The Thrill of the ROSE by Remy Joyeiux - HTML preview

Chapter 57

Raquel was now blooming. She was seven months along and everything was just right. The businesses were where they all wanted them to be and were doing well. The baby was growing and reminding her day by day of his active potential. Some days he kicked more than others. Jason would play soothing music and sing to him whenever he got the chance. These days he had trimmed his schedule and spent more time with Raquel and the baby. He enjoyed the pleasure of rubbing her abdomen and being close to his son.

“What will we name him,” asked Raquel?

“Asante” replied Jason. “It’s an African baby name meaning Thank You.”

“I like that name,” said Raquel. “We’ll put together the other names before he is born.” Both Raquel and Jason had been reading “Johnsons Mother & Baby” to gather all of the knowledge they could since this was their first baby experience. They made regular ante-natal visits to the clinic and received some counseling at La maze classes.

Meanwhile Cheryl made her announcement to the staff and friends as well. She was three months pregnant. Raquel and Jason were happy for her. Raquel offered Cheryl a new copy of “Johnsons Mother & Baby”. Cheryl smile and accepted it with joy. Andre spoke to Jason about joining the R-Group. Jason and Raquel were thrilled at the idea. Immediately they found a place for him to fit in.

Raquel was now close to the delivery date. She was full term thirty eight weeks to be exact. Dr. James Hartnell had asked Raquel to check into the hospital on the 12th of April so that the baby could be delivered. With one week to go Raquel tidied the house and was compiling a list of things to do, both for Jason and for the R-Group.

On the 10th of April Raquel felt Asante more active than usual. She was also experiencing some contractions. She and Jason immediately left for the hospital. She informed the nurse who immediately called Dr. Hartnell. He said that it was ok to check her in and that he would be along in an hour or so to have a look. Raquel was checked in and the orderly wheeled her up to her room.

She and Jason were then shown the birthing suite and the NICU unit. The entire procedure was explained by Nurse Kerstin Lewis. Raquel was calm even though she was a bit nervous. She and Jason returned to her room. She kissed and embraced Jason for quite a while. Then she kissed him goodbye and he departed for home. On the way home Jason shed a few tears. He was apprehensive but settled as he had never experienced anything like this.

On the morning of the 12th Asante Mario Jerome made his way into the world. A lively nine pounds eight ounces. And he was cute as well. When Jason arrived Raquel had already recovered and was breastfeeding Asante. Jason beamed and kissed Raquel. Then he kissed Asante. As if wondering who had interrupted him Asante stopped feeding and opened his eyes to peer at Jason. Jason held out his index finger and Asante grabbed and squeezed it. Then just as quickly Asante returned to his source of content. Raquel’s left breast. He extracted her breast milk until he fell asleep.

“Now’s my chance,” quipped Jason. Raquel smiled and instructed Jason to go and wash his hands first. When he returned Raquel obliged. Jason held Asante for the first time. He beamed and smiled. What a proud dad he was as he bonded with Asante.

Nurse Lewis came to check on the lovely threesome. She asked them to follow her. Raquel along with Jason who was holding Asante followed her. She explained the procedure to them and all of the necessary details on Asante’s Health card. She took care in explaining the Apgar score to Jason as Raquel listened attentively. When she was finished Nurse Lewis accompanied the three back to the bed. As she was about to leave Dr. Hartnell appeared. He wished the couple well and told them that he was available to them at anytime.

Three days later Raquel was discharged from Cedars Pleasant Health and Rehabilitation Medical Centre. It was really a pleasant experience for Raquel during her short stay at the facility.

Four weeks after she left the hospital Raquel introduced Asante to the staff of the R-Group. Both she and Jason beamed with pride. Cheryl held the little man close knowing that her time would soon come. The staff of the R- Group gave the couple many gifts and had a short social activity all to Raquel and Jason’s surprise. Jason gave thanks on his family’s behalf and conveyed their appreciation.

Cheryl Sat with Jason and Raquel to discuss some maternity matters. She wanted to use the same hospital as Raquel and wanted to meet with Dr. Hartnell. Of course Raquel recommended the hospital highly. She called Dr. Hartnell who agreed immediately to see Cheryl. Cheryl offered her thanks to her best friend and business associate. She was now thirty two weeks.

Five weeks later Cheryl delivered a robust baby girl. She was nine pounds five ounces. She and Andre were proud and happy. Her name was Ayodele Marcia Joanne.

Both Cheryl and Raquel decided to dedicate the babies on the same day. Since they went to church together the dedication was easy to arrange. Their pastor obliged and the rest is history. Remy Joyeiux grew up roaming the farmlands of the Caribbean tropics. Like a typical islander, he spent plenty of time farming, and in adventure when not involved in farming. He considers himself to be fortunate to have lived in the tropical Caribbean and has traveled to many of the Caribbean islands and internationally on both business and pleasure.

He writes contemporary fiction and thrilling romance occasionally weaving some of his experiences into his stories. He’s experienced the highs and lows of island life in the Caribbean. Remy finds living in the islands of the Caribbean exciting and inspirational both to write and explore.

Mostly good weather, dazzling sunrises over the Atlantic and long walks are akin to encouragement of writing fresh eclectic work with vibrant characters. He reads extensively and spends time observing the actions and reactions of young people. He reads or listens to two to three books a week sometimes using technology to listen while doing other tasks. He has no favorite author but just loves a good story.