The Christmas Hope(55)

“I’m not going like this,” Meghan said, turning toward the bedroom.

“Just get in the car,” Nathan said, directing her out the door again.

“I’m not going in my pajamas. I want my clothes!”

Lydia ran into Meghan’s closet and pulled out a pair of maternity pants and a top. “Do these work?” she asked.

“Great,” Meghan said, taking the clothes from Lydia.

Jack and Lydia scrambled back into their room to change into something for the hospital.

“Grandma’s still sleeping. Should we leave her here?” Nathan asked, yelling through the closed doors.

“I’m not sleeping,” his grandmother said, shuffling into the hallway. “You’d have to be deaf to sleep through all this!”

Nathan rushed Meghan into his truck and his dad, grandmother, and Lydia loaded into their car. His baby boy was finally coming!





Emily woke me that morning. Mia was being released from the hospital and she wanted to be there as she was discharged. At each visit we had seen the change in Mia; she was getting stronger every day. When Emily and Sandra and I arrived to see her leave, Dr. Andrews wasn’t there. “His wife had the baby this morning,” a nurse said. Emily was disappointed. I knew she wanted to see Dr. Andrews again. The nurse handed Mia to Emily and Emily made all sorts of goo-goo noises and faces.

“They told me Mia was leaving.” Dr. Andrews was standing in the doorway holding a baby wrapped in a pink blanket. “I thought I’d come see her off and show everyone my new bundle.”

Emily wrapped her arms around his leg, relieved to say good-bye. He leaned down so she could see the baby’s face.

“She’s so beautiful,” I said. “What did you name her?”

“Margaret Allison. After our mothers. We’ll call her Maggie.” Sandra and Emily cooed at the baby.

“Welcome, Maggie,” I said, bouncing her tiny hand up and down. “We hope you enjoy your stay.”

“I had my heart set on a boy but I think I could get used to this,” he said, kissing the baby’s hand.

I looked at Dr. Andrews. His face looked so much like Mark’s on the day I had Sean. “I’d ask how your Christmas was but I already know,” I said, brushing Maggie’s cheek. He beamed like first daddies always do and I smiled. Women go through the pain and work of labor and delivery and men parade the baby around as though they just happened to find her all snuggly and pink and beautiful.

“Mia had a very good Christmas with us,” he said. “We’re going to miss her around here.” He put his hand on Mia’s head. “She’s a strong, healthy baby. We’ll see her again in a few days for a checkup but I don’t anticipate any problems.”

“How was your Christmas, Emily?”

Emily held up the cross her mother had given her. “I got this.”

“Isn’t that beautiful,” he said, rocking Maggie on his shoulder.

“It’s from my mom.”

“Well, that kind of gift is too important for Santa to deliver. An angel put that gift under the tree for you.” He gave her a hug and said he hoped to see her again. Sandra and I shook his hand and thanked him for all his help and I watched as he left the room and showed Maggie off to everyone at the nurses’ station. We gathered Mia’s things and made our way toward the elevator, saying good-bye to the nurses who had been so good to Mia during her stay. I watched Dr. Andrews as we waited for the elevator. Funny, Mark and I had the name Nathan on our list when we named Sean. I looked up to see three nurses bent over the baby as Dr. Andrews watched them. My mind swirled with images and conversations from the past few days. “I got here at the crack of dawn,” he said on Christmas Day. I pulled out of my purse Sean’s note, which was still attached to the pocket watch. I thought I heard the doorbell at six that morning. The young doctor who told me that Sean had died was named something we’d had on our list for Sean. Was that young doctor’s name Nathan? Dr. Andrews laughed at the wriggling baby in his arms. No, it couldn’t be him, I thought. There’s no way.

The elevator doors opened and Sandra stepped inside with Mia. “Hold on, just one second,” I said, running down the hall. I ran up to Dr. Andrews. He turned to look at me. “I just wanted to say …” I stopped. Everyone was looking at me. “I just wanted you to know that I’ve been to a lot of doctors and I know when I’m around a really good one. You’re one of the good ones, Dr. Andrews. Thank you for everything.” I ran toward the elevator and Emily waved at him as the doors closed in front of us. If I really wanted to know the name of that young doctor who told me of Sean’s death I’m sure I could make a call and discover who it was. Maybe then I’d learn if it was Dr. Andrews who left the gift on my front porch. But I wouldn’t do that because as Mrs. Burke told my mother, sometimes you just need to take the blessing and run.