Page 129 of Paternal Instincts
Hearing Nixon was around made my heart clench. I didn’t know what had happened in the weeks since Crowley’s recovery, Flynn’s death, and the baby’s arrival. Since I was officially on leave, Edwards had put the burden of wrapping up the case on the other members involved. Since I’d been so busy with Juniper, I hadn’t asked many questions.
I followed the nurse’s instructions for washing before entering the unit. Immediately, I located Nixon standing beside a nearby incubator.Inside the incubator was the smallest baby I’d ever seen. Robin Davis was only a couple of inches bigger than the palm of my hand. He was hooked to several monitors that gave the doctors and nurses vital information. My stomach clenched so tightly that I feared I might be sick. I thought of Juniper at home with Aslan. Happy. Healthy. Strong.
I moved in beside Nixon, ignoring the abundance of machinery in the room, the beeping and tubing and rows of incubators holding other babies too small or sick to be at their mother’s or father’s side. The sight strangled the breath from my lungs.
Nixon’s hand was through one of the incubator holes. He cradled his son’s hat-covered head as the infant slept.
“How’s he doing?” I asked. Although Nixon hadn’t acknowledged my presence, he likely knew I was there.
“Really well, actually. He’s making good progress. Gained some weight. Boasting a solid three and a half pounds now. Every ounce counts at this stage. He still needs assistance to breathe, but they figure another week, and he might be able to try on his own.”
“That’s good. How are you holding up?”
Nixon let out a weary sigh but didn’t respond right away. “It’s… It’s been a shit show.”
“I can imagine.”
“Genie was charged with assault and attempted murder. You were right to have her hands tested. She admitted to attacking Clementine. I guess…” Another exhausted sigh crossed his lips, and Nixon closed his eyes momentarily before continuing. “Genie found out that Flynn was seeing Clementine on the side.”
“So she fired her.”
“Yes. Of course, she couldn’t tell me why without revealing her other secrets. She’s living with her sister now. I… I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t have her at home. I got temporary full custody. She’s not allowed near the kids for the time being. She has to go to court eventually. My mom’s helping me with Crow and Sparrow since I need to come here and check on this little guy every day, but we’re getting by. Jude’s holding down the fort at the office since I can’t work.”
I couldn’t imagine what Nixon was going through. His world had been upended, turned inside out.
I was about to cut in when he continued. “My dad apologized, but…” Nixon huffed. “I can’t find it in me to accept his apology. Not sure I ever will. He stole from me and Jude. He covered for Flynn to protect his own reputation. He’s lied to me for years.”
Nixon removed his hand from his son’s head and withdrew it from the incubator. Glancing at me for the first time, he said, “I hear you had a daughter.”
“I did.” But it seemed inappropriate to gloat and revel in my newfound joy when he was so broken.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
Together, we left the NICU and wandered into the hallway beyond. Nixon paused, scrubbing at his unshaven jaw. The man looked tired, and he had every right. It would take a long time to pick up the pieces and move forward.
“How’s Crowley doing?” I asked. The kid had been through hell. According to Jordyn, the boy had reported that Flynn was the one who picked him up outside the arena. Flynn brought him to Clementine at the professor’s house, refusing to explain what was happening. Crowley wasn’t hurt or abused. They let him play video games and eat junk food, saying only that his mom and dad were away.
It wasn’t until those final hours that Crow realized something was wrong.
“He asks a lot of questions. About his uncle. About what it means that I’m not truly his dad. He wants to know why Flynn and his mother lied to him. To me. He wants to know if it means I don’t love him anymore. I told him of course I do. He will always be my son no matter what.”
We talked for a short time. Nixon told me how Sparrow was faring. The young girl was pleased to have her big brother home. When I asked about Clementine, Nixon explained that his ex-nanny might have been in a willing relationship with Flynn but that the business with kidnapping Crowley had been Flynn’s doing, and she had been unwittingly drawn in against her will. His skills at manipulation meant Clementine became part of the scheme, convinced to give up her professor’s house and play along under threats of violence and exposure. By the time Crow was taken, she was in over her head and too afraid not to do as Flynn said.
In the end, I wished Nixon the best and headed out. I had a baby shower to attend, a daughter to show off to the world, and a husband I needed to cling to because life was precious, and I wanted to be sure I savored everything good that came my way.
***
I arrived five minutes late and was guided to a separate room Amelia had reserved for the celebration. Family and friends visited and chatted. Aslan’s parents, his sister and her family, my dad, Costa and his family, Torin and his, Jordyn and her fiancée, June, my old partner, Eden, her daughter, and several other people from Aslan’s side I’d met only a handful of times.
A table was set up along one wall, bursting with platters of finger foods. Strung from the ceiling was a banner that readIt’s a Girl. Surrounding it were dozens of pink balloons. On another table was a mountain of gift boxes and bags, all wrapped in baby-inspired paper and sporting curly ribbons.
Costa had Juniper cradled in his arms, and he cooed and smiled at her, bending low to show his two girls the new baby. I moved in beside his wife, Tia, who stood nearby, watching with a soft smile on her face.
She nudged me with her elbow. “Congratulations. She’s beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
