Chapter 5: A Private Gift

The morning after Edna's deep discussion with Blair, Blair returned with the girls and Howard for another weekend visit. Edna and Blair didn't try to talk about their conversation the night before, but Edna did notice that Blair seemed to be a little more at ease with herself than she had been the previous evening. Howard and the girls spent their time with Edna talking, joking, and laughing as they usually did, and having the entire family with her for a while really did lift her spirits.

For the next ten days, everything remained business as usual for Edna. Howard came up for a visit almost every evening during the week, which was always something she really looked forward to, and of course, he and the girls also came for their weekend visits. The monotony of being stuck in bed all the time certainly got on Edna's nerves, but she was a pretty good sport about it and she endured it well, knowing that it was what was best for her baby.

However, things didn't stay business as usual for very long. On the third of April, the day started out nicely enough. It was a rather cold but lovely Tuesday morning in spring, and Edna actually did enjoy a good breakfast, despite the fact that it was hospital food. A couple of minutes after nine, one of the nurses, Ellen, came to take away her breakfast tray. Ellen, a short, slightly heavy, middle-aged black lady with dark brown hair and lovely dark eyes, was a very capable nurse, and her warmth and sense of humor helped make Edna's hospital stay much more bearable.

"How are you two doing this morning?" Ellen asked with a bright smile.

Edna smiled in return, and then she patted her round stomach and answered, "We're alright. Thanks for asking. How are you this morning?"

"Honey, would you believe it? Ray actually took me out to dinner last night at that fancy new French restaurant that just opened up."

"Really?"

"And just when I didn't think there was an ounce of romance left in my cranky old husband's soul," she teased, and Edna laughed. A moment later, she admitted, "I'm just kidding. Ray always likes to act all tough, but underneath, he's just an old, soft, sweet, cuddly teddy bear."

"With my husband, it's the exact opposite. On the outside, he's a teddy bear and a clown and he's always acting silly, but deep down, he also knows how to be strong when the occasion calls for it."

Ellen knowingly laughed and said, "I know. I've met your Howard before. He's an old sweetheart."

"Yes, he is."

"I remember everything you told me about your first husband when we got to talking about our exes a couple of days ago. Being a nurse all these years, I've really learned how to read people. Take it from me, dear. Your Howard's a keeper."

"You'll get no argument from me," Edna told her as she reached over and picked up her tray.

But just as Ellen was about to say goodbye and start walking out of the room, Edna felt a sudden gush of fluid burst out from between her legs.

"Oh, no," Edna gasped.

Ellen turned around then and asked, "What is it, Edna?"

"Oh Ellen, I think my water just broke."

Ellen quickly set the tray back down, rolled the table out of the way, and lifted up the covers. Sure enough, Edna's sheets and gown were soaked with amniotic fluid.

"This can't be happening," Edna said as she fought off tears. "It just can't be. I'm only at thirty-five weeks. I still have five more weeks to go. She's not ready to be born yet."

Ellen patted Edna on the shoulder and said, "It's alright, honey. It's alright. I know it's hard, but try to stay calm. I'll go get Dr. Hill. She's here making her rounds."

"Will you call my husband too, please?" asked Edna.

"Of course," Ellen answered on her way out the door.

A couple of minutes later, Dr. Hill, a tall, slim Latina lady with shining black hair and brown eyes, came into Edna's room with Ellen. After Ellen changed her sheets and blankets and helped her into a new hospital gown, Dr. Hill gave her an examination.

"Well Edna, it looks like your little one has decided she wants to come ahead of schedule," Dr. Hill informed her.

"There's not anything you can do to stop my labor now, is there?" Edna asked, but as a registered nurse herself, she already knew the answer.

"No. I'm sorry, sweetie. Once the water breaks, there's nothing we can do. But it's very good that we were able to make it this far. Your baby will be slightly premature and her lungs will be a little underdeveloped, but we can give her steroid injections to help her lungs mature more quickly. As long as they're given the proper medical care, babies born at thirty-five weeks do very well."

Edna sighed and blinked away her tears, and Ellen smiled down at her and patted her shoulder. "It's going to be alright," she told her kindly, and Edna nodded.

"Did you call my husband?"

"I did. He's closed up the shop and he's on his way."

"Thank you."

"Of course."

"Edna, have you been experiencing any discomfort? Any cramps of any kind?" asked Dr. Hill.

"Well, when I first woke up this morning, I did have several sharp pains in my back. I didn't think anything of it, though. My back's always hurting nowadays."

"Sometimes contractions can affect your back more than they do your abdomen," Dr. Hill explained. "You've probably been in labor for a little while now."

"You'd think that after two pregnancies, I'd know what to expect by now."

"Well honey, you and I are about the same age, so you know I'd be the last person to pick on you about not being young anymore," said Ellen, and all the ladies laughed. "But the fact is, it's been a long time since you've given birth. It's understandable that maybe you'd forget a thing or two."

"I suppose so. Just don't ever talk about the whole age thing in front of the girls. They'd never stop teasing me and I'd never hear the end of it," Edna joked, and again they laughed.

"We won't say a word," Dr. Hill assured her.

Unfortunately though, the mood in the room didn't remain that light for too much longer. About a minute later, Edna had another contraction and this time, she actually did feel it not only in her lower back, but all through her abdomen as well. By the time Howard arrived a little over an hour later, it was very easy to see that Edna was in labor as she was clinging to Ellen's hand for dear life and panting her way through the contractions, with Ellen standing by her side and wiping the sweat from her brow. Obviously, it upset Howard seeing his wife in so much pain as it would any husband, but the one thing that worried him the most was the fact that Dr. Hill had put her on oxygen. She now had an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth, and being aware of the dangers such a high-risk pregnancy posed to her heart, it did scare him. Thankfully, Ellen quickly explained that Dr. Hill hadn't ordered the oxygen mask because something was going wrong with Edna's heart, but rather, to help her heart with the tremendous workload of labor.

Mercifully for Edna, her labor progressed surprisingly quickly. By eleven o'clock that morning, she was dilated seven centimeters and after Dr. Hill had her moved to the delivery room, she gave her an epidural. By one o'clock in the afternoon, she was fully dilated and effaced and ready to push.

At half past one, following a long hard push, Edna took off her oxygen mask for a moment and groaned, "Oh dear Lord, what was I thinking? I'm too old for this!"

Howard, now wearing green scrubs with a matching green cap and surgical gown, as well as a mask and latex gloves, teased, "Nonsense! You're just getting your second wind!" He was sitting behind her now, holding her up so it would be easier for her to push.

She removed her mask again and fired back, "Oh, shut up, Howard!" Understandably, she was not in the best of moods right now.

"It's true," Howard insisted. "You're still a young lady."

Again, she took off her mask and yelled, "Young lady my butt! My feet are swollen! My back is killing me! All the muscles in my body are screaming at me! And even worse than that, my face is full of wrinkles! I didn't have all these lines on my face the last time I had a baby!"

"Those lines are a sign of intelligence, my dear," Ellen assured her. "It's always been my experience that the more lines you have on your face, the smarter you are. With age comes wisdom."

"That's right," Howard agreed. "You're so much smarter and wiser than all these young whipper-snappers today. Why, this is one very fortunate little baby. Not every baby gets to have a mama with as much wisdom and experience as you. She's really got it made."

After taking in a couple of deep gulps of oxygen, Edna once again took off her mask and said, "Maybe, but I really don't feel ready for this. I thought I could handle it, but now–"

"Of course you can handle it," said Howard. "There's nobody in the world who can handle this better than you can. Just look at everything you've already accomplished. You've traveled the world. You've learned how to run your own business. You've raised two sons by yourself. You've raised four girls by yourself. For somebody like you, this'll be a snap."

"You know he's right, Edna," said Dr. Hill.

It was in that moment that Edna began to truly realize just how imminent her daughter's birth actually was. Her baby wasn't crowning just yet, but she began to feel her head.

Again, she removed her mask and said, "Oh, no. She's coming! She's really, really coming! Oh dear Lord, this is it!"

"It's alright, Edna," Dr. Hill said softly, trying to calm her. "It's alright. There's nothing to be afraid of. Just let her come."

"It's alright, sweetheart," Howard whispered in her ear. "It's okay. Just relax. Just let her come. Let Pebbles come. It's alright."

Edna laughed out loud at that, and again, she took off her mask and said, "You're never going to quit with that, are you?"

"Nope."

Before Edna could say anything else, she again got the overwhelming urge to push. She didn't even need to say anything to Howard. He could already tell by the look on her face that she needed to push again, so he helped lean her forward a little more and let her squeeze his hand to make it a little easier for her.

"Great job, Edna," Dr. Hill told her a few moments later. "Your baby's crowning. I can see her head. You're almost there."

"You hear that, honey?" Howard whispered in her ear again. "She's almost here. It's almost over. You're so close."

"Now with your next contraction, I want you to just give a very gentle push. I don't want you to push too hard, alright? It's very important that we have a slow, controlled delivery. If your baby comes too quickly, you could tear."

Edna nodded. Then after resting for several moments, another contraction began and she tried her best not to push too hard.

"The head is born," Dr. Hill informed them, and Edna could no longer hold back her tears. Howard had been quite right when he'd said that pregnancy was a big job and that big jobs came with big emotions. It had been a long and sometimes scary road, and Edna was simply overwhelmed with fear, exhaustion, excitement, and pure joy at the thought of finally seeing her daughter for the very first time.

"You're amazing, Edna," Howard whispered in her ear. "Do you hear me? You are amazing."

Before Edna could respond, she felt another contraction, and she gave one last push.

"You did it, Edna!" Dr. Hill announced. "She's here!"

A couple of moments later, the baby girl let out a loud cry, and Edna and Howard cried with her. Dr. Hill cut the cord then and performed a quick examination, and after Ellen cleaned her up and wrapped her in a pink blanket a few moments later, the baby was placed in her mother's arms for the first time. For the next several minutes, Edna and Howard were utterly speechless as they gazed down into their little girl's face. She mostly had her father's features, but it was easily noticeable that she had her mother's lovely blue eyes and brunette hair. (Edna had always dyed her hair red, but she was naturally a brunette.) Edna held her close and kissed her and loved on her, as did Howard, until it was time for her to be put in an incubator and taken to the nursery so that Dr. Hill and the nurses could begin monitoring her and assisting her slightly underdeveloped lungs. Once the baby was gone, Edna and Howard just clung to each other and cried. No words were spoken between them. No words needed to be said. They'd both gone through so much together during the pregnancy, and now that they had finally come to the end of it and had seen their baby, there really were no words for the flood of emotions they were feeling. It really was something no one else on earth but the two of them could truly understand.

Thankfully, the baby's lungs matured quickly with the help of the steroid injections, and a week later, they were functioning normally without any assistance. Even though she had come into the world a little bit early and was rather small, weighing in at five pounds, ten ounces on the day of her birth, she was in excellent shape. She was as healthy and happy as any other newborn.

When the baby was exactly one week old, her parents finally broke down and decided on a name for her – a name other than Pebbles, that is.

"We can't wait forever to fill out her birth certificate, you know," said Howard as Edna was lying in bed back in her private hospital room, cradling their little one in her arms. "I did my part. I came up with her nickname," he teased, and Edna laughed. "Now you have to come up with her name-name."

"I would feel pretty silly putting the name 'Pebbles' down on her birth certificate," Edna joked. "It has been hard for me to make up my mind. There are so many pretty names for a little girl born in the spring. But if I must choose, I think I'll go with…April. She was born in April, after all, and I think that's an appropriate name for a spring baby."

"April Caden," said Howard, trying the name on for size. "I think I like that."

"April Ann Caden. Her middle name has to be Ann. It's a tradition in my family. My grandmother on my mother's side – her middle name was Ann. My mother's middle name was Ann. My sister's name is Beverly Ann and my name is Edna Ann. Beverly Ann and her husband Frank never had children, and of course, I never had a daughter until now. And now that I finally do have a little girl of my own, I have to continue the tradition."

Howard smiled and said, "Whatever you say. I think the name fits well on her. I really like it." He then reached over and stroked his daughter's forehead, and he said, "Hello there, Miss April Ann." Baby April responded with a big smile.

"I think she likes it, too," said Edna, and Howard happily laughed.

Two weeks after Baby April received the gift of a name, she received other gifts as well – first and foremost, the gift of being able to finally leave the hospital with her mother and go home. Dr. Hill had kept Edna and April in the hospital for three weeks after April was born just to be extra cautious given that April was slightly premature, not to mention the fact that an older woman like Edna had had to endure the medical trauma of birth. She'd kept them in the hospital for a good while after the birth just in case complications should happen to occur for either of them and they needed medical attention. Thankfully, little April grew and developed normally, just like any other healthy newborn, and Edna began recovering well from her ordeal, although it would be at least another three weeks before she made a complete recovery.

And the instant Edna came through the door carrying April, they were treated to a surprise baby shower from the girls and all her other friends in town. Even though it was a "girl thing," Howard stayed for the shower as well, and even he had a pretty good time with everybody else that afternoon. They were both really touched at all the cards and gifts they received for April, and they certainly didn't mind the ice cream and cake and punch and other refreshments, either. April received all kinds of different gifts from everyone. She received blankets, toys, diapers, baby clothes, and so on. However, there was one gift that really stood out above all the rest and touched Edna the most.

It was a quarter 'til six that evening, not long after all the guests had left and everything from the little party in the living room had been cleaned up, and things were finally beginning to calm down somewhat. Howard was in the kitchen making supper for everyone, and while Natalie and Tootie were upstairs in the girls' room gabbing as they usually did, Jo was sitting at the desk in the living room, working on the shop's books. Edna had had to go upstairs to use the restroom, and she'd left April in Natalie's and Tootie's care for the time-being. When she was done in the bathroom, she went across the hall to the girls' room to get her daughter, only to find that she wasn't there.

"Blair took her, Mrs. Garrett," Tootie explained. Both she and Natalie were sitting together on her bed.

"I think she's downstairs in the shop with her now," said Natalie.

"Thanks, girls," Edna said with a smile, and then she went down to the shop.

Little April was sitting up in her baby carrier on top of one of the tables, and Blair was tickling her stomach, making her laugh out loud.

"You have a tickly tummy, don't you, sweetheart?" Blair said to April in baby talk, which really made her smile. "You're such a sweet, happy little baby. It's going to be so much fun to take you to Bloomingdale's for the very first time!" she said aloud, again in baby talk, which made April laugh and smile once more.

"Anyway, April," Blair then said in a normal voice, "I brought you in here because I need to have a private discussion with you for a second. I know you've already gotten plenty of other gifts today, but there's one last thing that I want to give you." In that moment, Blair reached down and picked up her purse off the floor and opened it, and she took out a black velvet box and set it down on the table beside the baby carrier. A couple of seconds later, she opened it and took out a gold cross necklace with a matching gold chain. "You see this cross, April? It belonged to my grandmother. I think she was always hoping that I would wear it someday. I never did wear it, though, because I was mad at Jesus for a long time. Now that we've finally gotten things worked out between us, I got to thinking that maybe I'd finally start wearing it, but then it dawned on me that it would probably make the Lord a lot happier if I gave it to you instead. But you have to remember that this is private. This is just between God and the two of us, okay? You can't tell a soul."

She then carefully fastened the gold chain around April's neck, while unbeknownst to her, Edna watched in the background, fighting off tears. The thought of Blair giving such a meaningful gift to her daughter really did move her to tears, but even more than that, she was crying tears of joy and relief to know that she had finally worked things out with the Lord.

Later on that night, after they laid April down in her crib, Edna and Howard were sitting up in bed talking about it.

"I just didn't know what to do, Howard. It was obviously a very private moment. I just couldn't go in there and talk to Blair about it. But I have to talk to Blair about it. We can't accept a gift like that. That cross necklace has been in her family for years. It's a family heirloom."

"I understand where you're coming from, sweetheart. If Blair were a couple of years younger, I'd absolutely say that we should give it back to her. But Blair's not a child anymore. She's in college. She's all grown-up now. And I think that she's old enough to make these decisions for herself."

"I disagree. Yes, she is grown now, but she still has a lot of growing left to do, even though she is eighteen. Every eighteen-year-old still has to do some growing before they're completely mature."

"Well, you were married with your first child on the way when you were eighteen," Howard noted.

"Yes, and we all know how well that turned out. I wasn't ready for marriage or motherhood then, even though I think I did do a pretty good job with Raymond and Alex. But still, back when I was eighteen, I had an awful a lot to learn about this world. Blair may be eighteen. She may be an adult by society's standards, but she'll always be my…" Edna said, allowing the sentence to trail.

"She'll always be your what, Edna?"

Edna remained silent for the next several moments before she finally responded, "I was going to say that she'd always be my little girl. I…I forgot for a second that she and the girls aren't my daughters; that they belong to their parents and not to me."

"Edna, over these past few years, nobody has poured more time, effort, and energy into taking care of those girls than you have, and that includes their own parents. Being a mother or a father isn't just about conception and giving birth; it's about true parenting. And true parenting is not shipping your child hundreds of miles away to some boarding school to let somebody else raise your child for you. It's being there to sew on buttons and dry tears and listen when there's a problem. It's doing the actual work of raising your child, like you've always done for the girls. That's what's so wonderful about you. You're not just some annoying, preachy Bible-thumper who says one thing and does another. There's a whole lot of people out there calling themselves Christians who preach about being pro-life and worry about babies in the womb, yet forget all about them the minute they leave the womb, but not you. You were right not to end April's life when you were pregnant with her, but you didn't just stand up for her rights before she was born. You also saw four teenage girls a few years ago whose parents were never very interested in being a part of their lives, and you took them in under your roof and gave them the family and the stability they needed. You take care of kids who are outside the womb as well as those who haven't been born yet. Those girls may have sperm and egg donors, but you are the only actual parent they've ever had. You are the only one who's ever lifted a finger to actually raise them, so you have every right to say what you were going to say. Blair may be an adult by society's standards, but to you, she'll always be your little girl. All the girls will be, just as your boys are. It's just the truth."

"I've always tried to be respectful of the girls' relationships with their parents. I've always felt that there are some boundaries that should never be crossed. But I think you're right. In a manner of speaking, they'll all be my little girls for the rest of our lives, no matter how old they get. And that's precisely why I'm giving the necklace back to Blair first thing in the morning, because I know that if she were my flesh-and-blood daughter, I would want her to pass it down to her own child someday. I may not have given birth to her, but still, I couldn't love her or any of the girls any more than if I had carried them and brought them into the world myself. And as her second mother, I firmly believe that in the future, that necklace should go to her little one, not mine."

"I don't know, though. I mean, think about it. In a lot of ways, those girls really are your daughters just as much as April is. April's like a little baby sister to the girls. They all adore her, and part of the reason for that is because they love you as much as they do. Blair's no exception. And like I just said a minute ago, Blair's not a child anymore. You're right that she does still have some growing up to do just like any other eighteen-year-old, but I think she is enough of an adult to make this decision if she wants to. I think that Blair has a right to pass that necklace down to her little sister if that's what she wants. Don't you see it, love? Blair's only doing this because she loves you as much as she does. All the girls love you almost as much as I do," Howard told her, and she smiled. "You've always given the girls so much. You've always loved them so much. It's okay to let people love you back, you know."

In that moment, it really hit Edna that her husband was right. Blair's private gift to her daughter moved her beyond words, and while it was indeed a gift that was moving beyond words, she realized that it was okay to allow April to accept it, and that it was okay to allow herself to be loved. While Edna, Howard, and the girls fought from time to time and led very hectic lives with a new business, college life, high school life, and most importantly, a new baby, Edna knew she couldn't possibly have hoped for a more wonderful family than this one. To say that she was fortunate was a great understatement.

After shooting up a quick prayer of thanks to the Almighty for her abundance of blessings, Edna leaned over and gave Howard a big goodnight kiss.

"I love you, Howard," she told him.

"I love you too, Edna. Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight," Edna whispered, and then she reached up and turned off the lights.