Chris paused. He knew about the HIPPA Law. Somehow though he found himself compelled to tell Annie.
"Zack," he said, "Zack Matthew."
"If we ever have a son," Annie said, "I want his middle name to be Zack."
"Sounds great," Chris said, "What about his first name?"
"I want his first name to be Ian," Annie answered, "My best friend growing up→ his name was Ian.
At that point Ian was just a thought. Right now, they had Marie. By this time, she was anesthetized and in surgery.
"The surgery lasted 12 ½ hours," Old Nick said, "You must have been scared."
"I was terrified," Chris said, "It's hard enough operating on a patient. It's harder to be a patient's father. Waiting in the waiting room for news of your child is terrifying."
"Everything goes well until it doesn't," Old Nick said wisely.
Chris just nodded.
It was well after midnight when Dr. Howle came into the waiting room. She was all smiles.
"Marie sailed through the surgery," she told Chris and Annie.
"Thank you so much Dr. Howle," Annie said, hugging her.
"She was nine months when she went home," Chris mused, "But she was the size of a newborn."
"Oh she's so cute," one lady said to Annie and Chris when they were leaving to take Marie home, "Is she your first?"
"She is," Chris said.
"How old is she," the lady asked.
"Nine months," Annie replied, smiling.
"She looks a lot younger," the lady observed.
"She had a lung transplant," Chris explained, "She was born premature. My wife was only five months pregnant when Marie was born."
"I love children," the lady said, "My name is Nanny by the way."
"Nanny? I never heard that name before."
Nanny smiled at Annie.
"My mother named me after her favorite TV show."
"Let me guess. The Nanny?" Annie asked.
"No. Nanny 911," Nanny said laughing.
She handed Chris and Annie her card.
"In case you ever need, in an emergency, I'm great with kids," she said.
"Thank you," Annie replied, "Do you have a car?"
"I do," Nanny said.
"Do you have any medical training," Chris asked.
