212. 212. He skidded to a stop when he saw it etched on a panel outside a closed tan door. 212. He didn't bother knocking, his leftover patience still somewhere back in that waiting room. He thrust the door open, bursting inside, and came to a dead stop as soon as he did.
Genna sat in the propped-up hospital bed, hair an utter mess, hospital gown askew. Her face was ashen, but the smile on her lips… the smile made her glow. Her eyes were fixed downward, to the small bundle cradled in her arms, wrapped up in a white blanket trimmed with pink and blue. So much warmth radiated from her, so much love, that it lit up the entire room. Nurses moved around her, checking vitals and tinkering with machines, but Matty paid them no attention.
His eyes were only for her.
Growing up, Matty never wanted children of his own. He never even imagined a reality where he'd bring one into existence. His world had been destroyed when he was just a kid, ripped to pieces by the life he'd been born into, a life he never asked for. But in that life, the one his father had brought children into… the life Genna, too, had been given… you didn't get a choice in the matter. The moment you took your first breath, you became a part of it, and nothing short of death would help you escape. He'd tried, so many times, and each time, something drew him right back in. Because the life didn't give up on you, and it wouldn't let you give up on it, either. There was no live and let live in their world… it had been kill or be killed. His best friend lost his life, and so many times… so many fucking times… Matty wished he'd been the one to die instead.
And that, he knew, was no kind of life for a child. He wouldn't have wished those feelings on his worst enemy. He hadn't wished them on his worst enemy. Because according to the life, the one he'd been forced into, his worst enemy sat in front of him, cradling a baby he never knew he wanted until it became his reality.
Now, standing there, he couldn't imagine a world without them.
"Daddy's here," Genna whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear, before her gaze lifted, meeting his across the room. "He looks like he's three seconds away from a trip to the psych ward, but he's here."
Matty stood frozen, in utter silence, until the nurses walked out and left them alone. Slowly, he approached, stepping closer to the bed, as he glanced down into Genna's arms, at the little boy he knew he couldn't live without now. A little boy he'd protect for the rest of his life, a little boy he'd fight to save from the world he'd grown up in.
Dark, thick hair and tanned skin, soft, round cheeks with just a hint of pink. He looked nothing like his mother and everything like Matty. It was like staring at a baby picture of himself. Surreal. The baby was fast asleep, his mouth open just a bit as he breathed through it.
"My brother?" Genna asked.
"He's in the waiting room, blessing everyone with his charming personality."
Genna sighed. "Thank God he's okay."
Choosing to keep his opinion to himself, Matty reached down, running his fingertips along a warm, flushed cheek, the touch making the baby stir a bit. "Can I hold him?"
"Of course, you big dolt. He's yours. He looks just like you."
Matty picked him up, careful not to wake him, and gazed into his face as he cradled him in his arms. "Strong genes."
"Annoying genes," Genna remarked.
Matty laughed lightly as he sat down on the edge of the hospital bed beside her, not wanting to move from her side. "Hey, you chose to breed with me."
"Breed with you," she said. "Is that what we did? Breeded?"
"The word you want is actually 'bred'."
"Ah, there's that Ivy League education kicking back in. Did you learn how to change diapers at Princeton, by chance?"
"I'm afraid not. Must've missed the day they taught us that in my Behavioral Economics Workshop."
"Ugh, just hearing those words almost put me to sleep." Genna laid her head back against the pillow and closed her eyes. "Most boring degree ever, Matty."
"It's not meant to be exciting," he said. "It's lucrative."
"Yeah, it certainly came in handy at the diner when you were whipping up omelets, huh? Oh, you want those eggs with