Page 97 of Scoreless Nights

Scoreless Heart was the name of her exhibit, and told the story of all the ways her Cardiomyopathy would never win. Love, family, and friends were stronger than whatever her heart went through, and she drew about it almost everyday. I had honestly never been more proud of anything in my life—not even my own personal achievements.

“Knock, knock,” the doctor came in, feeling more cheerful than any of the rest of us.

I stood up and kept Lily’s hand in mine while Gloria stepped aside and stood in the corner with my dad. It had to be hard for her, letting me take the lead, but she did so with grace.

“How’s she doing, Doc?” I asked, pushing her hair on her head a little. Dr. Henderson had been Lily’s doctor since she moved to Miami, and was used to us being overly protective, but it was his first time seeing us in the hospital.

“Well,” Dr. Henderson said as he browsed the notes, then looked up directly at Lily. “This had nothing to do with your heart, and everything to do with the fact that you, Mrs. Martin, are pregnant.”

Gloria gasped from the other side of the room, and Lily’s eyes were wider than they ever had been. I was frozen, in shock, and in a little bit of disbelief. “How?”

“Well, Cruz,” Dr. Henderson smiled, “When two people love each other…”

Lily laughed, stopping the doctor from speaking, and he looked over and winked at her. “Am I okay to have a baby? I’m on the pill, too.”

“Being on the pill has always been hit or miss because of the array of medications you take. As for being okay, we will definitely have to make some adjustments, and you will be at high risk, so buckle up for a long ride. But given how well you take care of your health, and your age, you should have no problems carrying a healthy baby safely to term. It will also help that I will be referring you to the best obstetrician in the city who handles these kinds of high risk pregnancies all the time.”

Shock and excitement were mixing with each other inside of me, and I had to sit down before I passed out. Lily was holding my hand and I could tell she was still tired, but trying to be present for me.

“I fainted,” Lily explained to Dr. Henderson.

“I know,” he said gently. “Your body and heart are working overtime to create a new life. Be extra careful, and stay calm. Do your breathing exercises, and keep your feet up. No physical activity for a while. Let’s make sure you are under the proper care, and we have a plan before you resume normal activities.”

With that, the doc wrapped everything up and made his way out of the room. Dad and Gloria started squealing over the fact that they were going to be grandparents, hugging both of us and feeling relieved that Lily was going to be able to go home later that same day.

“We will head out and let you two soak in this news together.”

“Don’t tell anyone!” Lily yelled as they exited the door. “We want to do that!”

“So no plane banner rentals,” Dad joked. “Got it.”

Once they were gone, I looked back to Lily and we stared at one another for a long time.

“I’m going to be a dad,” I finally choked out, tears finding a new reason to form in my eyes.

“You are going to be the best dad in the entire world,” Lily smiled.

“And you are going to be the best mom. I love you so much Lily.”

“Love you,” she whispered, before I leaned down and kissed her.

“This is a lot to take in,” I sighed when I sat back down in the chair.

“How are you feeling about everything Dr. Henderson said?”

“Confused, but I know he’s right. Your meds are always changing, and there was always a chance this could happen. We knew that risk and we talked about being okay with bringing a baby into this world.”

“What if he or she inherits my heart?”

“Then he or she will be in good hands because we will know just how to take care of them. Dad and your mom are close now too. It’ll be okay.”

She sighed and smiled again, leaning her head back and looking at the ceiling. “If I am doing the math correctly, I’m probably fifty days pregnant, but since I’m not regular it’s hard to guess. Just assuming I’m right, though, that would mean in two hundred and thirty days, we will be parents.”

“Ugh,” I sighed playfully. “And since the doctor said you can’t have any physical activity, that means we have two-hundred and thirty scoreless nights ahead of us.”