Just a Positive Pregnancy Test - London Casey Page 0,86
me on your fridge.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. A picture of me, Mila, and our son.”
“Good. Keep those good vibes.”
“Always.” I winked.
Anna smiled, gently blushing again.
As I turned to go back to the hospital room, Anna called my name again.
I looked over my shoulder.
“I forgot the most important thing to ask you,” she said.
“You want an autograph, don’t you?” I asked.
“No, I’m good. I got to hold your hands for a minute. The twenty-year-old version of myself is giddy and happy. So much better than an autograph.”
“Okay. What did you want to ask me then?”
Anna smiled. “What are you going to name your son?”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
MILA
Silas crouched down and held my hand. “You look beautiful, darling.”
“Oh, don’t start that with me,” I said. “I look like crap, Silas. You can say it. I look like crap.”
“Well, if this is crap, then crap is beautiful.”
Silas stood up and helped me into a wheelchair.
I had no desire to be pushed around, but I was in a lot of discomfort.
We were going to see the baby.
It was time.
I needed to see the baby. My baby.
He was alive. He was here.
But each time I spoke with someone, I saw the forced look in their eyes.
There was a lot that could go wrong, even if nobody was talking about it.
Anna held the door open for us.
She touched my shoulder and I touched her hand.
“Hey, you can tell everyone to go home,” I said.
“Yeah, like they’re going to do that.”
“Anna, they have to. They all can’t go to the NICU.”
“I know they can’t,” Anna said. “But at the very least, Aunt Theresa is going to want to see the baby.”
I nodded. “Let me see what happens. What we’re told.”
“I’ll keep everyone informed.”
“Anna,” I said. “Thank you. I know you don’t work in this part of the hospital. You must have put fifty miles on your legs so far today.”
“I’ve got really good shoes,” she said. “And it helps to keep me in shape.”
“You look hot,” I said with a smile.
“Yeah. It’s the scrubs, right? Men can’t get enough of me.”
“Hey, you had me alone, holding my hands,” Silas said.
Anna gasped.
“What’s that?” I asked.
Her cheeks filled with a cherry color. “Nothing… it was nothing…”
I looked at Silas. “Really? My own family?”
Silas shrugged his shoulders. “She’s a fan. I like to take care of my fans.”
“I’m officially pissed at you both,” I said. “First, I need to see my baby.”
I smiled at Anna.
Silas pushed the wheelchair.
We were quiet the entire trek to the NICU.
It was like a different world there.
It had a vibe to it.
So quiet, hopeful, and yet the lingering feeling of sadness.
I let Silas take the lead as he talked to two nurses and a doctor.
My head felt scrambled still. My thoughts racing, colliding into one another, fighting for my fullest attention. I tried my best to ignore all the thoughts. I didn’t want to give them one second of my-
“You ready, darling?” Silas asked.
“Yes,” I said. “I need to see my baby.”
We moved again and when I saw the room… and the incubators…
I covered my mouth and my eyes filled with tears.
Get it together, Mila! Get it together for your son! Do you understand me? He needs you right now! Your son needs you!
I swallowed once and blinked away the tears.
“There he is,” Silas whispered as we moved toward the corner of the large room.
There were machines and cords and wires and tubes and…
“It looks intimidating,” the nurse said to me. “I know. It looks scary. I promise you, this is all for his own good. To help him. To make sure he’s okay.”
“Is he okay?” I asked the nurse.
She smiled at me. “He’s okay.”
I turned my head the other way and looked up at Silas.
When I saw his chin quivering, I started to lose it again.
But then I saw the look in his eyes.
The look of a strong man.
The look of a father.
I reached and touched the baby’s super tiny hand.
My hand shook as I did so.
“Oh, baby, I’m right here,” I whispered.
He was so tiny. He looked so frail.
I just rested my fingertips against his small hand.
“Mommy is here,” I said. My throat tightened. “Mommy is right here and I’m not going anywhere. Okay? Someone else is here too.”
“Yeah, kid, I’m here,” Silas said. “You decided to make your presence known, huh? I hope this isn’t a preview of what’s to come. For the record, after this, I know all the tricks. So there’s no sneaking around town, stealing my truck, meeting pretty girls, okay? I know the