Halfway to Forever by Karen Kingsbury Page B

loving way the family had welcomed the child. As Edna left, she gazed at the ocean and thought of the cozy warmth that made up the Bronzans’ home. The family had all the necessary means to give Grace a life she’d only dreamed of.
    Edna sighed as she made her way back to the car, seized by a pang of fear. What if Grace’s birth mother appealed her case and was set free? What if the termination didn’t go through? What if something happened and Grace had to leave this family?
    She slid into the driver’s seat and shook off the feeling. It wasn’t possible. Grace’s situation was simply too bad for any solution other than a termination of the mother’s rights.
    She thought about Grace’s file, reports she’d read again just that morning. They’d been no different from hundreds of other files she’d seen in the past year, but something about Grace tugged at Edna’s heart. Maybe it was the most recent report, the one detailing the child’s removal from her mother’s care.
    The details were enough to turn Edna’s stomach, and though she wasn’t a praying woman, she took a moment from her schedule and placed before God two very specific requests. First, that the Bronzans be permitted to adopt Grace.
    And second, that they never learn the awful things that nearly transpired the night their new little girl was taken into protective custody.

Six
     
    S omething was wrong.
    Jade was utterly nauseous, her headaches more severe than before. And on several occasions her vision had doubled. She did everything she could to rationalize the way she felt. Her age must be a factor, she told herself, or her hormones. Maybe the baby was bigger than Ty had been at this point, or possibly the stress of the miscarriage a year ago had strained her system more than she realized.
    Maybe she needed glasses.
    Jade tried to calmly analyze her symptoms, but each night she lay down in raw, heart-pounding fear, terrified something was wrong with the baby. Sometimes, after Tanner was asleep, she’d sit straight up in bed and stare out the window, willing her heartbeat to slow down, desperate for a grip on her emotions.
    Day after day the fear ate at her, but not once did she tell Tanner. Oh, she told him when she didn’t feel well or when she had to lie down because her headaches were so bad. But she didn’t tell him her deepest fears, that there might be complications with her pregnancy. She barely acknowledged the possibility to herself.
    But now, six weeks after learning she was pregnant, Jade was worried about more than the baby’s health.
    She was worried about her own.
    That was why, when she awoke at four in the morning one Monday in June with a splitting headache, she promised herself she’d make the call. Whatever was causing the pain in her head,it had to be checked. She’d start with Dr. Layton, a neurologist friend who worked with her at the children’s hospital. He would know what to do.
    No matter how great her fear, there was no better time to go in and be seen. Ty had spent the night at a neighbor boy’s house, and today he was going to the beach with the boy’s family. Jade had no plans whatsoever for the day.
    Her head throbbed as she eased herself to a sitting position, careful not to wake Tanner. He would be up in two hours and he needed his sleep. He’d been coming home from the office earlier since Jade’s announcement, but he was so excited about the baby that they had talked until after midnight the past few nights.
    Despite her pain, the sight of her sleeping husband filled her with joy. There couldn’t be anything seriously wrong with her. Not now, not when she had everything she’d ever dreamed of with Tanner.
    She brushed a lock of hair off his forehead and admired the angles of his face. He’d been treating her like a China doll since hearing the news, doting on her, bringing her ice water, and encouraging her to rest whenever possible. Because of the severity of her symptoms, he wanted her home