time with the baby. It didn’t seem right to do it any other way. “It’s time for her feeding. Would you like to feed her?” she asked, screwing a nipple on a tiny bottle of formula.
“Yes, I would like to feed my angel,” I said, and she handed me the bottle and a cloth for my shoulder. As I took a seat in the padded chair under the window, she opened the incubator, scooped the baby up, and placed her into my arms.
“Well isn’t that the perfect picture…Abel Gunner holding his baby for the first time,” she gushed, and my inner alarms sounded.
Careful to cradle my daughter’s head properly, I addressed the snooping nurse. I looked at her name tag. “Casey, it would be unwise to share any of my private moments with my daughter. If I find out you’ve taken or shared anything to do with my family…you will pay dearly, and I promise you won’t have a job, either.” She blanched and nodded. “Now, please leave, and ask another nurse to take your place. I don’t feel comfortable with you around my daughter.” I kept my voice even. However, there was no wiggle room for interpretation. I wouldn’t take a chance with her safety and this bitch just creeped me out. She gathered her things and quietly left the room. Good riddance.
In my arms, I cradled my angel and placed the nipple against her lips. Her soft, delicate fingers wrapped around my colorful inked finger. She was the medicine to my sorrow, and like slickened dust, it trickled over my skin, warming my heart until it positively glowed. Her eyes opened and they were the clearest blue I’ve ever seen. I chuckled when her pink tongue came out, searching for the nipple. Angel of mine. God, she already reminded me so much of Gia. She latched on to the nipple after a few tries. Her face wrinkled up, and she shut her eyes, making a sound of a small animal. She lay peacefully swaddled in my arms until she fell fast asleep.
A soft knock sounded on the window above. I glanced up and saw my father’s eyes filled with happiness as my mother sobbed beside him, barely holding it together. A blanket of love surrounded me and I melted into it with ease.
My mother opened the door quietly. “My little darling,” she cooed, stepping further in. “We just wanted to take a quick peek at our granddaughter.” She asked my father to close the door behind him and he glanced over her shoulder. Even though, technically, they were family…they weren’t allowed in this unit. She was brand new…germ free and fragile. I found myself cringing at the thought of anything unclean touching her. My father pumped the sanitizer once and motioned for my mother to do the same.
“She’s as beautiful as her mother.”
I winced. My father’s words hit me square in the chest.
He stepped to my side and squeezed my shoulder. “They will page me as soon as she’s out of recovery. She’s in very good hands, Abel. I made a few phone calls, and one of the board of directors was an old client of mine. She was more than happy to help.”
My mother took the bottle from my hand. “She did well for her first feeding…nearly an ounce. Did you burp her?”
“No, not yet.”
“Okay, just take her over your shoulder and rub in circles,” she explained. “The nurse should have shown you. Where is she?” she asked, looking around.
“I kicked her out. She was a little too interested in my daughter and the band. I can’t have that drama right now.” I released a deep breath when angel burped. The last thing I needed after today is to have some “The Hand that Rocked the Cradle” situation.
“I’ll make sure she doesn’t have access to her nursery,” he said as he typed out a message on his phone.
“Thank you.”
A new nurse walked in wearing white scrubs with blue and pink teddy bears and a stethoscope around her neck. “Hi, I’m Jill. I’m your baby nurse,” she said congenially. However, her demeanor held an air of formality to it. “I’m sorry, but you two can’t be in here—policy. When she moves to the step-down nursery, you’ll have special hours where you’ll be able to bond,” she elaborated further, and I liked her immediately. She took her job seriously, and that gave me some peace of mind.
My father nodded his understanding, guiding my mother out the door. “I’ll get