Lucy Gordon - The Pregnancy Bond

‘I shouldn’t have insisted on this,’ he muttered. ‘It was too much for you.’

‘No, no, it was a lovely idea,’ she protested. ‘I wanted it too.’ She drew in her breath sharply as the next pain came.

‘Was that another one?’ Carl called over his shoulder.

‘Yes,’ Jake said tensely. ‘You’re the one who knows all about this. What does it mean?’

‘It means we’d better hurry.’

He slammed his foot down and the car speeded up. Even so they were easily overtaken by a motorcyclist, his head obscured by a dashing helmet, his vestments flapping in the wind.

‘Was that who I think it was?’ Marianne asked, thunderstruck.

‘Of course it was,’ Kelly said, breathing hard. ‘Oh, darling-’ her arm tightened around Jake’s neck ‘-we always said we were crazy, and it’s catching. Everyone around us gets crazy too.’

‘Kelly, I don’t believe you’re actually finding this funny!’ Jake growled.

‘But of course it’s funny-and happy, and glorious and wonderful-the most wonderful thing that ever happened.’

At the hospital everything was ready for them, the Reverend Dayton having arrived first and alerted the maternity unit. Now a nurse was preparing to take a firm line with him.

‘I’m afraid you really can’t-’ she started to say.

‘Yes, he can.’ Kelly clutched the old man’s hand. ‘I want him.’

‘So do I.’ Jake backed her up.

Another pain tore Kelly, but she waved away gas and air. She had something important to do first.

‘Quickly,’ she gasped.

While the nurses prepared her the elderly clergyman went into action. ‘Wilt thou have this man to thy wedded husband…?’

‘I will,’ she said firmly.

Then it was Jake’s turn. ‘I, Jake, take thee, Kelly, to my wedded wife…’

Her senses were swimming, and all she heard clearly was, ‘To love and to cherish till death do us part.’

That was how it would be now. Until death. They had tried leaving each other, and it didn’t work. For ever was the only option left.

Through mounting waves of pain and joy she claimed him as her husband and held out her hand to receive the ring. The Reverend guided them quickly through the final rites before pronouncing, ‘Forasmuch as Jake and Kelly have consented together in holy wedlock…I pronounce that they be man and wife…’

Man and wife. Kelly smiled her thanks at the old man as he waved and whisked himself out of the room, taking Carl and Marianne with him.

It was exactly nine months since the day of their divorce, and their son was urgently demanding to be born.

‘I’m so glad we did that first,’ she murmured. ‘Afterwards wouldn’t have been the same, somehow.’

Jake nodded and dropped a kiss on her forehead. An ache in his throat was making it impossible to speak. His whole world had turned upside down. The things that had seemed important before had become trivial. Only this mattered-this moment, this woman, this child that they had created together.

It was the birth Kelly had longed for, with Jake beside her, sharing the experience. Unlike most first babies this one came quickly, and in a few minutes her son was in her arms.

‘He’s like you already,’ she whispered. ‘Impatient, rushing to get to the action fast.’

‘That’s something I’ll have to warn him about. It’s too easy to miss the things that matter.’

‘He won’t take any notice of warnings, not your son.’

‘My son,’ he said in wonder. ‘Our son. Is it really possible?’

‘Anything’s possible, my love. Or we would never have found each other again.’

The Reverend Francis turned up, beaming, next day, to complete the paperwork and entertain her with the story of how he’d swept up to the hospital, yelling, ‘Where’s the maternity unit.’

‘They took one look and nearly arrested me,’ he said with deep satisfaction. ‘I got stopped by the police too. They thought I was a Hell’s Angel. I haven’t had so much fun in years. And you’re really going to call this little fellow Francis? Well, well! I’ll be off now. Here’s your husband.’

Jake had one more surprise for her. He’d arrived with his arms full of books.

‘What are all these?’ she asked when he’d kissed her.

‘You have all that coursework to finish before the term starts,’ he said, ‘and you should be working on them right now.’

‘Right now? Have you forgotten how I spent yesterday?’

He sat on the bed, taking her hands in his. ‘I’ll never forget yesterday as long as I live. And it would be easy, wouldn’t it, to say that now we’ve got the baby we don’t need more?’

‘Yes,’ she said blissfully. ‘Who needs anything else when they’ve got a baby?’

‘But darling, I don’t think it will last-not for you. You still want college, and studying. You might not think so at this moment, but that need will come back, and if you lose ground now you won’t ever recover it. Those marks for your coursework count towards your final degree-if you don’t do well you’ll regret it the rest of your life. Believe me, you will.’

‘You seem to understand me very well,’ she said tenderly. ‘Jake, it’s sweet of you to think of this, but what else can I do?’

‘Get someone else to look after little Francis while you study.’

‘Oh, no, I don’t want a stranger caring for my baby. And I don’t think we can afford it.’

‘The person I have in mind isn’t a stranger, and he comes very cheap. Free, in fact.’

They looked at each other.

‘But do you know anything about babies?’

‘I wonder you dare to ask after those parenting classes you put me through. I’ve read the same books as you. I know as much theory as you, and I have the same amount of practical experience. In other words-none.’

‘You crazy man,’ she said in wonder. ‘I think you actually mean it.’

‘Of course I mean it. “Jake Lindley, Super Hero”, is a man of many parts. Yesterday he saved the universe. Today he changes nappies-the ultimate challenge.’

‘Are you saying you’re going to change nappies?’

‘Are you saying you think I couldn’t manage it? It’ll be hard, but I’ll rise to the occasion. I’ll suffer, I’ll probably gag, but I shall overcome.’

She gave a watery chuckle. ‘But darling, there’s more than just looking after the baby.’

‘I know. I’ll look after you and Francis and I’ll do the housework as well.’

He meant it. It was incredible, but he meant every word. Now she realised that she was only just beginning to understand the heart of the man. He’d been through the fire, emerging stronger and wiser. But one thing hadn’t changed. He was all hers. He always had been, if she could have seen it. But she’d been through the fire with him, and her eyes were opened.

‘It’s all right, isn’t it?’ he asked, troubled at not being able to read her face.

‘Everything’s wonderful. It’s just that I can’t see you as a house-husband.’

‘You don’t think I’ll look good in a frilly pinny?’ He smiled. “Neither do I. This is just a short-term solution. We’ll find a house and get some permanent help so that you can concentrate on your college course. But even then I’ll still do some of the chores. This is my baby too, and I don’t want to be left out. When we’ve got the routine going I’ll start work on my next book.’

‘But that could take ages, and you ought to be thinking up ideas for that now.’

‘Kelly, darling, look at what’s under your nose. I’ve just had the idea for the next book. Jake Lindley- House-husband. It’ll be a best-seller.’ His smile faded. ‘That’s the secondary consideration. The important thing is to be there for you. I failed you once. I swear I’ll never do it again.’

He leaned down to the cradle and scooped his son up into his arms. The baby was so tiny, but Jake seemed to adjust instinctively, and when he’d settled the child he looked into his face, receiving back a stare as direct and challenging as his own.

‘I thought one of those books said newborn babies couldn’t focus their eyes just at first,’ he said.

‘I don’t think they can.’

‘Our son can. Look at him. He can see me and he knows who I am.’

‘Jake-’

‘No, look. He’s bright, this one. Don’t take any notice of her, my boy. Women don’t understand, but we understand each other, don’t we?’

‘Oh, really?’ she queried, watching them in a passion of tenderness.

‘We’ll do this book together, son. You’ll provide me with the raw material and I’ll write it up. If I run short of inspiration you can just poo or do something else interesting. We’ll be a great team, and I’ll give you Dolph as your share of the profits.’

‘You meanie!’ Kelly protested. ‘He’ll be doing all the hard work.’

Jake grinned at her, with more real amusement in his face than she’d seen for weeks. At last the clouds were lifting from both their lives. Now they could see the way ahead, and it was flooded with light.