A Life Worth Fighting (8 page)

I run home before the sun comes up. I drink a protein shake before showering and dressing for the day. Usually I would get another workout in, either here or at the gym, but today, I have other plans. I cook some whole-grain oatmeal and whole-wheat toast for Leah and me for breakfast and then arrange it on a breakfast tray with a glass of milk and some orange juice and carry it up to her. She is just coming out of the bathroom when I enter the bedroom.

“Good morning, Sweets.”

She smiles, “Good morning, what’s this?”

“It’s breakfast in bed if you’ll get back into the bed.”

She laughs as she climbs into the bed. She covers herself up and flattens out the covers over her legs. I place the tray carefully over her legs, making sure the legs of the tray are locked in place. “You didn’t sleep last night, did you?”

Reaching over her I take a bowl of oatmeal from the tray and sit on the edge of the bed to eat it. “I slept.” I look at her and she is watching me but not believing me. “I did.” I take a bite of my oatmeal before she can ask me anything else. I did sleep, but I didn’t sleep much. After breakfast, I ask her how she is feeling.

“I feel good.”

“No pain or cramping?”

“No, nothing.”

I remove the tray and tell her I’ll be in the kitchen when she is ready to leave. I do the few dishes and wipe off the counters before she enters the room. My phone rings — it’s Gus. Gus calls me mostly when he thinks I’m slacking on my workouts. I’ve been working out hard every day, so I know it’s to remind me about the fight this weekend. I look at my phone then at Leah. “I’ll be ready in a minute,” I say as I answer the phone walking away from the kitchen. She nods.

“Gus, what’s up?” I answer the phone like I always do.

“Calling to remind you about the fight scheduled for Saturday?”

“In D.C. Who is it with?”

“Malcolm ‘The King’ Smith.”

“Have you found Kennedy?”

“Apparently he’s still in hiding. I don’t think your last fight impressed him — not enough, anyway. Remember, he is THE champion. It will take more than one fight to impress him — and other fighters are doing their best to become contenders for the championship. Win this next fight, and Kennedy will become aware of you.”

“While we’re waiting on Kennedy, I’ll fight Malcolm for practice. Call Dad and Tim to see if they want to go.”

“I’m on it. There’s some videos for you to watch on YouTube and Break.com. He’s a tough one.”

“I’ll watch them. I want to fly home the next day. I don’t want extra days to recover. I want to get there and get home to Leah.”

“Bobby…”

“In and out, got it?” I snap.

“Got it. I’ll be in touch.”

I disconnect the call, and when I turn around Leah is leaning against the counter watching me.

“Leah?” I say softly as I walk over to her.

“Robert, don’t.” She looks at me with red eyes. “I know it’s what you do and I have accepted it. But it doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“Fair enough.” I hold her to me and bend down to kiss the top of her head. I inhale her unique buttercream and vanilla scent. “You know I love you, right?”

“I do. You know how much I worry about you, right?” she says.

“I do. Do you
not
know that I’m a badass?”

She pulls away from me with a slight smile on her lips. The small smile is better than the red, teary eyes. “C’mon, badass, before I’m late for work.”

I smile and kiss her one last time. “Badass. I like it when you talk dirty.”

I drive Leah to work and help her open the shop. Hopefully, this will be my routine for the next seven months. Bethany comes in with a huge smile. “Good morning,” she says, beaming.

Leah stops what she is doing and looks over the counter at her. “Good morning, Bethany.”

Bethany places her purse under the counter and is still smiling.

“Why is it such a good morning?” Leah asks.

“No reason.” Bethany wiggles her ring finger, flashing a large diamond ring.

Leah squeals and Jo runs out of the back room, concerned. “What in tarnation is all that racket?” Jo asks, wiping her hands off on her apron.

“Sorry, Miss Jo, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Bethany says. “Kyle finally asked me to marry him last night.”

“It’s about time that man got some sense knocked into him. What was he waiting for? Hell to open an ice-skating rink? Eskimos to buy suntan lotion? A cure for foot-in-mouth disease? Free chicken nuggets at McDonald’s? Healthy heterosexual men to say they don’t like yoga pants?” Jo asks.

I laugh, although Leah and Bethany don’t. I understand the guy had cold feet. It’s not easy proposing to the love of your life. I watch as they fuss over Bethany’s engagement ring. I walk over and give Bethany a hug and congratulate her. The bell rings, alerting us that the shop is open for business. I walk into the back with Jo and help her.

Leah comes in a few minutes later and says, “Robert, you’ll be late if you don’t leave now.”

“Late for what?” I ask.

“For whatever it is you do when I’m not home.”

I raise my eyebrows in amusement. Leah isn’t sure what I do when she’s at work. “Leah, what do you think I do while you work?”

Jo laughs and Leah thinks about it and says, “Eat bonbons, read boxing magazines, and watch
Rocky
marathons.”

I ignored her comment and decide now is a good time to break the news to her. “I’m working here with you, today.”

“Wait. What?”

“You heard me. I thought I would help out here today. Stock shelves, clean, read, and resist eating some of Jo’s famous cinnamon buns,” I answer calmly.

“No, you can’t stay here all day,” she stammers.

“Why not? I want to spend some time with my wife.”

She looks at Jo and she thinks about this before saying, “Robert, I know what you’re doing. I’m fine, really.”

I walk over and kiss her. “My mind is made up.” I rub her cheek with my thumb. “I’m staying.”

Leah leaves the room in a huff and Jo asks, “How far along is she?”

“Two months,” I answer, not sure how Jo figured it out.

“It’s when she needs to be the most careful.”

“It’s too soon to announce it. She wasn’t feeling well last night,” I admit, not looking at her.

“She’s lucky to have you, Bobby. I need to get going. I want to get some healthier foods in here for her and the little one.” Jo removes her apron and lays it across her desk chair in the corner of the room.

“You’re going to the store.” It’s not a question but a statement.

“First I need to come up with some healthier recipes for muffins and then I’ll go to the store.”

“Here, let me give you some money,” I say, reaching into my back pocket for my wallet.

“No, keep your money. I’ll save the receipt and you can reimburse me later.” Jo pats my arm and says, “Take care of Leah and the little one today, I’ll work on getting her some healthier foods for tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Jo.”

Leah

True to his word, Robert stayed with me all day.

“Is Bobby hanging out here all day long?” Bethany asks.

“He is,” I answer with a roll of my eye.

“Why?”

“Because I’m a girl and I can’t be left alone,” I joke. I can’t tell her I’m pregnant and suffered one small cramp last night. It’s too soon to announce the pregnancy.

Bethany and I collaborate on a scheme to teach him a lesson. We decide that since he is a man, a big and strong man, he can do some of the things that Bethany and I can’t do. First, we have him dust off the ceiling fans, then we have him wipe off the tops of the bookshelves. At lunch, I pretend to crave different foods from various places and we send him off on a food run.

“He’ll be gone for awhile,” I say proudly.

“He may never come back,” Bethany jokes.

Business at the shop stays steady, and Bethany and I talk about weddings, venues, and honeymoons in our down time. Robert pulls into the parking lot and Bethany and I watch him struggle.

“Should I help him?” Bethany stands and asks.

“Nah, he’s got it.” I watch as Robert fumbles with several different food bags and I laugh to myself. I love Robert, but sometimes his macho crap gets on my nerves. I had one cramp last night and today he wants to stand guard and watch over me. I guess that is kind of sweet, but still, it’s very annoying.

We have lunch together talking about everything but the pregnancy and Robert’s upcoming fight. Robert talks to Bethany about the engagement and the way Kyle proposed.

“Is it true it’s all about the ring?” Robert asks.

“That’s what they say, but truthfully, I would have married him without a ring.”

“Bethany, you know that for the guy, it’s all about the answer. It’s scary to propose and knowing there is a possibility that the answer may be no.”

“Maybe that’s what took him so long to propose.” She laughs out loud and says, “I would marry him at the Justice of the Peace with a Cracker Jack ring. I also would have been okay with a tattoo of a ring.”

Robert stands up and pats her on the shoulder. “He is truly a lucky man.”

I wipe a tear from my eye and smile as he walks past me. After lunch, I tell Bethany that she can leave if she wants to and she does. Robert puts away the delivery that comes in and I surf the net for new books to sell in the store. Robert comes over and sits with me at the counter. “What are you searching?” he asks, looking at the computer screen.

“New books to sell.”

“Do you have any pregnancy books for fathers?”

I look over my shoulder to him, “No, I don’t. That’s a good idea.”

“I was looking for one to read and I didn’t see any on the shelves.” I see Robert and if it is at all possible, he just got even sexier to me.

Suddenly, I feel pain. I wrap my arms around my stomach and lean forward to try to stop it.

“Leah?”

I raise my hand to let him know I’m all right. I try to sit back, but the pain is too intense. I hear the stool he is sitting on move and Robert rests his hand on my back. He whispers in my ear, “Leah, are you cramping?”

I nod my head and take a deep breath.

“I’ll be right back.”

I hear Robert speak to the patrons who are still in the store before the bell over the door rings. Next, I hear shuffling and Robert is at my side. He swoops me up off of the stool and carries me to his Hummer. He fastens my seatbelt and I curl into a fetal position in the front seat. He starts the car and pulls off. The cramping intensifies and I cry into my hands. Robert doesn’t say anything, but I think he knows: It’s bad.

We come to an abrupt stop at the hospital and Robert rushes out of the car. My door opens and he gently cradles me in his arms. “I’m getting you help. Hang on, Leah.” My Robert is big and strong but when it comes to his family, he feels useless if he can’t help us. He kicks his car door shut and then I feel the rush of cold air hit me.

“I need help, please, help me,” he pleads to anyone who will listen.

Chapter Three: Fears

Robert

I watch helplessly as my wife is taken away on a gurney. I have to stay behind and give the insurance information, even though everything is already in the computer.

“Where is my wife?” I ask the older woman sitting at the computer.

“She’s being checked out, sir.”

“I need to be with her.”

“I have just a few more questions,” she says, not looking at me but looking at the computer screen instead. “Allergies?”

“None.”

“What is your wife’s blood type?”

“B positive.”

The printer comes to life and
I tap my pen anxiously on the desk.

“Sign here, here, and here.”

I scribble my name, stand, and ask, “Where is my wife?”

“Room 203, around the corner, sir.”

The door is closed, but that isn’t going to keep me out. I tap softly on the door and walk in. I open it just wide enough for me to get through, before shutting it behind me. The doctor looks up and smiles.

“Mr. Grether?” the doctor asks.

“Yes,” I say, walking over to be with Leah. She is lying on the bed with a baby monitor hooked up to her belly. I kiss her and gently rub her cheek with my hand.

“Your wife told me the closed door wouldn’t keep you out.”

“How is she? Did she…?” I can’t even say the words. I ask the doctor because I can’t bear the thought of asking Leah.

“No, she didn’t.”

Oh, thank God.
I listen and I can hear a faint heartbeat echoing in the room. I smile as I recognize the sound of a baby’s heartbeat.

“Are you feeling better?” I ask as I bend down to kiss her again.

“It comes and goes. They’re giving me fluids,” she whispers, looking up at the I.V. pole.

“We still need to do a vaginal exam, collect some urine, and then draw some blood. I’ll know more once we get the labs back.”