Page 34 of Hold Us Close
“She’ll come around. Just be patient.”
Story of my life, lady.
Stroking what I can reach of Layla’s hair, I lean down and place a gentle kiss on her bandage, then on each of her eyelids, then on her nose before pressing my lips to hers.
“I hope your name is Landen. Otherwise my fiancé’s going to be super pissed,” she murmurs against my lips.
Startled shock shoves a noise from my throat and I step back. “Oh God, oh dear God. I have never been so scared in my entire life. You can never, ever, ever leave me. Ever.”
Everything that’s been holding me rigid loosens, and I bend, letting my head fall to her chest so I can hear the beautiful music of her heartbeat. Tears burn fiery trails down my face, but wiping them would require moving.
“I won’t. Well, I’ll try not to. Landen, I don’t understand. What happened?” Her small hand reaches up and fingers the bandage on her head. And then her eyes widen in panic as she reaches for her stomach.
The monitors around us begin beeping like crazy. “Shh, babe, it’s fine. Everything’s fine. Breathe.”
“H-how is she, Landen? Is she okay?” I can see in her eyes she’s doing the same thing I was. Stalling for a few more minutes of hope. “Can I see her?”
I grin. “She’s healthy. The doctor told me just before I came in. Want me to have them bring her in?”
“Yes, more than anything.” She’s breathing so heavily that I’m worried, but I know it’s excitement more than anything.
“Baby, you have to take it easy. As soon as the C-section was over, Dr. Kirkowitz performed the laser removal of your hematoma.”
“He did? Wait, how—”
“Hey now, your aunt isn’t the only one that can pull strings. I’m a pretty big deal, you know.” I wink at her and she smiles.
“Did they say how the surgery went? Am I, I mean is it…gone?” Her voice is strained. I would get her some water if I could stand to be more than five inches away from her.
“The doctor said it went well. He removed the hematoma but I didn’t wait around for details. I needed to see you.”
As much as I don’t want to tear myself from Layla’s side, I’m as anxious to meet our daughter as she is. And I’m terrified. I’m thrilled that we’re meeting her together, that she’s healthy and has two living parents who love her. I could probably combust at any second. So I step into the hall and ask a different nurse, since the previous one has seemingly vanished, to bring in our daughter. From down the hall, I see my mom and Kate and the others heading our way.
“Can she have visitors?” Corin asks as they approach.
“Yeah, but she’s been through a lot so just…you know...”
We’ve all barely squeezed quietly back into the room when a male nurse wheels a clear plastic cart in. Skylar claps me hard on the back. A pink bundle with a tiny soccer ball beanie on her head is wrapped inside. And then it hits me. I’m somebody’s dad.
Please, please don’t let me fuck this up.
Just as I wait for The Colonel’s voice to remind me that of course I’ll fuck it up, someone clears his throat in the doorway. I’m holding our daughter as Layla smiles sleepily at us with tears in her eyes. And he’s here. The Colonel—in all his fully uniformed glory.
“How about we let Layla hold her?” my mom suggests, nodding to The Colonel and silently telling me to go speak with him.
Other than a phone call while I was at Axis, it’s been years since we’ve spoken. Placing a kiss on Layla’s and then my daughter’s head, I hand Roxanne Hope O’Brien over to my mom.
“Be right back, baby,” I promise Layla before I walk over to The Colonel. “Didn’t expect to see you here, sir,” I say, shaking my father’s hand stiffly.
“Your mother called, and I just—”
I wait as patiently as I can while he clears his throat, but I’m practically twitching to get back to my family.My family.Jesus, what did I ever do right to deserve this? “Yeah?”
“I just wanted to say congratulations,” he finishes.
He came all the way from Georgia to California to say congratulations?
“Okay. Thank you, sir.”
