Dancing Naked (24 page)

“No,” she said with a sigh. “But I will. When I get a chance.”

But Kia’s chance never came.

Dr. Miyata frowned when she read the dial on the blood-pressure monitor during Kia’s weekly appointment.

“What’s the matter?”

“Your blood pressure isn’t good. You’ve got a condition known as pre-eclampsia.” The doctor squeezed one of Kia’s ankles. The indentations took a moment too long to return to normal. “Your swollen ankles are another symptom of it.”

“Pre-eclampsia? What does that mean?”

“It’s a complication that can occur in pregnancy and can lead to convulsions and even coma. It is often characterized by high blood pressure. Usually we can treat it with just rest.” The doctor stepped away from the examining table and sat on the stool. She stared at Kia’s file for a moment. “I think we need to get you a specialist. An obstetrician.”

“Does that mean you won’t be delivering my baby?”

“No, I’ll be there. I’ll assist. But your health, not the baby, is my concern right now. I’m going to admit you into the hospital immediately, and the specialist can see you there.”

“The hospital? I’ve got to go to the hospital already?”

“It’s just a precaution, Kia. Bed rest might be all it takes to keep your blood pressure at a safe level. But at the rate it’s rising, I think it needs constant monitoring.”

“Oh.” Kia felt numb. It had never occurred to her that her pregnancy wouldn’t progress exactly as they described it in prenatal classes. Going to the hospital before labor started was not the proper order.

“There’s something I’d like to do first.”

“I’ll give you three hours,” the doctor said. “And then I’ll expect you to be at the hospital. I’ll try to get an obstetrician to see you there this afternoon.”

Kia’s mind was whirling as she left the examining room. It would take her a good hour just to get home on the bus. She thought of calling Justin—he’d come for sure—but she didn’t want to take him away from the seniors. She paged her mom at her university class instead.

As Kia stared out the window of the clinic she saw Mrs. Hazelwood squeal into the Superstore parking lot. She glanced at her watch. It had only taken her half an hour from classroom to clinic, an amazing feat considering the distance and usual traffic congestion. Her mom pulled the car up to the front of the clinic, a no-parking zone, wheels straddling the sidewalk. She left the engine running as she hopped out and ran around to open the passenger door for Kia.

“I’m just going to run in and talk to the doctor myself,” she said as Kia came out of the clinic and climbed into the car. “I want to find out exactly what’s going on.”

“Never mind, Mom. The doctor said it’s not that serious. They just want to monitor me.” Kia hated the
trace of irritation she heard in her own voice, but she couldn’t help it. Why was it that she had to calm her mom down, instead of the other way around? “Let’s go. We can talk in the car.”

Mrs. Hazelwood hesitated, studied Kia’s determined face and reluctantly slid back into the driver’s seat.

“Can you stop at the seniors’ home, Mom? I want to tell everyone what’s happening.”

“I think we should go straight to the hospital, Ki. Justin can pass messages on for you.”

“No,” she said, crossing her arms. “I want to see them myself.”

Her mom sighed, but took the turn-off that led to the Willows Intermediate Care Home. “You’ve got exactly five minutes,” she said, parking the car in a handicapped stall. She was about to leap out to assist her daughter, but Kia grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

“I can do it myself.” With as much dignity as she could muster, Kia struggled out of the car. She saw her mom reach for the cell phone and snapped. “Who are you calling?”

“I’m just going to have your dad meet us at the hospital. I’ll call the Reverend and Sadie too.”

“Don’t even think of it, Mom,” Kia said, slamming the door and leaning in the open window. “I’m not having the baby yet. And I’m not dying, either. I told you—my blood pressure is being monitored, that’s all. Relax. Don’t call anyone.” But when she glanced over her shoulder as she pulled open the door to the seniors’ home, she could see her mom already talking to someone on the phone. Her reaction was making Kia wonder if
her mom knew something about pre-eclampsia that she didn’t. A chill ran down her spine and she shuddered, even in the August heat.

Kia made her way, stomach first, across the sunroom toward the group of seniors. Justin was sitting with them.

“You’re here early,” he said, glancing at his watch. “Everything go okay at the doctor’s?”

“That’s why I’m here,” she said. She looked around at the old faces she’d come to care so much about. “My blood pressure is getting a little too high and I have to go into the hospital to have it monitored. I may be in there until after the baby is born, so I wanted to come in to say goodbye, for now.”

They all stared at her quietly for a moment. Kia wondered if it was concern that she saw flicker across a few of the faces. Flo was the first to find her voice. “All the best, Kia,” she said in her wobbly voice. “We’ll be thinking of you. I hope she’s a healthy little girl.”

“Yes,” said Bert, looking around at the group. “We’ll all miss you, so you get back here pronto, okay? We’ll have some kind of party, right Justin?”

“You know me, a regular party animal,” Justin agreed, winking at Bert.

Kia went around to each member of the group, hugging her friends and accepting their warm words of encouragement. When she got to Grace she straightened the blanket that lay across her knees and ran her fingers down one wrinkled cheek. Grace opened her mouth to speak, but a wracking cough overcame her. Kia waited patiently beside the wheelchair. She pulled a tissue out of the package that the old woman kept tucked beside her and
wiped the drool from the side of her wizened mouth.

“You go, girl,” Grace said quietly when she was able to talk again.

“I will,” Kia said, smiling at her choice of words. Grace reached out and stroked Kia’s huge belly. “You’re a lovely young lady. Everything’s going to be fine.”

“I know.” Tears pricked at the back of Kia’s eyes. With a quick wave, she turned and walked back the way she’d come, with Justin at her side.

“Is Grace okay?” she asked him.

“I don’t know.” He frowned. “We’ve got a doctor coming to look at her today. I don’t like the sound of that cough.”

“You let me know what’s going on.”

“I will. And how about you? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, but my mom’s getting to me. She’s all freaked out.”

“You’re her little girl. She loves you. Moms all freak when they’re worried about their babies.”

Kia rolled her eyes and stepped aside as Justin opened the door for her. He greeted her mom, and helped Kia into the car. “I’ll come by the hospital tonight,” he said into the open car window. “Don’t go having the baby without me. I’m your labor coach, remember?”

“Trust me. I’m not doing it without you,” she said. “When the time comes, I’ll keep my legs tightly crossed until you get there.”

~ wrinkles are disappearing from the baby’s face
~ average-sized baby will weigh about six pounds
and be fourteen inches long

Aug. 14

She called me courageous and generous. What a joke. I’m scared and greedy. I don’t want to share my baby. I want her all to myself.

“Anywhere between thirty-eight and forty-two weeks is considered full term,” the doctor explained, “and you’re at thirty-eight weeks. The baby is large and seems healthy. It’s your health that’s compromised now.”

Kia nodded. She’d been in the hospital for three days, but things had only gotten worse. Her ankles were so swollen that her legs reminded her of a hippo’s, and her blood pressure had increased steadily.

“So tomorrow’s the day,” Dr. McBride, the obstetrician, said. “Your baby’s birthday will likely be August fifteenth.”

Kia nodded. “She’ll be a Leo. Cool.” She was relieved to be getting it over with.

“Good. Tomorrow then, first thing, we’ll hook you up to an IV and start the drip. The drug we use is called Pitocin. It’s a natural hormone that induces labor. I’m
afraid you’ll have to stay in bed because you’ll be wired to an electronic fetal-monitoring machine. We have to keep a close eye on the baby.” He studied her face. “Any questions?”

“Will Justin be able to stay with me through the whole thing?”

“Yes, unless there’s an emergency which requires us to do a Caesarian section, but I’m not anticipating that.”

“Me neither.”

“And I understand,” he said quietly, “that you’re putting the baby up for adoption.”

She looked away.

“Do you want to see it?”

Kia paused before she answered. “I wasn’t going to, but ...”

“I think you should,” he said. “It’s healing to say goodbye.”

Kia didn’t answer.

“How about the adopting parents? Do you want them at the delivery?”

“No. She’s going to be theirs soon enough.”

“That’s fair. The fewer people present, the better it is for me. But I like to check, just to be certain. I’m sure they’re going to be anxious.”

Kia nodded. “My parents will be anxious too.”

“And a social worker?” he asked. “I suppose you have one of those?”

“Uh-huh.” Kia smiled, just a little. “But I don’t think Sadie will be anxious. In fact, she might be just the person to keep everyone else calm.”

“Then let’s make sure she’s here,” the doctor said, smiling.

“Oh, and then there’s the Rev, and my little sister.”

“That is what waiting rooms are for.”

Kia nodded.

“Everything’s going to be just fine, Kia,” Dr. Mc-Bride said one more time. “You’ll go back to school in the fall a little older and a little wiser.”

“And a little lighter, I hope,” Kia said.

“That’s a given,” he said. “I’ll see you in the morning. Try to have a good rest tonight. Tomorrow could be a long day.”

Joanna and Brett spent the evening with Kia in her hospital room, discussing baby names. They were determined to find one they all liked. Justin sat crossed-legged on the floor in a corner, quietly listening to the discussion. Kia’s parents had gone home awhile earlier, with promises to be at the hospital early the following morning.

“Why don’t you choose a couple boys’ names, just in case?” Joanna suggested.

Kia shook her head. “I don’t need to.”

“Then tell me what names on my list you like.”

“They’re all fine,” Kia said, hardly glancing at the page that was placed in front of her.

“You know,” Justin said, adding his opinion for the first time all evening, “I’ve heard people say that it’s better to see the baby before you choose the name. Some names just don’t suit some babies.”

Joanna sighed. “I guess you’re right, Justin. We do have a list of ten names we’ve all agreed on. Maybe one of them will jump out when we see it.”

“When we see
her
,” Kia corrected.

Brett shook his head. “I’ve never known anyone so sure of an unborn baby’s gender. What makes you so certain, Ki?”

“I’ve known from the start,” she answered. “But it’s not something I can explain.”

“We’ll forgive you if you’re wrong, you know,” Brett said, smiling. “But how will you feel if it’s a boy?”

“It’s not going to be a boy,” Kia answered, perfectly serious.

“Kia’s never wrong about anything,” Justin teased. “She gets it from her father.”

Kia stuck her tongue out at him. “You’re just jealous.”

Joanna closed the baby-name book she was thumbing through. She came over, sat on the bed beside Kia and picked up her hand.

“How are you feeling about tomorrow, honey?” she asked.

Kia tugged her hand away. She shrugged.

Joanna persisted. “I think we should talk about it.”

“Okay, then. If you really want to know the truth, I’m scared stiff,” Kia answered crossly, facing Joanna. “And sad.”

“Sad?”

“Yeah, once she’s born you’re going to take her away.” Kia glanced at Justin and then back at Joanna. “Right now she’s all mine.” She rubbed her huge stomach.

Joanna nodded and got up off the bed. She went over to stand beside Brett.

“You’re giving her to us to raise, Kia,” Brett said, “but we’re not taking her away. You know you’ll always
be welcome in our home. You can spend as much time with her as you want.”