Page 93 of Moving to Love
“I love you so much, Joci. God, I’m so proud of you.”
Chapter 39
The next morning, Joci woke up feeling better. Jeremiah couldn’t be swayed to leave her alone at the hospital, so he slept in the recliner next to her bed, holding her hand.
The night before, Jackie had asked if there was anything she needed, and Joci had asked her to bring something else to wear besides hospital gowns. The doctor had said they were taking the catheter out today, and she would have to start venturing all the way across the room to the bathroom. She wasn’t sure how she was going to do that, but at least she wanted to have something that fit a bit better and wasn’t so baggy. She thought a pair of yoga pants and a tank top would be great and was oddly excited about the prospect of wearing real clothes again.
She looked over at Jeremiah. He still slept in the chair. His breathing was steady and strong. His beautiful face was relaxed in sleep. Their baby was going to be beautiful, whether it was a boy or a girl. She couldn’t blame LuAnn for wanting him. What normal, red-blooded woman could look at Jeremiah and not want him?
She reached down and touched her belly where their baby rested. It had been three days now. The doctors were feeling more and more positive that she wouldn’t miscarry. She had been trying not to get too excited about having another baby. If she did miscarry, it would be heartbreaking.
While she lay here in the hospital, she found herself dreaming about their lives together. Having the girls around chatting about the baby increased her excitement. Now she found that she couldn’t think of the future without thinking about the baby.
She whispered as she caressed her tummy, “Please be okay, little one.”
Jeremiah opened his eyes. “I love watching you talk to her.” He smiled and leaned forward.
She looked into his eyes and grinned. “I love that you place your hand on my tummy every time you kiss me as if you’re telling her hello as well.”
“I am. I can’t wait to hold her in my arms and kiss her.”
She sighed. She was still sore, but she was happy.
“You know it could be a boy, right? I don’t want you to be disappointed.”
Jeremiah laughed. “Baby, I could never be disappointed with a child we made together…but it’s a girl. I’ve dreamed about her.”
She giggled. “You know we have a lot of work to do at the house, right? We aren’t exactly set up for a baby. I was getting overwhelmed listening to the girls talk about it yesterday. There are so many things to buy, so much stuff to get. God, I forgot about all the stuff!”
He put his hand on her tummy. “We’ll be fine, sweetheart. Whatever we need, our families will have it in a snap. We’re fortunate this time. Money isn’t an issue like before.” He leaned up and kissed her tummy. “Good morning, little one.”
Then he looked at Joci, leaned in, and kissed her good morning. “Good morning, little one. How are you feeling this morning?”
“I feel better. I’m excited about getting to put clothes on. Simple little things like that, and it was the first thing I thought of this morning—although the prospect of trekking to the bathroom has me practically hyperventilating.”
“I hate that you have to go through this. I would take it myself in a second if I could. I’m here for as long as it takes. I hope you know that.”
She smiled. She knew.
There was a knock on the door. “Glad you’re awake. I have clothes.” Jackie’s smile could light the sky. “I knew you couldn’t wait to get dressed. So, I got up early and picked up some of your things.” She walked in and set a bag on the bed near Joci’s feet. “How are you this morning?”
“I’m better today. Thank you so much for bringing me real clothes.” Joci giggled.
“You’re welcome. How are we going to do this?”
Joci tried adjusting herself in the bed. “I think I have to wait for the nurse to remove the catheter before I can put pants on.”
Jackie nodded. “I had forgotten about the catheter.”
The nurse rounded the door just then. “I saw a bag of clothing walk through the door. I bet you’re ready to take off that designer gown you’ve been wearing.”
Joci nodded.
“Okay, the first thing is to remove the catheter. Then we can work on getting you dressed. If you still have some strength, we’ll take a trial run to the bathroom.”
The nurse looked at Jackie as if to say, “You need to leave.” Jackie got the message, raised her hands in the air. “I’ll be out in the hall.”
Then the nurse looked at Jeremiah. “I’m not leaving.”
