"And you're a mother," Lester said foolishly.
"Yes," Ginny murmured. "You are a daddy and I'm a mother. Both at the same time." She smiled again. "It's funny."
"Funny?" Lester said. He sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand. "How do you mean?"
"The anesthetic was funny," Ginny said, and suddenly she giggled.
Lester looked at her worriedly. "Did anything happen?" he asked. "Besides the baby, I mean?"
"Oh, just something I imagined," Ginny said. "But it was so clear it was like it was real." She looked at him from between half-closed lids and giggled again. "When the doctor spanked the baby—you know how they do—he said, 'Stop that, you big ape! Try swatting someone your own size!'"
"The doctor said that?"
"No, the baby," Ginny said. "Wasn't it funny the way I imagined all that?"
Lester forced a smile. "Yeah," he said, "sure."
Just then a nurse, eyeing Lester with uneasy speculation, edged quietly into the room. "You'll have to leave now, Mr. Holmes," she said. "The doctors are waiting for you."