Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Zander
“ S carlett should’ve been back by now,” I say out loud.
“Wouldn’t she call or text if she’s running late?” Gabby asks.
“You’d think, but if she got really into what she was working on, she may have lost track of time. It happens. I just don’t like it when we’re so close to having the baby,” I admit to Gabby.
She stabs two cherries for a cocktail she was making and glances up at me. “You’ll be a great dad. And Scarlett’s really lucky to have you too,” she says as a blush creeps into her cheeks.
“Thanks,” I say.
She nods and carries the cocktail to table seven.
I pull my phone out. It’s been an hour and a half, and I’ve texted her twice but got no response. I called her once about ten minutes ago, but she didn’t answer. I’m about to call her again, and I’ve even decided if she doesn’t answer this time, I might call Sterling Brigg or his partner, Hart Thorne, to track her cell or look for her. They have both been regulars for lunch and dinner rush but not so much drinking. They’re both criminal investigators with Greendale Valley Police Department. Sterling’s little sister, Briella “Bree” Warren, is too. And she’s also Brittney’s best friend. I have connections if I were to ever need them. But I’m sure everything is fine. It’s probably nothing. I guess I’m being a bit overprotective.
I’m about to hit the call button on her name when my phone alerts me to an incoming call. “Hello?”
“Zander, this is Leah Barnette. I’m at the hospital with Scarlett. You need to get down here. She’s in labor,” she says calmly.
My legs move before I know what I’m doing. “I’m on my way.”
I glance at Gabby. “I’ve gotta go. I’ll call Dad to come in. Can you and Holly manage for a half an hour until he gets here?”
“Sure. Is everything okay?”
“Scarlett’s in labor,” I say as I walk out the door with Dad already on my cell.
“Scarlett!” I sweep into the hospital room the nurse directed me to. Her blue gaze meets mine and I freeze. She wears a pained expression with her eyebrows drawn. She swallows hard as I come further into the room. It’s like she’s weathered one of those storms we talked about earlier, but she did it without me and it beat her down. It stole some of her sunshine.
“What happened, sunshine? I waited for you to come back. I called and texted, but you didn’t answer. I was so worried because you said it wouldn’t take long. I want to know you and the baby are safe…always.”
The corner of her mouth tips up, but it’s replaced by her squeezing her eyes shut in pain. I rush to her side. “What can I do? What’s going on?”
I take her hand in mine, wanting her to be okay.
“My water broke, and I had to get here.”
“Yes, but why didn’t you call me? Why did Leah call instead?”
“I can’t do this right now, Zander. This baby is coming,” she says.
Dr. Ray comes in and checks her and looks through her chart. She glances at us both. “The baby is transverse, meaning he’s lying across the womb instead of head down. We’re going to prep you for a C-section.”
Scarlett’s grip tightens on my hand. “Is he okay?”
Dr. Ray smiles kindly. “We’re going to take good care of you both. His heart rate is fine right now. But we don’t want to waste any time since your water broke. The anesthesiologist will come by in a few minutes to go over some paperwork, and then we’ll get you into surgery.”
She glances at me. “I’m scared. I want to hold him in my arms, but I’m so scared.”
I lean in and touch my forehead to hers. “You’ve got this, sunshine. I’ll be right beside you. You’re going to do great.”
“We don’t have a name picked out. Why haven’t we talked about names?” she asks in a panic.
“We’ve had a lot to figure out. But a lot of parents wait until they see their baby before deciding on a name. We’ve got time to choose the perfect one,” I tell her to try and calm her. Inside, I’m anything but calm. All of this is scary to me…regular delivery, and C-section is even scarier, but holding the tiny person I’m responsible for…the one that will call me Dad might be the scariest of all. I don’t want to mess up.
People move in and out of the room and explain things. It sounds muffled to me. They take Scarlett to surgery before me. The nurse hangs back and hands me a set of scrubs to wear. I put it all on and wait nervously until they are done giving her a spinal block. Then they take me to where she’s laid out on the table, her lower half covered by a drape.
She glances at me, and I move to be near her right by her head. I’m holding her hand. One of the nurses tells me I can take pictures with my phone when he’s safely delivered. The room is sterile and bright. The team works with Dr. Ray to deliver my son and take care of Scarlett.
After what seems like an eternity, but in reality, it was probably more like twenty minutes, a baby cries. Our son is here. Dr. Ray holds him up so we can see him. Happy tears fall down Scarlett’s temples where she lies on the table.
I press a kiss to her forehead and whisper, “You did so good, sunshine. I love you.”
She closes her eyes and nods while pressing her lips together. The nurses tell me I can take pictures of him and help clean him up as Dr. Ray finishes Scarlett’s surgery. Everything passes by in a blur and we’re finally in a room.
“My parents will be here in the morning since it’s so late. Yours too. Tonight, it’s just the three of us,” I tell her as she holds our son against her chest getting some skin-to-skin time.
“Okay,” she says without looking up.
“I never knew I could love someone so much. My heart almost hurts with how much I love him,” she says.
I stroke her hair while watching them together and wonder to myself how I got so lucky. “I know. I feel it too.”
She glances at me and smiles softly. “Thank you for being my safe place to land in there.”
“Always, sunshine. Thank you for giving me our son. He’s the most precious gift I could have ever imagined.”
Her eyes almost gloss over. “What about Atlas?” she asks around a sniffle.
“Hmm. Atlas Bailey. I like it. What about a middle name?”
“I picked Atlas. What do you think it should be?” she asks.
“I like Cole. Atlas Cole,” I say, testing it out.
She stares at him for a few seconds before placing a kiss to his dark hair. “Atlas Cole Bailey, you are so loved. Welcome to the world, my little one.”
He yawns and makes the smallest, sweetest noise I’ve ever heard before his mama hands him to me. I sway as I hold him in my arms. I was afraid I’d fumble this part, but it surprisingly has come naturally to me.
Staring at his perfect little face fills me with an emotion I’m not sure how to describe, but pride and joy come to mind. I know I’ll always choose him and Scarlett over anyone or anything. I’m more than ready to prove that every day. This is my family.