Mom came out periodically with updates. “She’s doing great. Progressing well. It shouldn’t be too much longer.”
At six-thirty in the evening, Wagner appeared in the doorway, looking exhausted but elated.
“It is a girl,” he said. “Eight pounds, six ounces. Felicity did great. We named her Beatrice Diane.”
Relief flooded through me. Dad teared up, and I embraced Wagner.
“Can we see them?” Dad asked.
“Soon. They’re just getting cleaned up. But—” Wagner’s expression shifted. “The pediatrician heard a heart murmur. They’re running tests.”
The relief evaporated. “What does that mean?”
“They don’t know yet. It could be nothing—lots of babies have murmurs that resolve on their own. It could also mean she needs surgery. They’re monitoring her overnight and doing an echocardiogram tomorrow morning.”
Dad’s hand found my shoulder and gripped tight.
We stayed at Felicity and Wagner’s house that night. The guest room I was in was comfortable, but I doubted I’d sleep much. How would any of us, not knowing what tomorrow would bring?
Around nine, I called Snapper. He picked up on the first ring.
“Hey. How’s it going?”
“Felicity and Wagner had a baby girl. She’s eight pounds, six ounces. But she has a heart murmur.”
“Jesus, Saff. Is that bad? I mean, it sounds bad.”
“Not sure. They’re running tests. It could be nothing, or it could mean she needs surgery.” I sat on the edge of the guest bed, staring at the wall. “Wagner looked terrified. Felicity is trying to be strong, but she is falling apart.”
“How are you?”
“Scared. Tired. Wishing you were here.”
The admission came out before I could stop it.
“I can be on a plane in an hour,” he said. “It’ll put me there by midnight.”
“No. You need to stay there. The wine?—”
“The wine is fine. It is just sitting in tanks. Bit and Cru have it covered.”
“I know. But?—”
“But what?”
“It is complicated.”
Another pause. Then, “Okay. But if you need me, I’m there. One phone call, and I’m on my way.”
“I know. Thank you.”
“Will you call me tomorrow after the tests?”
“I will.”
After we hung up, I lay in the dark and let myself cry. I cried for Beatrice and for Felicity. I cried because I wanted Snapper here so badly it hurt.
The next morning,the tests confirmed that Beatrice had a ventricular septal defect—a hole in the wall between the lower chambers of her heart. It was not immediately life-threatening, but it was serious enough to require surgical repair.
