36
E mily hovered in Roman’s hospital room’s doorway, uncertain what to expect. To her surprise, Roman looked better than she had expected; the color had returned to his face, a stark contrast to the whiteness he had when she last saw him. After several minutes of silently watching him and thanking God that he was alive, she finally moved into the room. Approaching his bedside, she gently took his hand and raised it to her lips, tenderly kissing it.
Roman’s eyes began to flutter before finally opening. A slow smile spread across his face as he saw Emily. “Hi,” he said softly.
Emily beamed. “Hi,” before leaning in and gently pressing her lips to his.
A look of panic swept across his face as he attempted to sit up. “The baby?” he asked, his voice strained.
Gently, Emily pushed him back onto the pillow. “He’s okay,” she reassured him.
Roman’s face softened with relief, and a smile broke through. “A boy,” he said, grinning.
Emily knew he would never forgive himself if he inadvertently took the life of an innocent child. “He’s perfect.”
Emily’s face lit up, “Oh, I have good news. They’re dropping the charges against me.”
“That’s great,” Roman said with a weak smile. He struggled to keep his eyes open until he finally surrendered and closed them. Emily gently ran a hand through his hair. “Get some rest,” she whispered. “We’ll talk later.”
Emily settled into the chair beside Roman’s bed, watching him intently until her eyes grew heavy, and she drifted off to sleep. She woke with a startle when she felt a hand gently touch her arm.
A nurse stood before her, an apologetic smile on her face. “I’m sorry,” she said softly, “but visiting hours are over. You’ll need to come back tomorrow.”
Her gaze drifted to Roman, who was sleeping peacefully. “Okay,” she murmured, wiping the sleep from her eyes as she stood up. She approached his bedside and gently kissed his forehead. “I’ll be back tomorrow,” she whispered before quietly leaving the room.
Since she had arrived with Roman in the ambulance, Emily went to find Gabriel, hoping to get a ride home with him. She checked the nursery first, but when she didn’t find him there, she texted to see if he was still at the hospital and if she could catch a ride home. He replied that he was and asked her to meet him at the main entrance.
As she stepped out of the building, she sank onto the bench outside, replaying the events of the last twenty-four hours. She didn’t know what the future held for her, but she was certain of the first step. Now, she just had to wait for Gabriel.
Appearing beside her, Gabriel asked, “Ready to go?”
She looked at him, “Yeah,” and slowly got up from the bench. They walked in silence until they reached the car. Once inside, Gabriel broke the quiet. “I’ve made a decision.”
“Me too,” Emily replied.
“You first,” Gabriel prompted.
“Ava and I are moving out.” Just saying the words felt like a lead weight had dropped into the pit of her stomach.
Gabriel slowed the car, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. He turned to look at her, his expression unreadable. For a moment, the silence was unbearable. Finally, he responded with a single word, “Okay.”
Emily tilted her head, taken aback by his calm response. She searched his face for any sign of resistance. “You’re not going to try to talk me out of it?”
Gabriel fixed his eyes on the road and shook his head slightly.
Realizing he wouldn’t say anything more, Emily sighed and tried to gather herself. “Alright,” she said, her voice slightly strained, “what’s your news?”
“I’ve decided to sign my parental rights to Lily’s parents.”
“You’ve seen them?” Emily asked, sounding surprised.
“No,” Gabriel replied. “I met with a social worker to discuss putting him up for adoption. She informed me that Lily’s parents are petitioning for custody.”
“That’s a big decision,” Emily said cautiously. “Don’t you think you should take time to think it over?”
“I’ve thought about it. It’s the right thing to do.”
“How do you know? You haven’t even met them.” She paused, weighing her next words carefully. “They didn’t exactly do a stellar job raising Lily.”
“I’ve made up my mind. Don’t try to change it.”
“I’m not trying to change your mind. I’m just saying that you might not be in the best frame of mind to make such a major decision right now. Why don’t you sleep on it for a few days, meet the grandparents, and consider all your options?”
Irritation mounted in Gabriel, causing him to raise his voice. “All my options? Like what? Raising him on my own? I don’t even have a job right now, Em.”
As Gabriel pulled the car into the driveway, Emily took a deep breath. “It’s been a long day, and we’re both exhausted. Let’s talk about this tomorrow after we’ve had some rest.”
Emily reached for the door handle, opened the car door, and placed one foot on the ground. Noticing that Gabriel hadn’t moved, she turned to him and asked, “Aren’t you coming?”
“You go ahead. I’ll be in in a minute.”
She didn’t like the look on his face. Emily had never seen him so distraught and broken. She put her foot back into the car and closed the door.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m staying with you.”
“I don’t need you to babysit me. I’m not a child.”
“I know. That’s not why I’m staying. The boys are probably waiting for us, and I’m not explaining this alone.” She leaned back against the headrest, closing her eyes. “I’ll just rest here.”
After several minutes, with a resigned sigh, he unbuckled his seatbelt and slowly opened the door. “Come on,” he said, stepping out of the car.
Emily climbed out of the car and followed him into the house, relieved that her plan had worked. She went upstairs to check on Ava and the boys. After confirming they were all asleep, she retreated to her bathroom and turned on the shower. She slowly peeled the bloody clothes off her tired body and stepped under the warm, soothing water.
After showering and drying off, she wrapped her hair in a towel and slipped into her bathrobe. Exhausted, she collapsed onto the top of her bed, not bothering to crawl under the covers. Within seconds, she was fast asleep.