Saving Forever - Part 5 (Saving Forever #5) (8 page)

“Probably.” Charity opened the next file and made a face. “Ugh! This’ll kill the sex-buzz.”

Mandy opened her file and glanced over the page. “Yuck. I hear ya.”

They continued working through the files, reporting and finding courses of treatment, discussing what surgery, if required, would be needed.

They wrapped up, handed the assessed files back to the nurse's station and clocked out. Elijah was waiting for her just outside the resident’s locker room.

“Hello, Dr. TB,” he said when she stepped out. He wore a pair of jeans, a white shirt and leather jacket. Movie star hot man. He slipped his arm over her shoulder. “How was work today?”

“You don’t even want to know.”

“That bad?”

She waited until they were in the elevator alone. “Dr. Fulton called me into his office. He blew up because I left after surgery for my appointment.”

“Did you check with him yesterday or this morning before you left if it was alright?”

Charity frowned.
Whose side was he on?
“I thought we weren’t telling people.”

Elijah watched the red light change to lower numbers. “You should have cleared the appointment with him first. What happens if the surgery had run late? Would you have left midway through?”

She frowned. “Of course not. That’s how I missed last week’s appointment.” She stepped out of the elevator and waited for Elijah to lead her to where he had parked the car.

“You could have just told him you had an appointment.”

“I was gone fifteen minutes. Half the resident’s take longer bathroom breaks!” The conversation was sounding like déjà vu from earlier today.

“Doesn’t matter. They aren’t you.”

She threw her hands up in the air. “What is with all of you thinking I’m this particular goddess of life or something? Is it because I’m Dr. Thompson’s daughter or Dr. Bennet’s wife? Is there some image I am supposed to uphold?” She was taking her stress of the day out on him. She knew it, but couldn’t stop herself. She should have cleared the appointment with Dr. Fulton. The mistake was hers alone. Whatever excuse she wanted to make, she knew better.

Elijah stuffed his hands into his coat pockets as they stepped outside into the cold night air. “Come on, Charity. You know you’re a cut above the other interns here. You’re a superior surgeon, have a natural instinct and even with a six-year hiatus you are simply better. Don’t be modest about it. Just accept it. It’s a good thing.”

She was near tears again, and not just from the cold wind blowing in her eyes. “You have no idea the amount of pressure I am under to succeed,” she muttered, staring at the ground and kicking a stone out of her way.

Elijah sighed. “There is no pressure except what you are putting on yourself.”

“Bull crap!” Great! Now they were going to have a fight and then try and pretend everything was perfectly normal when they arrived at her dad’s place. “Why don’t you just drop me off at the house? I’ll see your mom tomorrow. You can tell her I’m exhausted.”

“No way! You are coming! We are telling our folks tonight. You said yourself you didn’t want your dad to find out from someone else at the hospital.”

“Who have you told?” She wasn’t about to admit her blabbermouth had told a threesome today.

He hesitated before answering, apparently knowing it would get him in trouble. “I told Simon.”

“And?”

“That’s it. Just Simon.” He unlocked the car with his keychain. “I know you told Julie. Simon said.”

She was going to shoot Julie. That woman could not keep a secret! “Yeah. Dr. Fulton knows too. So does Mandy.”

“Who’s Mandy?” He pointed to the hospital behind him. “The resident?” He shook his head. “So we have to tell your dad and my mum tonight.”

She threw her hands in the air before jerking the car door open. “Fine! Let’s go straight there right now.”

“I thought you said you wanted your black dress from the house.”

“For Pete’s sake, Elijah! Who cares what I’m wearing? We can walk in the house, tell them we’re having a baby and then you stay and have a drink and I’m going back home. I’m tired, hungry and in no mood for company.” She threw her hands up. “Fine, let’s go to our place first so I can change.”

Elijah pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward their house. He didn’t say anything.

Charity stared out the passenger window refusing to look at or acknowledge him. She clenched her jaw tight. If this was what the first five months were like, what were the next four going to be? It was a bloody nightmare! She shouldn’t have gone back to do her residence. It was a stupid, stupid mistake.

Elijah slowed the car and turned into their driveway. He set it in park but did not shut it off or make an attempt to get out of the car. “Charity.” He sighed. “What do you want to do? What do you want me to do? Or say?” He waited until she looked at him before speaking again. “I’m trying to do everything right, but just seem to be blowing it up instead. If you want to stay home that’s fine, but my mother just took a twenty-hour flight to come see us, so I’m going back.” He stared at her with confused eyes.

Charity wanted to cry… again. For probably the millionth time today. “No, I’ll go.” She opened the car door. “I’m sorry. I had a bad day and I’m taking it out on you. That’s not fair.”

“You don’t have to apologize. Residence is frustrating. I remember that clearly. It’ll get better, you’ll see.” He opened his door and followed her to the front porch. He unlocked the front door and held it open for Charity.

“I’ll get ready fast.” She stepped through the threshold of their house.

Elijah reached out and hugged her. He kissed the top of her head. “I love you Charity Bennet. With all my heart. And I’m beyond excited you are having this baby. You are doing a fantastic job juggling everything you do.”

She slipped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his shirt so he wouldn’t see the tears. When she went to sniff her runny nose and snorted instead, she giggled. “Sorry. That slipped.”

“Better your nose than your bottom.”

Charity’s head popped up and she burst out laughing. “Where do you come up with this stuff?”

Elijah grinned. “My father always had a million and one phrases for whenever something bad – extraordinary happened. Guess I’m turning into him.”

Charity stepped back and untangled her arms from around his waist. “Let me go change. I’ll be ready to go in five minutes.” She headed for their room but stopped halfway there before she spun around and raced back him. “I love you, Mister Elijah Bennet.” She pressed her hands over her growing belly and made a heart shape over the top of the small bump. She slipped her hand into his and tugged his arm gently towards the hallway. “I was thinking about this the other day.”

“Thinking about what?” Elijah allowed her to lead him.

“If my dad and your mom like each other. What if they, say, got married? Where would they live? He’s not going to leave the hospital and your mom doesn’t seem the moving kind.”

“She wants to move out of the big house.”

“Yeah, but would she move here to America?” Charity couldn’t picture it.

“Maybe they’ll be snowbirds.”

“Snowbirds?”

“Spend six months here and the other half of the year in New Zealand.” Elijah chuckled and then started laughing harder.

“What’s so funny?”

“Imagine they married? Your dad would be my step-father and my father-in-law. What would that make him? My step-dad-in-law?”

Charity sniggered. “Then that would make you my half-brother. You’d be my half-brother husband.”

“That’s gotta be illegal somewhere.”

“How about we just let them live together in sin?” Charity giggled. “My dad’s probably just in it for the sex.”

Elijah playfully pushed her away and nodded toward the bedroom a few feet away. “That’s my mother you are talking about! Go get dressed young lady, and think about what you are saying!”

Charity hurried to the room, tossing a comment back at him over her shoulder. “If I recall on our honeymoon, your mom gave my father a heart attack. And
you
said they were messing around. You started it.”

“You’re just like your father, never forget anything, do you?”

Charity’s laughter echoed from the bedroom and down the hall as she changed. “You’re the one who married me and then knocked me up!” She loved how he could turn her horribly, bad mood into fun.
Yeah, I’m going to keep him. Forever.

“I’m glad to hear your flight went well.” Charity sat across from her mother-in-law and her father. She had eaten way too much food, but it had all tasted so good. They all had. Elijah had outdone himself with the barbecue and by the time they had arrived back at her dad’s place, everyone had been hungry. The aroma of barbecue and meat cooking had waffled through the sliding door and teased everyone till all they could talk about was food.

Now everyone had eaten and were relaxing comfortably around the dinner table. Elijah got up to pour more wine into their glasses, purposely skipping over Charity’s still full glass.

“Charity, you haven’t even touched your wine.” Her father pointed at the glass. “I picked up your favorite.”

She stood and picked up her and Elijah’s dishes to clear away. “I think I’ll just have a tea.” She headed to the kitchen and set the plates in the dishwasher and switched the kettle on. She heard her father tell Margaret about how she was now back at med-school finishing up her residence. He laughed when he said Charity was trying to keep up with the young kids.

Charity came back and sat down beside Elijah, who reached for her hand under the table and squeezed it. She smiled at him.

Margaret watched their exchange. “You’re having a baby.”

Elijah and Charity stared at her in surprise and said at the same time, “Pardon?”

Margaret smiled, evidently amused. “Charity’s having a baby.”

Her father nearly spilled his wine. “Impossible! She’s finishing her residence. They can plan for children in a few years.”

Margaret rolled her eyes at Charity’s dad. “Scott, she can do both.”

“No you can’t.” Scott turned to Elijah for help. “Explain to your mother the hours and amount of work involved.”

Elijah leaned back in his chair. “You’re right. It is a ton of work. It’s hard enough to do without family, but to have to carry a baby.” He shook his head. “It would seem near impossible.”

Scott clapped his hands. “See, told you, Margaret.”

“But Charity is doing it. She’s in her second trimester. Nearly twenty weeks.” He smirked as he looked back and forth to his mother and father-in-law.”

Charity burst out laughing. She couldn’t tell who was more surprised, her father or Elijah’s mom. “I’m sorry.” She covered her mouth with the hand not in Elijah’s. “Why do you both look so surprised?”

Margaret spoke first. “Five months? You’re almost five months? You mean weeks, right? You are almost five
weeks
along?”

“Is this some kind of prank?” Her father set his crystal wine glass on the table. “It’s impossible!”

Charity smiled at her father. “I assure you Dad, it is very possible. No joke.”

“You’re really pregnant?” he whispered.

“I am.”

“Who’s your OB?”

“Dr. Govender.”

“Good choice. But why the hell did you go back to the hospital to work? Once the baby’s born, you aren’t going to want to go back.”

There was the old Dr. Scott Thompson sharing his opinion as if it was the only one that mattered.

“Scott!” Margaret’s tone held a warning. “Don’t say another word. These kids are grown up enough to make their own decisions.”

“Or mistakes,” Scott muttered but didn’t say anything else.

“Times are different than they were for us. If Charity wants to finish her education and become a doctor, that is her choice to make. If I recall correctly, you were just going on and on the other day, when we were FaceTiming, about how proud you were of her. Why would that change now?”

“Time out a minute,” Elijah interrupted. “You FaceTime?”

“Of course.”

“Why haven’t you ever FaceTimed me?”

“You never gave me your iPad address? I’ve asked you and you never sent it.”

“Oh. Okay.” Elijah shook his head.

Margaret turned her attention back to Scott. “You should be even prouder of your daughter now. I think it’s amazing! Now I have two children to brag about and finally a grandchild!” She got up and walked around the table, putting her arms around Elijah and Charity. “Before Elijah met Charity, I was beginning to doubt I would ever have one.” She squeezed Charity’s shoulder. “Or at least one I would ever have the opportunity to meet.”

“Mum!” Elijah looked mortified.

She kissed the top of his head. “Oh sweetie, calm down. Charity’s the best thing that ever happened to you. We both know that.” She straightened and clapped her hands. “So what have you all done to prepare for this new arrival? Do you know what you’re having? Have you started decorating the room? Have you bought stuff? You’re going to breastfeed, I assume. What about pumping? Are your friends throwing a baby shower? Ohhh! I’d love to plan one while I’m here.”

Charity blinked, trying to focus on the questions and pick which ones to answer. She didn’t what to say to most of them. She had the book, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” but hadn’t had time to read much. She knew the process of having a baby and giving birth but hadn’t been through it or watched anyone go through it. Elijah had suggested avoiding the maternity and birthing floor until after the baby was born. She thought it was a good idea.

Except now she suddenly didn’t feel like she knew anything. Margaret knew more. Maybe she should do a rotation on the prenatal floor.

Elijah must have seen her face. He chuckled and put his hand on Charity’s knee. “We’re working on sorting out the details. We haven’t done much.”

Margaret smiled. “You were waiting for me, weren’t you? You want me to organize the nursery?” She hugged Elijah and then Charity. “That’s the nicest thing you could ever ask me to do! I would love to help!”

Charity tried not to laugh. They hadn’t planned that at all, but she didn’t mind letting Margaret take care of the baby’s room. She had no idea what she would need. “We don’t know if the peanut is a boy or a girl yet.”

“Are you going to find out?” Margaret went to her purse and pulled out her phone. “I’m going to start making a list! I’ll find neutral colors and bedding.” She smiled up at Charity. “I will show you everything before I buy it. You pick it out or just tell me to back off if you find I’m being all in your face.”

Elijah chuckled. “In your face?” He glanced at Charity’s dad. “You okay with becoming a grandpa?”

“Nobody asked me.”

Was he serious? This had to be all about him!
Charity sucked in a sharp breath, ready to ream him out.

“I’m kidding, Charity. I was joking!” He smiled and looked around. “Your mother always wanted this house filled with children. She couldn’t have more after she had you, so she always talked about the day when this place would be filled with the pitter-patter of little feet.”

Margaret nodded in agreement. “This house would be wonderful filled with grandbabies. We can’t sell Rapt Bach now! Those babies of yours need to see where their daddy grew up. They need to see the house their granddaddy built!”

Elijah grinned. “Slow down, Nanny and Grandfather. It’s one baby. Not two or no intention of another one straight after.” He glanced at Charity. “Right?”

Charity’s mood lifted. The excitement from everyone made her feel like the baby was a very welcomed addition. She had worried about the hospital and everything, they would think she was crazy. “Let’s just start with one… and go from there.” She winked slyly at Elijah and smiled when his eyes lit with a heat saved only for her.

“You have a twenty-week scan coming up?” Charity’s dad held up his glass of wine. “Then let's cheers to new life, new beginnings and finding out if this fetus is a boy or a girl.”

“It’s a baby,” Charity and Elijah said at the same time.

“Do you want to find out?” Elijah asked.

Charity shrugged. “Sure.” She felt like they had already had this conversation but saying it in front of their parents seemed to make it permanent. “Let’s find out.” She held up her mug and realized it was still empty. She hadn’t poured the hot water that must have already boiled a while back. “Cheers!”

Elijah grabbed his mother’s wine and handed it to her and then raised his own glass. They all clinked and Charity pretended to take a sip of her tea bag. “Margaret?”

“Yes?”

“Are you sure you don’t mind helping to do the nursery? I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed and would love to have you help me pick out what we’ll need and decorate. If the room looks a tenth of what you have done to your house, it’ll be award winning.”

Margaret beamed. Literally beamed with excitement. “I would love to!  I’ll show you designs and styles. I’m going to pay for all of it.”

“No, you’re not, Mom.”

She teasingly swatted Elijah on the back of his head. “Nonsense! This is my gift. I’m going to have to plan more trips here. You have three rooms in your place and one of them is an office. We’re going to need to get a bed in that room for me.”

“Why don’t you stay here with me?” Scott suggested.

Charity’s mouth fell open. Had he just asked her mother-in-law to stay with him in his house?
Dirty old man
was her first thought.
Smart Dad
was her second. It gave her and Elijah privacy. It would eliminate the worry of keeping Margaret entertained and then having to set up a place to sleep.
And house cleaning. I wouldn’t have to worry about that.

Everyone looked around but didn’t say anything.

“I can help you set up the nursery… if you’d like.” Scott cleared his throat. “I’d love it if you stayed here.”

I bet my ass you would
, Elijah mouthed to Charity behind both their parent’s backs. She shushed him with a quick finger to her mouth.

Margaret played with her perfectly styled hair. “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble.”

“Your bags are already here.” Her dad cleared his throat again. “You don’t even have to move them.” He glanced quickly at Charity and Elijah, not meeting either of their gazes. “There’s the guest room you freshened up in when you got here.”

Charity pressed her lips tight together to stop any giggle from escaping. They had totally planned this out earlier.
Totally
.