Chapter 42: Botched Babymoon

Roxanne drove as fast as she could, weaving through various cars to speed to the emergency room. Since she didn’t know what was wrong, she didn’t know how much time she had before something catastrophic happened to her father, whose groans grew louder as he doubled over in pain.
She wanted to drop him off at the emergency room door, but he insisted they park and walk in. Through the parking lot, her father scuttled, hunched over a little, clearly in pain near his waist.
Inside, they waited a few minutes before nurses whisked him away in a wheel chair for some tests. Roxanne texted Tom to let him know where she was. Looking down and rubbing her belly, she hoped the doctors could help her father; she wanted her father to be able to meet his grandchild.
After a few hours of waiting, Roxanne was able to visit her father. He lay in a hospital bed, looking tired but relaxed. The doctor had given him some pain medicine which made him drowsy, assuring them it hadn’t been a heart attack, and her father soon fell asleep.
Roxanne stayed by her father’s bedside, unwilling to leave, and she fell asleep in a chair.
When Tom stopped by the next morning, Roxanne woke up bleary-eyed and groggy. “Roxanne,” he said, “You need to go home. You need your rest, too.”
She looked at her father, comfortably sleeping in his hospital bed.
“I can’t leave yet,” she whispered. “I have to know what’s wrong.”
“I’m fine,” her father said, waking up and opening his eyes. “They gave me some medicine. It’s good. No heart attack. I told you it was nothing,” he said. “I just needed some rest.”
“Pop, no. It may not have been a heart attack, but something is wrong.”
“You go. I’ll stay,” said Tom. “I want what’s best for our baby. Your father will understand.” She pondered what Tom had said. Lifting her legs, she tried to get a glimpse of her swollen feet. She considered it was probably better if she went home and rested.
“Okay, but…” Before Roxanne could finish, her father’s doctor walked in. With curly brown hair like a poodle and glasses, he looked serious. Roxanne grabbed Tom’s hand.
“Mr. Gehry,” he said, “We’ve run some more tests, and I think what was causing your pain was pancreatitis. We need to do some more tests to make sure. If I’m right, we can treat it.” He smiled, and Roxanne relaxed a little.
“You hear that?” Roxanne’s dad said. “I’ll be fine. Go home.”
“I’ll call you a car,” Tom said. Roxanne felt so sluggish and decided not to fight with them. A nap at home sounded like a good idea.
Roxanne didn’t wake up until the next morning. “Hi, beautiful,” Tom said as he carried in a breakfast tray. He helped Roxanne sit up and sat on the edge of the bed.
She took a bite of a Danish and tried to push Tom out of the way. “I better get to The Hole in the Wall,” she said. “I’m sure it’s a mess, and we have to get ready to open and…”
Tom took her hand. “Slow down,” he said. “Let the manager we hired handle it. You’ve been asleep for a day.” She looked at the clock, surprised at the time.
“Look, I brought you a surprise.” Tom nodded toward the tray.
“Thanks, Tom, I just better get up and go see my dad.”
“I just called. He’s doing well. Now that they have his illness under control, he’s going home later today. I hope you don’t mind, I hired a nurse to help.”
“Thank you,” she gave Tom a small forced smile. “But I think he’ll want me there.” She turned to head toward the bathroom. “He’ll need medication, and food, and I’ll probably have to do his laundry.”
“It’s all done. I sent over someone for that too,” Tom said.
Roxanne peeked her head around the door. “Well, aren’t you the thoughtful one?”
“Roxanne, you need to slow down,” Tom said, stepping toward her and taking both her hands in his and pulling her back to the bed. “Look,” he picked up an envelope from the breakfast tray. “I booked us a spa trip at the lake,” Tom said.
“You’re too big to fly. It’s only 2 hours by car. That way we can head back if your dad really needs us. But I want to spend some time with you before the baby comes. Please?” he asked, making a pouty face. “They have pre-natal massages,” he added in his best salesman’s pitch.
“That’s really kind of you,” she said. “It’s just…”
“We can stop by and check in on your dad on our way,” he said. Roxanne smiled and hugged him.
He held her cheeks lightly between his palms and kissed her. It would be their first overnight trip together – a baby moon of sorts. Even though Roxanne was still worried about her father, the thought of getting away with Tom and relaxing, appealed to her.
Following their visit with Roxanne’s father, they arrived at the spa. Inside their room, sat a four poster bed draped in pristine white linen. The décor reminded her of an English garden with pictures of wild flowers and the scent of lavender lingering in the air.
After sleeping for hours, Roxanne felt eager to get out and explore the premises. Holding hands, she and Tom meandered along a winding path around the forested lake front. The water gleamed from the sun, creating a tranquil glow on the rustic surroundings.
Without the stress of worrying about work or loan sharks or stolen permits, Roxanne could embrace the peaceful environment.
Due to the pressure of the baby and her swollen feet, she couldn’t walk far and suggested they return to their room. Tom obliged and was careful not to walk too fast. They talked about their preferred snacks as kids and the cartoons they watched, planning to introduce their new baby to all their old-school favorites.
They rounded the bend, enjoying each other’s company, when they saw lightning flash in the darkened sky toward the east. Scurrying faster, they made it back to their room before the downpour hit. Amidst the angry thunder rumbling outside, Roxanne cuddled against Tom’s chest, safe and warm.
Huddled together, Roxanne thought about how Tom had delivered just what she needed – a quiet, restful chance for them to reconnect.
But when Tom’s phone dinged, and they received a text about flash flooding at The Hole in the Wall, they knew their serene retreat was ruined.