Contractual Obligation: The Trilogy (15 page)

Natalie was feeling cagey. She needed to get out of the house. She’d finally stopped working at the diner. The bigger she got, the harder it was to stand on her feet all day.  She was in her eighth month of pregnancy when Michael convinced her to stay home.

He spent morning until late at night hammering out details and business. She rarely saw him until he was climbing into bed, and she was groggy and half asleep by the time he got there.

Filling her days became about flipping through magazines and channel surfing. It was fun for about two days, and then boredom kicked in. She had to go out. This was going to drive her crazy, sitting here doing nothing.

Natalie decided on a trip to one of the museums. There were plenty to visit, and while she might not have it in her to stand for long bouts of times, with benches she’d just take breaks along the way. It’s not like she was unable to function!

Deciding on the American Museum of Natural History, Natalie hailed a cab, and watched people scuttling up and down the sidewalks as the yellow car made its way to 79
th
Street. Getting out, she thanked the driver, tipping him, and then wandered inside. Paying her twenty-two dollars felt like a luxury. Sure money wasn’t as tight as it was the last few months, but she was still aware how broke they had become. It could happen again. Twenty dollars used to mean nothing to her, and yet a few months ago it became more than she could afford to spend on a leisurely day trip.

Lingering through the museum while taking in the exhibits and displays, Natalie immersed herself in the scenery. It was a nice day and she felt relaxed, though her feet were a little tender from her added pregnancy weight. Smiling, she waved to the security guard as he greeted her at the exit. She was lost in thought, thinking about some of the things she’d seen, and was on her way out of the building to get a cab. With one false step, she tumbled and fell down the stairs.

A security guard rushed to her side, calling for help. “Ma’am, are you okay? I have somebody coming to help.” He shifted her so she was leaning against him, and brought her to a nearby bench.

“I’m so embarrassed,” she flushed, feeling like a klutz. Her hands instinctively went to her stomach. “Oh my god, the baby.” Her skin went pale, color draining from her face.

“I have someone coming.” He soothed as the panic started to rise within her.

“My baby,” she mumbled.

Her ankle was swelling, having twisted it on the way down, but there was no movement from within. Her baby was still.
Please be okay
, she prayed.

When the medic showed up, they recommended she go get checked out to make sure everything was okay. They brought her to the hospital, and her doctor would be notified. She sat there, feeling foolish and frightened. She needed to pay better attention to where she was going. What if something happened?

It felt like forever before they called her back. After triaging, she wasn’t the top priority. She was simply a fall, when there were people with limbs half hanging off. On listening, they heard the baby’s heartbeat, and with a sigh, she finally relaxed. With a recommendation to see her doctor and get an ultrasound over in imaging, one floor up, they sent her on her way after wrapping her ankle. They didn’t have the free bed or time to do the ultrasound down in the ER right now. It was too busy.

Natalie spent the day waiting in another chair, in another waiting room at the hospital. When Michael showed up, he leaned in, hugging her. “Are you okay? Is the baby?”

She nodded. “They heard the heartbeat. I’m waiting for an ultrasound. They’ll send the results to my doctor, and give me peace of mind that everything is okay.”

Michael finally settled in a chair beside her. Jumping up, he started to pace, and then settled back into the chair. “Don’t they realize how important this is?”

“Everybody here feels the same way.” She patted his thigh, trying to calm him.

When they finally called her back, Michael went with her.

After changing into a gown, she settled on the bed. Slathering lubricated jelly onto her stomach, the technician started the process. She was relieved to see the baby, safe and sound, exactly where it should be.

Michael was transfixed. “That’s our baby,” he whispered.

“Do you want to know what it is?”

“No,” Michael said.

“Yes,” Natalie answered.

The technician looked at them.

“You can leave the room,” Natalie nudged. “I’m ready to know.”

“Really? You don’t want to be surprised?”

“We’re almost there.”

“Okay.” He squeezed his eyes shut, and reopened them. “We’re ready to know.”

“It looks like a girl. I can’t be positive, but I’m pretty sure it’s a girl.” The technician ran the wand over certain areas. “See here?”

“A girl.” Michael sighed quietly. “A little girl.”

“I’m having a daughter?” Natalie smiled. “A daughter, Michael.”

The couple shared the special moment, realizing that magic had just happened. As they got up to head out, Natalie slipped back into her clothing and they left the hospital together.

Michael rode with her in the cab, taking her home. They’d told her to ice and elevate her ankle, so he set her up once they walked inside.

“I have to go back to work, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. When will you be home?”

“Probably late, but I’ll call and check in on you. If you want me to make you something to eat before I leave…”

She rested her hand on his. “I’ll be fine.”
A daughter
– it was all she could think about.

Heading back to the office, what hit Michael the hardest was how much time he’d miss with his family. Work would suck up all of his free time. There would be no end in sight, and day after day for the next few years his hours wouldn’t get any shorter. He barely saw his wife, and he’d barely see his child if life continued on this way. There were sacrifices to be made if he wanted to build his company, but maybe the sacrifice he should be making was a different one. He missed his daughter, and she wasn’t even born yet. How did he skip her first ultrasound? That should have been a priority. He should have experienced that moment. He wanted to be a hands-on father, someone present and accounted for, not absent all the time like his own dad was.

His father was successful. He made a lot of money. Built a business from the ground up, and gave Michael a cushy life. But the one thing Michael never had was someone to make him feel like he was everything in the world. He didn’t have someone to be there in those moments that matter the most. He’d be left alone with some step-mom who could care less, or a housekeeper whose job wasn’t to raise a child. Michael felt alone a good deal of his life. He didn’t want his own child, his daughter, to ever feel lonely or like he wasn’t there.

Could he do both things? Could there be balance? He knew the answer, but didn’t know what to do. This could secure their future and give his wife and child everything they ever wanted. They could live in the lap of luxury. The only thing he wouldn’t be able to offer was his time. Dropping his head in his hands, he knew there was no way to do both things properly – not just starting out, not building an empire. All of his free time would be tangled up with the company. He’d live and breathe MD Insulators for the first few years.

But how could he walk away from a company he wanted more than anything? He wanted to rebuild. He wanted to have it all just like he did before. He loved being wealthy and having power. There were things he’d grown accustomed to. He wanted it back, only at what cost?

His chest tightened and his muscles tensed. Michael rubbed the back of his neck, trying to relieve the stiffness that was settling in from the stress. Marcus would skin him alive. And the loans, how would he dissolve it all? He knew what he needed to do, but it wouldn’t be easy. He had to walk away. He refused to put his child through the very same things he went through. As a little boy, and then older, he missed his father so much. He knew his dad loved him, but it wasn’t the words he wanted to hear. He’d just wanted some of his time. He wanted to be a priority, but his father put Bowman Industries first. He wouldn’t do that to his daughter. She would always come first. There was no other way he could live with himself.

Michael didn’t get home until late, and knew it would be an ugly pattern that would persist for years if he didn’t stop it in its tracks. Walking into his home, Natalie had left a small light on for him. The house felt empty. She was already sleeping. Stopping in the kitchen to grab a bite to eat, he finally headed into the bedroom, quietly removing his clothes, not wanting to disturb his wife.

Creeping silently, he placed his clothes in the hamper. Pulling back the covers on his side of the bed, he carefully climbed in, trying not to wake Natalie. She stirred, put her hand out towards him, mumbled something mindlessly, and fell back asleep.

“I promise you it will be different,” he whispered. She didn’t hear him, she was already softly snoring.

Michael stared up at the ceiling. A weight lifted off his chest with his decision, though the dismantling of the business would be a mess. He could walk away and hand it over to Marcus, but without him at the helm, he may not be interested. Marcus knew next to nothing about insulators, just that they made a lot of money. He was an investor, not a business man. To him, it all came down to the bottom line.

He didn’t even care how angry Marcus would be. The choice was his, and he was choosing his family. He might not own his own company, but he’d find a good job and support his wife and child either way. His sales experience and knowledge of business should shoe him into a couple of companies without too much problem. Michael slept better than he had in ages.

He shared his news with Natalie over breakfast. She was stunned. “You’re what?”

“Aren’t you happy?”

“I don’t know what to say. I’m just confused. What changed?”

“I saw our daughter and our future, and I wasn’t in it. I was working instead of being part of a family.”

Natalie felt the hot tears forming. Wrapping her arms around her husband, she realized she never cared about the money. She just wanted him.

“So,” he started, “we need to decide on a name. I know you had it narrowed down to three or four. Do you have a favorite?”

“I kind of like Harper.”

“Harper? Not loving that one,” he grimaced. “What else have you got?”

“Audrey, Michelle, and Kayla.”

“I like the old school feel of Audrey and Michelle. Kayla, I’m not crazy about.”

“What about Sarah? I was thinking of maybe Sarah, too.”

“I’ll tell you what. You pick the first name between Audrey and Michelle, and I’ll pick her middle name.”

“I think I’m leaning towards Michelle.”

“What about Elizabeth for her middle name?”

“Michelle Elizabeth.” She rolled it over her tongue. “It’s quite a mouthful.”

“Poor kid will have a long name to learn to spell.” Michael laughed.

“What about Heather? I like Heather.”

“I don’t like how it sounds together. Michelle Heather.”

“What about Heather Michelle.”

“Eh, not loving it.”

They played with names a while longer. Michael smiled. “We’ll figure it out.”

“Thank you for choosing us.”

“It shouldn’t have even been a choice. I should have done this from the beginning. I need to go into the office and face the fire. It’s not going to go smoothly.”

“What about Gretchen?”

Michael frowned. “Not quite.”

“I like Jenna, too.”

“That’s not too bad, but I’m not sure.”

“I’ll figure it out.”

“Oh, what about Lola?” He got up from the table and rinsed his plate.

“Like the song? It’s not bad, but I don’t think so.”

Michael left the room to grab his keys, and came back in. “I’ve got it, Cassie?”

“It’s not bad, but I still prefer Michelle.”

“I’ve got to go.” He wrapped his arms around his wife, knowing he made the right decision.

“What about Zoey?”

“Cute, I’ll think about it.”

“Zoey Michelle,” she called out after him as he headed to the door.

Turning to his wife, he smiled. “I like it.”

“You do?” Her voice was soft. Placing her hand over her belly, she repeated the name. “Zoey Michelle.”

“I’ve got to go. And Natalie,” he paused. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

The good news was that Marcus took the news better than he expected. In fact, he was eager to take control. The bad news is he could cut corners and put out a product with toxic chemicals in it. Michael had a choice to make, and he chose his family. He couldn’t be judge and jury, watching over every person’s life. Marcus would have to live with his choices, just like Michael had to live with his.

He didn’t think it would take this long. In reality only a few weeks had passed. He’d once heard that for every ten thousand dollars you make, it takes a month of searching. He didn’t have that kind of time. Everybody told him the same thing – the job market had dried up. Competition was rough, and there were too many applicants for every opening. Even entry level positions, something he didn’t want to stoop to, were filling up with overqualified candidates.

He had a family to support. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. He made the right choice, walked away from a lucrative position to be with his family. Now he’d be lucky to have enough to pay the bills. There would be diapers and electric bills, and rent that seemed more expensive than he’d noticed before. Suddenly the reality of his choice was hitting home. It was foolish of him to walk away from that kind of security. He had a future, now he had nothing to show for his time invested.

Michael got down on his knees, sent up a prayer for help, and the scoffed at himself for thinking his prayer would be answered before anyone else’s.

He thought about his parents and how much he’d missed them while growing up. He’d never known much about his mom, except for what his father filled in. And his father never had much time to fill in the pieces of the puzzle. His father, well, he was in jail serving time for all of his misdeeds. Michael hadn’t seen him since that last time. He bowed his head. Cutting his father out of his life seemed like the thing to do at the time, only in this moment, his heart beckoned forgiveness. Michael shook his head, remembering all the lies and how he’d crashed his entire world to the ground.
He’s still your father
, echoed through his mind.

He pictured his daughter cutting him out of her life, and it cut him to the bone. He didn’t even know her yet, but he loved her more than life itself. He wondered if that was what it was like for his father. Did his dad wrangle with the same decision and just choose differently? Family, or bury himself in work, giving them everything he could. Forgiveness…it rolled around his brain.

“Are you okay?” Natalie joined him.

“There’s just a lot going through my mind.”

“Do you want to talk?”

“I want to offer you more. I feel like a loser, not able to find a job, and walking away from something that could have made us a fortune.”

“At what cost?”

“I know, baby. It’s just hard. I assumed there’d be something I could start right away. I’d just waltz into some company, and they’d be thrilled to have me.”

“It takes time.”

“Patience isn’t my strong suit,” he grimaced.

“It will happen.”

“I was thinking about my father.”

“Yeah?”

“I might go see him.”

“Okay.”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Whatever you decide, I’m here if you need to talk.”

“I love you, Natalie.”

She settled in, leaning up against him. “And I love you.”

Michael ran his hand tenderly across her belly. Zoey Michelle would be here soon. All he wanted was to be a good father and husband. He needed to be a good provider too, though.

The call came through a week later. An old contact heard he was looking for work. They had a sales position, if he was interested. His reputation preceded him, and they knew he could close the deal. It wasn’t nearly what he was making with Bowman Industries, but it was respectable and offered benefits. Michael was thrilled.

Sharing the good news with Natalie, she reacted rather oddly. Her eyes opened wide. “That’s great.” Her voice was slow, strange. “Michael,” she said, grabbing her sides, “I think it’s time.”

“No, it can’t be time. You still have a few weeks.”

“Baby, I think she’s coming now.”

“Let’s get you to the hospital. I’ll bring your things up later.”

“I’m going to call the doctor in the car,” she said, finally letting go of her side. A wave of pressure had gripped her, sending a rolling contraction through her. She wasn’t ready. This wasn’t going to feel good. It was going to hurt. Panic started to spread through her. “I can’t do this.”

“You can do it. You’re going to be fine. Come on, let’s head to the car.”

“Michael, I’m not ready to be a mother.”

“You’re going to be a great mother.”

“You think?”

“I know.”

A deep breath, and she was heading out the door to the car. Driving to the hospital, Michael talked calmly, trying to soothe his wife.

False labor sent them home from the hospital. “If it hurts that much during false labor…” she trailed off. “And how will I know? They just tell me, I’ll know.”

“It won’t be long now. The doctor said you’re already at two centimeters.”

“Two. I have to get to ten. Do you know how big that is? Holy cow, the baby’s going to tear me apart.” She was scared, realizing a baby’s head would have to travel through a path she didn’t think it would fit.

“You’re going to be fine.”

“Sure, easy for you to say; you’re not giving birth to a football.”

Michael didn’t mean to laugh, but he couldn’t stop the outburst that followed that statement. Thankfully, it lightened the mood. He never knew lately. Natalie’s hormones left her unpredictable at times. She’d be cranky over nothing, or laughing over something that would normally set her off.

Natalie smirked. “Whatever. I’m just saying I’m afraid.”

“Honey, they have things to help. Women do this every day. If they can do it, you can do it.”

“I’m scared it’s going to hurt.”

“Just for a little bit, and then she’ll be here with us.”

Natalie rested her hands on her belly. “Okay, for you,” she whispered to Zoey.

“You have my number; you have the doctor’s number. You can call an ambulance if you need one. I have to start working next week. But the minute I hear from you, I’ll be by your side. You won’t be alone, I promise.”

Natalie nodded, and took a deep breath. “I can do this.” She wasn’t sure she believed it, but she figured if she told herself enough times, she’d start to believe.

Getting home, Natalie settled onto the sofa, trying to get comfortable. No matter what position she sat in, she couldn’t find a good spot. Sleeping wasn’t getting much easier, either. She had to sleep on her side with a pillow between her knees, but she was restless.

Only a few hours had passed when Natalie felt the stronger wave. “No, hold out. It’s false labor.” She gritted her teeth, then clenched. Breathe.

Another one came…and then another. “Michael.”

He was sound asleep.

“Michael.” She nudged him, trying to get his attention.

“Huh? What?”

“I think it’s time.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded, barely able to speak at this point.

“Okay, I’m awake.” He tried to gain some composure. His eyes wanted to go back to sleep, but he knew his adrenalin would kick in shortly.

Standing up out of bed, she waddled to the closet to pull on some clothes.

“Michael,” she called out, frozen like a deer in headlights.

“What is it?”

“My water just broke.”

“Okay, stay calm.”

“Holy shit,” she groaned.

“Are you okay?”

“Contraction. Oh my god, a big ass contraction,” she squeaked out.

“Stay calm, we’re on our way.” He went to get her hand and guide her out to the car.

“Wait! The floor; I have to clean the floor.”

“I’ll do it when I get home.” He threw a towel down, stepping on it for a moment, and got his wife to the car. “Natalie, how are you doing?”

“Okay,” she whispered. “I think it’s really happening.”

“It is, but you’re okay.”

“I know what they mean now when they said –
you’ll know
.”

“We’ll be there soon, just hang on.” He put his hand on her thigh, maneuvering the car out of the driveway.

When she squeezed it, he thought he’d lose his circulation. Man, did she have a grip.

“Michael.”

“Yes.”

“Hurry up.”

“I’m going. I want to get you there safely.”

“Get me there faster.”

“Okay.”

Pulling up to the hospital, they were admitted quickly. Zoey was on her way, and she wasn’t waiting for anyone.

Natalie thought it would be faster. The contractions went on and on, but she was dilating so slowly. She desperately wanted an epidural, but as it was her first child, she had to wait until she hit a certain point. Natalie cried. “I can’t do this.”

“You can.” Michael fed her ice chips, and stayed by her side. “You’re going to do great.”

“Michael, I don’t want to do this anymore.” She was pleading, tears in her eyes. “It hurts.”

“It’s almost over. You can do this.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Yes you do, baby. Zoey will be here soon.”

Only Zoey wasn’t there soon. Jack was.

“It’s a boy!”

“A boy…” The couple looked at one another.

Natalie was handed her son.

Jack Michael Davidson was beautiful. He had all of his fingers and toes, and the sweetest button nose Natalie had ever seen. “I’m sorry I was calling you Zoey. I didn’t know.” She cooed to her son.

Michael had never been more in love than he was in this moment. Seeing his wife, his son, he knew this was what it was all about. Was this what it was like for his parents? Did his parents feel this much love too? He knew he had to forgive him. He knew in that moment, he’d make time in his life to go visit his father once again. Everything washed away – the anger, the hurt, and all that remained was love. Looking at his family, he knew that this was what mattered. This was the secret of life.