Carried Away - P. Dangelico Page 0,73
that to him, then I don’t know if we ever really stood a chance.”
Jackie nods pensively and doesn’t argue. Jackie is the most pragmatic person I know. If she thinks I’m doing the right thing by staying away, then it’s probably the right thing to do.
“Carrie! Jackie is going into labor prematurely! We’re headed to Cedar Sinai. Meet us there!”
The call came in when I was interviewing with Kate at the Huff Post and I sent it straight to voicemail.
Charlie sounds panicked. Charlie has never been anything other than chill since the day I met him an eternity ago, which means there must be something legitimate to panic about. It sends me into full-tilt hysteria.
I run around the underground parking garage of the building where the Huff Post is located like an inmate released from prison for CoVid. Right now, I have zero recollection where I parked Jackie’s Land Rover.
After wasting a good twenty minutes, a security officer takes pity on me and comes to my rescue with his golf cart. By then, my sister’s Stella McCartney blouse is soaked in sweat, and my hair (that Jackie insisted I leave down) is a Colombian necktie wrapped around my neck.
When did it get so unbearably hot in L.A.? I don’t remember it being this freaking hot. Somehow while contemplating the heat, I start longing for cold winter nights and snowstorms. There’s something seriously wrong with me.
By the time I get to the hospital, Jackie is in labor. I take a hold of her hand while Charlie is on the other side, but after the baby’s heart rate spikes the doctor tells her it’s time for a C-section.
They take my sister away and I send up a silent prayer to keep her safe. On my left, Charlie is crying.
“I know I’m just another silly parent, but I swear this is the most beautiful child ever to be created,” Jackie croons with a broad smile on her face.
She’s high as a kite on endorphins. She must be because I don’t remember her ever looking so peaceful. It seems like Jackie did more than give birth to a perfect baby girl. It looks like she killed some demons in the process as well.
Watching my sister with her daughter makes me realize everything I thought I wanted pales in comparison. Because this…this is it. Loving and being loved. Giving and receiving it is everything.
I miss Jake so much tears funnel down my face. Jackie turns from watching Athena’s small sleeping face in her arms and when she sees the tears, she smiles. “I don’t what her to be her history. I want her to be bold and brave.”
“And when she screws up?”
“Tomorrow is another day to get it right.”
Brushing the dampness away from my cheeks, I nod.
“What are you doing here?”
I make a face. “Celebrating the birth of my niece, you dunce. What do you think?”
“I mean, what are you doing here, Carrie?”
Nothing meaningful. The tears start falling again at the same time Charlie walks in. He takes one look at the two of us, mutters something to the effect of, “Sisters,” and walks out.
“Go get him.”
“He thinks I leaked the story to Ben.”
Jackie makes a face. “Convince him otherwise.”
“I don’t think I can.”
Jackie eventually falls asleep and Charlie conks out in the chair next to her. These two help me keep the faith that maybe one day I’ll be as lucky. I can only hope.
It’s almost ten when I get back to the house in Pacific Palisades. I pull into the driveway, ready to hit the garage door opener, when a large figure sitting on the front steps of the house stands.
He’s dressed in black track pants and a zip up hoody. A large duffel bag is hanging from his hand. I would know the shape of that man from sixty feet in a snowstorm.
Everything comes bubbling to the surface at once: love, pain, regret, the hurt. My hearts begins to race with a mix of love and anxiety.
Parking the Land Rover, I step out and Jake gives me the smallest of smiles. He walks over to the car and stops right in front of me. His gaze moving over my face like he can’t believe his lying eyes.
“Hi.” Then a deep sigh.
I can barely answer. “Hi…what are you doing here?”
“Can we talk…inside?”
I nod because, unlike him, I give people the benefit of the doubt. Especially someone I love.
He walks into the pool house, glancing around. “Nice place.”
“What are you doing here, Jake?” Now