A Bid for Love (8 page)

Jared shrugged. “Thanks for coming.”

Cassi didn’t have time to consider the implication of what they were saying, though she filed the comment away for future study. What mattered now was that they were there to help Renae when she needed it.

She led them to Renae’s room where Larry first offered a heartfelt prayer. Minutes later, he began exchanging stories with Renae about their children’s antics and soon she was smiling and laughing. Calm pervaded Cassi as she noticed that Renae was handling both her fear and the contractions much better.

“Thank you so much,” Renae told the men. “I feel so much more hopeful now.”

Larry put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We’re glad to be of help. You’re doing a wonderful thing here. Babies are one of God’s greatest blessings.”

Renae grinned. “Yes, they really are.”

“We’ll be in the waiting room if you need us,” Jared added. “We’ll send your husband in as soon as he arrives. That way Cassi can stay with you.”

Cassi remembered Renae’s children. “He’s probably bringing their other kids. I didn’t want him to waste time finding someone to watch them, so I said I’d take care of them.”

“We’ll watch them until you come out,” Jared said. “Larry has six kids of his own, and I have nineteen nieces and nephews. We’ll manage.”

Cassi looked at him gratefully. “Don’t you have other business here?”

“No.” Jared’s intense blue eyes seem to bore into hers. “I saw you leave the auction and found out what happened from Boader. That’s why I came. I thought maybe you might need some help. I called Larry on the way over.”

Cassi bit her bottom lip. She was beginning to feel terrible about calling Jared names behind his back and for suspecting him of trying to trick her out of the bidding for the Buddha.

“What about the Buddha?” she asked.

“I jumped the bid to four hundred thousand. No one wanted to match it.”

Four hundred thousand!
That was one hundred thousand more than Cassi had been authorized to pay. Had she stayed, she would have lost anyway. “I’m glad you got it,” she said sincerely. “I’m just sorry you didn’t get it for less.”

Jared shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m quite sure my boss will make more of a profit on it than I’ll make in an entire year. I’m glad we could help your friend.” He turned and followed Larry out the door.

Cassi stared after him long after the door had obscured him from view. How could she have been so wrong about him? She shook the thoughts away and returned to Renae’s bedside.

“I told you he was all right,” Renae said between contractions. Cassi marveled at how calm her friend looked now as compared to before the prayer and the men’s visit. Logically she knew that the amount of pain hadn’t changed, but Renae’s ability to deal with it apparently had. The flow of blood from the placenta had also miraculously decreased.

An hour ticked by quickly. The nurses checked Renae several times and told her that she would soon be able to push.

“Hurry, Trent,” Renae said under her breath as another contraction began. “Our baby can’t wait for you.”

As if he had somehow heard her, Trent burst into the room. “Renae!” His brown head was beside hers in an instant. “I’m here, honey.” He held her hand through the contraction, directing her to breathe. Afterward, he rubbed her shoulders gently. He knew exactly how to help, whereas Cassi had felt awkward and useless.

Cassi sighed in relief. Trent looked up at her with the suggestion of a smile. “Rough day, Cassi?”

“Does it show?”

He nodded. “It’s good to see you again. I’m glad you were here with her. Thanks.”

“I’m glad you’re here.” She hesitated. “I guess I’ll go out and see the kids.”

“No, don’t go, Cassi,” Renae called from the bed. “I mean, you’re welcome to stay if you want.”

Cassi did want to stay. She felt she now had a stake in the baby’s life, and she wanted to see him safely into the world. “What about the kids?”

Trent shrugged. “They’re with your friends in the waiting room. They seem pretty capable. Besides, Scotty’s nine. He’s a good baby-sitter.”

Cassi smiled. “Then I’d like to stay.”

“It won’t be much longer,” said one of the nurses. “I’m going to page the doctor now.”

Renae began to push. Her face went red with the effort, and at times she cried out with the pain. Before long Cassi could see the top of the head, covered in a mass of dark hair. A few more pushes and the baby’s head emerged face down. With the next contraction, the baby’s entire body slipped free, turning as he came. Renae had her second baby boy!

Cassi stared, almost unable to believe the miracle of life she had witnessed. Familiar longings welled up within her. Those also seemed like miracles in the light of the great pain Renae had suffered. What was it about a tiny, helpless baby that made a woman willing to withstand such agony? Cassi thought she could just barely understand the reasons; her arms ached to hold the baby that wasn’t even hers.

Since the baby was early, the doctor immediately took him for tests. At Renae’s insistence, Trent went with the him to keep an eye on their child. Cassi stayed with Renae as the placenta was delivered and the bed cleaned. Within a half an hour, Trent and the baby were back.

“Seven pounds!” Trent said as he came in the door. “Three weeks early and still seven pounds! And healthy as a horse.” He lifted the baby from the rolling bassinet into Renae’s outstretched arms.

“My last baby was nearly eleven pounds,” Renae reminded Cassi.

Shortly later, in bounded four towheaded children, eagerly crowding around the bed to see their new brother.

“Mom, he’s wrinkled!” said four-year-old Janet.

“So would you be if you had been nine months in water,” seven-year-old Andrea replied in a know-it-all voice.

“Can I hold him?” Scotty asked, followed by a me-too chorus from his sisters. Even two-year-old Sandy held out her arms for a chance. Trent supervised the two-minute holdings until each child had a turn. They brought to Cassi’s mind the perfect image of the family she herself wanted. She backed away from the bed, determined to leave them to their happy moment.

Then, to Cassi’s surprise, Trent plopped the baby into her arms.

“What!” she said, feeling awkward and privileged at the same time. “I don’t know how to hold a newborn.”

Renae laughed. “Don’t worry. Babies are tougher than they look. Just support his head and you’ll be okay.”

Cassi cradled the baby, smelling his newness and feeling his warmth. His very existence was still a miracle to her. “He’s so perfect,” she said. She held the baby for as long as she dared, before giving him back to Renae.

“What are we going to name him?” Trent asked. “We hadn’t thought of any boy names.”

“Jared,” Renae said without hesitation. “If Jared hadn’t come and brought that nice man from church, I don’t know that things would have turned out so well.”

“Jared it is then,” Trent agreed. “And what was the other fellow’s name?”

“Larry,” Cassi said.

“How about Jared Larry Benson?” Trent proposed. Renae nodded in agreement, and the kids cheered.

The doctor came in again, looking pleased with all the celebrating. “Everything checks out great,” he said to Renae. “You lost more blood than usual, but I think we can release you tomorrow if you’re still intent on leaving so soon. Of course, you’ll want to report any odd signs to your doctor and take the baby in for a checkup there.”

“Thanks,” Trent and Renae chimed together. The doctor left, promising to send a nurse with the birth certificate information.

“Well, kids, I think it’s time for you to all go back with Cassi to her hotel. I’m going to stay here with Mom and baby Jared. We’ll come pick you up in the morning.”

The kids had seen Cassi a few times each year since their births and loved being with her. The idea of the hotel added measurably to their excitement.

“Can we watch TV?” asked Andrea as they left the birthing room.

“Of course. They have cable and everything.”

“Can we order some food?” asked Scotty, who carried little Sandy in his arms.

“Sure. Or we can go for some hamburgers on the way home.”

“Yeah!” the children said together.

“And some candy?” added Janet.

“Why not?”

“Can we play on the elevator and race in the halls?” Andrea asked.

Cassi knew she was being tested. “Sure. As long as I get a turn to push the buttons and a head start in the race. I’ll be carrying Sandy, you know.” The children giggled.

They were still laughing when they reached the waiting room, where Cassi was surprised to see Jared and Larry lounging on the couches. At least she had an opportunity to thank them.

“He’s beautiful and healthy,” she said. “Seven pounds and twenty inches. They’re naming him Jared Larry Benson.” Both men smiled and slapped each other on the back in congratulations.

“I thought you’d be gone by now,” Cassi added. “But I’m glad you’re not, so I can tell you thanks. I don’t know what we would have done without you.”

Jared shrugged, seemingly embarrassed at her words. “We couldn’t go without giving you this,” he said, handing her a diaper bag. He pointed to Sandy in Scotty’s arms. “Sandy here is potty training, and you may need a change or two of clothing. Her father said there were diapers for nighttime.”

“Great.” Cassi grimaced slightly. She had forgotten that Sandy hadn’t mastered bathroom techniques. How did you even potty train a child? She had zero experience in that field. “Thanks again.” She took the bag and motioned to the children. “Come on, gang.” She started down the corridor with the children and men right behind her.

“Uh, do you have enough room in your car?” Jared asked.

Cassi stopped in mid-stride. “Oh, I forgot. I came in a taxi.”

“I can give you a ride back to the hotel,” Jared said. “I’m going there anyway.”

“Thanks. That would be great.” Cassi was irritated at herself for not remembering, and for suddenly finding herself dependent upon a person she had claimed to despise only a few hours earlier. “Except I promised them hamburgers and candy.”

“There’s an In-N-Out Burger just down the street,” Larry said helpfully. “The food isn’t expensive and my kids love it. They’re too young for indigestion.”

“So are we, right?” Jared asked the kids, winking at Cassi. Happiness seeped into her being, displacing her former irritation. Maybe she was just borrowing Renae’s life for an evening, but she would enjoy it while it lasted.

They bid Larry goodbye at the hospital doors and piled into Jared’s four-door rental car. Sandy sat in her own car seat, retrieved from her father’s van, while two of the other children had to share a seat belt, but soon they were happily eating hamburgers at the fast-food restaurant Larry had recommended. Everyone also had a shake and a dessert. Cassi was surprised at how voracious the children were. By the time they left the restaurant, she was nearly fifty dollars poorer and the children so full they could barely walk.

The next stop was the store, where Scotty insisted on pushing the grocery cart. Cassi carried Sandy in one arm and with the other filled the basket with chips and candy, muttering, “I hope Renae doesn’t kill me.”

Jared laughed. “It isn’t every day that you have a new baby brother.”

“Especially one named Jared, right?” Cassi mocked. Their eyes locked, and suddenly she couldn’t breathe. She looked away, burying her face in Sandy’s blond hair, fighting emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. Why was she so attracted to this man? Given her lack of romantic success, it wasn’t likely he felt the same. “Let’s get some yogurt and fruit for breakfast,” she said to no one in particular, shifting the toddler in her arms. Sandy’s eyes drooped as she rested her head against Cassi’s shoulder.

Cassi risked a glance at Jared and saw that he was still watching her, his expression veiled. What was he thinking?

There was no time to dwell on the matter. A warm flood washed down her dress, soaking into the thin rayon material almost instantly.

Sandy’s eyes jerked open. “Pee pee. Oh, noooo. Baby wet!”

Sure enough, both Sandy and Cassi were soaked.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Cassi looked down at her dress, shaking her head in disbelief. Sandy looked up, waiting for her reaction. Apparently, her parents didn’t appreciate it when she had an accident. People in the supermarket paused momentarily as they passed, trying to hide their smiles. Only the mothers nodded sympathetically.

Moments ticked by, and no one said a word. A small grin played around Jared’s mouth, but he didn’t know Cassi well enough to let it show completely. Like the others, he waited to see how she would react.

“Ah-oh.” Sandy twisted and pointed down at Cassi’s dress.

Cassi threw back her head and laughed. “Oh, Sandy. It’s okay. You were asleep. You could hardly stop yourself. But boy do we stink!”

“Cassi stinky,” Sandy said, a smile creeping over her small face.

“You should have taken her to the bathroom at the restaurant,” Scotty offered. “She drank a whole soda. Dad says it goes right through her like water.”

“I have to go to the bathroom too,” Janet said.

Cassi shoved her wallet into Jared’s hands and reached down to grab Janet’s hand. “I’ll meet you in the car.”

After she left, Jared laughed, loud and long.

“What’s so funny?” Scotty asked.

“She took it pretty well. The first time one of my nephews did that to me, I blew my top. Of course, I was only about seventeen then. I soon got used to it. Let’s see,” He looked up in the air, pretending to count. “I think it’s happened to me eight times now, and I don’t even have children.”

“Yuck!” Andrea said.

“Yeah. And the last time I didn’t even flinch,” Jared added. Scotty and Andrea nodded, properly impressed.

“Come on now. Let’s go get Cassi some yogurt and some fruit.” The children followed after Jared obediently.

They were putting the groceries into the trunk of the car when Cassi and the girls came out of the store carrying small stacks of paper toweling. As they passed a black sedan near the store’s entrance, Janet tried to peer inside the darkened windows, but Cassi pulled her along. Jared stared at the car. Hadn’t he seen it at the restaurant?