Page 118 of Curveball

Ripley shakes her head.

“I figured. It was a bit crazy when you arrived.” She goes on to tell Ripley everything that she told me when I arrived, though this time she starts with the fact that the baby is doing well.

“Ripley, we’re going to remove your breathing tube. You’re going to gag, and your throat will be very sore. That’s normal.”

Ripley nods again.

After a few minutes and a little maneuvering, the tube is gone. She tries to talk but she’s hoarse. I pour her some water and help guide the straw so she can sip it.

After testing a few of her motor functions, the doctor and nurses are satisfied and leave the room. It’s just Ripley and me now.

I try to take her hand again, but she pulls it away, croaking out, “Don’t.”

I hold my hands up in surrender, not wanting to upset her. “Okay. I’m so sorry, Shortcake. I’m sorry I’ve been gone. I needed the time to figure things out. To think about if I can be a husband and father. You know I never thought I’d be capable of either. The one thing I came back knowing for sure is that I love you. I will never love anyone the way I love you. If I’m being honest, I wasstill shaky on the father thing, but now that I’ve seen our little girl, I’m in love with her too. She’s so beautiful. She looks just like you.”

She whispers, “Don’t call me that,” as tears stream down her cheeks. I go to wipe them again, but this time she turns her head.

She reaches and presses the call button again. When the nurse appears, Ripley again can only whisper. “I want to see my baby.”

The nurse nods. “Let me check with Dr. Berger.”

She then turns and walks out.

“We need to come up with a name, Shor—” I cut myself off, trying to respect her wishes.

She whispers, “I know. I want a name that starts with a K.”

“Why?”

She rolls her eyes as if it’s obvious. “We’re pitchers.”

I smile at that. K stands for strikeout in baseball and softball. “Good idea. I’ll brainstorm. You focus on getting strong again.”

In a crackly voice, she says, “Stay away from me. I just want to see my baby.”

Before I can respond, the nurse walks back in with a big smile. “Dr. Berger is okay with it as long as you’re in a wheelchair with your IV. Are you ready to meet your little girl?”

Ripley nods and then whispers, “Can I take a shower first? I feel disgusting.”

“Not quite yet, but your husband has been keeping you clean. He’s taken quite good care of you these past few days. He wouldn’t let us do anything, insisting on doing your daily sponge baths.”

She snaps her head to me, and I grin. “It was my absolute pleasure.”

More tears find her eyes as she sighs and breathes, “Can we please go?”

A wheelchair is brought in. They bring in two male nurses to help move her into it, but I shove them away. “I’ll take care of my wife.”

I lift her and gently place her in the wheelchair. I roll her down to the NICU. Arizona is in there holding the baby. Her face lights up when she sees Ripley.

After handing the baby to a nurse, Arizona practically sprints out of the NICU to hug Ripley. Her face is again full of tears. “You’re awake. Oh thank god.”

Ripley simply stares at the baby as tears begin to stream down her cheeks. Arizona wipes them.

I look at Arizona. “Her throat is sore. It’s hard for her to talk.”

Arizona nods as she rubs Ripley’s arm. “She’s so beautiful, Rip. Thankfully she looks like you, not vagina face over here.” She points my way.

Ripley lets out a hoarse laugh and whispers, “He does look like a vagina.”

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