Chapter 29

It was the fifteenth of January when Sarah delivered a baby boy at their town home in San Francisco. An old friend of Sarah's, a doctor whom she worked with in the hospital, was on hand and Victoria assisted him. Jarrod waited with Tori in the parlor for news about his wife and baby. Victoria came down finally and told Jarrod he could go see his wife.

Sarah was lying in their bed, looking pale and tired. The new baby was snuggled next to her. He was tiny and had a thatch of dark hair like Tori, but his eyes were closed so Jarrod couldn't see if he would have the same blue eyes. Dr. Jameson told Sarah he would come by in a few days to see how they were doing and left instructions with Jarrod to come and get him if need be.

Jarrod picked up his son, cradling him in his arms. Sarah smiled at the picture they made, but she still had an uneasiness she couldn't explain. The delivery had been difficult. Much more so than Tori's. And he didn't cry as lustily as Tori had. Sarah was frustrated with herself. She needed to stop comparing this baby with Tori. Every baby was different, she kept telling herself, but still she couldn't shake whatever it was making her feel like something was wrong.

"Jarrod Thomas Barkley II. Welcome to the world, my son," Jarrod said, smiling.

"Do we call him Thomas?" Sarah asked, sleepily.

"I guess we could. I wonder what Tori will think of him?" Jarrod asked.

As if she had heard them talking, there was a knock at the door and Victoria was standing there with Tori. Tori eyed her father suspiciously as he held the small bundle in his arms. Jarrod let her peek and she smiled.

"Baby?" she asked, pointing to her brother.

"This is your new brother, Tori. Jarrod Thomas Barkley II. Can you say his name?" Jarrod asked of his daughter. For only being 14 months old, Tori's vocabulary was remarkable. She only had to be asked if she could say a word and she would at least try it, most of the time getting it right.

"Jay," she said.

The three adults laughed.

"No, we're going to call him Thomas, sweetie," Jarrod said.

Tori shook her head no. "Jay," she said firmly and again the adults laughed.

"I guess we'll be calling him Jay," Sarah said. Victoria took her granddaughter down to fix something to eat, leaving the new parents to get acquainted with Jay.

Jay was a sweet baby, though was not eating as well as Sarah thought he should, and they were both miserable. Tori had taken to nursing with no problems, but Jay couldn't seem to get the hang of it. But the sad thing was, he didn't seem to really care. He didn't act hungry and when Sarah tried to nurse him, he would only nurse for a minute or two and then be done. They took Jay to Dr. Jameson. He too seemed concerned about Jay's lack of desire for food and referred them to a doctor who specialized in children. They made an appointment with Dr. Allen for the next week.

The night before the appointment with Dr. Allen, Jarrod came home late from his office to find his wife in tears. Victoria had already taken Tori to bed and then had turned in herself. Sarah sat in a chair next to her bed, trying again to nurse her son. When Jarrod saw his wife's agitated state, he offered to take the baby for a while to give her a break.

"But Jarrod, he needs to eat. He hasn't eaten all day!" Sarah cried. Jarrod was at a loss as to what to do or say to his wife.

As it was, Jarrod's schedule didn't permit him to accompany Sarah to the doctor since he was working on a case that required him to be in court. He promised Sarah he would ask the judge for a continuance. She understood, though she wished he were with her.

Victoria went with her instead. Tori would have to be with them as well, but she was a good child, and sat in her grandmother's lap, taking everything in. Dr. Allen was a young man who seemed to have a good rapport with children. Tori smiled at him when he first came in the exam room and he talked with her for a few minutes. He then turned his attention to Jay. He didn't take Jay from Sarah but watched him and began asking questions.

"How many pregnancies have you had, Sarah?"

"Three," Sarah replied, glancing over at Victoria. Victoria didn't say anything, but Sarah could tell she was surprised. Jarrod and Sarah still had never mentioned the miscarriage. "We miscarried a few years ago."

"I see, and your pregnancy with Tori. What was it like?"

"Easy. I had some morning sickness, but it passed after a few months."

"And her birth?"

"Normal. It was rather fast, but no problems."

The doctor held out his hands to Jay and Sarah passed him over. Jay was placed on an exam table and Dr. Allen carefully removed his blankets and his clothes until the baby was only wearing his diaper.

"And what about this pregnancy?"

Sarah sighed. "This one was more difficult. I was dreadfully ill for most of the first four months. Then tired. More tired than I remembered being with Tori. I just thought it was because I was also taking care of another child."

The doctor looked up at Sarah. "But you realized it was something different, didn't you?"

Sarah nodded.

"How was his birth?"

"Much longer than Tori's. More difficult."

The doctor gently probed Jay with his fingers, listening to his heart with his stethoscope. Sarah noticed his slight frown. It only lasted a second, but she saw it none the less. Her anxiety heightened when he began to wrap the baby again and then looked seriously at her.

"Your husband, Mrs. Barkley. Is he in town?"

Sarah swallowed. "Yes. He's a lawyer...he couldn't be here. He's in court today."

Victoria too was concerned, but her reason was because of Sarah's faltering speech. Sarah rarely spoke in such a way.

"I want to run a few tests on Jay, just to determine some things. Will your husband be available to meet with us, say, tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, I'm sure he will."

The doctor smiled, though Sarah noticed it wasn't as bright as it had been when he first walked in the room. He excused himself, and Sarah finished redressing Jay. They walked to the waiting carriage in front of the doctor's office and rode in silence to the town house. Just before arriving, Sarah knew she needed to explain something to Victoria.

"I'm sorry we never told you about the miscarriage, Victoria. We didn't mean to keep it from you. There just never seemed to be a right time to say anything."

Victoria patted Sarah's hand. "You don't have to explain anything to me, dear. I understand."

Sarah felt relieved. The last thing she had wanted to do was hurt her mother-in-law. They had been home for several hours when Jarrod walked through the door. Tori ran to her Papa and he eagerly scooped her up in his arms. Sarah was there to greet him as well, and he could tell by her face something was wrong. She didn't say anything but smiled and said they should talk later. He kissed her and then turned his attentions to his daughter.

Later that night, after Tori had been put to bed and Jay lay in his small crib, Jarrod and Sarah talked about the visit. Sarah explained how the doctor wanted to run some tests but wanted to speak with them first. Jarrod had asked for a continuance in his case and had gotten it, so he would be with Sarah at Dr. Allen the next morning.

"Don't worry, darling. I'm sure everything will work out just fine," Jarrod said as he held his wife. Sarah tried to believe her husband's words, but she still couldn't shake her uneasy feeling that something was dreadfully wrong. And somehow, she knew they would find out soon.