Linda Warren - A Baby by Christmas

The smell of fresh-shaved wood clung to the air. As a hobby, Jake did woodwork and it was something he loved. He flipped on the light and strolled over to a baby’s cradle that occupied the middle of the large room. Elise had seen it in a magazine and he was planning to surprise her with it when she became pregnant. He drew in a deep breath and pulled up a chair, staring at the cradle. Wags trotted over and barked.

“I know, boy,” Jake said. “We’ll go to the house in a minute.” He couldn’t take his eyes off the cradle.

It consisted of round spindles connected to a half-circular base at each end. The crib swung from a sturdy stand. He had spent many hours doing the intricate pattern of flowers on the circular base and the stand. The spindles were rounded in the middle and smaller on each end. Mrs. Myers, a friend of his who sewed, was making the mattress and lining out of some of the finest cotton ever grown and he’d ordered lace from Italy as a finishing touch. The picture in the magazine was white, but Elise had said if the baby was a boy she wouldn’t want white, so Jake was waiting to paint or stain the crib. Now he didn’t have to worry. It would never be finished.

He pushed the cradle and it swung gently back and forth as “Rock-a-Bye, Baby” played. He’d had a hell of a time figuring out how to get the tune to play when the cradle rocked, but a visit to the electronics store solved his problem. It worked on the same principle as a music box. Now it was all for nothing.

Wags barked several times at the sound and Jake nodded his head. Glancing up, he saw the new wood stacked against the wall. He was starting on a baby bed next, to match the crib. A tremor of despair ran through him. For the first time he realized how much he wanted a baby…how much he’d planned for it, too. Letting go of that hope wasn’t easy for him, either.

But now he had Ben. Tomorrow he’d see his son for the first time and that filled him with new hope. It didn’t diminish the feelings he had for his and Elise’s baby; it just made the whole situation difficult.

What would he do if Elise was pregnant? He ran his hands over his face. He’d deal with that if it happened.

“Jake, what are you doing working so late?”

Jake turned to Aunt Vin standing in the doorway.

“It’s almost eleven,” she added, walking farther into the room. “I just got in from playing bingo and… Oh, oh, the cradle is beautiful.”

“Yes,” Jake said in a low voice.

Aunt Vin watched him for a moment. “What’s wrong?”

Jake clasped his hands together. “Ms. Woods called. I’m…I’m Ben’s father.”

“Oh, and from your expression I’m guessing the fancy lady isn’t taking this well.”

“No,” Jake admitted, seeing no reason to lie.

Aunt Vin clicked her tongue. “She wants a baby and God just gave her a ready-made one. What’s the difference? They all need love.”

Jake pushed to his feet and put his arm around her shoulder. “Yeah, and I’m going to give my son all the love I have.”

“So you’re raising Ben alone?”

“It looks that way.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be here.”

“Thanks, Aunt Vin.”

They slowly made their way to the house, Wags running ahead. “I guess we need to get a room ready,” she remarked.

“Let’s wait for a few days. I want to meet Ben first.”

“Okay.” Aunt Vin paused. “She’s not even going to meet Ben?”

“No.”

Aunt Vin shook her head and went to her room.

THE NEXT MORNING JAKE WAS UP early and drove into Waco to meet Ms. Woods. He found the building without any problem. She was in an office that consisted of a small space cluttered with filing cabinets and a desk.

She rose to her feet. “Good morning, Mr. McCain,” she said as she shook his hand. “Have a seat.”

Jake sat in a straight chair by her desk.

Ms. Woods clasped her hands across a large folder. “Mrs. McCain not with you?”

“No,” Jake replied, and to avoid answering uncomfortable questions he asked, “When can I see my son?”

Ms. Woods looked as if she was going to press the issue, but then said, “There are a few things we have to discuss first.”

“Like what?”

“Ben. I want you to be fully aware of his situation.”

He heard that note in her voice again and Jake knew something was wrong. “What situation?’ he asked carefully.

She opened the folder. “Ben has special problems.”

Jake’s chest tightened. “Problems?”

“As before, the only way I know how to do this is just tell you.”

“I wish you would.”

“Ben was a twenty-seven-week baby—a preemie—and he wasn’t breathing when he was born. The doctors worked with Ben and it took nine minutes before he could breathe on his own. He was then flown to Memorial Hermann hospital in Houston. He was basically in a comatose state and the doctors didn’t expect him to live. Sherry was supposed to make the trip to Houston a couple of days later, but she never showed up. That’s when the hospital called Children’s Protective Services. They had no one to contact if the baby died. We were able to locate Sherry’s mother and she immediately came to Houston. She didn’t even know Sherry had given birth.” She paused. “They fed him from an IV because he had no sucking reflex and he was getting oxygen to help him breathe. When Mrs. Carr arrived she was devastated at the sight of Ben, but she was a very religious person and wouldn’t leave Ben or give up on him. On the third day, Ben’s sucking reflex began. It was as close to a miracle as I’ve ever seen, but Ben had a long way to go. The doctors did test after test and ruled out several disorders, including cerebral palsy. Finally Ben’s diagnosis was developmental delay and his prognosis wasn’t good.”

“Developmental delay?”

“Yes. Ben does everything much slower than other children.”

The pain in Jake’s chest became so tight that it was unbearable.

“Mrs. Carr was Ben’s lifeline and she was determined that Ben would be a normal little boy. She lived in Bryan but she relocated to Houston so Ben could be near the hospital and doctors. At first Ben didn’t have the muscle tone to accomplish simple tasks. Mrs. Carr, under a developmental pediatrician’s guidance, began an exercise program for Ben. She massaged his arms and legs, even the inside of his mouth, to stimulate him. When she took Ben home, she continued the exercises. They took from three to four hours and she did them at least twice a day, but it was worth it. This little boy—who was supposed to be a vegetable if he lived at all—was able to roll over at ten months. At fifteen months he crawled and he took his first steps six months ago. Mrs. Carr was working on his speech and he was starting to say words and whole sentences, then…”

Ms. Wood stopped. “Irene was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and she died quickly. She was so busy caring for Ben that she didn’t take care of herself. She was devoted to Ben, I suspect mainly because she’d had such a disaster with her daughter.” She stopped again. “When you met Sherry at that hotel, she was supposed to be clean and working but, as you found, that wasn’t true. She also lied to you about birth control. Irene said Sherry was never able to take the pill and Irene worried about pregnancy all the time because Sherry’s boyfriend was a drug dealer. He was in prison when you met her. CPS hasn’t been involved in Ben’s case since Mrs. Carr was granted custody, but we’ve checked on him from time to time. When Mrs. Carr became ill, she contacted us. That’s the reason I’m here today.”

Jake listened to all of this in a state of shock, hardly able to believe what he was hearing. His throat burned with an ache he couldn’t assuage. His son had needed him and he hadn’t been there.