Elias
It was family dinner… but not family dinner like it used to be. This wasn’t the family he had been born into; this was the family he’d found. Okay, technically, Levi was part of his birth family, but everyone else had become family because they chose to.
Tonight, it was at Theo’s place. They took turns hosting, although lately, it hadn’t been at his and Kate’s place. She was just about to pop, and if it was at someone else’s home, they could pick up and leave whenever Kate was done.
As for his birth family, he’d cut off all communication with them. Maybe one day he would find a way to reconcile—on his terms—but for his mental health it was better he have no contact with them. Catherine’s book had been a flop. Nobody had wanted to read her whining, and as for the InFocus interview and the debacle at the baby shower, well, it hadn’t even made a blip in the news cycle.
Nobody cared about a rich woman who wanted to play the victim.
Valentina had blocked the vision from the baby shower, so Kate and Elias’ identities were safe. That was what he had been most worried about. He hadn’t wanted any of that mud to stick to Kate. It also meant his alias, Eli, was safe too.
As for him and Kate… Elias couldn’t contain his grin when he thought about his life. He was so unapologetically happy. Yes, they fought—sometimes he wondered if Kate picked a fight with him because she enjoyed the sparring. He didn’t mind though, because the making up was sweet… and spicy, although the baby bump was proving to be a challenge. It just meant they had to be inventive.
He also no longer ran away when a fight was brewing. He’d continued his psychology sessions with Dr Amy, and he was learning how to deal with conflict. Facing his fears and understanding that just because someone was angry with him didn’t mean they didn’t love him was helping him change those patterns of behaviour. It was a long road, but he was committed to it.
He and Kate had talked about marriage but… for now, they were happy with the way things were. Why fix something that wasn’t broken? He had made them matching rings… although he hadn’t showed her yet. He was waiting until the right moment. He didn’t think that while she was nine months pregnant and uncomfortable was the right time. He did carry them with him at all times though, just in case the perfect moment presented itself.
‘These shoes are killing me,’ Kate said as she kicked them off in Theo’s foyer.
‘Foot spa and massage when we get home?’
Kate sighed. ‘That sounds like heaven.’
Levi placed his hand on the small of her back as they moved into the apartment, and Kate groaned.
‘What’s wrong?’ He wasn’t panicking… okay, maybe he was a little bit. Their due date had come and gone a week ago, and now it was a waiting game.
‘Nothing. My back has just been aching today, and I’ve had a bit of sciatica. Tiger is probably just pressing on my nerves.’
‘Are you sure? We don’t need to go to the hospital?’
‘I’m not in labour,’ Kate said, patting him on the cheek.
Elias did not feel reassured in the slightest.
‘You’re here!’ Sarah said, greeting them with a hug and kiss each.
‘We’re here,’ Kate replied.
Sarah bent down to speak to Kate’s belly. ‘And when are we going to meet you?’
‘I wish I knew. I’m about to serve an eviction notice on this freeloader.’
She smiled while she said it, but Elias knew Kate was getting to her limit. The last month had been tough, and as much as he knew Kate was already in love with their baby, she was also sick of being the host body for it.
‘Come on through and sit down. We have the recliner ready so you can put your feet up, and I’m sure Elias won’t mind fetching and carrying for you.’
Kate allowed Sarah to lead her through to the living room where there was indeed a recliner. Dinner would be served Japanese-style on the coffee table, because no one wanted to leave Kate out, and they also didn’t want to force her to sit at the table when she was so uncomfortable.
‘How’s Daddy going?’ Theo asked, slapping him on the back.
‘Nervous and excited and terrified,’ Elias answered truthfully.
‘I can imagine. You’re doing good, though. You know that, right?’
Elias took a breath. ‘I’m doing my best.’
‘That’s all anyone can ask.’
The door opened, and Levi and Alexis stepped through. Alexis kicked off her shoes and ran straight to hug Elias.
‘I can’t believe you’re here. I thought for sure we would get a phone call.’
‘Yeah, so did we.’
Alexis pecked him on the cheek, did the same to Theo, and then headed directly for Kate. It made Elias feel good that these women had gathered around her and loved her as much as he did… okay, not quite as much as he did. That would have been weird.
‘You look like you need a drink,’ Levi said, eyeing Elias.
‘Non-alcoholic,’ Elias said holding his hands up. ‘Just in case.’
They all moved through to the kitchen, and Theo handed Levi a beer and a cola to Elias. A quick check confirmed that Sarah and Alexis had already gotten a drink for Kate and a plate of nibbles. Kate had been ravenous lately, so Elias was surprised there was still food on her plate.
He looked more closely at her. Was she in pain?
‘What’s wrong?’ Levi asked, noticing Elias’ attention.
‘Kate doesn’t look…’
At that moment, Kate grimaced. She didn’t cry out or even make a sound, but she screwed her face up, and her hand went to her belly.
‘Kate?’ Elias asked as he immediately moved toward her.
‘Hmm,’ she hummed in response, her eyes squeezed shut.
After a moment, she let out a long breath and made eye contact with him.
‘Can you tim—’ Before she could finish the sentence, she grimaced again.
Levi was by her side in an instant. He had only ever delivered a baby during his residency, before he started in his specialty, but it was more times than Elias had ever done it.
‘Breathe, Kate,’ Levi was saying as he checked her pulse and then felt her stomach.
‘I think we need to go,’ Kate said when the contraction abated.
The words spurred Elias into action. They had prepared for this, and he knew exactly what he had to do. The nerves and fear cleared as he switched into action mode.
‘Levi, call the hospital and let them know we’re coming. Alexis, can you please call Georgia to meet us at the hospital?’ Elias gave the instructions as he helped Kate from the recliner.
‘You don’t want us to call the ambulance?’ Sarah asked.
‘It will be quicker for us to drive there,’ Elias replied. He’d discussed this with Kate previously when they’d made their birth plan.
Theo helped Elias get Kate to the car. They had to stop far too frequently for his peace of mind, though. They would make it to the hospital in time, wouldn’t they?
‘I’m good,’ Kate assured him, squeezing his hand. ‘We’ve got time.’
He nodded and was careful as he buckled her in before he raced around to the other side of the car. He slid behind the wheel and took a deep breath. This was it. He was about to be a father.
* * *
Kate
Kate didn’t wantto say anything, but she was worried they might not make it to the hospital in time. Her contractions seemed to be arriving every three or four minutes, although she wasn’t timing them, and Elias was busy concentrating on the road.
It was only a ten-minute drive, but it felt like an eternity to Kate. Everything came down to the tiny pockets of relief in between bursts of pain.
How did women go through this and willingly return for further children? How had her sister done this four times?
She saw the familiar building looming ahead, and Elias pulled into an emergency parking bay. After jumping out of the car and bolting inside, he returned with a wheelchair and gently helped her into it. As they entered the lobby, she vaguely registered the sculpture and remembered the moment Elias had told her it was based on her.
He’d been the one in a wheelchair then, and she laughed at the symmetry.
‘Are you okay?’ Elias asked.
‘Just…’ She paused as another contraction hit. ‘…just thinking about when you were in one of these things.’
‘I don’t know why that made you laugh, but okay.’
He wheeled her to the elevator and pushed the button for the fifth floor.
Time lost all meaning, and Kate retreated into her head, trusting that Elias would take care of the practicalities from here on.
As soon as they greeted the midwives in the birthing suite, everything passed in a blur. Kate was offered a comfortable gown and led to a private room with a bed and various items to aid labour.
She’d been a part of this process from the other side more times than she could count, but it was very, very different now.
Over the next hour, she couldn’t do anything apart from focus on her breathing. Fortunately, Dr Coppola was around and able to assist.
And then the contractions intensified, and Dr Coppola was telling her to push, and then the baby was out.
She looked across at Elias, who had his eyes glued to the baby.
‘We’ll just clean up your little girl before you hold her,’ Dr Coppola said.
‘It’s a girl?’ Elias checked.
‘Yes. And she’s beautiful.’
Dr Coppola handed her to the midwives, who gently wiped her down and weighed her on a scale. They then wrapped her in a blanket and handed her to Kate. Elias joined them, pulling an armchair to the side of the bed so he could be close by. He looked at the baby, and then at Kate. ‘I can’t believe she’s ours.’
‘I know. Do you think she looks like any of the names we chose?’
They’d curated a list of five boy’s names and five girl’s names but had decided to wait until the birth before selecting one.
‘I think she looks like a Maya.’
Kate nodded. ‘She does.’ She stroked the baby’s head. ‘Hello, Maya.’
Elias picked up her phone from the bedside table. ‘Let me take some photos so you can send them to everyone.’
Kate smiled tiredly from the bed. ‘Focus on Maya and not me.’
‘I’m focusing on both of you.’
He snapped a couple of pictures and then put the phone down. ‘Do you mind if I hold her?’
‘Of course you can.’ She lifted Maya into his arms and watched as Elias’ expression turned to one of awe. She saw his jacket resting on the seat and picked it up. She needed to take some photos with his phone too so he could send them to friends.
She reached into one of the pockets and paused. That didn’t feel like a phone. Her hand wrapped around something, and she pulled it out to see what it was.
‘What’s this?’ she asked, holding up a small box.
Elias’ eyes widened. ‘Wait, why do you have that? You weren’t supposed to find out that way…’
‘Find what out?’
He shook his head and smiled ruefully. ‘I guess there’s no going back now. It’s just a little something I made for the two of us. I know we’ve discussed not getting married yet, but I wanted to give you a gift that represented my commitment to you.’
Kate opened the box and saw two matching rings, one slightly larger than the other. They contained the same pattern as the bracelet Elias had given her.
She picked up the smaller ring and saw an engraved E K inside. A quick glance at the other one showed the same.
‘I thought we could have one each,’ Elias explained.
‘They’re amazing. Thank you.’
Elias placed Maya on Kate’s chest and slid the ring onto Kate’s right hand. ‘We’ll keep the left hand free for another time.’
Kate chuckled. ‘Sounds good.’
She put Elias’ ring on his finger and sighed happily.
She’d never imagined she’d end up having a child with the love of her life, but here she was.
Ready to start a new chapter.
The End