She shook her head. “I wish I could remember.” Something he said earlier came back to her. “A hysterectomy? That means no more babies.”
He reached out and cupped her cheek. “Good thing we did it so well on the first try, eh?”
“But, Ken, you won’t have…”
He leaned forward and covered her lips with his. Then he said, “I’m sure you’re not about to say what you’re about to say.” He kissed Rosita’s head then sat back down. “Any pain?”
“I feel like if I move wrong, I know there’s going to be pain. It’s an odd sensation. But, mainly, I’m just super thirsty.”
He nodded and pressed a button. A staticky sound came from the speaker before a woman’s voice asked, “May I help you?”
“Can my wife have some water?”
After a pause, she said, “Yes. Slow sips.”
He poured from a little pink pitcher into a little brown cup and unwrapped a plastic straw, bending the top. She took a tiny sip, afraid to make herself cough. As soon as she swallowed, she asked for a little more. After three sips, Ken pulled the straw away. “I think that’s enough. Don’t want to make you sick.”
The weight of Rosita on her chest felt absolutely right. She rested her hand on her back and closed her eyes, relishing in the feel of the perfect little cheek against her collar bone. Her mind started to wander, and without effort, she remembered her dream and how she prepared all of that paperwork and letters for everyone. Silently thanking God for the dream that allowed her to prepare, she asked, “Everything okay legally with you and the baby?”
He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. “Your mom thought she was doing the right thing by offering to take her with her. But I was able to talk her out of it without using your letter. My mom helped convince her I was capable of taking care of her.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry I didn’t take your dreams seriously.”
Shaking her head, she kissed Rosita on her cap. “You finally listened, even if you didn’t think you needed to. At least everything was ready.”
“Well, we won’t need it.” He squeezed her shoulder with his strong hand.
Daisytook slow, careful steps. She had quit using the walker two days ago. It had taken her months to regain good control and stability.
“Look at them,” Valerie said, pointing at the girls on the blanket on the floor. Brad and Valerie’s daughter, Alison, had dark brown skin and curly black hair. She sat on the blanket and chewed on a purple plastic oversized key. Valerie had named her after her mom, who died when she was three.
Jon and Alex’s daughter, Anne, had blonde hair and creamy white skin. She lay on her back, banging a large red ring on the ground and kicking her feet. Rosita had tan skin with wavy brown hair. She had crawled over to the little piano and stared at it, occasionally touching an electronic key and squealing when it made a tone in reply.
Alex handed Valerie a glass of water and settled into the corner of the couch. “I promised Jon I wouldn’t take a thousand pictures today,” she said, but she picked up her camera anyway. “Maybe he won’t object to nine hundred.”
Daisy settled into the leather chair. Rosita looked up and started furiously crawling in her direction. She reached Daisy and clawed her way up her leg until she stood and slapped her hands on Daisy’s thighs. “Ba ba ba,” she said.
Daisy giggled and picked her up. “Ba ba, huh? Why not, mama? Ma ma?”
Despite the time in the hospital, the doctor cleared her to start feeding Rosita right around her two-week birthday. They let her room with her, and Ken slept most nights there as well, his long body overflowing the hospital reclining chair in uncomfortable looking ways. Daisy settled Rosita against her breast and lifted the leg rest of the recliner so she could get into a comfortable position.
She’d come home on Rosita’s six-week birthday. Her kidneys had started working again, and she had the upper body strength to use the walker for short distances. It surprised her how winded she got just walking to the bathroom. Ken had carried her upstairs and hired a full-time nurse to help for the first couple of months. Once she could traverse the stairs, the nurse shifted to part-time and eventually didn’t need to come in anymore.
Alex snapped her photo then put her camera down. “It’s cool to see you walking without the walker. You’ll be back to normal in no time.”
Daisy smiled. “You know, I felt so lousy at the beginning and didn’t believe I could ever recover. Now the doctor is thinking I might be close to back to normal as possible by their first birthday. Incredible!”
About ten minutes later, the chime announcing the front door opening sounded. A few seconds later, Ken and Brad came in. Daisy smiled up at Ken, and he bent to kiss her. “How was the game?” she asked.
“You didn’t watch it?”
She gestured at the babies all around. “We’ve been a little occupied.”
“It was a phenomenal game.” He held up a bag and pulled out a little baby-sized Atlanta Braves cap. “Next time, I’m taking Rosita here. I think she’s ready to root, root, root for the home team. What do you say, baby girl?”
Rosita ignored him, more focused on her afternoon meal.
Brad sat on the arm of the couch near Valerie. When Alison saw him, she squealed and rolled over onto her stomach, maneuvered herself to her hands and knees, and crawled with enthusiasm in his direction. Brad laughed and scooped her up, lifting her high then bringing her back down to blow tickles on her neck. She squealed and clutched at his hair. Valerie grinned at them and absently rubbed her hip.
“They going to have to replace your hip?” Daisy asked as Rosita disengaged. She adjusted her shirt, then lifted her up against her shoulder and started patting her back.
