Page 73 of Awakening

He crosses his arms as his frown deepens. “Son, why the hell would you do that?”

“You know how it is, Dad. She’s mine. They were both mine. I had to know.”

“I understand,” my dad says, coming to place his hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“I filed a request with the council.” I look at him, unsure of how he’ll react to what I have to say next. “I’ve asked them to officially grant me, Olivia, or our team, permission to kill Ian, should the need arise.”

My dad sighs and looks at the ground. “I hate that it’s come to this, but I understand. The things he has done this time around are absolutely unforgivable. You know, if it’s granted, the council will inform Charles and Bonnie. They hate what he’s done, but he’s also their son. They could warn him that you’re after him.”

“He knows I’m after him anyway, Dad. I can just do it legally this way.”

“So, to answer my question…no, you’re not okay.”

“I’m not sure I’ll ever get that image out of my head, but it helps to know Olivia and I are on the road back to each other now.”

“You know you’re eventually going to have to tell her, Ethan. She has a right to know who she is now.”

“I know,” I say, feeling a sense of dread. “It’s just too soon.”

Eighteen

Olivia

The air around us hangs with heaviness today.

“I know this won’t be easy,” Ethan says, taking my hand, “but we’ll get through it together.” I nod and follow him as he laces our fingers together and leads me to the small room where the hospital social worker will be meeting us.

“It’s just us,” Ethan says to me, opening the door where a blonde woman, who looks to be in her thirties, gives us a sympathetic smile as we walk in.

“Hello. You must be Ethan and Olivia?”

“Yes,” Ethan says.

“It’s nice to meet you both, though, I’m sorry for the circumstances. I’m Kate, and I’ll be guiding you through the process today. I thought it might be easiest if we begin with the paperwork. Is that okay with both of you?”

Ethan looks at me and I nod. “Yes, that would be fine,” he says.

“All right. Please, have a seat,” she says, gesturing toward two chairs that sit together on one side of the table. She retrieves a folder that has various forms that need to be signed. “Do we have a name?” she asks. We discussed this last night, and decided on giving her my mother’s name, Evelyn, as a first name, and Ethan’s grandmother’s name, Elaina, as a middle name. It’s pure coincidence, but I love that they’re both ‘E’ names like Ethan and Edwin.

“Yes, it’s Evelyn Elaina,” Ethan says.

“What a beautiful name,” Kate says as she records the information.

After completing all the necessary signatures she closes the folder and looks up at us with the same sympathetic smile again. “Would you like to have a moment with your baby?”

“Yes, please,” Ethan says, taking my hand in his.

“If you’ll follow me, please,” she says with a pleasant smile.

Ethan looks at me and I nod, suddenly feeling like I could throw up. Seeming to sense my anxiety, he squeezes my hand before raising it to his lips for a kiss.

Kate leads us just two doors down the hall. I take a deep breath, but I stop dead in my tracks when she unlocks and opens the door. There’s a basinet in the room, and it sounds like a small fan is running, though I don’t see anything as my eyes search the room for the noise.

Seeming to sense my inquiry, Kate says, “The fan you’re hearing is a cooling blanket that will allow you spend time with her. If you’d like to hold her, I can arrange that now, or you can let me know. I’ll just be outside,” she says in a soft and soothing voice.

“We’ll let you know,” Ethan says.

“Take your time,” Kate says, leaving the room.

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