Page 52 of Laying His Claim
“She’s right here, Mom,” he said into the phone, and handed it to her.
The older woman’s voice came crisp and clear. “Jalissa, sweetheart. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” was all she could manage.
“I’m glad. That’s good to hear.” There was sympathy and doubt in her voice, but she forced cheer into it. “Are you ready for tomorrow?”
“Yes. I’ll be glad to finally know. And Kaiya is coming in on the red-eye flight, to be there with me.”
“You’ve got great friends.” She paused thoughtfully. “You’ve got a great family, too. You must be on pins and needles right now, but I want you to know this. Whatever happens, whatever the results, Justin’s dad and I love you. You’re part of our family, you and Seb. And whether the results are positive or negative, you can always count on us.”
Jalissa felt her throat tighten with unshed tears of relief and joy. “Thank you, Mrs. Tremblay,” was all she could manage.
“Mom,” the woman corrected.
Jalissa’s voice cracked as she repeated that single, powerful word, “Mom.”
* * *
Justin stared at the ceiling. Jalissa lay next to him, on her side; her breathing was even, but he couldn’t be sure whether she was asleep or not. Usually the luxury of a sumptuous hotel suite was enjoyable, but tonight, the bedroom seemed too vast. It was almost as if it allowed his very thoughts to echo off the walls.
Needing to have their son close, they’d pulled up Seb’s crib to the side of their bed. Justin could hear the toddler’s little snuffles and wondered what he was dreaming about. Justin knew what he would dream about if he fell asleep, and none of it would be pleasant.
When he tried to imagine Jalissa sick, stricken by an awful disease, his mind rebelled. Fought against the thought that she might be afflicted with a merciless condition that would slowly erode her faculties and diminish her powers of locomotion as surely as if it had cut her off at the knees. What if she did have it? And what if she died, that sweet young life cut in half, before they even had the chance to enjoy each other and their newfound love?
How would Seb grow up without a mother? The idea was unthinkable. Even more offensive in his eyes was the idea of Sebastian also having the gene.Too ugly,he thought.Too grotesque to contemplate.
As a man, he’d put on a brave face to support his family. He’d been there for Jalissa, rallying her friends to stay in touch during the past week by phone or video call, so she would never feel cut off. Every day he’d planned outings to keep her occupied, so she wouldn’t have time to dwell on the threat she faced.
And in the quiet of the night, he’d prayed, as fervently as he was praying now.Make everything okay. Please, let me have my family.
* * *
Sebastian bounced on Jalissa’s lap, oblivious to the tension which seemed to reverberate around the stark white walls of the consultation room. Kaiya sat between Jalissa and Justin, alert despite an uncomfortable overnight flight, though she did rub her eyes frequently. Jalissa wasn’t sure if it was a sign of her fatigue or if she was rubbing away unshed tears so as not to make anyone more anxious than they already were.
Kaiya’s position between Jalissa and Justin felt almost symbolic. As if the wall of anxiety she felt between herself and the man she loved had become a physical thing. The past week of outings and fancy meals had been wonderful, sure, but there was always an unspoken disquiet, a weight that made their feet heavy and veiled the looks they exchanged.
Although they held each other close and fell asleep in each other’s arms, they hadn’t attempted to make love. This hurt her heart, but even so, she had to admit that for the past several days, she’d felt no desire. Every warm thing, every good thing, was obscured behind a wall made of dense bricks and on each brick was painted the words,What if?
The door creaked open and a white-coated gentleman stepped inside. He was not the doctor they’d been in communication with, and Jalissa guessed that the other must have been off duty.
“Hey,” he greeted everyone and introduced himself as Doctor Owens, not even looking up from his clipboard. He threw them a half-smile and then drifted off back into his notes.
She was mildly disappointed in his casual, off-handed demeanor; his all-in-a-day’s-work attitude. Her entire life, her family, was in the balance, and this man couldn’t even crack a smile?
Surely, the news couldn’t be good.
Once he’d verified Jalissa’s identity, he flipped through the pages on the chart he held in his hands. “Are you ready for your results, Miss Thomas?” he asked.
She glanced from Justin to Kaiya and nodded mutely.
The doctor looked down again. “In the case of the infant male, Sebastian Tremblay, the test for Huntington’s is negative.”
An icy rush raced through Jalissa’s veins, freezing her in place and numbing her with relief. Her son was going to be okay. She, her best friend and the father of her beautiful baby exchanged pleased glances. Knowing her son didn’t carry the gene didn’t lessen her nervousness for her own results. A parent with the gene had a fifty percent chance of passing the autosomal dominant disease to their offspring. Seb could be part of the lucky fifty percent who didn’t inherit it from their parent.
The doctor went on, too jaded to appreciate the relief in the room. “In the case of the adult female, Jalissa Thomas: negative for Huntington’s.”
The dancing and screaming that ensued, the hugs and kisses, the frenetic phone calls back to family and friends, made it hard for the sour-faced doctor to get his documents signed, and he waited crossly for the jubilation to subside.
