“Unh unh.” Deborah shook her head. “You’ve got enough of the story out of me. It’s time for me to take my granddaughters out for our girls’ day. I need to go pick up Kennedy and Annalise. Can you believe out of my ten grandchildren only three of them are girls?” She cooed to Victoria, tickling her under her plump cheek.
I smiled wide at the sounds of Victoria’s laughter.
“I’m sure you’ll have more granddaughters sometime soon.”
Deborah’s head popped up. “Are you? Have you heard something?” she questioned excitedly.
“No.” I shook my head adamantly. “I’m not and I haven’t heard. I was just saying …” I kept to myself that the way Joshua kept hounding me, I was sure we’d have another baby within the next year.
“Okay then. We’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
Smiling, I pressed a kiss to Victoria’s caramel-colored cheek and ran my hand through her silky straight hair. After handing Deb the diaper bag, stuffed with everything she might need, I held the door open for them. I’d already told her how brave I thought she was going out alone with all three girls. Well, alone, aside from her her security guard.
I shut the door behind them, and prepared to go up to my own office and read over some files before Joshua got home.
“Oh shit!” I startled, turning and swinging wildly at whoever was behind me. When I finally laid eyes on my handsome husband, instead of giving him a warm greeting, I punched his shoulder.
“Ouch!” he yelped. “You’re right cross is getting better,” he stated immediately after.
I bowed my head. “Thank you. I have a good teacher. But don’t scare me like that again.” I pointed at him before moving into his arms.
“Noted,” he murmured in my ear and then pulling back to kiss my lips.
“Did you get that issue resolved?” I questioned on a raised eyebrow.
“The venue has finally been booked.”
I clapped. “Good. The girls will be so happy once I tell them.”
Josh nodded. “Thank you for loving my parents as much as I do.”
I cupped my husband’s cheek. “How could I not? They raised you and you are my everything.”
His lips covered mine in an instant. I moaned into his mouth, feeling swept away. It took me a second to realize that I had literally been picked up off the ground and carried to my desk.
“Wait! No,” I yelped when I heard papers and the files that’d been there hitting the floor.
“Kay—”
“No, wait. These are important,” I stated, pushing an agitated Joshua away so that I could bend down to pick up the discarded files.
“What is all of this?” he asked, crouching low to help me pick everything up.
“It’s reports and journal articles I’ve been gathering for my research on maternal mortality rates.”
Josh looked puzzled as we both stood. “Mortality rates?”
I inclined my head. “Yes. After what happened to Patience when the twins were born I got to thinking. Hers wasn’t the first story I heard either. Within the last year superstars like Serena Williams and even Beyoncé have spoken out on either almost dying or dealing with some sort of health scare while giving birth. From what I’ve read, it’s no stretch to say that the U.S. has the worst maternal mortality rate in the developed world, and it’s getting worse, not better.”
I paused to breathe. Talking about this topic was something that got me really worked up. Not only as a new mother, but as a woman who almost lost her sister-in-law due to the same issue.
“I assume you’re not researching just to research.”
I smiled. “You assume correctly, husband of mine. I want … no,needto do something about it. Even if only in my neck of the woods. At the shelter I want to hire staff to give birthing classes, discuss maternal health, and provide prenatal care to some extent. And I’ve also been thinking of becoming certified as a doula.”
“What the hell is a doula?”
“It’s a person who acts as an advocate for a birthing mother. They help provide a calming atmosphere and tend to any needs of the woman in labor. Also, they can communicate the mother’s wishes to the medical staff in the event that she can’t. For example, many women want to have an unmedicated birth but sometimes they are pressured to be induced with medications by hospital staff that might be overworked and just want to deliver the baby to get it over with. The doula steps in so mom doesn’t feel pressured to make a decision she doesn’t want.”
