Mulberry Park (14 page)

“Thanks for coming over,” Maria told the neighbor.

“You’re lucky I’m still here. There’ll be a
FOR SALE
sign in front of my house before you know it.”

Maria strode to the elderly woman and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I
am
fortunate that you’re still here, Ellie. You’ve been a wonderful neighbor. It’s a real comfort knowing you’re just a few steps away.” Then Maria turned to Walter. “I’m sure glad you stopped by tonight.”

He supposed she was, but he didn’t feel especially noble. All he wanted to do was get her to the hospital, where someone knew which end was up.

“I called Rita while I was in the bedroom,” Maria said. “She’s leaving now, but it will take her a few hours to get here.”

“That’s okay.” Ellie patted her tote bag. “I brought some reading material.”

Maria walked to a bookshelf near the television, removed a videotape and put it into the player. “Just in case Sara wakes up, and I really doubt she will, she loves this cartoon. If you’ll sit beside her on the sofa, she’ll watch it over and over. All you have to do is turn the TV on and press Play on the remote.”

“All right,” Ellie said. “That’s easy enough. Now you go on. And don’t worry about a thing.”

Yeah, right, Walter thought. He figured Maria had plenty to worry about. But he wouldn’t mention that. “Ellie’s right. We probably ought to get going.”

Maria agreed, but before she could take a step, her breath caught and she nearly doubled over—another pain gripping her.

Walter stood by, frozen and completely helpless.

A minute or two later, Maria blew out a long, staggering breath, then straightened. “That was a bad one. Maybe we’d better get out of here.”

As Walter escorted her outside, he wondered what the chances were of her giving birth before they got to the hospital. Slim to none, he hoped.

But then again, what were the odds that he would wind up escorting two different women to Pacifica General within days of each other?

No wonder he felt like the butt of some big, celestial practical joke.

Maria had expected Walter to drop her off at the hospital, then go about his business. Instead, he’d parked and gone inside with her. She had to admit that she was glad he had and told him as much.

Maybe that’s why he’d hung out while she’d registered, saying he’d become an old hand at this.

She’d had a couple of contractions during the wait for the clerk, a tall young man with spiky red hair and a splash of freckles, to input her information in the computer, which seemed to be processing incredibly slowly. The clerk studied the computer screen intently, yet was typing with hunt-and-peck strokes.

“Can’t you see she’s in pain?” Walter asked.

“Yes, sir. If you’ll just wait a moment, I’ll get one of the other clerks to help me. I’ve only been working here for two days.”

Walter stiffened as though he wanted to voice a complaint, yet kept still.

“Uh-oh.” Maria braced herself for another contraction, this one harder and more vicious than the others. As the tearing pain eased, she glanced at Walter, who was watching her with apprehension. She appreciated the fact that he’d stuck by her side for so long, but when she opened her mouth to tell him so, tears welled in her eyes and emotion clogged her throat before any words could form.

“Hey.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be all right.”

She wanted to believe him. She really did. But it was all so overwhelming, and she wasn’t just talking about the pain.

“I’m sorry,” she managed to say.

“Don’t think anything of it.”

“I’m really glad you’re here, but I realize this can’t be much fun for you. So I understand if you want to go.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Walter asked.

“I’ll be all right.” A tear slid down her cheek, followed by a second and a third.
“Really.”

He studied her face, as though looking for evidence of the lie and spotting it dead center.

The clerk returned with an older woman at his side. “Did you preregister?” the woman asked.

Maria nodded. “My doctor gave me forms to fill out, and I sent them in last week.”

“That’s what I thought.” The woman sat in the clerk’s seat, then clicked on the keyboard. “Name?”

“Maria Rodriguez.”

“You’re in here already.” She pointed out something to the newbie clerk, then called for an orderly. “We’ll get you upstairs to Maternity. They’re expecting you.”

When a dark-haired man in blue scrubs offered Maria a wheelchair, she carefully got to her feet, then took a seat.

“Come this way,” the orderly told Walter.

Maria expected him to balk, and although he didn’t immediately jump, he did tag along.

“I’ll just wait and make sure they decide to keep you,” he said.

Three hours later, Walter was still sitting at her bedside. And she was in no hurry to see him leave.

The last time the nurse had checked, Maria was four centimeters dilated and the baby’s head was right where it was supposed to be.

She was in active labor, and the contractions were coming hard and strong. The last one was incredibly rough, and when it had passed, Walter reached over and pushed the red button that would call the nurse.

“What are you doing?” Maria asked.

“Getting you some relief from this torture.”

The nurse, a petite blonde in her late forties, responded to the call. “Can I help you?”

Walter stood. “She’s in terrible pain. Can’t you give her something for it?”

“We can give her an epidural, but her paperwork stated that she didn’t want one.”

“It’s not covered by my insurance plan,” Maria said, as another contraction began to rip her apart.

“Don’t worry about the cost. If it’ll help and you want it, I’ll pay for it.” Walter reached into his pocket, pulled out a small roll of bills held together by a red rubber band and flashed it at the nurse. “I may not have enough cash on me, but I’ve got a credit card.”

“You can settle up with the hospital when she’s discharged,” the nurse said. “In the meantime, I’ll call in an anesthesiologist.”

When she left the room, her shoes squeaking upon the tile floor, Walter turned to Maria and waited until the last pain had subsided.

“Will they knock you out?” he asked.

“No. I’ll be awake.”

“If it were me, I think I’d rather take a blow to the head with a baseball bat than suffer those pains. Are you sure you don’t want them to put you to sleep until it’s all over? I’ll be happy to pay if it’s an additional charge.”

“Even if I wanted to be put out, they don’t want the baby to be drugged when he comes into the world. And since he’s coming early, he’ll have enough to struggle with.”

“Oh.” Walter took his seat. “Poor little guy.”

Maria had to agree. “You know, I’ve really been stressed about being pregnant. And now that the baby is almost here…”

“Being single with three kids to support would be stressful for anyone. But don’t worry. You’re a good mother. I’ve seen you at the park. And not just with your own little ones. You’re good to Trevor and Analisa, too.”

She blew out a sigh. “It’s not that I don’t love my children or care about their friends. It’s just that I’ve…” It was tough to admit. And she wasn’t sure if she could. “It’s just that there were times, months ago, when I wouldn’t have cared if I’d miscarried. Isn’t that terrible? And I’m afraid the baby will somehow know that.”

“I wouldn’t worry. His brain can’t be developed enough to know anything other than hunger or pain.”

“I hope you’re right. But he was unplanned, and I may lose my house because of the financial burden having another baby has created. I hate his father for doing this to me and I just can’t seem to find it in my heart to love this poor helpless baby who didn’t ask to be born.” She glanced at Walter, wondering what he thought of her now that she’d told him the awful truth, the secret that darkened her heart.

He merely stared at the monitor. “Get ready. Here we go again.”

Oh, no. Not another one. As the pain gripped her, she couldn’t have said more if she’d wanted to, and she struggled not to cry out and chase Walter away.

When the contraction finally ended and she was granted an all-too-brief reprieve, she decided to keep the rest of her thoughts and feelings to herself. Walter didn’t need to know about the guilt she carried, the fear she had that this unfortunate child would grow up feeling unloved and unwanted. That he’d eventually become a hoodlum or worse. And that it would be her fault if he did.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to shake the feeling of doom and despair that plagued her.

“So what’s his name?” Walter asked.

The question shouldn’t have blindsided her, but it did. “I don’t know. Isn’t that sad? It’s like a part of me wants to pretend this isn’t happening.”

“I hate to be the one to blow the whistle on your fantasy…” He half-chuckled, then leaned back in his seat, threading his fingers together and resting his hands on his belly. “You know, under the circumstances, I think this little fellow deserves a strong name, something he can grow into and live up to.”

He was right, of course. “What do you suggest?”

“Well, let me think on it some.”

After several more contractions, the anesthesiologist walked in, promising the pain would soon be a thing of the past. Maria just hoped that, along with the epidural, the doctor would inject a flood of maternal hormones into her, something that would make everything fall into place and ensure that she would love her baby once she held him in her arms.

The anesthesiologist had introduced himself, but she’d been so wrapped up in her pain and her pitiful situation, that she couldn’t remember his name. It didn’t matter, she supposed. He lapsed into a short speech about the possible complications, but at this point, Maria didn’t care.

Walter, on the other hand, appeared pale and hesitant.

Someone—the short, blond nurse?—pulled the screen, and Walter, as he’d done whenever Maria had been examined, stepped behind it to allow her privacy. Each time he’d gotten to his feet, she’d expected him to excuse himself and leave her to have the baby alone. But he’d waited—bless his heart.

Before long, Maria, who’d been curled up like a rolypoly to receive the shot in her spine, was allowed to ease back onto the bed. And as the pain finally lifted, the doctor left and Walter returned to his seat.

“You have no idea how much I appreciate you,” Maria told Walter. “And to repay your kindness, I’ll fix you dinner every night for a year.”

He chuckled. “Be careful, now. You’re all doped up, so you might want to think that over. I’m not a very good cook and would probably take you up on that offer.”

Maria studied the kindly old man seated at her bedside, noting that the blue of his eyes softened the craggy lines of his face. “Maybe you ought to volunteer to work here, Walter. You’d be a real blessing to someone going through this kind of thing alone.”

“No way. I hate hospitals.”

“You could have fooled me.”

He didn’t return her smile. Instead, he stared at the fetal monitor.

“You feeling that?” he asked.

“Just some pressure. No pain.”

“Amazing. I guess we should have asked for that epidural sooner, huh?”

We.
A grin tickled her lips. Who would have thought that the old man at the park would have stepped in to be her labor coach?

“Thanks for being here, Walter. I was prepared to do this on my own, but it’s nice having someone with me.”

“Mind if I ask where your husband is? It doesn’t seem right that he isn’t being supportive. After all, it’s his baby, too.”

“My husband couldn’t be here, even if he wanted to.”

“Why not?”

“Two reasons. First of all, I wouldn’t allow him in this room. And secondly because he’s in prison.”

Other than a deepening of the furrowed lines in his brow, Walter didn’t react immediately. Finally, he turned to her. “What’d he do?”

Besides being a liar and a cheating husband?

“He killed someone.”

“H
e
killed
someone?”

Walter hadn’t exactly asked for details, but his brow twitched, and Maria knew he was curious, so she explained. “He was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, but it should have been murder. A man died because of his actions.”

For some reason, Maria felt compelled to tell Walter the whole sordid mess. And why shouldn’t she? She wasn’t going anywhere. And apparently, neither was Walter.

“His name is Ray Huddleston, and I met him one summer in Los Angeles while visiting my cousin, Rita. He was a hunk and the heartthrob of every girl in the neighborhood. So when he chose me, I was…flattered. And after a whirlwind courtship that lasted less than two months, he asked me to marry him.” She fingered the edge of the sheet that covered the bulk of her belly, then turned her head, saw that Walter was listening intently. “Tía Sofía, the aunt who raised me, warned me to stay away from him, but I was in love.”

“How old were you?”

“Seventeen. And at an age where I thought I was as smart as I’d ever get. You know what I mean?”

Walter nodded.

“Ray had family and friends in the Los Angeles area, so he wanted to live there. And I, of course, agreed, thinking we were in love and that I was the luckiest girl in the world. That is, until I learned Ray didn’t take marriage vows seriously—his own or anyone else’s.”

“He cheated on you?”

“More times than I probably even knew about.” She chuffed, still amazed at her own naïveté. “I was so starry-eyed that I couldn’t see reality. And when I got pregnant with Danny, I thought nothing of all those late nights Ray worked, believing he was trying to be a good provider.”

“But he wasn’t always working?”

“No. I started hearing rumors, and when I confronted him, he admitted to having an affair. But he swore the woman meant nothing to him, that he loved me. And I believed him. When Sara was only six weeks old, I asked one of the neighbors to babysit so I could pick up something for a special dinner. It was our anniversary, and Ray was working late. Or so he’d told me. On the way to the market, I spotted his truck parked in front of the Starlight Motor Inn.

“I couldn’t believe he’d do that to me again. Not after begging for another chance the time before. So I made a U-turn and parked near his truck. Then I began to bang on doors until he answered. A half-dressed blonde stood behind him.”

“It’s a shame you had to find him like that.”

“It wasn’t even the first time I’d caught him with another woman, but I swore it would be the last. Sofía was actually relieved when I left him. So she invited me and the kids to move back home with her in Fairbrook. I took her up on it, and shortly after arriving, she quitclaimed the house to me.”

“The one you live in now?”

Maria nodded. “It’s where I grew up. Anyway, about six months later, my aunt died in her sleep.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“I was devastated. Sofía was actually my father’s aunt, and she was the only family I had. So when Ray came to Fairbrook eight months ago, apologizing and offering me the moon and all that glittered, I should have known better, but I was lonely. And he promised we’d make a fresh start in a new town. So I welcomed him into the house and into my life again.”

“So that’s when the baby was conceived.”

Maria nodded. “I can’t believe I was that stupid. But because I desperately wanted our family to be whole again, I believed him. He went on to swear that he’d seen the light. And he promised to change, saying he wanted to be the kind of man the kids and I deserved. And for three days, it was a dream come true.”

She should have known better, though. Men like Ray Huddleston might make babies, but they didn’t know the first thing about being a father.

Or a loyal husband.

“On the fourth day, the police showed up at the front door with a warrant and found Ray playing the part of a loving family man. But it had only been an act.”

“What’d he do?”

“He’d gotten involved in a confrontation with his lover’s husband. Things escalated until Ray pulled a gun and shot the man. He claimed it had been in self-defense, although he couldn’t explain why he had a gun on him. It hadn’t taken me long to realize why he’d come looking for me. He was hoping he could sweet-talk me into providing him with an alibi for the night of the shooting.”

“I hope you didn’t.”

“No way. His ditzy blond lover might not have had a problem lying for him, but I refused to, and now he’s facing the next twenty years in prison.”

“Did your testimony put him away?”

“I’m sure it helped. But they had his fingerprints and his gun. He’d been the one who’d pulled the trigger.”

“At least it’s all behind you now.”

“I hope so. When I was summoned back to L.A. to testify, I stayed with friends in the old neighborhood. The trial and resulting publicity were a nightmare, especially for Danny, who had to tolerate the whispers and taunts of kids who knew his father had killed someone.”

“I’m sure it was tough on you, too.”

“At times, it still is. I’ll never forget the embarrassment, the pointed fingers, the knowing looks, the whispers…” She blew out a heart-weary sigh. “After the trial, I couldn’t get back to Fairbrook fast enough.”

“When did you find out you were pregnant?”

“Believe it or not, I lived in denial for months. I thought the stress caused me to skip my…” She turned her head, caught his gaze. “Well, that it caused some irregularity, and that, under the circumstances, a little bloating was to be expected. And now look at me. Still hoping this is just a bad dream and that I’ll wake up.”

Before Walter could comment on her stupidity or maybe even offer words of sympathy or some sage advice, the nurse returned.

“Let’s see how you’re progressing.” The nurse, who’d introduced herself earlier as Mandy, pulled the privacy screen and slipped on a pair of gloves.

Walter, as had become his habit, ducked behind the curtain.

“Good.” Mandy removed her hand, then peeled off her gloves and disposed of them. “You’re nearly nine centimeters now. It shouldn’t be much longer. I’ll call Dr. Overstreet and set up the room for delivery.”

This was it. Maria would just have to get used to the idea of having a new baby and make the best of it.

Mandy pulled back the curtain and smiled at Walter. “You can have your seat back, if you’d like. Or you can stay behind the screen.”

Walter merely stood there.

“Sir?” Mandy asked. “Are you going to stay or go?”

Trevor lay in bed listening to Katie, who was in the bathroom that separated their bedrooms. It was almost six o’clock in the morning, and she’d already thrown up about a hundred times since she got home last night.

“I think I’ve got food poisoning,” she’d told him around midnight.

After that, she mostly groaned.

But now she mumbled, just loud enough for him to hear through the closed door. “I think I’m gonna die.”

He sure hoped she wasn’t serious. “Do you want me to call 9-1-1 or something?”

“No. I…” She cleared her throat, then made that gasping, coughlike sound and…There she went again, puking her guts out.

If rotten food had made her sick, Trevor figured she should have barfed it all out by now.

He threw off the covers, climbed out of bed and made his way to the bathroom, where he stood before the closed door. “Are you
sure
you’re okay?”

“I…just…need to…lie down.”

“Don’t you have to go to work today?” He hoped not, but the first of the month was coming pretty soon, and she always got stressed about her paycheck and bills when the rent was due.

Once he caught her crying about it, and she said, “Don’t worry. It’s just a little PMS.”

When he asked what that was, she’d told him it was “girl stuff,” so he dropped it. But she did go on to say that it sucked for the rent and PMS to both hit at the same time of the month.

And now she had to deal with
this
.

“I’m supposed to work today,” she said, the bathroom door still shut. “But I can’t. I need to call in…” She started gagging again.

Oh, man. The puke hit the toilet water like a kid cannonballing into the deep end of a pool. Just the sound was enough to make Trevor sick. So he backed away a few steps.

There was only one bathroom in the apartment—and Katie was locked in it. So if he suddenly had to throw up, he wasn’t sure where he’d go.

At the house where he used to live, it wouldn’t have been a problem. There’d been lots of bathrooms to choose from—upstairs and down.

“Do you want me to call someone at the diner and tell them you can’t come in to work today?” he asked.

“Would you?
Please?
”

He could hear water running from the faucet, which was a good sign that the barfing was over for a while. And that she hadn’t passed out or anything.

“Just ask to talk to Marlene,” she added.

“Okay. Should I tell her why you’re not coming in?”

The faucet shut off, and he heard the squeak of the metal bar as she pulled a towel from the rack. “Yeah. Tell her that I ate something bad last night. All I had was a bowl of clam chowder, but it didn’t taste right. But then again, maybe I have the flu. I think it’s going around.”

“Do you know anyone who’s sick?”

“I served an old man yesterday afternoon, and then he decided to leave without eating. He had me box up his food to take home and said he was coming down with something. If so, maybe I caught it from him. Who knows?”

“Okay. Should I call now?”

“Yeah, the diner’s already open. Thanks, Trevor. You’re the best.”

The door opened, and Katie came out wearing her blue nightgown. Her hair was damp around her forehead, and her face was almost the same color as those ghosts in that movie he’d watched while he’d waited for her to get home last night. Of course, he’d turned the TV off before it was over because he got freaked out and thought he heard noises coming from the upstairs apartment, like chains rattling and stuff.

As Katie walked slowly to her room, shuffling her bare feet, Trevor thought about Mrs. Harper calling yesterday—twice. But he knew Katie wouldn’t want to talk to anyone right now. Maybe not for the rest of the day.

“Hey, Katie.” He followed her as far as the doorway to the bedroom. “A girl at the park asked if I could go to her house, and I wondered if that would be okay with you.”

“You met a new friend?”

“Not exactly. She’s just a girl. And she’s only going to be in second grade. But she’s okay for a little kid.”

Katie paused by the dresser long enough to look at her alarm clock and turn it off. “What’s her name?”

“Analisa. The lady babysitting her is pretty nice, and I told her you wouldn’t mind if I went to play.” Trevor watched Katie climb back into bed, kind of like a wounded soldier dragging himself into the safety of his trench.

“I’m glad you’re making friends, Trev. But I probably should talk to the lady first, although I’m not up for it now.”

“That’s all right. Maybe I better hang out here with you instead. I could take care of you. Get you food and stuff.”

“Thanks. That’s really sweet, but I plan to sleep the rest of the day—
if
I can.” She rolled to her side and pulled the sheet up to her chin. “Just in case this is a virus or something I picked up, I’d hate for you to catch it. So maybe it’s best if you don’t stay around the house too much.”

“Okay.” He leaned against the doorjamb for a while, watching her. Listening to her moan.

She sure sounded as if she was gonna die, but she would have let him call an ambulance if she was afraid of that happening. So he wasn’t going to worry too much.

He just hoped she got better fast. Maybe that would happen if it was quiet and she could get some rest. “You want me to get you anything?”

“No. Not now.”

Too bad he ate the last of the chicken noodle soup last night. That was supposed to be good food for sick people, wasn’t it?

There were a couple of cans of chili beans still in the cupboard, though. Maybe that would work just as good.

Trevor yawned, and for a moment, he thought about going back to bed himself, since he was pretty tired and had woken up each time Katie had last night. But he hadn’t eaten much for dinner, and a bowl of cereal sounded pretty good right now.

He also had to call Marlene at the diner.

Maybe afterward, he’d take his skateboard and go to the park early—just so he wouldn’t accidentally make noise and wake Katie up.

No one would be at the park yet, but that was okay. He’d just practice by himself.

He was getting pretty good. Well, not like Danny Way or Tony Hawk or some of the other guys in the skateboarding magazines, but he didn’t fall all that much anymore.

Hey, maybe Analisa would show up and invite him over to her house again. Katie hadn’t exactly said he could go, but she didn’t want to talk to anyone on the phone today. And she thought it was best if he stayed away from the house.

What would it hurt?

Besides, it’s not like she ever got mad at him. Why would she?

They didn’t have anyone else in the world but each other.

When Mandy had asked Walter whether he was going to stay during the delivery or leave, he didn’t really answer. Heck, he didn’t really
know.

Funny thing about Maria’s room. It was kind of homey, with floral window coverings and matching chairs—not at all like Hilda’s, which had a real hospital feel to it.

Maybe that’s one reason Walter had ended up staying the night.

And why he was still here.

While the medical personnel focused on Maria and the baby, he stayed behind the scenes. He expected someone to pull the curtain, but they didn’t, so he stood near the door and out of the way.

He didn’t have a bird’s-eye view by any means, but the whole scene unfolding was surreal. Of course, that was probably because the lack of sleep had made him fuzzy-headed. Yet even though he had the urge to skedaddle when the excitement started and the homey setting was suddenly transformed into a delivery room, he couldn’t quite bring himself to leave.