Chapter Eleven
The next afternoon, Frank called and requested that Jamie and Eddie come to dinner that Sunday. They had postponed that first appearance a few times already.
"Thanks, Dad, but I'm not sure. Let me talk to Eddie," Jamie told him.
"This is time for family," Frank replied. "We have to get this over with."
Jamie sighed, "Okay, let me talk to Eddie, Dad."
Frank let that go, Jamie would do the right thing. Eddie was at the hospital with Mary.
Jamie hung up and leaned back on the couch. He knew Eddie wouldn't want to go over if Danny was there. He got up and grabbed his keys, he wanted to see his daughters. Eddie had Bella at the hospital.
When he arrived, Eddie was on the bed with Mary, Bella fast asleep
"Hey, look who's here," Eddie smiled at Mary. "You feel like waving at Daddy?" Mary was having a bad day.
"Hey sweetie, how are you feeling?" Jamie smiled kissing all three girls
"Yucky," Mary replied and held onto her mother tighter.
"She's running a fever," Eddie told Jamie as she kept Mary close. "I need you to take Bella to your father's after, I'm going to stay over tonight."
"Of course, Eddie I want to be here with you too. Have the doctors seen her?"
"They came in and ran some tests," Eddie replied. "They think it's just her ears, but the incisions are oozing a little..." Eddie sighed. "Here, baby, drink some more juice."
Jamie sighed watching his daughter take a little sip laying against her mom.
Jamie knew now was not the time to discuss dinner. He sat with Eddie and Mary until the doctor came and called them outside to discuss Mary's condition. Eddie gave the girl a firm kiss and promised, "Mommy will be right back, baby. We're just going to talk to your doctor about how to make you feel better. Close your eyes and rest."
Mary, too tired to put up a fight, started to doze off.
"Doctor what's wrong with our daughter?" Jamie asked when they stepped out into the hall.
"Looks like a mild case of cellulitis from the impaired circulation," he replied. "We'll hit it hard with antibiotics and fluids,"
"She'll be okay right? The antibiotics will help," Jamie looked into Mary's room where she was sleeping.
"She should be okay," the doctor replied. "We'll have to watch and make sure that the leg stays healthy."
Eddie reached for Jamie's hand and squeezed, "Should be?"
"The idea of amputation will be back on the table if the infection spreads," the doctor clarified. "But we aren't there yet."
Jamie sighed gently moving an arm around Eddie. "Help our daughter doctor."
"We will," he replied. "We need to start another IV."
When the nurse came in to start the new medication, Mary went berserk. She thrashed her little arms and head, hot tears running down her cheeks. "I don't want a needle, Mommy! Don't want one!"
Eddie took a breath, "Mary, look at Mommy honey. It's going to make you feel all better, angel. I promise. Look at Mommy…let's sing a song."
Jamie stood back and watched Eddie sooth their daughter. Bella kicked off her blanket and began to cry in response to her sister's tears. Jamie scooped her up and cuddled her, reassuring her with a rock and a bounce.
The nurse managed to start the second IV on Mary with a tiny bit of pressure on her existing site. "There you see, it's over. It's all over," Eddie soothed. "Mommy is here, Mommy is right here."
Jamie moved in when Eddie was settled on the bed with Mary once more. He laid down with Bella wrapped securely in her blanket and held onto his three girls. In the silence and tension of the moment, Bella looked around the room and sprouted a laugh, a huge baby, belly laugh with no origin other than her own amusement with the world.
Her laughing proved contagious, because Mary started to laugh, "Bella's funny," she announced and tickled the baby inciting more laughter.
Eddie began to laugh, her mother's heart elated at her children's joy, and finally Jamie began to laugh, his girls were happy, so he could be happy too, at least in the moment.
The antibiotics did their job after a while. Mary felt sick and tired and wanted the attention of her parents.
Both parents accommodated her with hugs, snuggles and lots of attention.
Jamie was there every chance that he had, Frank helped with Bella as best he could. She liked to laugh now that she discovered it. They loved hearing Bella laugh playing with the girls until Mary fell asleep. Mary seemed to perk up when she was visiting. Eddie gently brushed her daughter's hair watching her sleep.
"Eddie," Jamie gently broached the subject. "My Dad has been pushing me about Sunday dinner."
"Yeah what about it?" Eddie asked keeping her eyes on Mary as she slept.
"About us coming again," Jamie replied. "It's been a few weeks and he thinks we should start coming again."
Eddie shook her head, "I'm not leaving her all alone Jamie; I won't leave until she does."
"The doctor said she can come home soon," Jamie replied. "They think it will help her to have a change."
Eddie sighed looking back at Mary, "I don't know if I can Jamie. He's there."
"So am I," Jamie replied. "I'm sure he knows how much pain his actions inflicted. We shouldn't isolate"
Eddie sighed holding Mary as she thought over what Jamie said.
"Okay, if she is up to it then we will go," Eddie replied. "We are family."
"Thank you Eddie," Jamie kissed her cheek gently. "Love you."
She smiled a false smile, she didn't know how this was going to work out, but she would try, for Jamie.
"Get some rest Eddie," Jamie whispered softly holding her.
"After I feed Bella," she replied and went to tickle the baby's foot.
Bella let out another laugh moving her feet. Jamie smiled checking on Mary.
To any casual observer, they looked like a happy family, no one looking in the room would think anything beyond they had a sick child. The cloud that held their heart 24/7 wasn't visible to the world.
Eddie held Bella in her arms until the little girl fell asleep, Eddie falling asleep right after.
Jamie camped out at the hospital again with his family, he needed some sleep and he got it best with his family close by.
Doctors and nurses came in and out all night to check on Mary quietly letting the family sleep. When Jamie woke up he was met with bright sunshine
Bella was the only one awake. She was looking around and cooing a little bit. She would be eight weeks old the next day.
"Hey beautiful you look like you slept well," Jamie mumbled carefully picking her up
"Ha ah..." she laughed and cooed at her daddy. Jamie felt her diaper, "Oh, you're wet. Come here..."
He smiled and made faces talking while changing her diaper.
"You're a natural father," Frank spoke up.
Jamie looked up as he finished changing her, "I learned from two great fathers."
"There's more to family than being a father, though. There are other relationships..." Frank took a breath. "I don't think Danny realizes yet the gravity of what he's set in motion."
Jamie picked Bella up sighing and walked closer to his father. "I know that Dad everything changed."
"I've spoken with him a few times since this happened and he's of the opinion that it was just one of those things..."
"But it isn't one of those things we lost our son because of him, Mary and Bella's brother."
"That's the point I'm trying to make," Frank replied. "That hasn't quite sunk in and I don't think anyone in this family can heal until it does."
"Well we can't wait forever, Dad. I want things to be okay again for us to be a family."
"I know...talk to Eddie about dinner. I think seeing that empty place there at the table will push it home for your brother..." Frank replied.
"I already spoke to her and she agreed but seeing Danny there won't help her feelings towards him."
"Perhaps it will," Frank replied. 'Now give me this baby, you need to work, and Eddie has to focus on Mary. What do you say, you want to be Commissioner today?" he asked Bella.
Bella responded with a loud laugh kicking her legs out and babbling away brightly.
"She just learned that," Jamie bragged. "And she loves to laugh."
"I can see that well pretty girl I don't mind that," frank cooed his grand daughter
Frank headed out with his little granddaughter in his arms, Jamie went and bought some breakfast for him and Eddie, and Mary's favorite juice as her treat.
From NancyReviews:
A special note to my friend and writing partner... Happy Birthday Kristen!
I hope you know how blessed I feel to have you in my life and I wish you many, many more years of good health and happiness, Nancy.
To that end, there will be a bonus chapter of And Then There Were Four posted tomorrow, August 31.