Page 39 of Doctor Mile High
When the door opens again, I realize an hour has come and gone.
And Dove is here to complete the family I can finally call my own.
10
DOVE
I blinkmy eyes to clear the sway of my vision.
My throat hurts and there’s discomfort in my abdomen. I wince when I try to move, something soft giving under my body. I turn my head, keeping my eyes halfway closed when the light pouring in from the windows blinds me. The more I get my bearings back, the more my mind begins to piece memories together.
My hand falls to my stomach and I groan when I feel stitches. My stomach isn’t as round as it used to be. It hits me what happened and my eyes open fully, fear clinging to my heart when I realize my child isn’t safe inside me.
“My baby?” I rasp with watery eyes. “Where’s my baby?”
I cough, whimpering when pain shoots across my stomach.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay. He’s okay. We’ve been waiting for you, that’s all.” A deep masculine voice soothes my panic.
Turning my head, my vision focuses to see Winston, the last person I expected to see. “Winston? What…what are you doing here? Where is he? It’s a boy?”
I didn’t know if the baby was a girl or boy. I had plenty of opportunities to find out during all the doctor appointments, but knowing the sex never mattered to me. I only cared if he or she was healthy.
Winston chuckles, lowering our son into my arms.
Oh my.
I never want to let him go.
“He’s beautiful.” Emotion grips my chest and tears begin to burn my eyes. “He’s so perfect. Look at his chubby cheeks. He’s bigger than I thought he would be.” I rub a finger down one of those plump cheeks and he wiggles, yawning from the sheer exhaustion of existing. “Oh, I know. It’s so tiring out here in the world, but it’s okay, we won’t let anything happen to you.”
“We?” Winston takes a seat on the edge of the hospital bed, his arm stretching behind my head. He leans close so he can see his son’s face. “I didn’t want to assume anything. If he was mine or not, but you’re saying he is?” His voice sways and cracks.
I look up at the man I never thought I’d see again and smile. “Yes, he is yours. I tried looking for you to tell you.”
“I tried looking for you too.” Winston tucks my hair behind my ear. “I hired a private investigator and he was useless. I made videos?—”
I cut him off. “I know.” I grunt when another wave of pain hits.
“Are you okay? Do you need me to get the doctor?”
“Aren’t you a doctor? Doctor Silver Fox.”
He groans, tilting his head back. “Don’t get me started. My assistant made that name. Wait a minute.” Winston stares me.“You saw the videos and you still didn’t reach out? But you said you were looking for me?”
The guilt twists in my gut. “You deserved to know about the baby. I wanted to let you know before he was born. I’d lost all hope finding you and then I saw your videos. I’m ashamed to admit that I got scared when I saw you were looking for me. I got into my own head, you know? This woman you met in Costa Rica is pregnant, which is something you didn’t sign up for. I had an entire speech planned out. I was going to give you an out.”
“An out?” he growls, clearly displeased. “Why would I want an out?”
I lift a shoulder, unable to take my eyes away from the beautiful life we created together so unexpectedly. “Come on, Winston. It’s obvious. Our age difference? You probably have adult children by now and why would you want to start all over again? And I’m not that woman you met in Costa Rica. I forced myself to be bold and brave, but really, I’m not bold or brave. I’m not this flirtatious person. I’m a bit of a mess, honestly. I work for a terrible person who sucks the life out of me. It’s hard for me to ask for help. I’m afraid that the idea you had of me is skewed. You’re going to be disappointed, so you might as well walk out the door now. You don’t have to be part of his life. I’m giving you an out.”
I wipe the tear that escapes off my left cheek.
Winston’s fingers skim under my chin, lifting my head so I have no choice but to look at him. “I want to make this crystal clear, okay? I don’t have children. I’ve never been married. My work, my career goals took a lot of my time, and I thought I had missed that opportunity. I’m the oldest out of my brothers, and adopted, yet my parents are still naming me the heir of the company. Theynever cared I didn’t share their blood. I owe everything to them, so I worked so hard to be ready for when they want to pass the torch to me. That meant sacrifices. It meant making my job my life. I was okay with that. I made peace that my brothers were going to be the ones to have the wives and kids.”
He runs his fingers through my hair as he explains himself. “You’re the only one I want, and you couldn’t be more wrong about not being the woman you were in Costa Rica. I’m not the same guy. Both of us threw caution to the wind that night. We both knew what we wanted. That doesn’t mean we aren’t the same people.” He bends down and kisses my forehead.
“And as for you thinking you aren’t brave or bold…” He scoffs, cupping his hand over our son’s head. “You gave birth on an airplane, surrounded by people you didn’t know, survived a life-threatening hemorrhage, and lived. Being brave and bold is more than stepping out of your comfort zone to flirt with a stranger. It’s moments like this one, Dove. It’s being thirty thousand feet in the air, being so afraid, being in so much pain, and trusting people you didn’t know. That speaks volumes about your bravery.”
