Page 34 of The Space He Left
I was a fool.
When I finally reached Willowbrook General, visiting hours were nearly over. I ran through the corridors, following signs to the maternity ward, my heart pounding with desperation and dread.
The nurse at the front desk looked up as I approached. "I'm sorry, sir, but visiting hours ended ten minutes ago."
My face fell, the weight of everything crashing down on me. "I'm Jack Henderson. My wife Harper just had a baby. My daughter. I... I missed my daughter being born. Can I see my wife and baby just for a few minutes? Please?"
The nurse's expression softened as she saw the desperation in my face. "Room 314. But just a few minutes, okay?"
I didn't care about time limits. I cared about seeing Harper, about meeting my daughter, about trying to begin the long process of making amends for the choices I'd made.
Room 314 was at the end of a long hallway. Through the partially open door, I could see Harper sitting up in bed, holding a tiny bundle wrapped in a pink blanket. She was looking down at the baby with an expression of pure love, but when she sensed my presence and looked up, her face closed off completely.
I stood in the doorway, afraid to enter, afraid to interrupt this moment that I'd forfeited through my selfishness.
"Harps," I said quietly.
She didn't respond, didn't look at me. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed on our daughter.
"You can see Emma," she said finally, her voice flat and emotionless. "But I don't want to talk to you."
"Harps, I'm so sorry..."
"Don't." Her voice was firm, final. "Don't blame Madison. You made your choice."
I stepped into the room, moving slowly, afraid that any sudden movement might shatter this fragile moment. Harper still wouldn't look at me, her attention focused entirely on our daughter.
"This is Emma Rose," she said without lifting her eyes. "Your daughter."
I approached the bed carefully, my eyes fixed on the tiny face peeking out from the pink blanket. She was perfect, absolutely perfect, and seeing her felt like having my heart torn from my chest and rebuilt all at once.
"She's beautiful," I whispered. "She's so beautiful."
"She was born while you were with Madison," Harper said, her voice still flat. "Seven pounds, two ounces. Perfect Apgar scores."
I reached out tentatively, and Harper allowed me to touch Emma's tiny hand. Her fingers were so small, so delicate, and when she gripped my finger instinctively, I felt tears spring to my eyes.
For two months, I hadn't been listening to Harper. I'd dismissed her concerns, ignored her needs, and chosen Madison's voice over hers at every turn. Now, finally, I understood that I needed to listen. She'd said she didn't want to talk, and for once, I was going to respect what she needed.
I stood there in silence, holding my daughter's hand, letting Harper set the terms of this moment. She was the one who hadbrought Emma into the world. She was the one who deserved to control how this happened.
"I'm going to fix this, Harps," I said quietly, though I had no idea how. "I swear I'll make this right."
Harper was silent for a long moment, studying Emma's sleeping face. "It's not about 'fixing' it, Jack," she said. "It's about deciding what kind of father you're going to be from now on. Because this was your last chance. I can't keep competing with Madison or whoever else needs rescuing. I won't. Emma deserves better than that. We both do."
The finality in her voice terrified me. "Harps, please. Let me make this right."
"I don't know if you can." She looked up at me for the first time since I'd entered the room, and I saw the accumulated disappointment in her eyes.
I looked down at Emma, sleeping peacefully despite the chaos her birth had brought into our lives. She was innocent of all this, deserving of love and stability and a father who would put her first.
I'd failed her already, but maybe it wasn't too late to become the father she deserved.
And the husband my wife deserved.
Chapter 11
Jack
