One night, Eddie said, "We have such a good time together, why don't we have a standing date once a week?"
And I thought: I can't afford to entertain as lavishly as they do. I would be taking advantage of them. And I said, "Eddie, let's just see each other when we can."
I could see the hurt on his face.
Another couple we enjoyed was Arthur Hornblow and his wife, Lenore. Arthur Hornblow was a successful producer.
"I have a project I think you would enjoy," Arthur said one day.
He's very successful and I need a job, but I don't want to take advantage of him. And I said, "Let's just see each other socially, Arthur."
And I lost a friend.
All in a Night's Work was finished and a short time later Jorja was ready to deliver our second baby. This time I was ready. I knew where the hospital was and we left early enough so that there would be no last-minute dash. We were given a room at the hospital and there was nothing to do now but wait for the arrival of our - Boy? Girl? It really did not matter.
Our obstetrician, Dr. Blake Watson, had already arrived at the hospital.
At one o'clock in the morning, Alexandra arrived. I was waiting outside the delivery room when Dr. Watson and two nurses came hurrying out. Dr. Watson was carrying the baby, wrapped in a blanket.
"Doctor, how is - ?"
He rushed past me. I began to panic. A moment later, Jorja was wheeled out of the delivery room to be taken to her room. She looked very pale.
"Is everything all right?" she asked.
I took her hand. "Everything is fine. I'll be in to see you in a few minutes."
I watched them wheel her down the corridor. Then I hurried to find Dr. Watson.
As I was passing the newborn intensive care unit, I saw him through the window. He and two other doctors were standing over a crib in a heated discussion. My heart began to pound. I wanted to burst into the room, but I forced myself to wait. When Dr. Watson looked up and saw me, he said something to the others. They all turned to look at me. I was finding it hard to breathe. Dr. Watson came out into the corridor.
"What's happening?" I asked. "What's - what's wrong?" I could hardly speak.
"I'm afraid I have bad news for you, Mr. Sheldon."
"The baby is dead!"
"No. But - " He was finding it difficult to go on. "Your baby was born with spina bifida."
I wanted to shake him. "What does that - ? Tell me in plain English."
"Spina bifida is a birth defect. During the first months of pregnancy, the spine doesn't close properly. When the baby is born, it has only a thin layer of skin over its spine. The spinal cord is really protruding through the back. It's one of the most - "
"Well, for God's sake, fix it!" I was screaming.
"It's not that simple. It takes an expert - "
"Then get some experts here. Do you hear me? Now! I want them now!" I was crying, totally out of control.
He looked at me a moment, nodded, and hurried away.
I had to break the news to Jorja. It was probably the most difficult moment of my life.
When I walked into the room, she looked at my face and said, "What's wrong?"
"Everything is going to be all right," I assured her. "Alexandra was born with a - a - problem, but some medical experts are on their way here to take care of it. Everything will be fine."
At four o'clock in the morning, two doctors arrived and Dr. Watson took them into the newborn intensive care unit. I stood outside for a few moments, watching their faces, willing them to nod, to smile reassuringly. Finally, I could stand it no longer. I returned to Jorja. I stayed with her and we sat there, silently, waiting.
Half an hour later, Dr. Watson came in. He looked at Jorja and me a moment and said quietly, "Two of the top experts who deal with spina bifida have examined your baby. They agree that there is very little chance that she can survive. If she should survive, she will probably have hydrocephalus, an accumulation of fluid in the brain." Every word was a hammer. "She will also have bowel and bladder complications. Spina bifida is a permanently disabling birth defect."
I said, "But it's possible that she can live?"
"Yes, but - "
"Then we'll take her home. We'll have twenty-four-hour nurses for her and all the equipment - "
"Mr. Sheldon, no. She needs to be placed in a care center where they're used to dealing with this problem. There's a home we recommend near Pomona, where they can handle this."
Jorja and I looked at each other. Jorja said, "Then we can visit her."
"It would be better if you didn't."
It took a moment for it to sink in. "You mean - "
"She's going to die. I'm sorry. All you can do is pray for her."
How do you pray for your baby to die?
I read everything I could find about spina bifida in medical journals. The prognosis was not good. When Mary asked where Alexandra was, we told her that the baby was sick and would not be coming home for a while.
I had trouble sleeping. I had visions of Alexandra lying in a crib, in pain, in a strange place with no one to hold her, no one to love her. Several times I awakened in the middle of the night and found Jorja in the deserted nursery, crying. But there was hope. The records showed that some children with spina bifida lived into their adulthood. Alexandra would need special care, but we could give it to her. We would stop at nothing. Dr. Watson was wrong. Medical miracles happened every day.
When I came across an article about some new life-saving drug, I would show it to Jorja. "Look. This wasn't even on the market yesterday. Now it's going to save thousands of lives."