Sophie waited outside the hospital entrance for Kate. She had
on her Ugg boots and her winter jacket that she could now
fully zip up. The wind funneled up the hospital driveway, blowing
cold air that froze her nostrils and made her eyes water. A taxi
pulled up to the roundabout, and Kate jumped out of the cab,
pulling the collar of her winter jacket tighter to her neck.
The two of them hugged.
Sophie buried her face in Kate’s scarf. Muffled, she said, “Oh
God, Kate, I am so happy to see you. It’s been a crazy few days.”
Kate stood back to look at Sophie. “Well, little sis, you look
good, even with all you’ve been through. Where’s Adam?”
“Upstairs. Come on.”
They hooked arms and entered the hospital. They walked
down the hallway past the sign to the maternity triage unit. Two
physicians joined them in the elevator. They rode in silence until
Kate and Sophie got off on the fourth floor.
Sophie swiped her parent ID, and the doors to the NICU
swung open. Sophie showed Kate how to scrub her hands. When
they got to Danny’s incubator, Adam was already there.
“Hey, Kate.” Adam gave her a hug.
Sophie walked Kate closer to the incubator. “Meet your
nephew.”
Standing between Sophie and Adam, Kate gasped and
grabbed both of their hands. “Oh my God, you guys, he’s so tiny!”
After a few minutes of oohs and aahs, Adam turned to Sophie.
47
THE VERY BEST OF CARE
“Soph, since Kate’s here, I’m going to head home and get
some work done. I’ll see you guys later.” Adam gave Sophie a kiss.
The sisters talked as they looked through the plexiglass at
Danny. “Tell me what happened, Sophie. Why was he born so
early?”
“That’s the worst of it, I just don’t know. It started with a
little cramping around noon the other day . . .” Her voice drifted
off. She lowered her head and held her hand against her fore
head. “Gosh, I’ve lost all track of time. Anyhow, whenever it
was, I came here, then everything went downhill.” She told Kate
everything that had gone on since Danny was born. “The bottom
line is there’s no explanation for my early delivery. They tell me
it’s idiopathic, but I don’t think they’re telling me everything.”
Kate looked at her in surprise.
“But I’m not sure. I really don’t know what to think.”
Kate brought her chair closer, so their knees touched. She
leaned over and hugged Sophie. Sophie hung on tightly to her
sister.
“Kate, I’m terrified. I’m scared of being responsible for this
tiny little baby. What am I supposed to do with him?”
They hugged a while longer until Sophie felt ready to lift
her head and wipe a few tears away. She took a deep breath and
released her hold on Kate.
“Thanks for that.” Sophie managed a smile. “They say that
he should be ready to come home around his due date.”
“I’m here for you, Soph. You can count on me for whatever
you need. Remember how much you helped me with Elizabeth’s
stillbirth? I was all alone. Rick was away on business. That was
the worst experience any mother could go through. But you saved
me. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Sophie answered, “I don’t know about that. I think you’re
exaggerating.”
“No, I mean it. You were there for me when I needed it most.”
48
JULIE HATCH
Kate put her hands through the portholes into the incubator
and gently held Danny’s foot. She put her face close so Danny
could hear her, and cooed softly. Sophie smiled, happy to have
her sister here with her. The cooing stopped. Sophie looked at
Kate.
“Is that Dr. Wagner?” Kate asked.
Dr. Wagner was in the next pod, over at the incubator of the
latest admission. He was talking with one of the nurses. He had
one hand on her shoulder and gestured with the other hand, as if
explaining something. The blonde nurse nodded while watching
the baby and its monitors.
“Yeah,” Sophie answered. “He delivered Danny. He’s the
chief of obstetrics. Why? Do you know him?”
“He delivered Elizabeth.”
“He did? Weren’t you in a different hospital?” Sophie asked.
“Yes, but it was Dr. Wagner who delivered Elizabeth. I’ll never
forget. I think he was moonlighting at the hospital downtown.”
A moment later, Kate brightened. “But that was then. Moving
to Boston has been such a good thing for Rick and me. I love
my job, and he’s moving up the corporate ladder. And . . . we’re
trying to get pregnant again!”
“Oh, Kate, that’s great!” Sophie hugged her again. “I’ll keep
my fingers crossed for you. I’d love for Danny to have a cousin
his age.”
Kate and Sophie spent the next two hours catching up
on each other’s lives. It was a nice distraction for Sophie. She
watched as Kate’s eyes followed Dr. Wagner out of the unit.
