Page 78 of Dirty Money
“Me neither!” Clara agreed then sniffled as what Aulora said had triggered the waterworks yet again. “See you guys soon.” Charles handed her a tissue, and she wiped her eyes. The day had been one, long, hard one but everything seemed like it was supposed to be that way. A good day, all in all.
Aulora found Weston handing the baby to her father and found an ache in her heart when she saw her new fiancé with that baby in his arms. She was sure he’d make a wonderful father someday. But she was still unsure when that day would come.
So much still struggled in her mind. So many things could go wrong. Weston was very much a part of her, and it was settling into her head that if something ever happened to him then she’d hurt like hell. Adding kids into that scary mix was a thing she still was unsure she could handle. And the fact she knew nothing about babies was an issue too. She may be terrible with them.
At least she had her new baby sister to see how she was with them. She’d gain a little knowledge about babies. But would she ever find the courage to have one of her very own?
It wasn’t the pregnancy or even the birthing process she was afraid of. It was the chance of losing something so precious that kept her mind occupied with doubts.
Week one, helping with Hope, went by quickly. Between all four of them, taking care of the baby was a virtual breeze. Week two, when Hope’s stomach decided it didn’t like the formula she was being served, became the thing new parents have nightmares about. Crying that doesn’t stop for extended periods of time. And nothing seems to make the baby happy.
Aulora walked the hallway with Hope in her arms as Weston made a trip to the local pharmacy where some kind of a gas reliever had been called in by the pediatrician to aid in helping the poor baby get some much-needed relief. She tried to quiet the baby so her father and stepmother could get some sleep after being up most of the night with the fussy little girl.
Hope made an odd wheezing sound that startled Aulora, making her stop the constant pacing she was doing with the infant and look at her. She noticed her face was a bluish color and that had her worrying something might be wrong.
Quick steps took her to the bedroom where little Hope’s parents were resting but about to be woken up with what Aulora hoped wasn’t bad news. A quick knock at the door had her father saying, “Come in.”
“Dad, the baby’s color isn’t right,” Aulora said as she came into the large bedroom.
Clara sat up in the bed with wide eyes, “Bring her here!”
Hope had stopped crying. The only sound she made was the wheezing sound that had her father calling the paramedics. “She didn’t have anything in her mouth, did she?”
“No, she was crying with her tummy again. Weston should be back soon with the gas drops. Then she stopped crying all of a sudden and started making this sound.” Aulora watched as Clara placed her fingers over the baby’s heart.
“It’s beating oddly,” Clara said, and tears began running down her cheeks. “Tell them to hurry, Charles.”
Aulora’s father got out of the king-sized bed and made the call as he went to put something besides pajamas on, leaving Aulora and Clara alone with the baby who seemed to be struggling to breathe. “I’m sure she’ll be all right, Clara.”
“She has to be, Aulora. She just has to,” Clara said as she made sure Hope’s little head and chest were elevated as she lay her on a pillow in front of her. “I’m sure it has to do with that damn heart murmur and the fact she has so much gas. It’s causing her distress.”
“This is just an idea. I have no experience at all with babies but do you think you should start breastfeeding her and getting rid of the formula? Perhaps she’d have less gas if you did that,” Aulora offered.
“You may be right. The truth is, I didn’t want my breasts to hurt and get all stretched out and become saggy once she was done breastfeeding. That seems pretty selfish right now.” Clara picked up the baby who was still making the odd sound. “You stay with my, baby girl. Your momma will do what she needs to.”
Aulora ran her hand over the baby’s tiny head. “It must be so hard for you to see her this way. I can’t imagine. If I feel this worried, what you and Dad feel must be excruciating.”
Clara could only nod as her heart was in her throat. Charles came back into the bedroom, dressed and ready to go to the hospital. “You get up and get dressed now, Clara. The paramedics should be here in ten minutes.”
Aulora kept a watch on the baby as Clara went to get dressed. “Dad, how do people do this all the time? My heart is breaking for her.”
Her father wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her. “Baby, it’s just life. It’s full of ups and downs. When you’re a parent, so many things are out of your control. No one knows how to actually deal with stuff like this. But you have kids anyway.”
Aulora nodded and then heard Weston shouting in the hallway, “Why is an ambulance pulling up?”
Charles let his daughter go and went to open the bedroom door. “Hope’s making an odd sound. I wanted to get her some help.”
Weston came into the room with the little bag from the pharmacy. “I picked up the medicine.” He walked over and looked at the baby. Her eyes were nearly closed as she struggled to take in air. “Oh, my.”
Aulora ran her arm around him and leaned her head on his shoulder. The Butler led the paramedics up to the bedroom, and they took the baby over with speed Aulora found mind numbing. She and Weston stepped back as they used a small ball-like thing to help her breath.
Clara came out of the bathroom, dressed and ready to go. “Can I ride in the ambulance with her?”
The two female paramedics nodded, and they all took off, leaving Aulora and Weston in the room, alone.
“This is terrible, Weston. I don’t know if I can ever do this to myself.”
Weston put his arm around her, giving her shoulders a squeeze. “You think this is hard, to have to bury your child.”
