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Maria and Carmen sat anxiously in the waiting room chairs while Antonio paced the floor like a madman. They hadn’t had any word in over an hour and Antonio was ready to pounce on the next medical personnel he saw to get some answers.
"Antonio, sit down," Maria urged him as she directed him to an empty chair. "You really need to relax." She was laughing at him now and he shot her a look of brotherly warning; Maria put her hands up to pretend she was scared and backed away. Gabi wandered back into the room with two cups of steaming hot coffee. She handed one to Carmen and the other to Maria. "I wish you would have let me get those, Gabi," Maria told her as Gabi lowered herself exhausted into a chair. "That’s okay, Maria, my back was killing me from sitting so long, I really needed to walk." Gabi put her hands on her waist and kneaded the tight muscles of her lower back. "I’m fine. How’s he doing?" She tilted her head to her husband who looked like he was about to pass out. "You know, I don’t know what he’s going to do when it’s our turn." "I know," Maria giggled. "I think that’s why he’s so upset." Antonio looked almost white he was so pale; Gabi felt bad for him, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but laugh. Antonio snarled from across the room, "Yeah, well I don’t know why you’re so calm about it, Gabi. It’s going to be you and I any day now and then…" Antonio was interrupted as Ricardo burst into the waiting room. He was still limping slightly; his physical therapy had taken a little longer than the doctors had expected, but he was making great strides toward regaining full mobility again. Maria, Carmen and Antonio all jumped to their feet; Gabi remained seated. Ricardo looked like the cat that had swallowed the canary as he moved into the center of the room. There was a long pause until he finally pulled off his surgical cap and with the widest smile they had ever seen, announced, "It’s a girl." Carmen erupted into tears and threw herself into Ricardo’s arms. "Oh dios mio, si, si, I knew…I saw it in the cards mi hijo." She hugged her son tightly. "How’s Amanda, Ricardo?" Maria put her hand on her brother’s shoulder. "She’s doing great. She’s tired, but she’s great." Ricardo looked over at Gabi who was smiling back at him. He pulled himself from his mother’s arms and went over to sit next to her. "How’s he doing?" Ricardo and Gabi looked at Antonio who was now just staring blankly out the window. "He’s going to be fine, Ricardo." Gabi put her hand over Ricardo’s, their wedding bands touching. "I think he just wished that I would have delivered first so he wouldn’t have to hear all the gory details from you and then worry about it until the baby comes." Ricardo laughed and rubbed his hand over Gabi’s. "We’ve come a long way, haven’t we Gabi?" "Yes, Ricardo, we have." Gabi touched her palm to his cheek. The last eight months had been such an adjustment for them all. When Ricardo was shot, they were certain he was going to die. He had been in a coma for almost a month and showed very little signs of recovery. Gabi had found out she was pregnant with Antonio’s child only a few days before Amanda found out she was pregnant by Ricardo. Antonio and Gabi explained everything to Maria and Carmen, how they had fallen in love and about making love in the cave-in. Carmen was furious with Antonio thinking that he would never have left the church if he and Gabi hadn’t made love. Antonio explained that the act of making love was only a small part of the reason he left; that the real reason was his heart belonged to Gabi, not God. Amanda was by Ricardo’s bedside every day during his illness and when she found out she was pregnant, she told no one. The day she decided to tell Ricardo about the baby, she didn’t see Antonio standing in the door of his room. She told Ricardo that he had to get better because she loved him and they were going to have a baby; Antonio shamelessly eavesdropped on the entire discussion and then held Amanda in his arms while she cried. He convinced her that the family needed to know; that Gabi and he had discussed her relationship with Ricardo and knew that there was more to it than just friendship. She was embarrassed and ashamed, but Antonio convinced her that if she spoke with Gabi, things would not be as bad as they seemed. Gabi, Antonio and Amanda sat down and had a long discussion about Gabi and Ricardo, Gabi and Antonio and Amanda and Ricardo. There were many tears, lots of guilt and finally, an overwhelming sense of understanding. Antonio and Gabi had fallen in love just as Amanda and Ricardo had; Ricardo and Gabi tried hard to hold on to feelings that just weren’t there anymore. Gabi could be nothing but understanding and happy for Ricardo when Amanda told her she was pregnant; Gabi was pregnant by Antonio, after all. Gabi and Amanda cried and hugged each other; two women who had loved the same man and the one who still did. Amanda started talking to Ricardo everyday about their baby and a week later; he came out of his coma. Amanda was alone with him when he awoke and she told him right away that she was pregnant. He was upset about what Gabi’s reaction to his affair with Amanda would be, he felt incredibly guilty. Amanda asked him if he loved her; he told her that he did. She assured him that things had already been worked out. Antonio and Gabi arrived at his room only an hour after he woke and the four talked for another two hours about everything that had taken place before and after he was shot. It took Ricardo a few weeks to accept that his brother and Gabi had been in love all this time and that they had made love in the cave-in, but he was in no position to be judgmental given his own affair and his feelings for Amanda. Gabi and Ricardo agreed to part on good terms and Ricardo forgave her and Antonio both for their indiscretion so long ago. They left Ricardo to Amanda’s care and started planning for their own life together and the arrival of their child. Antonio and Gabi were married in a private oceanside ceremony with family and a few friends a month after Ricardo woke from his coma. Ricardo and Amanda were married a month after Antonio and Gabi at a small chapel in a town outside of Sunset Beach. Gabi clasped Ricardo’s hand tightly. "I’m so happy for you and Amanda. Have you decided on a name yet?" Ricardo smiled. "Christina Renae Torres." The pride shining on his face made Gabi want to cry. "I should get back to Amanda and…and my daughter now." Ricardo kissed Gabi on the cheek and stood up. Neither of them had noticed that Antonio had left the room. Ricardo walked out and turned down the hall. He passed the nursery on his way back to Amanda and found Antonio standing in front of the glass staring at all the new babies. "Hey, T." Ricardo put his hand on his brother’s shoulder; Antonio turned around with his arms folded across his chest. "You okay?" "Yeah," Antonio answered, his voice choked with emotion. "Congratulations Ricardo…to both of you." Ricardo hugged his brother tightly then held him at arms length. "It’s amazing, T. It’s going to be the most amazing moment of your life." Ricardo smiled and looked past Antonio into the nursery. Antonio turned around and Ricardo placed his hand on his shoulder. "When you see that tiny head come out, your heart is already lost to that little baby. And then you hear her cry for the first time and you’ve never heard anything so sweet in your entire life." The babies in the nursery were cooing and crying; some were sleeping and some were awake. "The doctor hands you the hemostats and you reach down and cut the umbilical cord and then they put this tiny baby into your arms…this new life that you’ve created with Gabi. This tangible evidence of your love." Antonio felt tears stinging his eyes and he looked at his big brother. "I won’t lie to you, it’s disgusting." Antonio broke into laughter and Ricardo slapped his back. "It’s the most painful and disgusting thing I’ve ever seen and thank God it’s Amanda and Gabi on that bed instead of you or I, but I wouldn’t give Christina back for anything in the world and neither will you when you hold your son or daughter for the first time." Antonio pulled Ricardo into a warm hug. "Now come on and let’s go see my daughter and you can get some practice holding a baby before Gabi delivers. Which by the looks of it, isn’t going to be much longer. She looks like she’s dropped already, you know." Ricardo laughed as the paleness returned to his brother’s face. He put his arm around his shoulder and directed him down the hall to Amanda’s room purposely telling him the grossest details of Amanda’s delivery. They walked together, brothers, friends, each with a new life ahead of him as their futures began to take shape. The End.
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