Chapter 10

I woke, not remembering where I was and looked around. I saw Andrea in her bed and went to her. “How did you sleep?” I asked her.

“Not very well. My bottom hurts and the I.V., the monitor and this oxygen really prevents me from getting comfortable. How did you sleep?”

“I guess I can crash anywhere.”

“The oxygen is drying out my nasal passages.”

I looked at the monitor. “Pulse 58, SAO2 98 -- pretty healthy I’d say. Take the oxygen harness off and let’s see how your numbers look.”

“Do you think I should?”

“Dr Lang said they’d keep you on oxygen and fluids overnight.”

She removed the oxygen tubing and shook her hair. “That feels better.”

“Let’s give you a few minutes and see how your numbers look ... pulse the same, SAO2 dropped to 97. How does being un-pregnant feel?”

“It feels wonderful,” she said.

“I’m going to go back to the duplex for a shower and fresh clothes. I’ll be back.” I leaned over and hugged and kissed her.

I arrived at the duplex to see a For Sale sign planted in the front yard. I headed inside, showered, dressed and then placed a phone call.

Woodland Realty, I heard on the line.

“Lisa, please.”

Sepaking.

“Lisa -- this is Casey Rollins. You worked with us on a rental property earlier this year.”

I remember. The duplex on Grove.

“A For Sale sign has sprouted in the yard. It wasn’t there yesterday morning.”

What’s the address?

“257 Grove. What would a sale mean for our lease?”

I’m looking it up. The new owner would be obligated to honor your lease until it expires but would be under no obligation to renew it. I don’t see that property in the MLS.

“It’s listed by Alpha Properties -- the same outfit where I send my rent checks every month.”

I’ll check their website ... here it is. They’re listing it for three hundred.

“I’m interested in buying it. Can you meet me here right away? I’m under a time crunch.”

I can be there in a few minutes.

I stood in the front room waiting for Lisa’s SUV to show up. She pulled into the drive and I met her.

“Good to see you again,” Lisa said. “Where’s Andrea?”

“She’s in the hospital.”

“Oh, my God! Nothing serious I hope.”

“We just had a baby ... yesterday.”

“Congratulations. It sounds like you’ve had quite the year.”

“Quite. We each had divorces to finalize and then we got married. The baby was a bit of a surprise ... but a happy one.”

“Congratulations again. I called Alpha and got the lowdown on this property. The owners have a place on the Gulf coast in Alabama where they spend winters. They’ve decided to relocate there permanently.”

“You said three hundred?”

“That’s what they’re listing it for.”

“What do you think of that price?”

“Since I’m officially representing the seller, I shouldn’t comment. Frankly I think it is high. The house is assessed at three hundred, but a tax assessment and a fair market price are two different things.”

“What would be a fair market value?” I asked.

“I haven’t pulled any comps. I’d guess ... two-sixty.”

“Can we look the place over?” I asked.

We approached the other unit’s front door. Lisa read a combination off a sheet of paper and unlocked the lock box to retrieve a key. She opened the front door and we stepped inside.

“It’s a mirror-image of our place,” I remarked. “Wall-to-wall carpeting that has to go. I imagine it’s hardwood underneath. It’s what’s in ours.

“Probably,” Lisa agreed.

“Tell me -- would Andrea and I be obliged to have potential buyers walk through our unit?”

“We’d need to review the language in your lease, but I think that’s likely.”

“Andie will not like that,” I mused. “The unit needs some freshening up, but nothing extensive.”

We headed upstairs. “Basically the same,” I said, “out-dated but serviceable. Lisa -- I want to put in an offer and a strong one. I want to head this off at the pass. Let’s go inside and write one up.”

Lisa locked up the vacant unit and we went into ours. We sat on the sectional and she began writing up the offer. “Buyers will be Casey and Andrea Rollins?”

“Casey Rollins and Andrea Hagen,” I replied. “She’s keeping her maiden name.”

“That’s more and more common these days,” she said. “What sort of offer?”

“If you think fair market is two-sixty, I’d like to offer two-seventy-five.”

“That’s a solid offer. Inspection contingency?”

“I think I know the place well enough to dispense with that.”

“Sellers like that, too. What about earnest money? A thousand or fifteen hundred would do.”

“I’ll go five thousand earnest money,” I replied.

“That will get their attention,” Lisa replied. “I’ll put in a financing contingency. That’s standard and a safeguard for you. Your main worry would be a commercial buyer coming in with a cash offer.”

“That’s why I want to get this in A.S.A.P.”

Lisa finished filling out the form. “Look this over.”

I reviewed the paperwork. “Looks good.”

“Sign here. Then, all we need is Andrea’s signature.”

“Do we absolutely need her signature?”

“If you want it to be joint property, yes. Is there a reason you wouldn’t want to own it jointly?”

“No. I’d want it to be a joint venture. I’m due back at the hospital. Why don’t you follow me? You can wait in the lobby and I can scoot upstairs and get her signature.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“She’s at Lincolnville Memorial. It’s not far.”

“I know the way.”

I locked up our unit and headed toward the hospital with Lisa following. We stepped into the lobby and I headed for the elevators. When I reached the room I found Andrea sitting up in the bed and with our daughter suckling her left breast. The oxygen and I.V. lines were gone as was the oximeter.

“What took so long?”

“Some business. Andie -- I need your signature on this.”

“What is this?”

“It’s an offer to buy the house.”

“House? What house?”

“The duplex. When I got home there was a For Sale sign in the yard.”

“You want me to sign this? Casey -- we agreed to discuss major purchases beforehand and I can’t imagine a purchase more major than buying a house.”

“I know, but you were ... indisposed. I know you’ll agree with me on this. It’s win-win.”

“I will not sign this until we discuss it.”

I let out an exasperated sigh. “I called Lisa and had her come out so we could walk the other unit. The place is listed for three hundred. I want to offer two-seventy-five with five thousand earnest money. It’s a solid offer.”

“What’s earnest money?”

“It’s what it says -- it’s money that our realtor puts in escrow to demonstrate our sincerity in making the offer. If our offer is rejected, it comes back to us. If our offer is accepted, it goes toward the down payment. If we can’t close for whatever reason, it goes to the seller as compensation for the hassle of re-listing the property.”

“The duplex is nice as temporary housing, but it’s not what I imagined as our forever home.”

“It need not be,” I replied. “Now is not a good time to be looking for a house. Not a lot of sellers are listing in the winter, so our selection of inventory would be low ... which also makes it a seller’s market. We can defer the forever home for a couple of years while we get solidly established.”

“I suppose...”

“I asked Lisa what a sale would mean for our lease. She said a new owner would be obligated to honor it, but not to renew it.”

“The current owner isn’t obligated to renew it, either.”

“No, but much more likely to,” I countered. “Also, we would need to let potential buyers walk our unit, too.”

“I would not like that at all.”

“I didn’t think you would. We can afford to put sixty down, which means we’d be financing just over two hundred. The monthly mortgage payment would be around thirteen hundred a month and the real estate taxes about another three hundred, so our carrying costs would be about what we’re paying in rent.”

“We would need to start paying for heat and water,” she said.

“True, but our budget can handle it. Plus, if we rent the other unit, we’d be making seventeen or eighteen hundred a month. Think of what we could do over a couple of years with that much more as income.”

She nodded. “Yes, I think this is the right thing to do. Where do I sign?”

“Right here.” I pushed her tray toward her, placed the paperwork on it and handed her a pen. “I KNEW you’d agree with this.”

“I trusted you to make a good decision. I wanted the courtesy of us discussing it as equals.”

“A courtesy that you absolutely deserve,” I replied. I kissed her lips and headed to the lobby.

“Here we are,” I said, handing the sheet to Lisa.

“I’ll make photocopies and mail one to you. I called Alpha and told them we have a strong offer coming. They’ll hold off posting this to the MLS until they review what we have. I told them who the buyers were. They knew your name and said you send in the rent checks like clockwork, so that’s a good reference. I’m optimistic this will be accepted.”

“Thank you, Lisa.”

“I’ll call as soon as I know anything.”

I headed back to Andrea’s room and found her walking and holding the baby. “You have your mobility back,” I said. “They left in your I.V. catheter.”

“I’m going to need to be hooked up again for the tubal ligation,” she replied.

“Are you nervous about that?”

“I’m always nervous about general anesthesia. Dr Lang said the procedure itself is minor.”

“Can I hold her?”

“Certainly -- you’re her daddy.” She handed the infant to me and I cradled her in my arms.

“I see they gave you different duds.”

“This gown is designed to make nursing a bit more convenient.” I sat on the sofa in the room and Andrea sat beside me and leaned against me. “I miss feeling you in bed with me,” she said.

“Me, too. Any idea when you’ll be sprung from this joint?”

“Tomorrow, if everything goes right,” she said.

“I’ll spend the evening finalizing the nursery.”

“Did you buy a car seat?”

“That’s on my to-do list as well.”

A nurse and an orderly pushing a wheel chair came into the room. “Andrea, it’s time to go down for your procedure. I’ll take your daughter back to the nursery. Have you decided on a name, yet?”

“We’re close,” I said as I set the baby in the bassinet.

Andrea sat in the wheelchair and I followed to the elevator. We descended a couple floors and to an operating room. Dr Lang was standing in scrubs with a face mask dangling under her chin.

“Andrea -- this will be over in no time. Casey -- there’s a waiting room over there.”

I watched as Andrea was wheeled through double swinging doors and decided it was a good opportunity to go to the cafeteria for some quick lunch. I brought a ham sandwich and bottled water back to the waiting room and took a seat. I kept checking the time on my phone. Sure enough, half an hour later Dr Lang approached me.

“She did fine -- no drama like yesterday.”

“Can I see her?”

“Follow me.”

She led me to another recovery room. Andrea lay on her back on a gurney. Her eyes were open. “Someone to see you,” Dr Lang said.

“Hi. How are you feeling?” I asked.

“A little foggy yet.”

“We use an anesthesia that wears off quickly.”

“Remember anything?”

“I remember being put on the table and waking up here.”

“That’s exactly what you should remember,” Dr Lang replied.

“Can we go home tomorrow?” Andrea asked.

“I’ll come by and check you in the morning. If everything looks okay -- yes. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

A nurse and an orderly approached. “You’re clear to go back to your room,” the nurse said. “I’m going to remove your I.V.” She peeled back the adhesive, slipped the catheter from Andrea’s vein and covered it with an adhesive bandage. “You’re not sad to see that go, are you?”

“Not at all.”

“Ok, we’ll go for a ride.”

We reached her room. “I think I can make it on my own,” Andrea said. She swung her feet to the floor. I supported her and she lay on the bed.

“You rest there for a while. I’ll bring you some lunch. Are you hungry?”

“Am I ever,” she replied. “Casey -- are you going to get some lunch?”

“I had a sandwich while you were in the O.R.”

The nurse brought a tray with a chicken breast on whole wheat sandwich, a fruit salad and a piece of spice cake. “Once you finish this, it’s feeding time for your little one.”

Andrea wolfed down her lunch. “I really needed that,” she said. “I was getting hypoglycemic.”

The nurse wheeled in the bassinet. “Now that you’re up and mobile, we’ll leave her in here with you. By the way -- do you have your name finalized?”

“Yes,” Andrea replied.

“Here...” The nurse handed her a clipboard.

Andrea looked at me. “What we discussed.”

I nodded in agreement, she jotted on the sheet and handed it back to the nurse.

Andrea picked up the infant and sat on the sofa. “I finished on the right side so I start on the right side,” she said and opened her gown. Holding her breast she offered her nipple to the baby. Andrea’s eyes popped and her jaw dropped. “She’s really learned how to latch on.”

I sat beside her and put my arm around her. “How do you know when it’s time to switch?” I asked.

“I’m a novice at this. I’m still learning to decipher the sensations in my breasts. One of the nurses is coming by later with a lesson on breast pumping.”

“I suppose you want me to make myself scarce for that.”

“If you don’t mind. I’d prefer not to have any kibitzing.”

“I’ll use the time for finishing the nursery.”

“Thank you.” She switched sides and held the baby to her left breast until her nursing tapered off. “She’s either full or bored with getting nothing.” Andrea held her up and stroked her back until she brought up a little burp.

“I’ll hold her,” I said and Andrea gave her to me.

“Knock-knock.” I looked up and saw my mom and step-dad.

“Mom,” I said.

Andrea adjusted her gown and stood to face them. “Annette ... Walter ... Come in.”

My mom hugged Andrea. “Andie -- you look great. How are you feeling?”

“Sore and a little tired but otherwise okay.”

“I see you have your figure back.”

“My figure and then some,” she replied.

“Is this my granddaughter?” My mom approached me and I handed the baby to her. “Oh, she is adorable. Such a pretty baby. Look at that wispy blonde hair. I know where that comes from.”

“Look at her parents,” Walter remarked. “How could she not be pretty?”

“Have you decided on a name?”

“We have,” Andrea replied. “We actually decided on three. They say her name is the first gift you give a new child. We wanted it to be a good one. Casey and I couldn’t come up with a better first name than ... Annette.”

My mom’s jaw dropped. “You named her after me? What an honor.”

“Annette -- for the past year you have been more of a mom to me than my own. Your love, support and advice helped me through this pregnancy. I think it’s only fitting.”

“I ... I’m overwhelmed,” Mom replied. “Thank you.”

“For her first middle name we picked Brigitte, after Dr Lang. Dr Lang saved me fifteen years ago and she saved me again yesterday. She took a terrified teen under her wing and cared for her.”

“She was nothing less than a hero yesterday when she saved that grown-up teen’s life,” I added. “Her second middle name is Andrea. This one is for me. A year ago when Andie and I were snowbound during that blizzard we talked and bared our souls to each other. I told her I loved her name ... Andrea. I love the sound of it and I promised if I ever had a daughter I’d work Andrea into her name.”

“So,” Andrea said, “You are holding Annette Brigitte Andrea Rollins.”

“That,” Walter said, “is a fitting name for such a lovely young lady.”

“Annette,” my mom said, “very pleased to meet you. My name is Annette, too. Isn’t that a coincidence?”

“Casey,” Walter said, “if you have any chores or errands for which I can help -- I am at your disposal. Just give me a call.”

“As a matter of fact...” My phone signaled an incoming call. “Hello?”

It’s Lisa from Woodland Realty.

“Hi, Lisa.”

I have a response back from Alpha Properties. The sellers have countered at two-eighty.

I looked toward Andrea. “What is it?” she asked.

“The sellers have counter offered at two eighty. Should we accept?”

Andrea nodded. “Yes, I think we should.”

I spoke into the phone. “Lisa -- we accept two-eighty. Do we need new paperwork?”

We can go with a verbal. The sellers will write it up and you and Andrea can stop by my office in a day or two. I’ll give you what you need to start applying for financing. Congratulations -- you bought a house.

“Thanks, Lisa.”

“What was that about?” Walter asked.

“Our landlords put the duplex on the market,” I replied.

“And, we bought it,” Andrea added.

“Walter -- if you’re looking for a project ... Once we close on it I’ll want to freshen up the other unit a bit. I thought you and I could build new kitchen cabinet doors. We can paint the place, rip up carpeting, and put in new countertops and appliances. I think we can do it for ten or fifteen grand.”