by K. C. Crowne
My gut tensed at the mention of my birth mother.
“Maybe it’s time to see her?” he asked.
“Maybe. I’m still getting used to being around indoor plumbing, to be honest.”
“I get it. These things take time.” He sipped his coffee. “Speaking of parents, how’re your mom and dad doing?”
“Good,” I said. “Thanks. Mom’s mom, and Dad made a full recovery from the surgery.”
“Good to hear.”
“I stuck around until I knew he was going to be fine. Not a chance I’d run off to Africa if he was still in a bad state.”
He chuckled. “Aren’t you a good son?”
“I have my moments.”
We sipped our coffee in silence, simply enjoying one another’s company.
“Come on,” he said, a knowing smile on his face. “Are you seriously not going to ask me?”
“Ask you about what?”
“Duncan,” he said. “You go off to Africa because you broke up with her. And then while you’re there you set up a program at the hospital to have local musicians play for the patients – just like she used to do. And now you’re going to seriously act like she’s not on your mind?”
He had me there. “The perils of uploading everything to social media,” I said. “But yeah, I’ll bite. Have you seen her?”
He shook his head. “That’s the thing. After you left, I spotted her a couple of times when I’d come to town. We never really talked – she’d usually be at the coffee shop with that cute friend of hers. I figured if it hadn’t happened, it wasn’t going to, you know?”
“That’s really how you feel? You were willing to just let her go like that?”
He shrugged. “Hardly even a decision. I’d said my piece, and she didn’t take me back. What else was I supposed to do? Show up at her work every day with a bouquet of flowers? Getting a restraining order didn’t exactly sound like romance.”
I laughed. “Good call.”
“But,” he went on. “You’re the one who lives in White Pines. There’s a good chance you’re going to see her, despite the fact that it sounds like she’s dropped off the face of the earth.”
“Where do you think she went?”
Another shrug. “Couldn’t tell you – she’s been like a ghost on social media, too. Maybe she went back to live with her parents for a while or started a new job.” His eyes lit up. “Or wait, maybe she went to Africa too and you just missed her.”
I laughed again, shaking my head. “Funny.”
“But I meant what I said before you left – we don’t need to let a woman come between us. We’re blood – our ties go deeper than that.”
“Right…” I trailed off.
He cocked his head to the side. “What’s the matter?”
I wasn’t sure how to say what was on my mind, which was what, exactly, I’d do if she were to come back into my life. She was gone, sure, but that didn’t mean she was gone for good.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
“Sorry,” I said. “Don’t want to be rude, but it might be someone from work.”
“Sure, sure,” he said, waving a hand. “Let’s grab a bite to eat. I’m thinking we run into town and grab some pizza.”
I nodded, but as soon as I took my phone out of my pocket, I knew there wasn’t going to be any pizza in my future.
It was her.
It was Annie.
My hand shook as I placed the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Holy shit,” spoke the voice on the other end, a woman who most definitely wasn’t Annie. “He really picked up.”
There was screaming in the background, screaming that sounded like someone was in pain. And it sounded like Annie.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Who is this?”
“This is Annie’s friend Gia,” she said. “And we’re coming over.”
“What?” I asked, standing up.
“What’s going on?” Andrew asked, obviously able to hear the screams through the phone.
Another scream pierced my ear.
“We’re coming to your place right now! And it’s a freaking emergency!”
“What kind of an emergency?”
“The pregnant kind!”
I almost dropped the phone.
Annie
The pain was unlike anything I’d ever known before. And on top of that, we were going to my ex’s place. But that didn’t matter. What did matter was that I was in labor, and a baby was about to come out of me at any freaking second.
“What did he say?” I asked, my chest rapidly expanding and contracting, my forehead sheened with sweat.
“I didn’t really give him a chance to respond,” Gia replied while in the process of carefully but quickly driving my car up the winding road to Duncan’s place.
I still couldn’t believe what was happening. It’d been months since I’d learned I was pregnant, months since I’d learned I was carrying Duncan’s child. What a hell of a shock it’d been. But I didn’t have time to think about any of that. I was giving birth, and the father of the baby was the only doctor around who could help.
Another wave of pain blasted through my body.
“Oh my God!” I shouted, digging my nails into the fabric of the car seat, trying my damnedest to fight through the pain.
“We’re almost there!” she shouted. “Just a few more minutes and you’ll be having your little baby delivered courtesy of the handsome Dr. Pitt!”
The fact that he was handsome, the fact that he was a man I used to date, the fact that he was the freaking father of the baby – they were all details I was doing my best to put out of my head. All that mattered was that he was the doctor who was going to deliver my child.
“Let me check something,” Gia mumbled, turning on the radio.
“Main thoroughfare out of White Pines is still blocked,” spoke the newsman. “Traffic is stretched for miles.”
She clicked off the radio, sighing. “The day you have your kid is the one day the highway’s packed full of traffic.”
It was another detail I didn’t want to think about.
“There!” Gia cried as she turned the corner to Duncan’s place.
Even through the insanity of the situation, seeing his house again, that giant mansion in the middle of the woods, was enough to bring the memories flooding back.
I was going to see him again.
“And there he is!” Gia announced. “Wait, is that…oh, no.”
“What?” I asked, struggling to get up.
“Just…sit back down. We’ve got more help. But don’t you stress yourself about it.”
“Gia!” I shouted. “Tell me what’s going on!”
She let out a groan as she pulled into a parking spot. “Duncan’s here. But he’s not alone.”
I was panicked, but I was cognizant enough to worry about what she was talking about. Was he there with…someone else? As in a special someone? What if he was happily married, having met a beautiful woman while he was overseas, and I was ready to wreck their happy home with a surprise baby.
And not just any surprise baby – his baby.
I was a sweaty mess, the contractions getting closer and closer. All I wanted was to be someplace safe, someplace where I could deliver my baby and be in good hands. But my choices had come down to delivery in traffic or delivery at my doctor ex’s. It was an easy decision.
The door opened, the cool fall air rushing into the car and providing a moment’s relief from the blood pumping through me.
“God,” spoke a familiar voice. “It really is her.”
It was Duncan. Out of the corner of my eye I could see his tall, powerful form rush over to me.
Everything after that happened like something out of a dream. His huge arms swept underneath me, helping me to my feet, then up and off them. He rushed me into the house, the fall colors of the trees around his home a blur. Someone else held the door open, another tall, well-built man who reminded me of Dunca
n.
Then another contraction hit, more pain blasting through my body.
“How soon have those been happening?” Duncan asked, his voice powerful and commanding. He was in full doctor mode. It made me feel safe and secure and like I had nothing to worry about.
“Sooner and sooner,” Gia informed him. “But I was driving – I was mostly focused on getting her here.”
“I’m Andrew, by the way.”
Andrew? I opened my eyes wide and summoned what little focus I had to look around. Sure enough, there he was. I watched as he extended his hand to Gia, who took it with a small smile on her face, a tiny blush to her cheeks.
“Gia,” she said. “We’ve kind of met before.”
“Right,” he said. “But good to be official about these kinds of things.”
Her hand lingered in his for a few beats, as if neither one of them wanted to let the other go. I frowned at them, but then another contraction hit, pain blowing away anything my attention might’ve been focused on.
“We set up an area in the living room,” Andrew said. “It’s not much, but the best we were able to do before you got here.”
Duncan positioned himself in front of me, taking in the sight of my pregnancy as if he couldn’t believe it.
I knew I had to tell him. But even through the pain I knew I didn’t need to give him one more thing to worry about. He was about to help his pregnant ex give birth in his home.
“Alright,” he said. “First of all, good to see you, Annie.”
I smiled, happy to hear him say the words. And not going to lie, I was more than a little relieved the other person ended up being Andrew and not some beautiful fiancé.
“Yeah,” I said as he wiped the sweat from my brow with a cloth. “Good to see you, too.”
He smiled, and I did the same. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
“Anyway,” he said, snapping back into professional mode. “A hospital would’ve been the best place for this, of course. But I’ve done more than a few childbirths in my time. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“Good.”
“First thing is we’re going to need to get you ready.”
I knew what that meant – I needed to take off my clothes.
“Gia can help you, and I’ve got a hospital gown here. Hurry, and I’ll be right back with you.”
He stood up and nodded to Andrew, and they left. Andrew locked eyes with Gia again, the two of them sharing another small smile before they both left.”
“Come on,” Gia murmured, hurrying to my side and helping me up. “Let’s get you out of this stuff.”
“Gia, this baby’s coming,” I said as she pulled my shirt off over my head.
“I know, I know. But you’re in good hands, right? And God, how did I never notice how cute Andrew was? I mean, he looks just like Duncan, so it makes sense. But still—”
“Gia!” I said. “Focus.”
She grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, sorry.”
Moments later I was in the gown. Gia called for Duncan, and he and Andrew came back into the room.
“Alright,” Duncan announced, his sleeves rolled up and blue latex gloves on his hands. “It’s time to deliver this baby.”
He helped me onto the couch and propped my legs up once I was there.
The next half-hour passed in a crazy blur. Duncan, calm as ever, helped me through the process, instructing me how to breath, when to push. Gia and Andrew watched, bringing whatever supplies Duncan called for, both watching the process happen with wide, eager eyes.
The pain was nuts, like I was getting ripped in half – which wasn’t an inaccurate description of what was happening. The quickness of the contractions grew, and Duncan kept on yelling for me to push, taking my hand and working me through it all.
“There’s the head!” he called out. “So far, so good. Just keep pushing! Keep pushing!”
I did what the good doctor told me to do, pushing that little baby as hard as I could. And then a cry cut through the air, and an incredible pressure lifted as the pain faded away.
“There he is!” Duncan shouted with excitement.
More crying, the post-birth chemicals now flooding my body and giving me a high like I’d never known before. But it was more than just that. Looking up through bleary eyes, Duncan rose in front of me, my baby in his arms
Our baby.
“Is…is he alright?” Gia asked, her eyes filled with tears. “Is he healthy?”
Duncan smiled softly. “All his fingers, all his toes. And he’s even got a full head of hair.” Duncan nodded to Andrew. “Grab me that white blanket. And those scissors.”
Andrew did what he asked without saying a word. I knew what was coming next – I just didn’t want to see it. But Duncan did the necessary duties, getting the baby cleaned up.
Then it hit me. There he is. My baby boy cried and cried, Duncan holding him close, whispering soothing words.
“Is he upset?” I asked, slightly worried at the crying.
Duncan looked up at me and shook his head. “He’s just a little overwhelmed, is all. He’s out in the world now – he’s got a lot to take in. But crying’s a good sign.”
“Can…can I see him?”
Duncan smiled. “Of course you can.” He stepped over to me and gently, carefully, placed the squirming, crying baby in my arms.
I held the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my life. And there was no doubt he was Duncan’s. He had his dark hair, his brilliant blue eyes. Even though he was only a few minutes old, there was a flicker of intelligence in those eyes, like I could already tell he was going to be as brilliant as his father.
Then he stopped crying, stopped squirming. A tinge of panic ran through me.
“Is that bad?” I asked. “You just said it was a good sign he was crying.”
“Nope,” he said. “It means he’s calm now. And why wouldn’t he be? He’s with his mother.”
I held the boy close, nuzzling him against my chest. The feeling that took hold of me as I held my baby boy close was like nothing I’d ever known in my life.
“He’s so precious,” Gia whispered, craning her head to get a look at him.
“That’s a handsome boy,” Andrew said. “Not going to lie about that.”
But as I held my baby close, Duncan standing near, I knew it was time. “Hey, guys?” I asked, glancing at Gia, then Andrew. “Mind if I have a moment alone with Duncan?”
Gia’s eyes flashed, and it was clear she knew what I needed to say.
“Yeah,” Andrew answered. “Of course.”
He nodded at Gia, and together the two of them left the room.
It was just me and Duncan.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, putting his hand on my shoulder.
There was no sense in delaying it.
“Duncan,” I said. “The baby…”
“Yeah?” he asked, glancing at the baby, then back at me.
“He’s yours.”
Duncan
Hours after Annie had dropped the bomb, the news still rang in my mind.
I was out on the balcony, my coat pulled tight around me, a cup of coffee on the railing, steam curling up and into the chill fall air. The sun was beginning to set, the sky a brilliant orange that matched the most dramatic colors of the leaves below it.
I was a father.
Annie had spent the day recovering, getting to know her little boy while Gia and Andrew fawned over him. Meanwhile, I was thinking, trying to process everything.
A knock sounded on the patio door. I turned and saw Annie standing there. She was dressed in my clothes, the dark blue joggers and cream-colored Aran sweater loose on her body, but not loose enough to remind me how gorgeous she looked underneath them. Her hands were wrapped around a mug of coffee.
I’d been totally stunned after she’d told me the news about the baby. I’d needed time to process it, told her I’d talk to her about it in a while.
Looked like she was done waiting
.
“Hey,” she said. “You want to be alone out here?”
“Nah. Come on out.”
She sat down next to me, the two of us saying nothing for several moments, instead gazing out into the distance at the mountains.
“Is this bad?” she asked, raising her mug. “Like, for breastfeeding and all that.”
“Caffeine? Might want to think about giving it up. But I’ve always been a fan of the natural method with kids.”
She smiled. “Right. And he’s got the rest of his life to get addicted to coffee, right? No sense in rushing him into it.” She set the mug down.
“I’ll make you some decaf later,” I said.
“That’d be nice.”
“How are those two?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder at Andrew and Gia gazed at the baby together.
“Couldn’t be happier,” Annie said. “Andrew’s still wrapping his head around it all, but he’s thrilled to be an uncle. And Gia’s going to be an aunt, whether it’s the official kind or not.”
“Seems like there’s more than just fawning over a baby going on in there,” I said, watching as Andrew said something to make Gia laugh, Gia responding by giving Andrew a playful shove.
“I think you’re right about that,” she said.
More silence. It was time to talk about us – no putting it off.
“Listen,” she said. “I didn’t want you to find out like this.”
I chuckled. “Yeah. Showing up on the verge of having a kid certainly is one way to let a guy know he’s about to be a dad.”
“It happened out of nowhere – I wasn’t due for another week. But there I was, at Apres Ski with Gia, snacking on a scone, and then, all of a sudden, my water breaks.”
“Didn’t think you’d make it to the hospital?”
“That was the plan. But when Gia pulled it up on maps, there was some kind of accident on the highway. Believe it or not, your place was closer.”
“It’s all good,” I said. “Worse things in the world than helping someone you love give birth to your own son.”