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“I kinda hoped you’d show up bareback,” Katrina said, deadpan.
“Yeah, not with Amber around,” Maggie said, laughing.
They followed Justin into the cottage and set out the food, Maggie getting out paper plates.
“This is what I dreamed of,” she said. “Exactly this. Katrina and me and our men, someplace in the bayou, barefoot and pregnant.”
“All those summers we played baby dolls brought us to this,” Katrina said. “Did you tell Justin?”
“No,” she said softly. “It’s better if you and Dave told him.”
“What’s going on?” Justin asked, stuffing pizza in his mouth.
Dave and Katrina looked at each other, Dave shrugging his shoulders. He’d do the telling. “My son has Down syndrome,” he said. “We just found out Friday.”
“Well, not exactly,” Katrina said, ready to tell the whole truth. “They suspected since the first ultrasound.”
Dave didn’t get it at first, frowning. “I was there. She didn’t say anything.”
“You were, but I had a sick feeling and told you to go call Vic and tell him we were having a boy.”
“What happened after I left?” Dave asked.
“She did a measurement of a space in the back of the baby’s neck that should have been closing by twelve weeks and his was still open. It’s a sign.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it would have been too much. She was guessing, Dave. I wanted to enjoy the time waiting for the baby. It wouldn’t have made any difference except to upset you.”
“You were alone all this time,” he said, dismayed. He turned to Maggie. “Did you know?”
“No. She never said a word or even alluded to any issues.”
“Are you angry?” Katrina asked him.
“Of course not, but it seems cruel that you had to bear the weight of this for months.”
“It was my choice. She wanted to do more testing in case we wanted to terminate and that wasn’t an option. You already loved him.”
Surprised, Dave contemplated the impact of that choice.
“Would you have considered it?”
Katrina didn’t answer for a moment, wondering if she could have terminated. “If he had something that would cause suffering and then death at birth, then yes, I would have considered it. But he’s healthy. He’s typical. I’ve read not to use the term normal because really, what is normal? He’s just different.”
Listening to his brother and Katrina baring their souls was so moving for Justin. “Wow, you two,” he said, his voice full of emotion. “It’s an honor to be part of your family. I want to go through this with you. Let me help you. I’ll do whatever you ask.”
“Me, too,” Maggie said. “Anything.”
“We don’t even know what we need right now,” Dave replied.
“One thing is for certain; baby boy Chastain will have the best of everything,” Justin said.
“How old before you can put a kid on a horse?” Dave asked, making them laugh.
“Not for a while,” Maggie answered. “Trust me, if it was safe, this baby would be on horseback at birth.”
They heard a diesel truck approach. “Who’s that?” Maggie asked. “No one else is coming today.”
