He Was A Son Of A Beach

 

 

He Was A Son Of A Beach

 

A short story by: Jake Jones

 

 

© 2016 by Jake Jones

All Rights Reserved

 

 

 

 

 

He Was A Son Of A beach!

A short story by Jake Jones

© 2016 by Jake Jones – All rights reserved

 

Jim and Karey, who had been married for 4 years, since the year 2000, and needed a vacation in a way they had never felt before.

 

Jim was working a new Job for the county, and Karey was 7 months pregnant with their first child. The pregnancy was something unexpected, but the thought of having a Son or Daughter was over the top when it came to their anticipation about things in their lives changing. Things would be hugely different in 2005.

 

It was Friday, and when Jim arrived home from his job with the County, he announced that his boss had given him the next week off (with pay) so they (Jim and Karey) could have some quality time before the baby arrived.

 

Karey said, “that’s awesome”, but why did he do this? Jim said that it must have been obvious that he and Karey were under a lot of strain because of the new job, the pregnancy and the fact that they had to move to Florida, buy a house, and a bunch of other stuff that he couldn’t even think of then.

 

So, with that Karey asked Jim; “so what are we going to do next week?” Jim told Karey that he had already made plans for a room at a resort near Tampa Bay. Wow….Karey said, that will be awesome. However, then she said to Jim that I wonder how this will go with me being pregnant and all? Jim said that he didn’t feel that anyone would complain and they would have a great time.

 

That is when Karey said; “you dope; I meant for me and the baby!” Jim said, Ohhh…OK, got it; but then went on to say that Karey would just have to take it a little easy, and then also added “that was what the upcoming vacation week is all about…..relaxation.”

 

Saturday morning came, and off they went to the “Sea Turtle Beach Resort in their older, but still in very good condition pick-up truck. Upon arrival at the Sea Turtle Beach Resort, Jim parked near the entrance door and went inside to get everything taken care of. Then, he went back out to the pick-up truck where Karey was sitting and told here it’s all set, room #424 is ours.

 

Karey got a big smile on her face and said “well, alrighty then”!

 

Jim needed to make several trips back down to the pick-up to retrieve all of the suitcases and bags that they brought with them. However, upon entering the room, they were amazed at the view of the ocean and the sunset. It was awesome and looked much like something you would perhaps see on the “Travel Channel” or the “Home & Garden Network”. The view was awesome.

 

Finally……they were all unpacked and ready to relax. Karey said that she couldn’t wait to get onto that beach the next morning and insisted that they watch the “Weather Channel” to see what the weather would be tomorrow. Their main concerns were the safety and well being of both Karey and the baby she was carrying. They didn’t want to take any chances or do dumb things that would put either of those two in danger.

 

The “Weather Channel” said that the Tampa Bay area of Florida would experience unusually mild and balmy weather for the next few days. When Jim and Karey heard that, they did a high-five and nearly broke into a “happy dance” but decided that it was probably a good idea to NOT do a “happy dance” because of Karey’s condition and the fact that they were on the forth floor and probably had other visitors below them.

 

So, they sat on the sofa and watched TV late into the evening and then off to bed they went with thoughts of being beach bums tomorrow.

 

At 6AM, the alarm clock went off and they just laid there looking at each other with a weird look on their faces. That look was like…..”is this real, and are we really going to the beach today?” Yeaha!! It was real…. and they were going to the beach.

 

Breakfast was quick and easy because “Pop-Tarts” can be eaten right out of the package, microwaved, or heated in a toster. Zoooommmm! They were now filled up, dressed for the beach and out the room door heading for the elevator. When they got down to the Lobby, they noticed that the place was full of new arrivals from that morning already and the place was packed.

 

It was just 8AM and it was a very short walk to the beach and Karey was dressed in “Sweat Pants” and a long tailed shirt because of her pregnancy. Jim was dressed like a beach bum who wanted to make an impression on people; and….Karey was sure that would happen quickly knowing Jim’s willingness to be friendly with people he didn’t know.

 

Once on the beach, they found a dune that faced the ocean and allowed them to lie down on blankets and look out over the water. It was kind of like a hospital bed that can be made to rise up so the patient doesn’t have to continuously lie down flat.

 

The temperature was about 78 degrees and the winds were very mild and balmy with top wind speed of maybe 10mph. Lying there looking out over the water was very relaxing and peaceful. Yes, there were plenty of surfboarders, paddle boarders, swimmers and sun baithers there, but that didn’t take away from the visual beauty.

It was a good experience because there were plenty of Beach Vendor’s who sold everything from water, and soft drinks to sandwiches, and candy of all varieties. They were sitting there finishing their lunch when Karey winced and said in a low voice “owe”. Jim asked “what’s up with that?” Karey said she just had a sharp pain in her abdomen and didn’t know why. Within a few minutes it happened again, and that is when Karey said to Jim….”maybe you had better call 911, because I think I’m going into labor!” Jim’s eyes got huge and he said “you’re kidding me, right?” Karey said, “No, I’m not kidding and I think the baby will arrive a few weeks early the way I feel right now!” Jim said OK, and got his cell phone and dialed 9-1-1.

 

Jim told the 9-1-1 Dispatcher that they had arrived at the Resort last evening and all was well, but his wife and him were now on the beach and she thought she was now going into labor. The Didpatcher asked Jim which section of the beach they were on and he told the Dispatcher that they were on a sand dune on section 37. The female dispatcher said O.K., and advised that a response team would be on the way within two or three minutes, and probably would take 10 minutes or so to arrive.

 

After hanging up with the Dispatcher, Jim could see that his wife Karey was in serious trouble as far as an unexpected delivery time for their first child. He tried to comfort her and told here that a response team would arrive shortly. However, that didn’t happen soon enough. Karey’s labor situation became worse and she was sure that the baby would arrive even before the response team did.

 

At about the time that the Dispatcher said the response team should have been arriving on the scene, the baby arrived instead. They were completely unprepaired for this and had some real problems to deal with that they didn’t expect on their first day on the beach.

 

By this time, a dozen or so onlookers had gathered and some offered help. One of them was a female nurse by the name of Glenda. Glenda had years of experience in assisting with child births. She was told by Jim and Karey that anything she could do to help would be appreciated. So, this volunteer nurse got involved and started helping Karey with her breathing and offered relaxation techniques to help Karey remain calm and strong.

 

Within two or three minutes after that, the baby decided it wanted entry into the “real world”, and wanted to leave the womb of its mother. And, as children go, this baby got its way and entered into the real world screaming and crying. This even added to the curiosity of the beach-goers who heard the screams of the child, and the curiosity crowd doubled quickly, and saw that a baby boy had been delivered on the beach.

 

The volunteer nurse told Jim to dig a shallow trench in the sand about 3 feet long. He asked why and she told him that they would use the warm sand trench to keep the child warm until the ambulance arrived. Jim said OK, even though it didn’t sound like something a qualified nurse would recommend, he did exactly as she requested.

The baby boy was cleaned up as good as could be under the circumstances and then wrapped in a T-shirt that Jim had brought with him. Then, the nurse took the child, laid it in the shallow trench that Jim had made. Then, she covered most of the childs lower torso with Sun-warmed sand which would keep the baby warm.

 

About 6 or 8 minutes after the trenching of the child, the ambulance arrived with the response team. They uncovered the child from the trench, did all of the necessary checks like breathing, heart beat, and more, and then took the baby boy to the ambulance to travel to the hospital to make sure everything was the way it was supposed to be. Next, they came back for Karey, placed her on a gurney and carried her to the ambulance. She would also be transported to the hospital for routine inspection.

 

Neither Jim nor Karey had any idea if their first child would be a boy or a girl, so they didn’t bother choosing a name for the child, but Jim thought to himself that NOW it really needs to be done.

 

Both Jim and the volunteer nurse followed the ambulance to the hospital in Jim’s pick-up truck. Once there, the went to the E.R., and found doctors working on both the un-named baby and Karey. For about 30 minutes, a doctor was visiting with both Karey and the un-named newborn baby boy. Then, the doctor came out to the waiting area, introduced himself and told Jim that all was well, and that both patients were doing great. The doctor recommended keeping the both of them overnight just to be on the safe side, and that they could probably be released tomorrow about 10AM. Jim replied “awesome” and then asked if he could see them and the doctor said “of course you can, go right on in!”

 

Upon his entry into the room where his wife and new Son were, he could see the happy look upon the face of Karey. However, the first thing she said to him was that she was sorry for messing up their special trip; and he told her “oh stop; it wasn’t your fault,” and besides we now have a new Son that arrived about two months early.

 

Karey said she was thankful for that but now they needed a name for the child and wanted to know what Jim’s thoughts were on that. Jim said he thought the new baby boy should be named “Marlin” because he was born on Marlin Beach; then went on to say that he was actually born there twice!” Yes, he said once from his mother and once from the trench in the beach that kept him warm and comfy until the ambulance arrived.

 

Jim then said “I guess that makes him a “Son Of The Beach”, doesn’t it?” Karey chuckled a little and then agreed that even though it sounds weird, it did appear that he was born twice that day. So, they agreed to name him “Marlin”, after the name of the beach where he was born. This made him a true “Son Of The Beach.”

 

The next day Jim returned to the hospital to pick up his wife and newborn Son, Marlin. When he got into their room, he saw that they were all ready for the trip back to the resort. They were dressed, fed, and even had some prescriptions that they needed to have filled soon.

 

When they arrived back at their forth floor room at the Sea Turtle Beach Resort, they chatted for a long while about their next move. Should they stay their time there, or should they return home more quickly than planned. They eventually decided that they would leave to return home on Wednesday morning. Jim would return to work a few day early, and Karey would be able to immerse herself into her new roll as mother. She would need to shop for diapers, baby clothes, and sanitizing items. At that point, Jim looked into the eyes of Karey and said; “never a dull moment, huh?” Karey smiled and agreed with the statement.

 

Upon their return home, it was obvious that there are life changes in everyone’s life regardless where they are, what they are doing, what they like, and especially regardless of “their plans”.

 

Jim went back to his job with the county, and Karey became a “super Mom” taking care of the new addition to their family.

 

Both of them agreed that it seemed that “Marlin” was growing by leaps and bounds. It even seemed that he would grow between the time when Jim left for work in the morning and when he returned home shortly after 5PM.

 

What they didn’t realize at the time was that their responsibility as adults was also growing, with increased life challenges, and challenges in their marriage, as parents, and as plain old human beings.

 

Marlin would grow up to be an awesome Son and an intelligent individual who eventually went to work for the National Weather Service as a Weather Prognosticator.

 

 

 

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