Five #8
He sounded completely miserable, and I got it as we stopped at the nurses’ station and they looked up at Sam, all doe-eyed and sighing.
It was so romantic—the strong, handsome man carrying his wife into the hospital, able to stand there forever, bearing her weight, and be so gentle as he lowered her into the waiting wheelchair.
Dylan made them wait to take her as she grabbed Sam’s hand and pulled him down so he was squatting beside the chair and they were at eye level. His gaze was warm as he looked at her.
She sighed deeply. “I hate you.”
He nodded, tipped his head toward me. “I know. He hates me too.”
“Don’t think we’ve bonded, because we haven’t bonded.”
“Okay.” He leaned forward, kissing her forehead before he rose to tower above her. I realized then she was still holding his hand.
Most of us stayed in the waiting room except Akiko and Chris, who went in with Dylan, and when Sam and I sat down, he put his arm across the back of my chair and his hand in my hair. Ten minutes later, after he kissed my temple before getting up and walking out of the room, I found all eyes on me.
“Yes?”
“Jory,” Dana said, smiling at me, “you and Sam make a beautiful couple.”
“Thank you.”
“You do,” Roxanne chimed in. “And I don’t want this to be taken the wrong way, but he’s very much a man’s man, and you’re prettier than most women I know. It fits. It makes sense that if a man like that is gay, a man like you would be his partner.”
I wasn’t sure how to take all that, and I meant to correct the gay to bi, but it didn’t seem necessary at five thirty in the morning.
“Like I said,” Dana said softly, “you make a striking couple. He so obviously adores you, and it was very fortunate he was with you. Both of you are such a blessing.”
I thanked her for that.
Sam returned with hot coffee for everyone, with lots of sugar and creamer, which everyone appreciated.
And it wasn’t from the hospital cafeteria, but from a diner he knew around the corner, which meant it was so much better, and the cups were huge.
When he took his seat beside me again, he slouched down low, laced his fingers with mine, and closed his eyes.
“Sam, they’ll be out any minute,” I assured him.
“It’s her first baby, right?”
“Yeah.”
He chuckled. “Wake me up when she delivers.”
“Wait, what?”
I glanced around, and James and Martin both nodded in agreement.
“Sam’s right,” Dana said. “This may take a bit.”
Roxanne looked as confused as I was.
“Really?” I asked Sam.
He snickered, raised my hand, kissed the palm, then settled back and sighed deeply. I thought maybe they were all putting me on, but no. Not at all.
It was still faster than it could have been, and six hours later Micah James Greer was born. He was wrinkled, he had a lot of hair, and I could see his Japanese ancestry very clearly. Dylan pointed out that all babies were born looking Japanese. When I looked at Sam as he held the baby, he nodded.
“Okay, so I get it.” Dylan sighed, watching Sam hold her son before passing him off to her father as I sat beside her in the hospital bed. “He’s absolutely beautiful and every other word you wanna use, but seriously, you need to watch yourself and not get too involved too fast. Go slow.”
“I can’t,” I said seriously. “I’m already in love with Micah.”
She rolled her eyes. “Please don’t make me smack you. I don’t have the energy.”
“Okay.” I smiled at her. She was radiant. I had never seen her look better.
“We both know I’m talking about Sam Kage.”
I grunted.
“Jory, honey…please take it slow with him this time.”
Too late, I thought, but said nothing.
She sighed heavily, her head on my shoulder, her hand in mine. “Thank you for rescuing me. I was a little out of it.”
“It was Sam.”
“Make no mistake.” She kissed my cheek. “You make him like this.”
Like she could know what effect I had on Sam Kage was. He had somehow gotten Micah back and then passed him off to Akiko before his eyes were on me.
“You know, it’s really a big deal that he was here with us,” Dylan told me. “It feels like he’s going to be permanent this time, doesn’t it.”
And I didn’t tell her that I had been thinking the exact same thing.
“What are you wearing?” She had finally noticed the inside-out Diva T-shirt.
“Just never mind.”
It was nice to hear her laugh.
My eventful night ended with Sam cooking me breakfast at one in the afternoon since both of us had been up since four in the morning.
Sam checked in at work, having called out earlier in the day, and I got hold of Sadie and told her I’d be back in the office the following morning.
She was still at the hospital visiting Dylan, and told me that she had checked email and phone messages and rescheduled all my appointments for the following week.
The office was closed on account of the baby.
I told her Aubrey Flanagan was coming in on Monday, and she responded truthfully that she couldn’t care less, she just wanted to hold Micah.
Sam made omelets, and we sat and talked. Afterward, I did the dishes. He passed out on the couch around three, and I left to go home and shower and change. I made sure to leave a note.