I was at a teachers’ conference when my cell phone vibrated and I saw that Catherine was calling me. I excused myself and walked to a less crowded area as I accepted the call. It was February and she sounded ecstatically happy. I assumed that she was just going to tell me that she loved me because it was so close to Valentine’s Day. Instead her words tumbled forth like an avalanche. She was many weeks pregnant with twins. Her fertility doctor had successfully helped her to both conceive and keep the pregnancy viable. It was a miracle that made us both cry with immeasurable joy.
I was hardly able to wait until summer when I would be able to visit Catherine and Jeremy in Chicago. They lived in a cute two bedroom apartment near Wrigley Stadium. It was a third floor walkup with gleaming wood floors and steam heaters. It looked as though it had been built in the nineteen twenties or thirties. It was a cozy place that Catherine had already begun to decorate for the babies that were to come around the end of October or early November.
Before we had an opportunity to even plan a summer visit, a fire broke out on the second floor of Catherine’s building during the middle of the night. She had been having difficulty sleeping so she was able to hear noises and smell something burning. When she peeked outside the door to her place she saw smoke rising up the stairs. She immediately awakened Jeremy and the two of them grabbed their dog, Maggie, and raced out of the building using the fire escape. Jeremy called 911 and then reentered the building to awaken as many residents as he was safely able to do. The only person who did not leave the building was the man in whose apartment the conflagration had begun. Luckily the fire fighters came quickly enough to save him, but he was badly burned.
In order to control the blaze the firefighters had to break through the roof of the building. Since Catherine’s apartment was on the top floor virtually everything that she owned was damaged even though the fire itself never got that high. She stood on the street watching the action in her bare feet, three months pregnant hugging her little dog and feeling thankful that she, Jeremy and her neighbors had all escape mostly unscathed. She was homeless at a time when she had a strong nesting instinct but thanks to her father’s advice she and Jeremy had carried renter’s insurance so they would have at least some compensation for setting up a new household somewhere else. They hoped that the unborn babies had not been adversely affected by the smoke.
As it so happened our nephew, Daniel, was graduating from the University of Chicago in early June. By then Catherine and Jeremy had found an apartment in the suburbs that was closer to his work. We gathered there along with my brother, Mike, and sister-in-law, Becky to celebrate Daniel’s graduation and to help Catherine and Jeremy to get resettled. We made dozens of trips back and forth to Babies R Us purchasing cribs, bassinets, and other supplies. We has sessions filled with joy as we put all of the gear together. We were sharing so much love and happy expectation in spite of the tragedy that had occurred.
Later that summer it was my good friend, Linda, who once again hosted a baby shower for Catherine. There were so many gifts that they would not all fit into the car that she and Jeremy had driven down to Texas. We had to help get all of the gear back to Chicago.
It seemed as though Catherine’s dreams of a family were coming true when she went into labor far too early. The doctors did everything in their power to stop the process but their efforts seemed to be in vain. They were warning Catherine and Jeremy that the babies were not yet ready to enter the world and if they were born they might be riddled with very serious health issues. They might even be unable to breathe or be blind or deaf. It was a punch to the gut for all of us to hear such things. I have never been so anxious in my life.
Just when it appeared that an early birth was inevitable Catherine’s labor stopped. She went on bedrest for many weeks and eventually reached a point at which birth would be safe for her and for the babies even if it came a bit early. On October 1, 2003, Ian and Abby were born in Chicago. They were tiny babies who had fought hard to be in this world. Even though they were still a month early, there was nothing seriously wrong with them. They were breathing. They were not blind. They were two bundles of joy who instantly brought happiness into our world. This Gammy was overjoyed as I held them in my arms and rejoiced that they were well.
Catherine was another story. She developed a serious infection from her Cesarean section. I had returned home but had to hop on a plane immediately to care for her and help with the babies. A home healthcare nurse taught me how to clean and dress her wound several times each day. I was afraid of hurting her at first but soon overcame my squeamishness. I was actually rather proud when the nurse returned after a week and complimented my efforts. The part of me that had once dreamed of being a nurse silently wondered if I might have done well in that profession after all. More importantly Catherine was feeling well again and ready to become a supermom with her little ones. She would dedicate herself to that task with all of her heart and soul.
All It Takes Is A Little Love 