we will supply you with a crib or diapers occasionally, depending on your monthly income."
Liz glanced down at her daughter who was beginning to grunt some more. She was tiny, yes, but she was adorable. Her face scrunched up like she was ready to cry. A tiny squeal came out but her face and lungs were gathering the energy to let out a real cry.
"She looks hungry," Liz said hoping to get them out of the room and time to think about the program.
"You go ahead and feed her. One more thing, Liz, in the state of California there must be a father's name on the birth certificate." They stood and left the room, Maria shooting a sympathetic look back at Liz's shocked face.
****
"Isabel, has she called you yet?" Max said standing impatiently in her doorway.
"No, Max, and she probably won't in the next couple of days. In case you didn't know, childbirth is an extremely tiresome event. In a few days she'll call and fill me in. She might even call you now that she's born." Isabel explained gently.
"Thanks." He turned around and went back to his room. He had been awake since Liz's phone call a few hours earlier. She was a little more than a month early. The thought terrified him. What if something had gone wrong? What if he could have been there for her? He should have, and he knew it. Now he was kicking himself because he wasn't. Because he was unable to disobey his mother's wishes.
****
"How's Mommy doing?" The afternoon nurse walked in.
Liz smiled it was such a new thing to be called Mommy. It was a name earned and it was something special.
"Fine. She just ate again."
"That's wonderful, Mommy." The nurse took her and laid her down. "I have to take her to an exam room down the hall, the doctors going to run a few more blood tests. Don't worry, Mommy, they won't hurt her, in the long run they may save her life. She'll be back in a few minutes."
Liz watched her daughter be pushed off in the basket.
"Hey." There was a knock on the door a few minutes later. Maria and Alex walked into the room with a bouquet of yellow roses.
"Hello, guys." Liz said.
"Where's the baby?" Alex asked disappointed, he had fallen in love with her at first sight.
"She's having some small tests run."
"When will she be back?"
"In a few minutes, why don't you two sit down?" She offered.
"Sure, why not?" Maria asked. She handed her the bouquet and placed a small kiss on her forehead.
"So, Maria told me her mother's offered to be Hannah's TOP."
"Yeah. I was thinking about that. Should I do it. I think it would be best actually."
"Yeah, and Amy's really good with children. Look at Maria for instance, she turned out great." Alex said with a smirk.
Liz raised an eyebrow. "If that's my baseline, maybe I better find elsewhere to send my daughter." Liz teased.
"Good point." Alex nodded solemnly. He ducked to avoid the blow he was coming but not fast enough.
Liz chuckled. "Don't make me laugh too much it hurts, stitches remember?"
"Oh yeah." Alex sobered. "So when's my baby coming back?"
****
Max's cell phone rang and an unfamiliar number popped up on the display screen. He answered it quickly.
[I] "Hello?"
"Max?" He heard. He knew that voice. He would know it everywhere.
"Liz?" He said desperately.
"Yes. Look, Max, I called you for a purpose. I need to put your name on the birth certificate. In the state where I'm at, it's required. They may send you child support papers or whatever, but, I'm gonna try to get them to waive it."
"Liz, where are you?"
"I can't tell you that. But, Max, don't be surprised if you get a document in the mail, alright. Don't try to find me, us. We're doing fine. She's doing fine. We were just a little early. She didn't want to be in there anymore. Bye Max." She hung up the phone and wiped angrily at the tears that had made their way down her face. [/I]
"Ms. Parker, have you decided what you are going to do with TOP?" The worker entered the room again.
"I think it would be the best thing in the world for me." Liz agreed.
****
"Hello, Ms. Parker." The doctor woke her up.
It had been the first time she had rested for any length of time. "Hi." She rasped.
"I'm sorry for waking you up, but we've found more conditions for Hannah." He entered the room.
"It's alright, where is she?"
"In the nursery. They'll keep her for a while." He said. "Would you mind if my friend's son joins us? He thinks he's my intern." The doctor smiled.
"Sure, why not?" Liz said. If the doctor was comfortable with him why shouldn't she be?
"Hi!" A young man walked in.
He wasn't extremely tall but not short. His hair fell into his eyes. Usually that got on her nerves but on him it was kind of cute. It was the first time she had remotely looked at a guy since Max.
"Hi, I'm Kyle Valenti." He held out his hand.
She took. "Liz Parker, as you already know." She knew that name, Valenti. She searched her brain for it. Maria's mom's name was Valenti!
"No chance you're related to an Amy Valenti?" She asked.
"Yeah, she's my stepmother." He smiled, "You know her?"
"Yeah, she's my TOP."
"Looks like I'll be seeing you around then." He winked at her.
"Alright, Kyle, you can be in here if you promise not to flirt with my patients." He said firmly but with a smile.
"Sorry." He stuck his hands in his pockets. And took his place by the doctor.
"Kyle's gonna be a doctor someday." He explained smiling at him then turned to his charts. "Ms. Parker, the tests have come back."
"Ok." She struggled to sit up
Kyle was immediately at her side helping to support her arms and stayed until she was comfortable. He stepped back and jammed his hands in his pockets again.
"Thanks." She said quietly. "Now tell me about Hannah."
"We've found a series of small holes in her heart." He held his hand up to keep her quiet. "They're all fixable. We want to wait until she's a little older so we won't delay much of her development. It's a major surgery but the chances are extremely high that once she has this surgery, she will live her life out as a normal little girl."
"It can be fixed, like her murmur?" She asked anxiously, suddenly wanting to hold her as if she could protect her from the world.
"Yes. We'll do the surgery at the same time. She will be heavily monitored until the surgery. We're going to put her on an Apnea Monitor. We'll explain everything when it's time for you to go home. Amy Valenti, your TOP, is already trained for Apnea Care. Any questions?"
"Not at the moment, can I see her please?" He asked.
"Yeah, it's time for another feeding anyway. How far apart are her feedings?"
"Every two hours."
"That's perfect." The doctor smiled easily. "You're doing great."
"It's only been two days."
"I know, we might send you two home tomorrow."
"Good, home is good." Liz nodded.
"Yes. You'll be more comfortable."
Kyle studied Liz's lost look. She wasn't ready to go home yet. He'd have to think about that one.
****
"Liz?" The knock was soft knock on the door.
"Come in." She called. She pulled Hannah closer and covered her head with a small blanket while she nursed.
"Hello, Liz." Amy Valenti walked into the room. It was the first time she had come unaccompanied by Maria.
"Hello, Mrs. Valenti." She smiled at her.
"Liz, I know you're scared to take her home and I know that after a C- Section or any birth, is a difficult thing. If you want, I know you're not ready to go home by yourself yet, if you want you can stay with us until you're rested. I talked to my husband about it. He says it's fine." She said.
"Mothers go home all the time right after birth." Liz replied. She didn't want to go home alone any more than Amy wanted her to go home but she put on a good argument anyway.
"Those mothers have husbands." She said determinedly.
"Maria offered to help at our place."
"I would feel much better if you came home with me. That way you wouldn't be alone with the Apnea Monitor the first week or two. And it will give Hannah time to get comfortable with me before you leave. You'll leave after Thanksgiving, alright?"
Knowing that Amy was every bit as stubborn as her daughter, Liz gave in.