then closed them.
"Typical baby," Dana said. "Unimpressed with football heroes."
Everyone laughed.
"Well, I'd better get my rear end on the road. I'm sure my parents are waiting for me," Teddy said.
"Congratulations again, Ted," Harlan said.
"Thanks. Cute baby," he said, looking at Nikos. The baby burped and everyone laughed. Dana put him over her shoulder and patted his back gently. "'Night," Teddy said. Colleen followed him out to the car. "I don't know what you meant before," he said as they went down the sidewalk.
"What do you mean?"
"About being anxious because of the baby's arrival. Every-one seems happy as hell in there. Dana doesn't seem any different and the baby's cute. What do you mean by saying it was weird?"
"It wasn't that way before," Colleen said. "Dana was different and the baby was…"
"What?"
"I don't know." She looked at her finger. Although there was no evidence of any wound, it was still sensitive. How could she explain it to him, anyway? She couldn't explain it to herself.
"Maybe you're imagining some of it," Teddy said. "It's a big change in the house, but you'll get used to it. Believe me." He kissed her and got back into the car.
"Maybe," she said.
"This was one of the greatest days of my life, for many reasons," he said. "But you were the most important reason. See you tomorrow."
She smiled and watched him back out. Then she turned and went back to the house. Just as she walked in, Dana was going back upstairs, carrying the baby so that his head rested on her shoulder. Colleen watched them go up. Suddenly the baby opened its eyes and looked down at her. She saw it lift its head slightly, and then she swore she saw it smile. It was such an unexpected kind of smile, a knowing smile, an arrogant smile. It was as if it were letting her know it had pulled something off.
She couldn't keep her eyes off it until Dana reached the upstairs landing and disappeared around the corner. Then she turned and saw Jillian standing in the living-room doorway staring at her, a worried look on her face.
Teddy was wrong. What she felt wasn't her imagination. But what was it? What did it mean?
"Come," Jillian said, holding out her hand. "Join us for a few minutes and let's catch up."
"Yeah, let's hear the details about the game," Harlan said.
"Forget the game," Jillian said. "I want to hear about her love life."
Colleen smiled. She glanced up the stairway again and then took Jillian's hand and went into the living room with her and Harlan.
Dana lowered Nikos into his crib. He was wide awake and stared up at her as intently as she stared down at him. She imagined he was just as fascinated with the sight of his mother as she was with the sight of him. Babies were truly miracles, she thought, and the miracle of Nikos was so overwhelming that she had nearly lost the memory of her own infant dying quickly in the delivery room. She could recall only a vague image now—the image of a child being handed up to a nurse who handled it with the greatest of care.
Maybe it wasn't dead; maybe it was Nikos. This memory of her baby dying—it was probably just a nightmare, she thought. As she stared down at Nikos she promoted that idea more and more until she accepted it as fact. There was no other baby but this one. No, there was no other baby. It came to her like a chant. She had to repeat the thought aloud.
"There was no other baby, only you."
Nikos smiled and jerked his arms toward her, as if he understood.
"Yes," she said, smiling, and then she ran her right forefinger down his cheek to his neck. "No other baby."
He smiled and shook his tiny body from side to side, as if struggling to stand up so he could embrace her. His movement and energy took her breath away, and even though she had just placed him in the crib, she couldn't resist taking him into her arms again.
He pressed his face against hers and she stood there feeling his warm lips moving against her skin. Her heart began to throb and she felt
"Typical baby," Dana said. "Unimpressed with football heroes."
Everyone laughed.
"Well, I'd better get my rear end on the road. I'm sure my parents are waiting for me," Teddy said.
"Congratulations again, Ted," Harlan said.
"Thanks. Cute baby," he said, looking at Nikos. The baby burped and everyone laughed. Dana put him over her shoulder and patted his back gently. "'Night," Teddy said. Colleen followed him out to the car. "I don't know what you meant before," he said as they went down the sidewalk.
"What do you mean?"
"About being anxious because of the baby's arrival. Every-one seems happy as hell in there. Dana doesn't seem any different and the baby's cute. What do you mean by saying it was weird?"
"It wasn't that way before," Colleen said. "Dana was different and the baby was…"
"What?"
"I don't know." She looked at her finger. Although there was no evidence of any wound, it was still sensitive. How could she explain it to him, anyway? She couldn't explain it to herself.
"Maybe you're imagining some of it," Teddy said. "It's a big change in the house, but you'll get used to it. Believe me." He kissed her and got back into the car.
"Maybe," she said.
"This was one of the greatest days of my life, for many reasons," he said. "But you were the most important reason. See you tomorrow."
She smiled and watched him back out. Then she turned and went back to the house. Just as she walked in, Dana was going back upstairs, carrying the baby so that his head rested on her shoulder. Colleen watched them go up. Suddenly the baby opened its eyes and looked down at her. She saw it lift its head slightly, and then she swore she saw it smile. It was such an unexpected kind of smile, a knowing smile, an arrogant smile. It was as if it were letting her know it had pulled something off.
She couldn't keep her eyes off it until Dana reached the upstairs landing and disappeared around the corner. Then she turned and saw Jillian standing in the living-room doorway staring at her, a worried look on her face.
Teddy was wrong. What she felt wasn't her imagination. But what was it? What did it mean?
"Come," Jillian said, holding out her hand. "Join us for a few minutes and let's catch up."
"Yeah, let's hear the details about the game," Harlan said.
"Forget the game," Jillian said. "I want to hear about her love life."
Colleen smiled. She glanced up the stairway again and then took Jillian's hand and went into the living room with her and Harlan.
Dana lowered Nikos into his crib. He was wide awake and stared up at her as intently as she stared down at him. She imagined he was just as fascinated with the sight of his mother as she was with the sight of him. Babies were truly miracles, she thought, and the miracle of Nikos was so overwhelming that she had nearly lost the memory of her own infant dying quickly in the delivery room. She could recall only a vague image now—the image of a child being handed up to a nurse who handled it with the greatest of care.
Maybe it wasn't dead; maybe it was Nikos. This memory of her baby dying—it was probably just a nightmare, she thought. As she stared down at Nikos she promoted that idea more and more until she accepted it as fact. There was no other baby but this one. No, there was no other baby. It came to her like a chant. She had to repeat the thought aloud.
"There was no other baby, only you."
Nikos smiled and jerked his arms toward her, as if he understood.
"Yes," she said, smiling, and then she ran her right forefinger down his cheek to his neck. "No other baby."
He smiled and shook his tiny body from side to side, as if struggling to stand up so he could embrace her. His movement and energy took her breath away, and even though she had just placed him in the crib, she couldn't resist taking him into her arms again.
He pressed his face against hers and she stood there feeling his warm lips moving against her skin. Her heart began to throb and she felt
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