Mosquito Chase (17 page)

“That’s exactly why you don’t give her too much information. If she gets taken by them, it’s best that she knows nothing.”

“They will
not
take her. I’m not going to let that happen.”

The phone on my belt rang, alleviating the tension in the room. I answered just before the second ring.

“Harris.”

“Caleb, we’re at the hospital.”

“Ellie, what’s wrong?” I ran out of the room and headed through the lobby, out of the station.

“She started having bad pains.” Ellie paused.

I started my car. “Ellie, talk to me.”

“It’s too early, but the baby is coming. Just get here. She needs you.”

I hung up and threw the phone on the passenger seat. I flipped on the sirens and grabbed the wheel tighter. I needed to protect her. I needed to protect my family.

I slammed on the breaks as I pulled into a no-parking zone. I yanked the key out of the ignition and threw open the door. I ran toward the sliding glass doors, wedging my way inside. The emergency room bustled with nurses moving back and forth. A gurney sped past me with a woman gripping her stomach. It wasn’t Angie. I stood in the middle of the madness, not knowing where to go. The people in the waiting room stared at the frantic cop running around the ER aimlessly. I ran over to the information desk and stood in front of a woman roughly around my age as she yapped on the phone. I began tapping my fingers on the desk to get her attention. She looked up with a sour expression.

“Missy, I’ll call you back.” She hung up the phone. “Well, hey, stranger. I didn’t think I’d see you again.”

Fuck
. I didn’t have time for post one-night stand conversations.

“Labor and Delivery?”

Her eyes widened, and then narrowed. I didn’t care.

“Family only,” she said bitterly. “Are you the father?”

I groaned and pushed away from the desk. As far as I was concerned that baby was my family. A loud weeping moan came from the door behind her. Was that her? I pushed beyond the desk, through the swinging door, ignoring all signs that read, “Medical Staff Only.”

“Caleb, you can’t go back there!” She ran after me, reminding me only family was allowed.

I saw Ellie step into the hallway. Family only? Ellie must be Angie’s sister now or something.

I ignored the nurse as she babbled on, chasing after me. When she finally caught up to me, she yanked on my arm.

I turned around in a fit of rage and yelled, “I’m the father!” It was a lie, but it didn’t feel like one. In my heart, I would be that baby’s father.

The nurse stood back, wide eyed and slack-jawed. I shook my head and stormed off toward Ellie. Ellie stood back from the door, allowing me to enter. As soon as I walked in, tears pricked the back of my eyes at the sight of Angie with IVs hanging out of each arm. Her once glowing face paled under the florescent lights. Her hands rested loosely on top of her belly. She was asleep, but I didn’t know how she could sleep with the machines beeping around her. A steady beat echoed throughout the room, calming my nerves. The room was small, like a prison cell. I sat in the only vacant chair grabbed Angie’s hand, brushing my thumb across her knuckles.

“What happened, El?” I whispered, containing the lump in my throat.

“We’d just finished eating breakfast and were just talking at the table. I watched her jolt once and grab her belly, then she closed her eyes. I kept trying to talk to her, asking her what was wrong, but she didn’t respond. By the time I reached the phone, she’d passed out, probably from the pain.” Ellie stood beside me, resting her hand on my shoulder as she explained. I grabbed it with my free hand and held on tightly.

“Is she going to be okay?”

“The baby is in distress, Caleb. They’re getting prepped for a cesarean.”

“It’s too soon, Ellie.” I let go of Ellie’s hand to take Angie’s hand between both of mine.

“He’ll be okay. Women have babies early all the time and there are no complications. Teague was a few weeks early. It’ll be fine.” She continued to soothe me, rubbing my back gently. I never gave her enough credit, but she was a damn good sister. People didn’t need to share the same blood to be a family.

“Have you told Paul?”

“Yes, he has Teague at the house. I just don’t want to leave her.”

I cocked my head to the side and gave her a half smile. “New best friend?”

“Well, of course. Leave the past in the past, you know?”

Ellie headed for the door to give me a minute with Angie.

As she was about to leave, I spoke. “Hey, Ellie?”

She turned back toward me.

“Thank you. For everything. I haven’t thanked you for all of this. Thank you.”

“You love her, Caleb. She’s my family, too.”

Ellie offered a reassuring smile, reading me like an open book. I turned back to Angie as the door clicked shut. I lifted her limp hand and kissed it, resting her cold touch against my face. I closed my eyes and absorbed the sensation of her skin against mine. I couldn’t lose her. I could fight the bad guys coming after her, but I couldn’t fight off the darkness that wanted to take her life.

I kissed her palm and clutched her hand, bringing our interlocked fingers to rest on the gurney. Her head turned slightly, facing me, but her eyes remained closed.

“I’m here, baby.” I leaned up and kissed her forehead.

“Caleb?” she muttered in a weak voice. Her eyes fluttered open as moisture filled mine. “What are you doing here?”

“Did you think I wouldn’t come?”

“But you have work and…”

“Shh … I already told you.” I spoke softly. Her eyes opened and focused on mine. “I’m not done trying yet.”

She exhaled and her shoulders relaxed.

“They’re going to perform a caesarian. Did they tell you that?” She nodded at my question, and I continued, “I’m not going anywhere. I …
care
for you. You understand me, right?”

“I care for you too, Caleb.”

My lips quivered as I tried to smile. I could only nod. I wanted to tell her I loved her. But even as she was about to go into surgery, I just couldn’t tell her. It wasn’t time yet. But she knew. I could see it in the way her eyes darkened from sickly grey to soft blue. She knew I loved her. How could she not know? I would tell her one day … when the time was right.

The nervous energy thickened in the room. Even pumped full of drugs, worry still clouded Angie’s eyes. Caesarians were done every day, and this was a good hospital. There was no reason to be nervous.

“So, how did Ellie get herself in here?” I asked to distract from the anxieties we both felt. “They were practically holding me hostage at the information desk.”

“Oh, we’re cousins now.” A little smile glided up her pale face. “How did you get back here then? Are we cousins too?”

A weakened laugh came from her, but her eyes shone brightly. I cleared my throat as my eyes flickered away from hers. “I … umm …” I focused back on her again. “I may have told them I was the father.”

Her smile diminished as her eyes widened. I pursed my lips and looked away from her, focusing on our hands. I shouldn’t have said that. Maybe I should’ve just told Angie I had said I was her cousin instead of the baby’s father. She squeezed my hand. I looked back up into her eyes. A tear slid down her face, following in the wake of a previous one.

“Did you really say that?”

I pressed my lips together to keep my own tears at bay. I nodded my answer.

“Do you … do you mean it, though?”

I searched her eyes for some sort of permission to be completely honest.

I nodded.

She squeezed my hand again as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Okay” was her only response, and that was fine with me. She blinked, trying to stop her tears. I let go of her hand and reached up to wipe them from her face. Her fingers lightly touched my arm, kept touching me even after I let go, but I’d never truly let go. I wasn’t going anywhere.

Dr. Cooper entered the room, followed by Ellie. I took a deep breath and squeezed Angie’s hand again. The doctor nodded as he looked between Angie and me.

“I think someone’s ready to join the party,” Dr. Cooper said.

I smiled and looked back at Angie. Her eyes filled with panic. I shook my head and rose up over her, blocking the rest of the world away. “You are going to be fine. That little guy is going to do awesome. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here when you wake up. Okay?”

She nodded, steeling herself. I stood back as two attendants came in, repositioning her blankets and attaching the machines and the IVs to her gurney. The railings were lifted on either side to keep her contained, not that she was going to hop out and run away. My hand closed around hers as I followed them down the hall, refusing to let go until it was absolutely necessary. She eyed the two doors separating us from the operating room and squeezed my hand tighter. I leaned over and kissed her forehead.

“I’m here, baby.”

I let go of her hand and watched the doors close, blocking her from my view. I stared until the swinging stopped. I stared for what seemed like an hour, but it was only a few moments.

Ellie came up beside me and stood. “You know, these things don’t take very long. By the time we get to the nursery, he’ll probably be wheeled out.”

My head turned in three directions and then back to her.

“Calm down, dad.” She laughed. I couldn’t help but smile. We started walking down another hallway, and I felt grateful that I didn’t have to walk back out into the emergency room.

“How do you know where you’re going?” I asked, trying to find the signs indicating the direction I was going.

“I volunteered here in high school. My dad had a moment where he was trying to sway me from fashion, but the only thing it accomplished was my distain for red and white pinstripes. Those uniforms for high school volunteers were really horrendous.” She gazed up at me with a smile. I knew what she was trying to do. The distraction worked for a moment. We came to the end of a hall where a wall of glass separated us from about ten babies. Pink blankets swaddled the babies. My son wasn’t among them.

My son
.

I hadn’t even professed my love for his mother aloud, but here I was calling him my son.

“Ellie, do you think I’m ready for this?”

I felt her watching me as I looked over the babies. She reached up and gave an encouraging pat on my shoulder. “I don’t think anyone is ready for this. I think some people psych themselves up enough to handle it okay. Paul and I had no clue what to do when Teague was born. We still don’t.”

“Teague turned out alright, though.”

“So far.” She laughed.

Behind the glass, a door swung open. A nurse rolled out a tiny baby wrapped in blue. She saw the two of us standing there and smiled as she rolled him close to the glass. Ellie wrapped her arm around my bicep, clutching it tight. A blue card was taped on the side of his little crib.

Butler

6 pounds – 5 ounces

He was perfect. My hand covered my mouth, unable to hold back my emotions. Tears escaped. I looked up at the nurse and she gave us a thumbs-up. I laughed.

Dr. Cooper stepped out into the hall and approached us. He made no effort to hide his proud smile.

“I don’t like to brag,” he started, “but that was the easiest caesarian I’ve ever gone through. Angie is fine. She was such a trooper. She’s in recovery now. We’re going to give her a little time before we bring her son into her.”

I stared at him, waiting for the word.

“You can go see her.”

I darted off as Ellie called out, “I’ll have Paul get y’all’s room ready at home.”

I waved back at her, so thankful for my sister-in-law. I followed Dr. Cooper down the hallway. We went through a couple of doorways and stopped at a closed door.

“She’s a little out of it, but she’s awake. Once she’s settled into her own room, we’ll bring the baby down.”

I nodded. He left me by the closed door. It hadn’t even been an hour since I last saw her, but everything was different now. I’d made promises. I never made promises unless I intended to keep them. My promise to Angie and her son was one I intended to keep. Once I opened this door, my life would be forever changed.