Madeline ignored the prissy preachy tone of voice and ventured a smile. "I was thinking, now that I'm feeling better, you can think about returning home."
Violet's brow creased. "I have no idea that I've become a burden to you. The church sent me to take care of you and that's what I'm doing."
"No." Madeline reached for her hand quickly, removing it when the woman shrunk back. "That's not what I meant." Putting the cup of tea down, she picked up the magazine she had been perusing and opened it to the front page. "You missed your daughter's wedding."
Violet had already seen the bold photos on the internet and the excited captions glorifying her daughter's sin. The magazine cover had a full blown color photo of the couple. The man had his arms wrapped around her daughter's swollen belly and she was brazenly staring up at him and smiling as if she had done a good deed.
It was a disgrace what this world delights in.
"I chose to miss it." She told Madeline coldly.
"That's too bad." She put the cup down slowly with the intention of making her point. "I lost my son." She added sadly. "He married someone I did not approve of and when he refused to give her up, I cut him out of my life.
They moved to Alaska and I never heard from them again, until I was informed that he had died in a fishing accident. It was just a courtesy call from his wife. I never get to tell him how sorry I am. How foolish I was.
Now I'm trying to have a relationship with my grandson and it's not happening." She rose slowly, her movements unsteady. "Don't be foolish. Make amends with your daughter before it's too late."
She stood where she was after the woman left. Sinking into the chair behind her, she reached for her phone and started to scroll through the photos and read the captions. A cruise ship had taken the family to several Caribbean islands before stopping in Jamaica for the fantasy wedding on the beach.
There were several photos of the couple and in each of them, he was gazing down at her as if she was only person in the world. She never had that, Violet thought bitterly. She never had a man look at her that way. She had been in love with her husband, but he had never wanted marriage.
A child had made that a necessity. One she had come to resent as soon as she felt its presence. Her daughter had been the reason her husband turned away from her. He had stated unequivocally that they were on a mission for the Lord and nothing or no one should deviate from that.
A child had made her lose her focus and Jerry had never forgiven her for that lapse. He had laid the blame solely at her feet. It didn't matter that he had been the one to plant the seed. He had told her beforehand that there could be no children.
"Just the two of us on a mission for the Lord."
And she had spoiled it by getting pregnant. Her daughter had been the cause for all her heartbreak. She didn't blame her husband for seeking the comfort in another woman's arms. He had been driven to do so.
Or so she told herself for years. Gazing down at her phone, she scrolled through and stared at the photos. They looked very happy, didn't they? And she was not. Violet admitted to herselfthat for all her dedication and commitment to God, she was desperately unhappy.
Sucking in a shaky breath, she rose unsteadily and went in the direction of her room.
*****
"I'll make sure she stays in bed." Christos informed the doctors grimly as they got ready to leave. It had been a week since they returned from the wedding cruise. Seven days during which she had fooled herself into thinking she was past the worse.
Then it all came at once. The swollen ankles, the nausea and the acute discomfort. She was unable to sleep, unable to find a comfortable position and the heartburn made it feels like someone had lit a fire inside her chest.
And she was miserable. She had sniped and snapped at her mother in law and sisters in law for no apparent reason and was a nightmare to be around.
"I'll walk you out." Barely giving his wife a glance, he led the doctors through the bedroom and down the stairs.
"Don't be too hard on her." Dr. Henderson broke the silence as they made their way down. "It's getting down to the last few weeks, and the babies are getting bigger."
"Are you sure they're all right?" He stopped them at the door.
"Their heartbeats are strong. The girl is not striving as well as the boys, but she's holding her own."
He laid a hand on her arm. "You'd tell me if there's anything to worry about, wouldn't you?"
"Of course. Dr. Friedmann and I are monitoring your wife's progress and there will be a nurse coming in every two days to make sure everything is all right."
"Thank you." He opened the door to let them out, closing it behind them. And stood there leaning on it for a few minutes. He was mostly working from home now and had stopped traveling.
It was safe to say that the honeymoon was decidedly over. She was getting on everyone's nerves, and he suspected she was chafing at the inactivity. She wasn't allowed to decorate the nursery, because of her swollen feet. He had hired a team of decorators to do the job.
The only thing she was allowed to do was to make suggestions and instruct them on what she wanted them to do.
