Page 122 of A Moment for Us
“He didn’t even want this. He didn’t want a family.”
She shrugs. “He’s here.”
“For now.”
She sighs and then shifts a little. “Do you want him to stay?”
I turn quickly. “Of course I do.”
“Then don’t push him away. Lean on each other and let love heal you both.”
* * *
That’s it, I’ve decided . . . no more tears. No more crying because my mother is right. I’m going to have a baby still, and I need to be strong. While it hurts and I’m sad, I have to grieve and prepare for the life that’s still growing inside me.
I open my eyes to see Josh sitting in the chair. His head is down, resting in his hands, and it’s as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders. The last two days we’ve been quiet, both dealing with the loss in different ways but trying to be there for the other.
He lifts his head and blinks a few times. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
“Did you sleep okay?”
I shrug. “I guess. It’ll be nice to be back in my bed.”
He sighs deeply. “I think we should ask the doctor to let you stay a few more days.”
“Why?”
“Because what if you need something?”
“Then I’ll call her. I can’t stay here until I have the baby.”
“I’m not saying for that long, but at least another week.”
I shake my head. “I really want to be home. I’m tired, and I want to start moving on.”
“What about the baby? You’re still pregnant.”
“And I will still be pregnant at the house,” I say carefully because who knows if that’s true. I lost one baby already.
Josh gets up, his hand gripping the back of his neck. “I just think, until we know about how this is going, that you should be here, where someone can monitor you at all times.”
I move, sitting up straighter. “The doctor said last night that everything looks good and it would be better if I was home resting.”
“That’s great, but I don’t see how. If we’re here, then we have a team ready to fix things. Here, we know that the baby is okay because that machine tells us it is.”
My lip trembles, and I bite down, trying to get control of my emotions. I’m just as scared as he is, but I am trying to keep my cool. Once I feel like I can speak again, I try. “I don’t feel comfortable either, but we can’t stay here.”
“I think we should ask again.”
A few minutes later Dr. Locke enters.
“Hi, Delia, I just went over your morning bloodwork and things are right where we want. No signs of infection or complications. We’ll continue to monitor you and the baby closely for the remainder of the pregnancy, but based on what I’m seeing, you’ll get to go home today.”
“Why not just keep her?” Josh asks.
“Keep her here?”
