Page 26 of Her Baby His Gift

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Damian and Harlem sat close in a quiet corner of the private waiting room. Both needed the feel and touch of the other. Harlem’s head rested on Damian’s shoulder as he laced their fingers together.

Harlem glanced around. The unease in the waiting room was palpable.

Carter sat on the opposite side-scrolling through his phone as some woman caressed his back. Harlem had never met her. That was not shocking or surprising. Carter changed women like he changed underwear. He was the only one of their couple friends that wasn’t married or in a committed relationship and probably never would be. He was a proud card-carrying bachelor. Harlem half suspected that Carter was the reason Damian subscribed to theMarriage is Bullshittheology. The man was a selfish whore and didn’t care who knew it.

Harlem hated when Damian hung out with Carter. There was always some extra THOT hanging around hoping to shoot her shot. If Harlem were honest, her jealousy of other women stemmed more from the nagging doubt that, deep down, she wasn’t right for Damian. On paper, they were perfect. Unfortunately, it didn’t translate to real life.

Harlem sighed.

Damian could feel the anxiety coursing through her body. He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “I know you two have grown close, but I’ve already told you that Mel and the baby are going to be fine.”

That was her, Damian. The calm one. The one who could be counted on to be there for the tough stuff. Maybe she was overreacting about everything. People fell in and out of love with their partners all the time.Isn’t he the man of my dreams?She didn’t fully understand her apprehension. It didn’t make sense.

One thing was sure. Life was short. After Nate and Melody’s car accident, Harlem’s perspective was starting to shift. A person could be here one minute and gone the next. It was strange how life and death situations could make everything much clearer.

The doors to the waiting room opened and a doctor flanked by another physician walked inside. Immediately, everyone stood, anxious for news.

“Are Damian Fox and Carter Owens in attendance?”

“Yeah. That’s me.” Damian got up and walked toward them, and so did Carter.

“I’m Dr. Wissam, the attending physician to Nate and Melody Steel. They have you both listed as medical contacts.” Dr. Wissam said.

Harlem wasn’t surprised. All the Principle Partners at Damian’s firm were listed as each other’s medical contacts. However, she was surprised that Carter would be named. He wasn’t a partner but had been friends with Damian and Nate since college too.

Dr. Wissam continued. “This is Valerie Edwards, the Pediatric physician attending to baby Steel.”

“Baby, Steel?” Harlem asked.

Valerie nodded. “Yes. Baby Steel arrived at 9:03pm. He weighs just over a pound and is about eight inches long.” She smiled. “He has a ways to go, but the little guy is fighting hard. Obviously, he is premature and still developing, but overall, his chances are pretty good.”

A collective sigh of relief was heard throughout the room.

“What about Nate and Melody?” Damian asked.

“Yes.” Dr. Wissam addressed his question. “Mr. Steel has been admitted for overnight observation. He was fortunate. While he did sustain a mild concussion and a fracture to the ulna, we haven’t seen anything else that would cause alarm. Still, we would like to watch him to make sure.”

“And Mel?” Harlem followed-up.

“We’re keeping a close eye on her. There is a bit of swelling in the brain. We’ll know more once it goes down, but there doesn’t appear to be any other significant injuries or internal bleeding.”

Swelling to the brain was serious no matter how upbeat Dr. Wissam tried to make it sound.

“When can we see Nate and the baby?” Damian asked.

“It’ll be at least an hour.” The doctors answered a few remaining questions before leaving.

Two hours later, Damian and Harlem stood arm-in-arm looking through the thick glass windows of the hospital nursery, watching Nate greet his son for the first time.

“He’s so small.” He whispered into Harlem’s ear.

Her heart wanted to burst. It was so full of love. The emotion Harlem felt watching Nate with his son made her think of Damian. He was going to be an amazing father.

Shortly before heading into the nursery in the neonatal unit, they had also received word that Mel was in stable condition. The swelling seemed to have stopped, and that was a good sign.

Harlem pressed her face into the column of Damian’s neck. She breathed in the musky scent of his cologne. He really was a good man and never ceased to amaze her at how solid he was during times of crisis. He wanted a relationship different from what she’d envisioned for herself, but was different bad? A small voice sounded in her head.It can be if you don’t love him like you should.

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