Mending Hearts by Brenda Kennedy Page B

around the room.
I see Angel’s aunt and uncle, the older couple from their wedding
and the gender reveal party, and Madison, who is with some
guy.
    “ Do you think she’ll deliver
today?” 
    Alec speaks up and says, “If she doesn’t
deliver, she’ll definitely be put on bed rest.” 
    We all are quiet when Mason walks into the
room. 
    Everyone turns their attention to him. He
stands there, looking defeated. My heart drops as I wait for what
he has to say. “It looks like Angel and I will be parents sooner
than we thought. The babies aren’t wanting to cooperate with the
doctors or the medication. They aren’t able to stop her
contractions, so it’s just a matter of time.” He runs his hands
through his hair and says. “They are currently administering
corticosteroids to Angel in hopes to increase the lung development
in both babies. She is in some pain and is dilated to only 3 cm.”
He looks around the room and adds, “Everyone is very optimistic
that both babies will be born healthy.”
    I look around the room; everyone looks like
they are crying. I’m not sure Mason said that for their benefit or
for his.
    “ I also want to thank
everyone for coming,” he adds. “Angel will be pleased when I tell
her our family and friends have filled up an entire waiting
area.” 
    Alec says, “Wait until the staff in the E.R.
hear the news that their former co-worker is in Labor and Delivery,
waiting on the birth of his own children.”
    Mason laughs, too. “I don’t want to be out
here for that. But, really, thank you for coming and don’t worry.
Angel and the babies have the best medical care possible. N.I.C.U.
has already been notified and they are on standby and ready to
receive both babies if they need to.” 
    I watch as Mason walks over to his and
Angel’s families. “What’s N.I.C.U.?” I ask.
    “ N.I.C.U. stands for
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit,” Alec says softly. 
    The room is quiet with only whispers coming
from Mason and the family. His mother and Angel’s aunt cry, as
their husbands try to comfort them.
    Sara and Brea stand close to Vincent and
Donovan without saying a word. I whisper to Alec, “Do you think the
babies will be all right?” 
    “ I don’t know, I hope
so.” 
    Alec
    Mason comes over and
announces he is going back to be with Angel. He tells us he
believes everything will be all right. Christina, a nurse from the ER, comes up and smiles when she
sees Mason. She walks over to us and says, “Hi, Mason, I just heard
about Angel. How is she doing?” 
    “ It looks like we’ll be
parents today.” 
    “ How many weeks is she?”
Christina asks. 
    “ Angel is only
31weeks.” 
    “ You know we had twins born
here last month at 29 weeks,” Christina says. 
    Mason smiles and says, “No, I wasn’t aware.
The outcome must be good or you wouldn’t be telling me this.”
    “ The last baby went home
yesterday. Hey, I got to run. I just wanted to check in with
everyone. I’ll be back on my break.” 
    “ Thanks, Christina, I
appreciate you coming up. I need to get back there to Angel. I’ll
see everyone in a bit,” Mason says as he turns to walk away from
us.
    “ Mason, please let her know
we are praying for her,” Brea says. 
    “ Of course, Brea. Thank you.
We appreciate it.” 
    Mason leaves and we all congregate around
the coffee maker. Brea, Sara, and Emma talk about work. I know they
are doing this as an attempt to take their minds off of the babies’
early arrival. 
    While the girls all sit and talk, the guys
stand and keep a protective watch over the girls. “Alec, do you
think the babies will be all right if they’re born this early?”
Bruce asks. 
    I look at him and I can see the worry in his
eyes. “I honestly do. Modern medicine has come a long way. Right
now, while the babies are in utero, they are increasing their lung
function. I think the chance of both babies being born healthy is
very good.” 
    “ That’s good. Mason and Angel have