Page 70 of There I Find Rest

He couldn’t believe it. It felt surreal when Glenda laid the tiny, light, delicate little bundle in his arms. On her back, next to his skin.

“All right, I’m going to leave you here. If you need anything, you can press the button right there, okay?” She looked at him. “Don’t try to put her back in yourself. Let me come get her.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, never taking his eyes off Kathleen. She was so tiny. So delicate. So precious.

He couldn’t help but be overwhelmed, and he didn’t want to look up because Glenda would see the tears that were pooling in his eyes. He wanted to do everything he could to fight for this little one, but all he could do was pray. So he did.

He had barely moved a muscle and Kathleen had hardly moved at all four hours later when Kim walked into the NICU. His whole body felt numb, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world, and didn’t want to let his daughter go.

Maybe Glenda had forgotten about them, but more than likely, all of Kathleen’s vitals were going well, and she just let them stay the way they were. He’d been so careful to be still and not to upset anything, and maybe that was part of it too.

“You guys look so adorable together,” Kim said, and he realized she had her phone in her hand and was taking a picture.

That made him grin at her. The idea that she wanted a picture of them together.

“Stay there, and we’ll take a selfie too. I want to have a record of the first time her dad held her.”

“I’m sorry. They offered, and I wasn’t going to refuse.”

“And I wouldn’t have wanted you to. I’m just glad I was able to come and get some photos.”

“I didn’t think about pictures. I was just so happy to be able to hold her. She looks exactly like you.”

“I hope not,” Kim said, mock horror on her face. He laughed, mostly because it felt so good for Kim to have an expression on her face other than pain and worry.

They smiled for the pictures, and he thought about the day that Kathleen would look at them and how far away and long ago this day would feel. All the worry, all the care, everything that they were going through would be in the past.

Hopefully by then they would be a family.

He hadn’t talked to Kim about getting married, but that was his end goal. He wanted to be a family. A real family. The three of them, and...maybe more. Together in Strawberry Sands.

But, he didn’t want to upset the apple cart by pushing for that now. Kim was in no condition for more stress, and their focus had to stay on Kathleen.

But, he would say something. Eventually.

Chapter 26

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