Page 169 of Eternally Yours
She then takes a warm blanket and puts it over his body and under my arms. Taking my hands, she places them on him, one cradling his little butt and the other resting on his back.
I look down at my son, completely amazed that Cecilia and I created this little human. A love I never knew existed fills me from the inside. Something so pure it takes my breath away. My heart and soul are no longer mine. They all belong to him now. Every beat, every breath I take, it’s all for him.
My son.
My throat constricts while I fight back my emotions, but no matter how hard I try, a lone tear still falls from my eye when I lean in to kiss his little head that’s covered with a tiny blue hat.
“We don’t even have a name for him yet, we couldn’t decide on one...” It’s a thought that pops into my head when I notice the name tag on the side of the incubator written, ‘Baby Hayes’.
“That’s okay, there’s no rush. You still have time to think of something. A lot of parents actually wait until the birth to choose one, it just comes to them suddenly,” Kimberly says softly from beside us as she watches with love in her eyes. But I can tell it’s not directed at me, it’s the image we give that touches her.
“My husband was one of the security guards that helped you guys leave the arena. When I heard your wife was in the hospital, I texted him to see if he could pass the message some way.” She smiles tenderly.
“I know it wasn’t really my place, but if I were in a similar situation, I would want someone to try and reach out to my loved ones, even if it’s a stranger. I can’t wait to tell him that you’re all okay,” she says, and I feel a new sense of gratitude toward her.
Not only is she taking care of my son, but she also tried to help get the message to me. I don’t know if she really is the one responsible for our GM getting that call or if it was someone else. But in this moment, I don’t care. She made a selfless act for a perfect stranger, and I’ll have to find a way to repay her and her husband. As well as all the others that helped.
“Thank you.”
She grins and looks down at my son. “A new life for the New Year. It’s a beautiful way to start the year.”
I chuckle in response. “We should have seen it coming. It seems the first day of the year has a meaning in our relationship. The day I proposed to my wife, the day I nearly broke us… and now, I get to share my birthday with my son.” I may be oversharing with this woman, but she clearly knows who I am, so she most likely knows about our story.
“I’m glad that whole fiasco got cleared up, I’m sorry you and your wife had to go through that. But think of it this way. The good”—she nods to my sleeping boy—“erasing the bad.”
She’s right, we won’t ever think again about everything that happened to us. We’ll only remember the good it led to, the good we got out of it.Our son.“A silver lining,” I say.
“A beautiful silver lining.”
I spend about an hour with my son lying on me as I whisper little words into his ear. By the end of our cuddle session, I’ve come up with a name and pass it along. I know I should probably wait for Cecilia and check with her, but I think she’ll like it once she understands what it means.
As promised, Jen shows up at the entrance when I’m ready to leave. “Mom’s been transferred to a private room. She’s still asleep for now, and it might take a little more time before she wakes up. Do you want to go to her now, or do you want to go back to your family first?”
“No. I want to see my wife, please.”
Two minutes later, I’m finally seeing my wife for the first time since yesterday afternoon. I walk into the spacious private room and find Minnie fast asleep in the middle of the bed. She looks peaceful with a serene expression on her face. Pure innocence.
She has a bandage around her forehead and another on her left shoulder. As well as one on her lower stomach from the emergency C-section that I can’t see beneath her gown and cover.
I haven’t seen her doctor yet. But from what Jen told me; she has stitches on the left side of her forehead from splitting it open in the crash. And she has cuts on her shoulder from the windows shattering that only needed cleaning.
I haven’t looked to see if there are videos online of the crash yet, but apparently, she was lucky to make it out with so little scars. I’m terrified to look and see how bad it was... even if she’s here now, safe and sound. Just knowing she was in that car alone and unprotected when it happened will kill me to see.
I sit down in the chair beside my wife and brush a few strands of hair away from her face before taking her hand and leaning in to kiss her cheek.
“He’s beautiful, Minnie. Our son, he’s perfect, just like I knew he’d be. You did so well, baby. I’m so proud of you. I love you.”
I rest my head on the side of the bed, holding my wife’s hand as I drift into a peaceful sleep, knowing the two loves of my life are safe.
CECILIA
I wake up to blinding sunlight and something heavy on my arm. I’m disoriented, and my head is pounding and feels tight. My entire body hurts like I’ve been run over by a train.Where am I? What happened?
I blink a few times as sound and vision come back to me. First a beeping, then a white and beige room. I look around, noticing the monitor to my left and balloons, flowers, and gifts littering every surface of the room.
Hospital. I’m in a hospital. Why?
I try to lift my right arm, but it feels glued to the bed. When I look down, I find my husband’s head leaning on it. I smile at his huge form sitting in a too small chair beside me, holding on to me even in his sleep.
