by Emma Shae
“I think that’s the best idea, Damon. Wait until the little one arrives, and then there will be plenty of time for you to reacquaint yourselves. This time, you have all of the time that you want to woo Sasha properly.”
Damon smiled. His grandmother could read him like a book. She knew before he did that he was in love with Sasha and was letting him know that she approved. Damon now understood why Vanessa had arranged the entire affair. She knew that Emry was dying, and hand-picked Sasha, not only to mother her heir but to bring Damon back to life as well. Vanessa’s ploy had worked. Damon was alive again and was only just realizing how lifeless he had been.
Damon missed being with Sasha, and even more, since being forced to stay clear of her. He had grown accustomed to her company, her voice, and her sweet smile. Damon missed holding Sasha and making love to her and wanted her back in his arms. Thinking about her having his child made him want to be with her even more. He felt affection toward Sasha that he had never felt before, not even with Carma. Damon attributed his adoration toward Sasha to his impending fatherhood. He could think of no one that he wanted in his life more. Damon felt the only way he could make his life complete was to ask Sasha to marry him.
Lately, Damon had thought of nothing else but making Sasha his wife. He needed to try to explain everything to her so that she could understand and not be angry with him. His grandmother had manipulated him, and he had not even realized what she had done until now. Damon was impressed by how crafty his grandmother was.
Vanessa was a very wise lady, and even though Damon was business savvy, he had a long way to go before he would be able to figure out the mind of his sneaky grandmother.
Damon could not help but smile, and Vanessa smiled back. At that moment, without a single word spoken, they both realized that the proverbial cat was out of the bag. A few of the secrets that Vanessa had withheld from the beginning were now out in the open. Vanessa had purposefully worked Sasha into Damon's life to revive his heart, and Damon had opened his heart to Sasha and fallen in love with her.
CHAPTER 5
THE SCARE
Sasha had taken her daily stroll down the pier to the boathouse to read her book, as she did every morning. Once there, Sasha climbed the stairs to the upper level and sat down on the bench overlooking the water. It was very relaxing there, as she listened to the water softly lapping the underside of the building. Climbing the stairs was also an excellent form of exercise if Sasha was careful. Her doctor told her that it would be good for her and the baby if she took short walks daily as long as she did not venture far from home.
This morning, Sasha had barely started to read when she experienced her first pain. Sasha assumed that it was just Braxton-Hicks but figured that since she was alone on the deck, and had forgotten her cellphone, she should head back toward the mansion. The pier was rather long, and Sasha was in her last two weeks of pregnancy.
Halfway back to the mansion, Sasha had another pain, but this one was much stronger than the last one, and almost doubled her over. Sasha grabbed the handrail on the pier to keep from falling, and that is when her water broke.
Sasha panicked a little as she continued to hold firmly to the rail. She began to feel week in the knees and a little bit nauseous when suddenly, she fainted and fell to the walkway.
Maida, Vanessa’s cook, was standing at the kitchen window, watching Sasha take her morning walk, as she did every day, while she prepared the family’s lunch. Maida was the first one to see Sasha when she fell and immediately alerted Vanessa, as she went flying out the back door toward the pier.
Vanessa instantly grabbed her cellphone as she too rushed to Sasha’s aid. Vanessa called 911 on her way to the pier, and after explaining her emergency to the operator, she called Damon. Maida secured Sasha from falling into the water and was cradling her head in her arms by the time Vanessa arrived. Maida was cradling Sasha in her arms, but Sasha was not responding. Sasha was very pale, which alarmed both Maida and Vanessa.
After Vanessa quickly explained to Damon what had happened with Sasha, Damon said that he was on his way and hung up.
Vanessa tried not to panic, but she didn't know what to do for Sasha. Sasha was so listless, and her breathing seemed labored.
Thankfully, the ambulance arrived within minutes of receiving the call from Vanessa. The emergency personnel loaded Sasha into the ambulance and quickly assessed her problem. Sasha’s blood sugar was abnormal, so they immediately began working to stabilize her levels.
Damon pulled up just as the ambulance was about to pull away to the hospital. He insisted on riding in the ambulance with Sasha to the hospital, so Vanessa told him, “Since only one person can ride along, you ride with Sasha, and I’ll take my car. I’ll follow behind the ambulance to the hospital.
Damon held Sasha's hand on the trip to the hospital while speaking softly to her on the ride there. "Please be okay, sweetheart. We are going to be at the hospital any minute. Hold on, sweetheart. Everything is going to be okay. I love you."
Sasha never heard what Damon said to her because she never woke on the way to the hospital. She was so pale and helpless looking.
After arriving at the emergency room, they rushed Sasha into the delivery room, and Damon paced.
Damon was beside himself with worry. He could not help but think about the day that he lost Carma and the baby. Those memories still haunted him. He continued to pace until Vanessa arrived, and then she fretted and paced the floor with him. They tried to console each other, but both of them were so concerned, they were unable to comfort one another.
About an hour after arriving at the hospital, a nurse came out to let Damon and Vanessa know that they had stabilized Sasha’s blood sugar, and she was doing well. The baby was not in distress, but Sasha was now in labor, and the baby would be born soon.
Even though the nurse had tried to reassure Vanessa and Damon about Sasha’s status, they were both still apprehensive. With Sasha’s current condition unstable, Vanessa felt that it was her place to reassure Damon, “She’s in good hands, Damon, and everything is going to be fine.”
Everyone tried to reassure Damon that Sasha was going to be okay, but he was still worried. Sasha meant the world to him, and he couldn’t lose her. He couldn’t lose anyone else; he couldn’t go through that again.
Damon continued to pace while he waited for news about Sasha. He tried to remain calm, but his concern was evident.
Vanessa continued to reassure Damon, saying, “Sasha is going to be fine, Damon. Try not to worry about her. The doctors here are the best at what they do. Why don’t you sit down for a few minutes and try to relax? Your pacing is making me nervous.”
“I’m sorry, Vanessa, I’m usually able to maintain a semblance of calm in situations like this, but Sasha means the world to me.”
“I know, Damon, you love her. I’m concerned too, but as I said, she is in excellent hands here. Sasha has the best doctors in the land, taking care of her right now.”
“Why don’t they come out and tell us something, anything?”
“I’m sure that as soon as they know something definitive, they’ll come and talk to us.”
Damon continued to pace because he was unable to relax. He was too worried about Sasha. Damon was still concerned for Sasha and the baby's welfare.
After several more minutes of pacing back and forth, Damon finally sat down beside Vanessa in the waiting room. He was distraught, which was unusual for Damon. He was a man that was usually in control.
Vanessa was worried too, but she tried to conceal her emotions from Damon, he had enough on his mind as it was.
CHAPTER 6
DELIVERY TIME
Finally, several hours after arriving at the emergency room, Doctor Bland, Sasha’s obstetrician came out to tell them, “Well, congratulations to the family, Sasha is the proud mother of a healthy baby boy. The mother and child are doing fine. Sasha is sleeping peacefully now. It was a rather difficult birth, so I would advise the family to allo
w her to sleep for now. The nurses will be putting her in a private room shortly, and then you can see her. Someone will come out and let you know her room number, and at that time, you can go in and visit with her.” Then Doctor Bland excused himself.
Damon let out a long sigh, and then looked at Vanessa, she smiled, and he was finally able to smile back. Damon visibly began to relax after hearing the good news.
Vanessa then said, “I’m relieved, and I know that you’re relieved too that they are both going to be fine. I think that congratulations are most definitely in order. Both mother and child are in good health, and you are a proud new father. All in all, I’d say this turned out to be a good day.”
“You do have a point, grams. Things could have turned out much differently. I have a child. It’s hard to believe, but I have a son.”
“Yes, you do, and I can’t wait to see him. By any chance, have you and Sasha discussed what you plan to name him?”
“No, grams, we never got around to discussing names for the baby. We had other things on our mind at the time, so choosing names was not a subject we broached at the time.”
“Well, I can understand that not being a topic the two of you would have spent a lot of time contemplating over. That is a subject that the two of you will need to discuss now that the little man is here. May I suggest that you name him after your grandfather, Trenton? It would be an honor to both me and Trenton if you named your son after him.”
“When Sasha wakes up, we can discuss what she plans to name the baby. If she doesn’t have any ideas, I’ll suggest my grandfather’s name. I imagine that she will be okay with it, but I’ll let you know what Sasha says.”
Damon then stood up and slowly walked toward the hallway. He could not think about a name for the baby right then. All Damon could think about was Sasha, and if she was going to be alright.
He needed to see Sasha and the baby. Damon glanced down at his watch and realized that it had only been about twenty minutes since the doctor left. To Damon, though, it felt like much longer than that.
Damon began to pace again, and as he did, he couldn’t help but think about the fact that it had been over six months since he had last seen or spoken to Sasha. Damon worried that she might not want to see him, or possibly not even desire to talk to him. Damon feared that he could have lost her from his life forever by neglecting to let her know that he thought of her daily, almost hourly. He had lost so much time with Sasha, and now, Damon was afraid that time was lost forever.
Damen stopped pacing and sat down on the chair beside Vanessa and asked her, “Has Sasha spoken to you about her plans for the future?
“Sasha and I did speak about her plans. We discussed her going back to college. Sasha is a smart young lady, and I encouraged her to return to classes. I know that she was seriously considering it.”
Damon then hesitantly asked, “Did she ever ask about me?”
“Sasha and I discussed you, but our conversation felt guarded. I think that she was trying to be respectful of me and the original agreement that we made between the three of us. She was careful with the words she chose. I know that she misses you, though, and I believe that she is probably in love with you, even though she never said those exact words to me.”
A tentative smile appeared on Damon’s face after hearing those words. Vanessa was not usually wrong about her intuitions, so he had hope that she was right about this one for sure.
At that moment, one of the nurses on duty came in and said, “Ms. Sasha is awake if the family would like to go in and see her at this time. The baby is in the room with Sasha now, so that you can both visit with them if you like. Try not to tire her too much, she had a little difficulty with the delivery, but she is anxious to see her family.”
Damon looked at Vanessa and softly said, “Grams, you go in to see Sasha and the baby, but don’t tell her that I’m here. Before I barge in on her, I want to know that it’s alright if I come in. I want to see both of them, but I don’t want to tire her too much. Plus, I only want to see her if she wants to.”
“I understand, Damon. I’ll talk to Sasha first, and then I’ll let you know what she says.”
Sasha was awake and sitting up in bed when Vanessa walked into her room. She was pale and looked weak, but she smiled when she saw Vanessa.
“How is the new mama doing?”
Sasha weakly answered, “I’m okay now, Vanessa. Have you seen the baby yet?”
The crib was beside Sasha’s bed, and as Vanessa peered down inside the tiny bed, she saw the little bundle of joy that she had waited so long to receive. She asked Sasha, “He’s perfect, may I hold him?”
“Of course, you can, they said he is healthy, and we can take him home tomorrow evening. My sugar level is back to normal again, and if it stays level, I can go home tomorrow too. I’m feeling a lot better, just a little weak still, but the doctor said that was normal.”
Vanessa took the baby in her arms and walked to a nearby rocking chair and sat down with him. As she began to rock with him, she began to smile.
“He has Damon’s black hair. What color are his eyes?”
“It’s hard to tell, right now they are dark, but I think they are going to be green, like Damon’s. He has beautiful green eyes. I’m glad his hair is dark like his father’s and not blonde like mine.”
“I’m sure that Damon would love to see this little fellow, and you too, of course.”
Hearing Damon’s name made Sasha think about him even more. Since Vanessa was the one that had brought up Damon’s name, Sasha decided to broach the subject further. “I would love for Damon to see the baby, if it’s alright with you, of course.”
“I don’t mind if Damon sees you and the baby. Remember, I mentioned that the other day. You two can see each other as often as you like. If you want to contact him, I’m perfectly alright with that.”
“I would have gotten in touch with him to let him know about the birth, but I don’t have his number.”
“Oh, silly me, I forgot that you don’t have Damon’s contact information. No wonder you haven’t called him. You should have said something to me sooner. Why don’t you call him now and let him know that the baby has arrived and that you would like for him to come and visit with you and see the baby? If you have your phone handy, I’ll give you his number.”
Sasha’s cell was on the nightstand, so she reached for it and added Damon’s private number that Vanessa gave her to her contacts.
Then Sasha hesitantly said, “I would love for Damon to come and visit with me and the baby today. The doctor said that I have to spend tonight here at the hospital, but we should be able to take the baby home tomorrow evening.”
After Sasha finished adding the number, Vanessa said, "Now that you have Damon's phone number, you can call him anytime you like. I’m sure that he would love to hear from you. Since he hasn’t heard from you in a while, he is probably anxious to hear how you and the baby are doing. Why don’t you give him a call right now?"
Sasha deliberated about calling Damon for only a few seconds. She was anxious to talk to him. Sasha’s phone call went directly to Damon’s voice mail, though, so she decided to leave him a short message.”
Vanessa put the baby back in the crib and told Sasha, “I’ll make sure that Damon knows your room number and that you tried to call him. I’m going now so that you can get some rest, but I’ll check on you first thing in the morning.”
Vanessa then left Sasha’s room and met up with Damon in the lobby. She told him, “Sasha hasn’t called you or tried to communicate with you because she didn’t have your phone number. I didn’t realize that I hadn’t given it to her. Sasha has your number now, and she just left you a message. You should have answered her call. Why don’t’ you call her back?”
When Damon jumped in his car to meet up with the ambulance earlier that morning, he threw his phone onto the dash of his car and forgot about it. All he had on his mind at that time was getting to Sasha.
Damon was
unaware that Sasha had tried to call him. He quickly explained to Vanessa, “I didn’t answer because I didn’t know that she tried to call me, grams. I don’t have my phone with me. I accidentally left it in my car.”
Vanessa said, “Well, I can tell you one thing for sure, she really wants to see you, and she is in room #216. I’m tired, so I’m heading home, but I told Sasha that I would come back to see her in the morning. Doctor Bland said that he was going to let Sasha and the baby go home tomorrow after rounds if her blood sugar was stable. Maybe the two of you can work that out because I can’t pick her up tomorrow evening. I have important things that I need to do, so I won’t have time to pick her up. Maybe, you can arrange to pick her and the baby up from the hospital? Go in and talk to her, and you two can work that out. I’ll talk to you later to find out what you decide.”
CHAPTER 7
PATCHING UP
Damon knew that Vanessa would have moved heaven and earth to make sure that Sasha and the baby got home safely. She was obviously trying to put the two of them together in her not-so-innocent way. Damon smiled as he realized that Vanessa was trying to manipulate him again, but he was okay with that. He didn’t mind her plan at all.
Damon walked straight to room #216. When he arrived at Sasha’s door and looked inside, he saw that she had her eyes closed, and assumed that she was resting. Damon watched Sasha in her relaxed state for several seconds, thinking how beautiful she was even after all that she had been through in her life. He was just about to walk away when Sasha opened her eyes and looked at him. When their eyes met, they smiled at one another.