- 7:57 a.m.
"Hello?" His voice sounded gruff and void of any emotions.
"I'm here… I mean at the hospital." Marla informed him without his asking.
"Oh… Hmm… I told you I had plans today." Jacob said as he was pulling up his black sock on his foot and holding the telephone between his head and his shoulder. He looked up at the clock-radio by his bed.
"Damn, it's getting late…" He swore under his breath as he balanced his foot over his knee tying up his black and white wing-tip leather shoes.
"The doctor said I'm going to need a c-section." She continued pressing on hoping that she would hear a little concern in his voice. She knew to hope for excitement was too much to hope for.
"Today is not a good day…" He said unsympathetically and arrogantly rising up off of the bed and adjusting his cummerbund around his waist. Walking over to the full-length mirror, he stood before it turning this way and that to take a glance of how he looked. It was getting late and he needed to leave fifteen minutes ago.
"Hmm, maybe tomorrow but no promises…" The phone went dead as Jacob hung up the receiver. Practicing his smile and stance he threw on his jacket. It was the final touch to his ensemble. He looked at the clock once more and then began feeling around checking his pockets looking for something.
"Where did I put that?" He mumbled nervously to himself. Panic rose in his facial expression at his not finding what he was looking for. Abruptly he felt a small lump in his upper inner jacket pocket. A sigh of relief flashed over his face as he exhaled heavily.
"Whew, that was close…" He said softly as he pulled out the small velvet black ring box. Opening it up his smile broaden across his face. The ring was safe and sound.
- 8:11 a.m.
"Ms. Townsend, we need your signature here." The nurse had quietly entered the room while Marla was on the phone. She offered Marla a chaste smile as she broke eye contact with her. It seemed as if the middle-aged woman understood what was going on. Marla raised a hand to her face and swiped at the fallen tears and took a few quick sniffles as mucous had begun running from her nasal passage.
"Gimme…" She said softly reaching for the clipboard with the pen. Marla looked at the consent forms. With a trembling hand took her time writing her signature and the date on each one of them. The tears continued rolling down her cheeks as her hand shook as she wrote. Before long she was transferred to a gurney and found herself being wheeled down the corridor to the surgical elevator. She closed her eyes and quietly prayed.