Page 75 of The Acquisition

My fists clenched tight. "We just took off. We won't be landing in Seattle for at least eleven hours."

Jana put her hand on my leg, but I moved away from her. I couldn't let her comfort me. Not when I'd been so focused on her while my daughter was struggling to keep her baby.

She looked at me warily but chose for once not to make a snappy comment. Instead, she focused on the conversation with Sabrina. "Keep us posted, please. We'll leave the phones on."

"I will. Oh shit!" she whisper-yelled.

"What? Don't just sayOh shit! and not give any details," I yelled at Sabrina.

"Oh shit, Waverly just walked in. I'm going to go deal with our wicked sister. I promise I'll give you a call the second I hear anything about Evie." She hung up before I could bark any more demands at her.

"How are you doing?" Jana asked me after a few minutes of silence.

My hands started shaking. There was so much anger and frustration building inside me I felt like I was going to explode. It wasn't fair to Jana for me to take that out on her, but I couldn't be around her right now either. Every time I looked at her face, instead of seeing my future, I only saw my mistakes. This was just one more time my daughter needed me and I was focused on myself.

"I need some time to myself," I said, getting up suddenly and moving to the small bedroom at the back of the plane.

"Of course," she said.

I knew she was confused about my sudden turn of mood, but I couldn't focus on her right now.

* * *

The moment the plane landed on the tarmac, I ordered the driver to take us straight to the hospital. We'd had a few updates from Sabrina.

Grace Joanna Anderson was born five hours ago, weighing five pounds four ounces. The last I heard she was moved to the NICU for observation for at least the next twenty-four hours.

"Why are there two cars?" Jana asked as we descended the stairs.

"Because I'm going straight to the hospital," I said.

"I know, I'm coming too," Jana insisted.

I turned to face her, taking seconds I didn't feel I had to try and explain things to her.

"I want to go alone."

"She's my best friend, Colt. I'm going." Her chin tipped up, and I knew she was going to fight me on this.

"This is a family thing, and I need to go and focus on her. I can't be distracted by you right now."

"Family, as in you and them," she said flatly.

"I can't do this with you right now." She deserved better, but so did Evie. I couldn't take the chance that Evie would find out like this.

* * *

Sabrina waited for me by the main entrance of the hospital. "I figured you'd want to bypass the front desk. We're all gathered in the waiting room in obstetrics."

I nodded to her, anxious to see that Evie and baby Grace were okay for myself.

Sabrina looked around. "Where's Jana?"

This was not a discussion I wanted to have right now. "I sent her home."

She put her hand on my arm, pulling me to a stop. "Why? Did she not want to be here?"

I shoved my hand through my hair. I caught a glimpse of myself in the reflection of the glass doors and looked exactly like I'd traveled all day.

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