Full of Surprises chapter 18
The alarm went off at five thirty but both Angela and Tony were awake. Tony's arm reached across and turned off the alarm as he his hands came back around Angela's body. He did a quick calculation; if they both had gotten four hours of sleep last night that was a lot. He buried his face in her hair as she pushed herself back up against his body, pulling his arms tighter around her body.
"Good morning Tony… even though I know you've been up for a while…" she said as her hands found his own.
"Morning sweetheart… you've been up just as long as I have…" he said as he kissed her neck.
"I guess we both couldn't sleep much… I know we should be getting up but I just can't seem to make my legs work…" she said as she tightened her grip on his arms.
"I know sweetheart… I don't wanna move from this spot… ever" he said. They both stayed in bed a few more minutes before Angela reluctantly got up, followed by Tony. They got themselves ready as Angela finished packing her hospital bag. Soon, they were heading downstairs. Angela forced Tony to eat something for breakfast; he reluctantly had some oatmeal, something he knew wasn't one of her favorites.
"Alright Tony, I think we have everything. We better go so we get there on time" she said.
"Shut up dweeb! It's way too early to think about anything!" shouted Samantha as she headed down the stairs, Jonathan right behind her.
"C'mon Sam! Which superpower would you rather have? The power to fly or be invisible?" he asked as he badgered her. They could tell this conversation had been going on for a while and was about to escalate if they didn't intervene.
"I totally think I'd pick invisibility! My high school years would have been so much better!" snickered Tony as Angela gave him a slight smack on his arm.
"What would you pick Mom?" he asked as he went to grab his coat.
"Power to time travel, hands down! So why are you two up so early? I thought Mother was going to bring you all down later?" she asked as she watched both kids grab their coats.
"Mona said she's going to meet us there later. Figured we'd grab a ride with you two if that's okay…" said Samantha.
"Yes of course it is! Just wish you two didn't have to get up so early" she said as she grabbed her coat. Tony helped her into it, grabbing his own jacket and her bag as they all headed out the door.
Fifteen minutes later, they were walking into the hospital front doors. Tony had found a spot in the long term parking lot; he wanted to drop her off at the front, but she insisted on going in together. She was able to check in, filling out more paperwork as everyone found chairs in the admissions waiting room. Soon, Angela was called back to be prepped for surgery. Everyone could have a few minutes before she was taken into surgery, so just Tony followed her back.
"Gosh these gowns are ugly… I mean I get I'm going in for surgery but still… a little color or something would be nice!" she said as she put the gown on. Tony came behind her and tied it for her.
"You look beautiful in anything Angela! Even this ugly gown!" he chuckled as he took her clothing and placed it in the plastic bag they had given them.
Soon the nurse came in and prepped her for the egg retrieval and surgery. Tony was taken into a room for his part of the insemination, while Angela was taken to the pre-surgical room. The fertility doctor came in and reviewed the procedure. Angela would be put under a twilight anesthesia for the procedure and then general anesthesia for the actual surgery right afterwards. About a half an hour later, Tony came back into the room.
"Everything go okay Tony?" she asked as the nurse came in to administer her IV.
"Yes it did… how are you doing?" he asked as he came to sit on the edge of her bed.
"I'm okay… I am just a little nervous…" she said as she took a deep breath.
"I'm going to be right here Angela! And I'll be here when you wake up…" he said as he grabbed a hold of her hand. They finished prepping Angela for surgery as Tony asked the nurse to get the family in before she was wheeled in.
"Couldn't they have found a better looking gown Angela?" complained Mona as she and the kids walked into the room.
"They were all out of the silk ones…" said Angela as she rolled her eyes, secretly happy for her mother's inappropriate jokes.
"Eh oh, oh eh! She looks beautiful in anything! She could be in a paper bag right now and be gorgeous!" said Tony.
"Oh relax Tony! Angela you really need to get better soon and give him some action… he's grumpy when he hasn't gotten any…" said Mona as both Samantha and Jonathan made gagging noises.
"Mona please! I haven't even had breakfast yet but you're gonna make me lose last night's dinner!" complained Samantha as Mona just laughed.
"Alright Angela! It's time to bring you down for the first procedure. We will make sure we update your family of your progress" said Dr. Greene as he entered the room.
"Good luck Angela! We will be here when you wake up" said Samantha as she leaned over to give her a hug. "I'll make sure I look out for Dad and Jonathan until you're up. Mona can fend for herself…" she whispered into Angela's ear as she pulled her in closer for a longer hug.
"Yeah Mom… we will be right here! I'll make sure I get you something from the cafeteria in case you're hungry when you wake up!" said Jonathan as he came to give her a hug.
"Thank you sweethearts. I really appreciate it…" she said as she held back her tears.
"If you see any hot doctors on the way to the OR… let them know your older sister is looking for a date…" said Mona as she walked over to her and gave her a hug. Before Angela could respond, Mona ushered the kids out of the room. Angela knew her mother was coming close to tears, so she didn't press it.
The nurse and doctor started wheeling her down the hallway, Tony holding her hand and never leaving her side. Once they got to the OR doors, they gave them a few moments to say their goodbyes.
"Tony, I want you to know…" she started to say, a million things for him to do and to know if things were to go badly during the surgery, running through her head but the moment she saw the worried look on his face, they all but vanished. "I want you to know how lucky I am to have you in my life. Out of all of the unexpected surprises in my life, you are by far the best. I love you Tony…" she said as she squeezed his hand.
"I don't know what I ever did to deserve you Angela, but I'm not about to question it… today, tomorrow or for the rest of my life. I love you more than anything Angela…" he said as he leaned down and gently kissed her lips. The nurse kindly interrupted them as they started wheeling her into the OR.
"I'll be right here when you wake up!" he called after her as he watched the doors open and close. He took a few deep breaths as he turned and headed to wait with the family.
"Okay Angela! We are going to get you set up here for the egg retrieval. The anesthesiologist will be monitoring you and then will put you fully under for the surgery. We will take the eggs and begin the fertilization process. We hope to know in the next few days how many eggs were fertilized and then we will begin the freezing process on day five. Any questions?" asked the doctor as they moved her into position.
"No, I don't think so…" she managed to say, the lump in her throat growing as her fears began to take hold. The nurse recognized her anxiety and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"It will be okay! You won't feel a thing and you are in the best of hands. We will update that cute husband of yours of your progress" said the nurse.
"Alright Angela… start counting back from one hundred…" said Dr. Greene as they administered the first round of anesthesia.
"One hundred, ninety-nine, ninety-eight, ninety…" she started as the anesthesia quickly took effect. Her last thoughts before everything went dark were of Tony and the life she hoped they would have together.
"Here Tony… we got you a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a bagel plus some coffee" said Jonathan as Tony came into the waiting room, taking a seat next to them.
"Nah… I'm fine. I had some oatmeal before we left…" he said as he waved off the food.
"Dad! You need to eat something more than that! You'll be no good to her if you pass out from hunger and dehydration! Besides… I promised Angela I'd take care of you until she wakes up…" she said as she pushed the food back at Tony.
"You know I'm the parent right?" he said as he took the food. He knew it was easier to shove down the food than to argue with any of them. He was surprised that the food tasted good and that he was actually hungry. Once he was finished, he crumpled up the aluminum foil and threw it in the trash can. He couldn't manage to get his legs to sit back down as he began to pace. He knew it was too early for an update but his eyes were glued to the swinging doors.
"For heavens sake Tony! You're gonna wear a hole in the carpet! Take a load off and sit down…" scolded Mona. He was able to sit for a while, until his anxiety got the best of him and he was back to pacing. About forty-five minutes later, Dr. Greene came into the waiting room. The entire family jumped up, running over to him.
"How's Angela?" asked Tony as he stood next to the doctor.
"She's doing very well! We were able to retrieve fifteen eggs and are working on the fertilization process. We won't know how many are successful in becoming embryos until the next few days. I will make sure we update you both as soon as we have a final count of embryos to freeze" he said.
"Has the surgery started yet?" asked Mona.
"They gave her more anesthesia and have wheeled her into the other OR. They should be starting the surgery now. Someone will be out to update you later" he said as he turned around and walked out of the room.
"Does that mean you will have fifteen babies?" asked Jonathan, his innocent question bringing a smile to Tony's face.
"No… hopefully they can fertilize about half or more. Then, once we find a surrogate, they will try and implant a few of them. It's kinda a long shot for it to work but we have to keep positive, for Angela's sake" he said.
They spent the next two hours waiting for someone to come and update them. They each took turns pacing back and forth. Mrs. Rossini came in about an hour into their wait with a prepared lunch for them all. They caught her up to speed on the first procedure as a nurse came in the room, calling Tony's name.
"Yes, I'm Tony Micelli. Do you have an update on my wife?" he asked as the whole family gathered around the nurse.
"She is still in surgery. The procedure is more complicated than they had initially anticipated. Your wife's blood pressure was a little erratic but seems to be stabilizing now. They are still trying to save her uterus if at all possible. There was significant damage to her right ovary as well as the fallopian tube from the initial infection so unfortunately they had to remove both. They did a biopsy of the mass and are waiting the results to see if it is in fact cancer" she said.
"When will they know the results?" asked Tony, his voice shaky at best.
"In less than an hour. They want to be able to make a decision about whether or not to perform the hysterectomy. I will be back as soon as we know more" she said as she headed out of the room.
"She's never had any issues with her blood pressure! That doesn't make any sense!" said Tony as he was on the verge of losing it again.
"She's under anesthesia Tony and in surgery! The body reacts differently to that type of stress! Like she told ya, it's stable now. Let's just pray the biopsy results come back okay…" said Mrs. Rossini.
"She's right Dad! We just have to keep waiting…" said Samantha as she led Tony back to his seat, sitting down next to him. Tony looked like he was about to jump out of his skin.
"Kids, why don't we go get Tony something to drink. That's the one thing I didn't bring with me!" said Mrs. Rossini as she shuffled them out of the room.
"Mona, I'm about to lose it here!" he said as tears filled his eyes and he ran his fingers through his hair.
"I'm not much better right now Tony… I'm trying to be my carefree, non-emotional self but it's not working…" she said as she started to bite her fingernails. Tony looked up at her and for the first time saw Angela in Mona's appearance. His heart sank as he saw the rock of their family look like she was about to crumble. He stood up and came over to sit next to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulder.
"Then I guess we need to lean on one another then…" he said as they sat there in silence, holding onto one another for dear life.
The kids came back in with sodas and more coffee as they took their seats. Almost forty-five minutes passed before the nurse came back in.
"Good news Mr. Micelli! The biopsy revealed it's not cancer!" said the nurse as the family let out shouts of joy and relief.
"Thank god! So what was it?" asked Tony, his legs feeling like jello.
"It's a benign fibroid tumor, which they were able to remove, keeping her uterus intact. There is significant scarring however that will make having children almost impossible unfortunately. The left ovary and fallopian tube do not appear to be damaged. They are currently closing her up and she should be in the recovery room in about an hour. I will come and get you when you can go back and see her" she said as she turned to leave.
The family was now crying tears of happiness. Tony managed to make it back to one of the seats just as his legs gave out on him. He had to put his head between his knees to stop from hyperventilating and passing out. Samantha and Mrs. Rossini came to sit on either side of him, rubbing his back as they wiped away their own tears. It took Tony a few minutes but he was able to pull himself together and sat back up.
The nurse came back forty-five minutes later and brought Tony into the recovery section. She led him to a curtain at the end of the room, slowly pulling it back to reveal Angela resting against the pillows. A smile slowly crept across his face as he walked over to her, sitting down in the chair next to the bed. He had to keep repeating to himself that it was not cancer, that she was going to be okay. He hadn't realized that he had himself convinced it was going to be bad news. Tears came back as he gently picked up her hand in his own.
"T…Tony?" she whispered as she started to come around.
"Yes Angela! I'm right here!" he said as he sat down on the edge of her bed. He gently moved a fallen piece of hair from her face.
"How… how did it go?" she said as she started to come around more.
"It went really well Angela! They were able to remove it and it's not cancer! You're gonna be okay!" he said as he started to cry again.
"Really? I'm not going to die?" she asked as tears came to her eyes.
"No! Not for a very long time! You're stuck with me kid!" he chuckled.
"How about the eggs? Were they able to get them?" she asked as she started to get tired again.
"They were able to get fifteen eggs! We will know in a few days how many were able to be fertilized. I think you need to rest now. I'll be right here when you wake up sweetheart. I love you Angela…" he said as he leaned in for a kiss.
"I love you too Tony…" she said as she fell back to sleep.
Two hours later, Angela was transferred to her room. Tony never left her side as she drifted in and out of sleep. Once she was in her room, Tony asked the nurse to bring the family in to visit. They had stopped off at the gift shop and picked up some magazines, snacks and a large bouquet of pink roses for Angela.
"Mom! How are you feeling?" asked Jonathan as he came over to her bedside.
"A bit tired still but otherwise good! I'm sure when I have to get up that might be a different story!" she chuckled.
"You look good Angela! I'm so glad everything is okay!" said Samantha as she wiped away some tears. Angela motioned for her to come closer so she could give her a hug, as best as she could with her incision.
"So now that you're going to be okay Angela, I think we need to renegotiate my salary. Not to mention compensation for all the needless worry over these past few weeks. I'd say a two week vacation is in order…" said Mona as everyone just rolled their eyes.
"Cover for me while I recover and we will talk Mother…" said Angela as she grabbed a hold of Mona's hand, giving it a slight squeeze.
"You just rest up Angela! I've got them covered for food for the next few days!" said Mrs. Rossini.
"Thank you! Speaking of, you guys need to head out and get some dinner! Maybe finish the homework I know neither of you finished last night!" chuckled Tony as he looked at each of the kids before looking back at Angela, who was starting to get tired again.
"You should go too Tony. You need your strength too" said Angela.
"I'll be fine! I'll head out to the cafeteria later on tonight" he said as he took a hold of her hand.
"Alright everyone, let's go. We will come back after dinner for a while. We love you Angela" said Mona as she uncharacteristically showed some emotion as she came and gave Angela a hug. The family all gave her hugs and well wishes as they filed out of the room.
"Alright sweetheart, you need to rest. I'll be right here when you wake up…" he said as he gave her a kiss on her forehead.
"I love you Tony…" she said as she closed her eyes.
"I love you more Angela…" he said as he sat down in the chair, their hands interlocked together resting on the side of the bed.
April 25, 1992
Tony was sound asleep, snuggled up against Angela's back, peacefully dreaming when he was abruptly woken up by a loud ringing noise.
"What… what is that?" he managed to say as he was still half asleep.
"It's the phone Tony… get it!" she said as she pulled herself to a sitting position. She watched Tony fumble in the dark for the phone as she leaned over to turn on the light on the side table.
"Hello? Yes this is he… oh okay! Yes we will be right there!" he said as he was now fully awake and practically leaping out of bed.
"Angela it's time! The baby is coming!" he shouted as he found a pair of jeans and a shirt.
"I had a feeling it was going to be tonight! Is everything going okay so far?" she asked as she got out of bed, heading to the bathroom.
"They didn't say but it sounded like it will be soon. Do we have everything ready Angela?" he yelled to her as he finished dressing.
"Yes! The car seat is installed, the diaper bag is packed and we have all the paperwork for the surrogacy. We just need the baby… our baby…" she said as she walked out of the bathroom, tears in her eyes as he walked over to where she was standing.
"Our baby boy! I can't believe he's finally going to be here!" he gushed as he leaned over and gave her a kiss. They finished getting ready as they headed out of the bedroom, stopping to wake up Jonathan. He was instructed to call Samantha at her dorm and then Mona at her apartment. They would call home once the baby was here.
Tony struggled to maintain the speed limit on the empty streets of Fairfield. He didn't anticipate traffic at three in the morning, but he was happy nonetheless. Ten minutes later, they were walking hand in hand into the maternity ward, Tony carrying the baby's bags.
"Hi! The name is Micelli! We were called that our surrogate was in labor and to get down here soon as it seemed like it was happening quickly" said Angela to the young receptionist.
"Surrogate?" asked the receptionist as her glance went from Angela to Tony, then back again to Angela.
"Yes! Here is our paperwork. Everything is in order" said Angela, trying to keep her annoyance at bay. She understood this was an unusual situation but she didn't need the added stress on top of her already high anxiety. Tony noticed the change in her voice and started rubbing her back.
"They said they would be giving us a room to wait and then would bring our son to us once he's born. Can you please check? We are already registered" said Tony as he watched the receptionist check the system.
"Your surrogate is currently in the delivery room. Your room is 211. If you take the first set of elevators to the second floor, the nurse will point you to the room. Congratulations…" she said as she gave Angela one more strange look. Tony thanked her and headed with Angela towards the elevators. Soon, they were in their room waiting.
"I can't believe we are going to have our baby boy! After everything we've gone through these past two years… it doesn't seem real…" said Tony as he sat next to Angela on the bed.
"I know! After I was finally recovered after surgery and we started the process of finding a surrogate, I had all but given up hope after the three failed transfers. He really is our miracle baby" she said wistfully.
"How lucky were we to find a surrogate so quickly? It was such a blessing I joined that art history study group that spring! She was struggling to pay the tuition on a waitress' salary so the extra money really helped. I don't know if I told you but the first night of our study group she met her boyfriend! They hit it off right away! It must have been the nude slides from class we were watching! I think he's going to pop the question once this is over" he said.
"I'm so glad she's going to get her happily ever after! We all deserve it! Especially after everything we've gone through…" she said.
"Everything you've gone through Angela! I've just been along for the ride! You've had to do the heavy lifting- first the medical testing then the surgery then the recovery… you are by far the strongest person I know Angela…" he said as he leaned in for a kiss.
"You would have done it too Tony. Life has thrown us our share of surprises though…" she said as she took his hand in her own. He responded by taking both of their hands and placing them over her bulging belly.
"Out of all of our surprises, I think this little girl surely takes the cake! To think of all the odds she had to beat to make it here! Just think… in nine weeks we will have two infants! One of each!" he gushed.
"I still can't believe it sometimes! I was convinced when I started feeling the symptoms of early pregnancy that the mass had grown back. In a million years, I never would have guessed it was a baby but here we are… I guess that's why the receptionist gave me such a weird look before!" she chuckled.
"There's no where else I'd rather be than with you, right here…" he said as he leaned in for another kiss, pulling her as close to his side as possible. They were interrupted a few minutes later as a nurse walked in holding a tiny, sleeping baby wrapped in a blue blanket.
"Hello Mom and Dad! Someone is excited to meet you!" said the nurse as she handed Angela the baby.
"Oh Tony! He's beautiful! He looks just like you! Is he okay? Is he healthy?" she asked as she pulled back the blanket and started to look the baby over.
"He's perfect! Came out screaming! A good set of lungs on him! He weighs seven pounds, four ounces and is twenty-one inches long. Everyone is doing well" she said as she headed back out of the room.
"Hi little guy! I'm your Daddy! We've been waiting for you for a long time…" he said as he took a hold of the baby's little hand, leaning in to kiss his forehead.
"So do you think the name we picked still works?" she asked as her gaze left their son momentarily as she looked over at Tony.
"Yeah, I think so… what do you think Bobby? Does Robert Anthony Micelli have a good ring to it?" he asked the baby, whose only response was to snuggle in closer to Angela's chest.
"I think we have a winner! Hopefully Katherine Anne will like her name just as much…" she said as her hand rested on her stomach, feeling the baby kick.
"Katie and Bobby… our babies, our little surprises…" he said as his one hand rested on top of her belly and the other wrapped around her shoulder, landing on the top of the baby's head.
"The very best surprises…" she said as she leaned over and kissed them both.
The End