Page 217 of Sebastian's Baby

“Everybody is different, but it’s good to have someone here for when they do.”

I nod and sit just looking at the woman I love, drinking in the sight of her, and watching her chest rise and fall. She’s alive. I love her so much, and maybe after all of this is done, I can convince her of that. Get her to just try being in a relationship with me.

After about half an hour, she groans and moves on the bed.

“Lita?” She doesn’t respond, and I call out, “She’s waking up.”

The nurse rushes over and says, “Hi, Lita. How are you feeling?”

“Like crap,” Lita groans, and I chuckle.

I’ve never been more relieved to hear her voice.

“That’s pretty normal. You’re on some fairly strong painkillers, have a drink of water.”

The nurse holds a cup out, and Lita struggles to sit up and take a sip. As she does, she gasps, and her eyes widen in shock.

“She kicked me! She’s alive!” Lita says before she bursts into tears.

I’m so relieved to hear that Mirabella kicked her, because even though Eric told me the surgery went well, I’m glad to have this confirmation.

“The surgery went perfectly, princess,” I tell her.

“Oh my god, she’s alive. I’m alive. We’re alive,” she says while still crying.

“Yes, you’re both alive,” I tell her, hardly able to believe this is the truth after not allowing myself any hope for the last six weeks.

The nurse smiles and adds, “As your partner said, the surgery went very well. In a few minutes, we’ll take you back to your room, and then Dr. Floyd will be around shortly to give you more information.”

The comment about me being Lita’s partner stings amidst my joy. I’m going to make it true, though. Maybe with all of this stress out of the way, Lita will be willing to give the idea of being in a relationship an opportunity.

I’m glad when Lita doesn’t correct the nurse and just says, “Thank you so much.”

I didn’t want to hear her say we’re not together. Not today. Not now.

Eric comes to Lita’s bedside and confirms the surgery was definitely a success when she says she can’t believe it’s true.

“We couldn’t have held off on surgery much longer,” he admits. “There were signs that her heart was working harder than it should be, but nothing too concerning. We got the entire tumor, and there were no other tumors present.”

Lita starts crying again, and I want to hold her hand in mine, but I don’t.

“We’ll keep you here for one to two weeks for monitoring, and I’ll continue to see you once a week through to the end of your pregnancy.”

When Dr. Floyd leaves, I give in to the temptation to comfort her, and I hug her carefully as I say softly, “It’s going to be okay, princess.”

It feels so good to hold her again. Even better when she puts her arms around me and hugs me back. I hold her for a long time, and it feels as though everything is perfect in the world, and the dark cloud that’s been looming over my head has finally cleared.

Lita says, “I can’t believe it. I was sure that it was going to be terrible. I can’t believe we’re actually going to get to keep her.”

“She’s all ours, and she’s perfect and healthy,” I tell her.

I remove my arms from around her and sit back down in my chair. I miss her warmth immediately, but I smile at her as she rubs her bump with a faraway look on her face.

“We should let everyone know it went okay,” I tell her, and she nods.

I call Mom first and tell her the good news. She cries when we tell her, and I cry again as well. Then I call Enzo, and when we tell him, we hear Lucia crying in the background. After that, I send messages to all of my friends, letting them know that everything is perfect. Hospital staff come around with lunch for both of us, and we sit and eat while we talk.

“I think that when you get discharged, we should go out to Galena,” I tell Lita. “It’s much safer than Chicago, and the perfect place to recuperate. We can drive into the city for your appointments.”

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