Hope for All- chapter 47
The next morning, Tony and Angela woke up early again, ready to start the week. Wendy kept her promise and was ready to go that morning. Tony offered to make her breakfast, which she readily agreed to and Angela offered their house whenever she needed the space. She had met with a divorce attorney the day before who not only provided sound legal advice, but asked her out on a date, significantly boosting her self esteem.
Tony had a whole list of errands to run, starting with the grocery store. After Wendy left, Tony also headed out, leaving Samantha and Angela alone in the house.
"Angela? Are you free for a few minutes?" asked Samantha as she peaked her head into the study.
"Yes of course sweetheart. What's on your mind?" asked Angela as she put down her files and took off her glasses.
"Well… last night when James and I were about to watch the movie, I turned on the television and… your childbirth video came on…" said Samantha as she looked down at her feet, unable to meet Angela's eyes.
"Oh no… oh Samantha! I'm so sorry! We were watching that video when Wendy came over and I thought we stopped it but obviously we didn't. Were… were the both of you okay after seeing that? Your father and I were traumatized after watching it… I can't imagine you kids being okay!" she said.
"Ummm… well James kinda left in a hurry. I have a feeling I'm not seeing him again anytime soon! I… I just can't shake that picture out of my head. To think you are going to go through that soon… I just know I don't want to go through that… at least anytime soon!" she said.
"Well that is good to know… one positive of seeing that video! Having a baby isn't for the faint of heart. You have to be ready for everything that comes along with having a baby and of course what leads up to having a baby…" she said.
Angela had flashbacks to her conversation with Samantha a few years ago about the birds and the bees. She and Mona explained to Samantha all about where babies came from and answered all her questions. She was pleasantly surprised at Mona's tact when it came to the subject of sex. It was as though she could have taught a junior high school class about it- she knew exactly what to say and how to explain it to Samantha in a way she could understand.
"So that's why I'm here… I wanted to talk about birth control…" said Samantha as she slowly made eye contact with Angela.
"Ahh… I see… good choice to wait until your father is out of the house!" she chuckled.
"Exactly! I mean I'm nowhere ready for sex or for that horror show I watched last night but when the time comes, I want to be prepared. If I said that to Dad, I'd be sent away to an all girls school until I was thirty!" laughed Samantha.
Angela and Samantha spent the next half and hour talking about birth control options. They agreed to schedule an appointment with Angela's gynecologist after the babies were born for a consultation and to discuss birth control for when she was ready for it. Samantha hugged Angela and thanked her for being so understanding.
Tony came back from running errands, unpacking all the groceries. He bought Angela some pink roses, which he put in a vase and brought them into the living room. Just then Samantha and Angela came out of her study, their arms wrapped around one another.
"Thanks again Angela! I'm going to go hang out with Bonnie! See you guys later!" said Samantha as she hugged Tony and headed out the front door.
"What did I miss while I was gone? Why is she thanking you Angela?" asked Tony as they both sat down on the sofa.
"Okay Tony… if I tell you this you need to promise not to overreact, not make this into a big deal because it's not happening right now" she said.
"Angela! What is it? I can't not overreact if I don't know what it is!" he practically shouted.
"Okay, okay! So last night when James came over, they went to start watching the movie and our childbirth movie came on. I'm pretty sure it psychologically scarred them for good!" she chuckled.
"Well that's good then! Neither of them, especially Samantha, should even have that in their minds because you know what causes pregnancy!" said Tony.
"Really Tony? I haven't a clue what causes pregnancy…" she said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes and rubbed her belly.
"You know what I meant!" said Tony.
"Anyway… Samantha came to me about birth control…" Angela started to say before Tony cut her off.
"Birth control? Birth control! She's way too young to be thinking about birth control or… or…" he started to say but the word wouldn't come out of his mouth.
"Sex Tony… the word is sex and believe it or not, she's not too young to be thinking about it… although after seeing that video last night, she may never want to think about it!" she laughed.
"So… so what did you say to her?" he asked, taking deep breaths to calm his anxiety.
"We talked about the different forms of birth control when the time is right. She's no where near ready to take that step yet but she wants to be prepared for when the time is right. After the babies are born, I'm going to schedule an appointment with my doctor for her so we can have a plan in place once the time comes" she said.
"I don't like this and don't think the idea of sending her to a convent hasn't crossed my mind… but thank you Angela. I'm so glad she has you to talk to about these things…" said Tony.
"Of course Tony and I'm glad Jonathan has you to talk to about this stuff too" she said as she leaned back into him.
"How about I make us some lunch and then you rest up for a while?" he said.
"Lunch sounds wonderful but I do need to do some more work before I rest. That conversation with Samantha took a while!" she laughed.
"Alright let's head into the kitchen and I'll whip us up something good!" he said as he helped her up off the sofa and headed into the kitchen.
The next few days were spent in their daily routines. Samantha was often hanging out with friends at the mall or the beach. Tony filled his days trying to get ahead with some of his chores and get ready for his next semester. He would start right back up after Labor Day in a few weeks. He was able to purchase his textbooks for his classes in advance and spent his mornings reading and taking notes. He was only taking two classes during the semester to ensure he was home to help Angela.
Angela was getting all her accounts settled and transferred to her staff. She invited her staff to the house one morning to go over the final touches and have a game plan for her maternity leave. She had hired another two workers on top of Jack earlier in the year. They spent the morning and early afternoon working in her study. By the time they left, Angela was exhausted and headed upstairs, sleeping until dinner time.
By Friday morning, Angela and Tony got themselves ready for the stress test at her appointment. They knew what to expect after the last test so they weren't nearly as anxious. Again, the babies got a clean bill of health, kicking and moving around all within the normal ranges. The nurse took them back to the exam room and took her vitals. They waited until the doctor came in for her exam.
"Hello Angela! Tony! How are you doing?" asked the doctor.
"Everything is getting more and more difficult to do but otherwise things are good. I can't believe we have five weeks left!" she said as she laid back down on the exam table.
"Almost there! Any more contractions?" he asked.
"Almost everyday I get some of the Braxton hicks contractions but nothing that gets stronger or more intense. It's mostly just tightening across my stomach. It goes away once I rest" she said.
"She rests and I try not to hyperventilate!" he joked.
"You know the lamaze breathing works for fathers too…" said the doctor as he let out a loud laugh.
"I think I'll have to try that!" laughed Tony.
The rest of the exam went smoothly. The doctor checked Angela and listened to both heartbeats. Everyone was given a clean bill of health. Upon leaving, she scheduled her last sonogram for the following thirty six week appointment. They were both sad to hear that was the last one they would have but also excited that it meant they would be that much closer to having them here.
They decided to spend the rest of the day relaxing at home. Tony had seen that the local beach was having an early Labor Day fireworks display. He invited the family to go together after dinner. He loaded up some folding beach chairs and packed dessert and drinks for them before they headed out to the beach.
Once they arrived, Samantha found a group of her friends that she wanted to hangout with, while Mona caught the attention of the handsome young lifeguard. Both disappeared almost immediately after arriving.
"Well so much for a family night out! Maybe once these kids get here, it won't be such a struggle to keep them around!" said Tony.
"Are you kidding? These babies will be all anyone will be talking about or focusing on for a long time! I have a feeling they will all be around all of the time!" she chuckled.
Tony helped Angela down to the water's edge and set up the chairs, helping Angela into one of the chairs. He opened up the small cooler and pulled out bottles of water and the cookies he had baked. It was still quite hot out but there was a nice breeze coming off the ocean that provided relief. They were just starting to settle in when they heard two familiar voices coming from behind them.
"Angela! Tony! How are you?" asked Isabelle as she approached them, Paul in tow with their own beach chairs and bag.
"Isabelle and Paul! How are you guys?" asked Angela as Isabelle leaned down to give her a hug, Tony and Paul shaking hands.
"We're good! Just waiting for these little ones to get here! Five weeks or less now!" said Angela as she rubbed her belly.
"Oh it will be here before you know it! How have you been feeling? Any contractions?" asked Isabelle as she and Angela started talking, while Paul set up the chairs and started a conversation with Tony.
"Only Braxton hicks contractions but they are getting more frequent, almost daily now. Other than that, things have been progressing pretty well! I'm excited for Jonathan to come home the following week! I've missed him so much! I just hope these babies can wait until he gets home. He will be so disappointed if he misses them being born" said Angela.
"Hopefully he makes it in time! Do you guys need anything? Help with the nursery? Meals cooked?" asked Isabelle.
"The nursery is actually done! I think this weekend we are going to wash all the clothes and finish packing our hospital bags. You forget just how much stuff you need for a baby… let alone two!" she laughed.
"I can imagine! So… any Wendy updates? I still can't believe Herb would do that to her!" said Isabelle.
"I know! It doesn't make any sense! Maybe it's a midlife crisis? I hope he comes to his senses and fast. Did you hear she already made a date with the divorce attorney? Is that even legal?" chuckled Angela.
"Probably not but then again it's Wendy… I'm going to try and take her out for dinner next week or the week afterwards. Maybe if these babies are still not here yet, we will stop by and see you. I am hoping it's not a repeat of your birthday a few years back… trying to wrangle a drunk Wendy is an undertaking to say the least!" laughed Isabelle.
"That would be great! I'd say I'd come with you but knowing my luck I'd go into labor and you'd have to deal with me in labor and drunk Wendy! I wouldn't wish that on you at all!" laughed Angela.
Meanwhile, Tony and Paul were engaging in their own conversation about the latest sports teams wins, players who had recently gotten injured and who they thought would make it to the World Series.
"So Tony… you ready to do the whole parenting an infant thing again?" asked Paul as he opened another beer and handed one to Tony.
"You bet! Times two! I missed out on so much of Samantha's early days being on the road with the Cards. I can't wait to get to be there for them and for Angela from day one" said Tony.
"Yes I can imagine. When Marci was born, I was still an intern at the hospital and worked ridiculous shifts. I was barely home for the first six months too and even after that I worked the night shift for the first couple of years until I became a resident. My schedule only normalized when she started school. So I understand the missing out part" said Paul.
"You know there's still time… you two ever think about having one of your own?" asked Tony. Paul looked over at Isabelle, a sad smile forming on his face. He leaned into Tony before he spoke again.
"Actually, we've been trying for about a year now to have a baby but it needless to say hasn't happened yet. We haven't told anyone about it because we've been hoping it would just happen…" he said.
"Oh Paul I had no idea. Hey… it could still happen! If you want, I can give you the name of the fertility clinic we started using, Hope for All. It's in the city but they were very good when we were working with them" said Tony.
"We talked about it and I think if it doesn't work this month, we will try them out. We actually talked about asking you guys for the contact information right before we came tonight" said Paul.
"You just give me the word and I'll get you the contact information" said Tony.
"Thanks Tony… you're a real friend. It's been so hard seeing Isabelle go through the pain of not being able to have the one thing she wants more than anything and not being able to do anything about it" he said sadly.
"When we first started with the clinic and Angela had that infection from the procedure which left her in the ER, they told us there was a good chance she couldn't get pregnant… that the infection might have caused damaged. Seeing the pain that caused Angela… it broke my heart in a million pieces… but look at us now! Things can change in a heartbeat! You just have to have faith and hope that it will work out" said Tony.
Just then, the fireworks show began to start. Beautiful colors lined the sky as the fireworks were being shot off in rapid succession. Tony grabbed Angela's hand and held onto it for the entirety of the show. Once the show ended, they hugged Paul and Isabelle goodbye as they made their way to the car. Angela stopped to use the restroom as Tony waited for her, Samantha and Mona. Soon, they were all back in the car and headed home.
"That was a lot of fun tonight! Just think… next year at this time we will be bringing almost one year olds to the show!" said Angela as she maneuvered herself on the bed.
"I know Angela… I can't wait! Do you ever stop to think just how blessed and lucky we are? So many people want what we have more than anything and can't have it… we have a beautiful house, a loving and supportive marriage, two wonderful kids with two more on the way very soon… sometimes it just makes me feel so sad to think not everyone can have what we have…" he said as he slowly rubbed her stomach.
"That's so beautiful Tony. Yes I guess there are those out there who aren't able to have what we have, for one reason or another. I think back to the clinic and the couples in the waiting room. Some still had hope- you could tell from the way they acted- but you could tell some had already been through so much that the hope they once had was gone… it just makes me so sad to think about…" she said.
"I know… I probably shouldn't say anything. I mean it's not like he told me not to or anything, but Paul and Isabelle have been trying to get pregnant for about a year now and haven't been able to…" he said.
"What? Why didn't she tell me? Oh my gosh it must be so painful to be going through!" said Angela as she had to wipe away fallen tears.
"I don't think it's something they want to broadcast Angela. And not for nothing… it's not that you bring it up- you rarely do unless people ask- but it's hard to talk about anything other than your pregnancy at this stage. She probably doesn't want to upset you and it's probably too hard. Paul was talking to me about how hard it is to watch her be disappointed each month" said Tony.
"Oh Tony… I wish I could do something. I don't know what she is going through… the only comparison I have is when we were told having kids may not work due to the infection. I was so devastated… I can't imagine how she's feeling…" she said.
"That's what I told him. My heart shattered when I thought our chances at having a baby were slim to none but look at us now! They just need to have hope that there's still a chance. I said we would give them the number for the clinic if and when they wanted it. I figure we can start by being there for them that way and then go from there…" he said.
"What did I do to deserve such a thoughtful, loving and caring husband?" she asked as she leaned over to kiss him.
"You opened the door…" he said as he kissed her right back.