Page 43 of Remembering You
“But youdidn’t. That’s what matters.” Her daughter was more like herself than she thought. Marty was never one for the sugar coating either. She much preferred the hard truth… even if it hurt. “Sugar coated dog-shit still smells like dog-shit, doesn’t it?”
Ronnie laughed. “Damn straight.”
“So here’s the truth, Ronnie. There’s always a risk with any pregnancy. An even higher risk with multiples. Add an emergency surgery to that? Yes, the risk is now higher. Which is why your doctors are not messing around when they say you are on bed rest until these babies come. Do you understand me?”
Tears filled Ronnie’s eyes, but she nodded. “It’s only a couple weeks, right?”
Marty nodded as well. “That’s right. You have to fight your instinct and let us help you. Me, Lex, Callie, Cam, Steve… everyone is here to help. You just have to let us.”
From the doorway, someone cleared their throat. Marty nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Dr. Foster standing there. His gaze dipped to Ronnie’s chart, still in Marty’s lap and he lifted a brow at her. “Your mom is right. Your number one job right now is bedrest. You are only to get up to use the rest room and to shower,” he said and entered the room and paused, glancing at Marty with an apologetic shrug. “Sorry to interrupt.”
Marty stood, releasing her hold on Ronnie’s hand and backed away from the hospital bed. “You’re not interrupting.”
Chris walked deeper into the room and paused in front of Marty, his gaze dipping to Ronnie’s chart still clutched in her arms. He held out a hand. “Charts are usually for doctors… not the patients. Not the parents of patients.”
Marty shrugged and handed over her daughter’s chart. “You’re telling me if it wasyourson laying here, you wouldn’t have looked?”
A smile flickered on his lips for a fraction of a second before it vanished. “I would have made photocopies,” he whispered. “Even still. Don’t forget you’re here as family to the patient… not as Nurse Tripp.”
Marty inhaled deeply, but nodded. “Noted.”
“Good. I’d hate to have to call the cops on you.”
Marty’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “You wouldn’t?”
“Mom,” Ronnie chimed in, half-whispering. “He’s teasing you.”
Marty darted a glance between her daughter and Chris who was now fighting a smile. “Well, that was a dirty trick.”
“Sorry,” he chuckled. “I thought you knew.” He shifted his attention to Ronnie. “So, how are you feeling this morning?”
Ronnie shrugged. “Not my best. But also not my worst.”
Dr. Foster made a surprised face. “You have quite a pain tolerance, then if this isn’t your worst.”
Marty laughed and winked at her daughter. “Oh, Dr. Foster, you have no idea. This girl here has run three marathons. She puts her body through hell on a regular basis.”
He smiled genuinely. “Good for you. But no marathons for a while, got it?” He slipped her chart back into the bed as Ronnie saluted him.
“You got it, Doc.”
“We’re keeping you here for at least one more night to monitor things, but then you can go home and rest there until it’s labor time.”
He glanced at Marty, giving them each a nod before walking toward the door.
“Mom,” Ronnie hissed, her eyes wide. She jerked her chin toward Dr. Foster and mouthedgo talk to him.
Marty followed Chris out the door, quietly shutting it behind her. “Chris—uh, I mean, Dr. Foster?”
He paused and she could see where the muscles at his shoulders bunched into two knots around his ears. He turned slowly to face her. “Chris is fine,” he said quietly.
“Can we talk?”
The corners of his mouth tilted. “I had hoped we would. You did promise me the conversation wasn’t over.”
“That’s true,” she said. “I did.”
He glanced at his cell phone. “I have to finish my rounds and checking on patients. Want to meet at Elsa’s for lunch? Say noon?”
Elsa’s? With all those prying eyes. Marty shook her head. “How about Go-Go’s Salads? It was on the other side of town and even though it was good, most of their coworkers wouldn’t go that far out of their way on a lunch break.”
Chris nodded. “Go-Go’s it is. I’ll see you then.”
