by Rie Warren
Kicking my chair away from my desk, I smiled. “So it’s good. We just sit tight.”
“Or we can go downtown and wait with Stone’s mechanics, cruise some naughty nurses. Word is the grease monkeys are making a real nuisance of themselves down there.”
“I like those guys.”
“Yeah. They remind me of—”
My phone jingled on my desk and I palmed the cell in my hand. “It’s Cat. Didn’t she come in today?”
Boomer shook his head.
“’Z’up, sis?” I answered the phone.
As I listened my breaths grew shorter and shorter. Every time Cat paused I mumbled words that were meant to be soothing. Boomer moved inside, shut the door, and sat across from me. Worry stenciled his face. I felt the same concern settle into sharp creases around my mouth.
“We’ll be there soon.” I hung up.
“Brodie? What’s going on?” Boomer asked.
“Myra Loveland. She’s dying. Probably today. Nick’s grandmother is dying.”
His face turned white. “What happened?”
“Rapid decline. She went into heart failure.”
“Where is she?”
“Same hospital as Leelee.”
****
I’d gone back and forth from the maternity ward to the cardiac unit what felt like a million times in two hours giving constant updates on both patients to all parties involved. Nick, Boomer, and Cat stayed on the upper floor with Nick’s folks who’d come to Charleston during the final stages of Myra’s illness. The mechanics in the maternity waiting room kept the mood light with constant ribbing at each other while they waited to hear about Miss Myra and Leelee.
Josh Stone looked like he’d been in a car accident every time he barged through the swinging doors to deliver Leelee’s progress. We swapped information, and I went back to my rounds.
It was the least I could do, but I wished Ashe were with me. I’d called her before we left Chrome and Steele. I’d reached her voicemail, left a message. My thoughts churned as I took the elevator again during hour three.
Boomer stayed put in the corner of Myra’s room, as unobtrusive as possible, which was hard for a two hundred-twenty pound guy built of sheer muscle. I walked over to Nick and Cat to ask if they minded if I said a little something to Miss Myra.
It was strange, this dance of life and death. Myra had been unconscious since the ambulance brought her in. I imagined Cat had arranged her long braid on the pillow, and an old afghan covered her legs, clearly one from her house. The age-old creases in Myra’s face had eased. She was frail and gaunt, but it looked like one last bit of life hummed in her yet.
I sat in the chair beside her bed and smoothed my hand over hers, careful not to jostle the wires and IVs attached to her.
“Hey, Miss Myra. It’s Brodie Steele—the one with the tats, remember? Nick’s got me dancin’ on my heels so I can keep you in the loop. There’s a little baby being born downstairs, going by the last name of Stone. I reckon you’d like to see the newborn who will be here real soon if you can hold on a little longer and just open your eyes.”
Scooting away, I cleared my throat quickly.
Nick’s father Ted approached me. “That was really nice of you, son.”
The older man bore Nick’s rugged looks while his mom, Letitia, was tall and stately and silver-blonde.
“Think nothing of it. She’s a good lady, that’s all.” I nodded to everyone then hit the hallway before my emotions surfaced.
In the elevator, going down again, my head went full tilt. Life hung from one moment to the next. Everything was in the balance. I thought about Ashe, our relationship, her job, and the MC. I thought about the baby being born and the woman about to die.
I wished I still smoked pot so I could toke up in the parking lot, but since I was now seriously involved with a cop, that was probably a no-go.
The maternity waiting room was in an uproar when I returned. “What?” I asked the mechanics.
“Baby Stone!”
“A girl.”
“Healthy as can be, with a set of lungs on her!”
“Momma and baby are doin’ fine. The nurse said so when she came out to tell us.”
“¡Gracias a Dios!”
Watching the big, badmouthed knuckle-draggers gush over their boss and his lady’s new baby brought a smile to my face. I should’ve brought cigars for everyone, screw the joint I’d wished for.
I sent off texts to Nick, Cat, and Boomer.
Josh barged into the room. Grinning from ear to ear, he looked ten years younger than he had an hour earlier. “Jolie Stone was born at four twenty-seven. She is fucking perfect. Leelee is amazing. I’m . . .” The big tall man pushed his fist against the wall, and his voice cracked. “Thank you for coming. You wanna see her?”
Everyone sounded off with loud shouts and whistles.
“I’ll hold her up to the window at the nursery because y’all can look but not touch.” He exited, his broad shoulders filling the doorway.
“Same rules as with Leelee,” Gerald muttered, following after his boss.
“Nah man. We ain’t even allowed to look at Leelee!” Ray joked.
Filing into the corridor, we lined up at the nursery.
Cat and Nick skidded into the hall, coming to a breathless stop beside me.
“We couldn’t miss this.” Cat sought my eyes.
Josh appeared, looming large. He held the blanket wrapped bundle against his chest, absolutely beaming with pride. After kissing baby Jolie on both cheeks, he turned her to us. She was beautiful. Scrunched up face and red-pursed lips and a tuft of strawberry blond hair peeking beneath her tiny knit hat.
Camera phones flashed one after the other before Josh cradled Jolie to his chest and turned away.
“And we shall call her Pebbles,” Ray said.
“Long as it’s not Fruity Pebbles.” Gerald leaned way down to knock his huge shoulder against Javier’s.
“¡Ea diantre! You know that’s discriminatory, si?”
“Hey, we’ll just leave Gerald to his Cocoa Pebbles.” Mick pointed the bill of his baseball cap at the black man.
“Besides, you know we don’t care if you prefer a bologna roll over pink taco.” Ray threw his arm around Javier’s neck.
Stone stuck his head out of the nursery. “Who the hell’s runnin’ the garage?”
“Aww, jefe . . . el bebé recién nacido. Una niña preciosa . . .”
“The scuds.” Mick interrupted Javier’s tirade.
“The grunts.” Ray shrugged.
“Rayce.” Gerald lifted his eyebrows.
They all chuckled. It was like watching The Three Stooges plus one.
Josh sent us on our way with a scowl, and we piled out of the congested hallway.
Ashe all but ran into us as we exited the swinging doors. She hugged me hard, her face against my chest. “I came as fast as I could. Is Leelee okay? The baby? What about Nick’s grandmother?”
Instant calm descended over me with her presence, and I realized she was it for me. With her by my side, some semblance of sanity returned. I filled her in as Stone’s guys asked Nick about his mimi.
A couple minutes later, Nick held Cat’s hand, walking to Ashe and me. “Thanks for today. I’ve got one last favor to ask.”
“Anything. I already told you that.”
Special permission was asked. Special permission was granted. Josh and Leelee were on board. When I got the text from Nick, we flew into action because Miss Myra was awake.
Alone inside the elevator with Ashe, I held her against me because I needed to feel her. I needed her like the air filling my lungs and the hope still alive in my chest. There was something I had to tell her though.
“All this stuff about Nick’s grandmother and Leelee’s baby, it’s . . . uh . . . it’s been a weird day for me.” I smoothed my hands up and down her back.
“I know. And you’ve been here for everyone.”
“It’s not just that.”
/>
“What?” She peered up at me.
“I got a girl pregnant a couple years ago.”
“You’re a father? Where’s the child? Who’s the mom?” Her brow puckered.
Shaking my head, I said, “The woman’s name was Grace. She moved away. In Virginia, the last time I heard.”
“But where’s your child, Brodie? What happened?”
I inhaled deeply and blew the breath out. “Grace had an abortion. She informed me she was pregnant, but she was too young to be tied down by a kid.” Craning my neck back, I closed my eyes. “I said I’d pay for everything—the OB, the prenatal tests, the hospital—the whole whack. Hell, I told Grace I’d raise it on my own if that was what she wanted.”
“Oh God, Brodie.” Ashe’s fingers skimmed along my arms to clutch my hands.
“She didn’t even tell me she was going to do it. All I got was a phone call from the clinic to pay the goddamn bill a few days afterward. And she disappeared just like that. Tuck hunted her down, but what did it matter?” I curled my hand into Ashe’s loose hair and pulled her face into my neck. I swallowed a couple times and shook my head. “I know it was Grace’s body and her decision, but I would’ve taken care of that baby. I would’ve loved it. I was in a dark place at the time, felt like I didn’t have anything after my folks died. I would’ve had something.”
“I’m sorry. I am so sorry, Brodie.” Ashe nestled further against me.
“So, I think you are very brave to have had Cara on your own.” I wiped the single tear that slid down my cheek while her head was tucked against me.
“And I think you are a very good man to her and me.”
We held each other in silence until the elevator doors swished open. Josh stood outside. He pushed Leelee in a wheelchair, and she held Jolie against her chest.
“I do not need a wheelchair. The nurse wants me up and walking,” Leelee complained as we fell in step.
“You can walk tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow I’ll be holding Jolie in one arm to nurse her and typing with the other.” Two hours after giving birth, Leelee already appeared to have everything in hand.
Josh stopped so fast the wheelchair tires squealed on the tiles. “You are doing no such thing. You’re takin’ three days of rest, two at the least, while I bring you anything you want, including our little sweetheart when she wants to feed.” Getting down on his knees in front of Leelee, he laid one palm on her cheek and the other lightly to rest on Jolie’s tiny face. “You’re gonna let me cherish you both, and honor you, treasure you, just like I promised when we got married.”
“You are so goddamn bossy,” Leelee said it like it was an endearment as she swept a tear away.
“You know it. And I can’t wait to get you home. The kid’s gonna be all over you two.” He leaned up to kiss her cheek and nuzzle Jolie’s.
I held the door to Miss Myra’s room open as Josh pushed Leelee through. Ushering Ashe in front of me, we entered the brightly lit space. Since I’d last visited, flowers occupied all the tabletops. Not fancy hothouse blooms, but radiant lowcountry lilies, snapdragons, and other fresh from the garden blossoms.
“Miss Myra, we heard you wanted to see someone?” Leelee smiled, cradling Jolie in her arms.
“Oh my sakes alive.” Myra lifted a shaky hand to her lips. “Is that Little Miss Jolie? Let me hold her.”
“Cat? Can you take her? I don’t think I can get close enough in this damn chair,” Leelee huffed.
“Try bein’ tied to a bed, dawlin’. At least roll close enough to touch my arm. You are purely glowin’, and I want me some of that at the end.”
I watched Cat squeeze then release Nick’s hand. She tucked Jolie against her, snuggling the small cargo for a moment. Sitting on the side of the bed, she passed Jolie into Myra’s waiting arms.
Jolie yawned with a smack of her rosebud lips and then gave a little squall as her eyes fluttered open.
“Oh you precious thing. Now your momma is just about the prettiest gal in the room, but look at you, sweet girl.” She cooed. Jolie wrapped her fingers around the old woman’s thumb. “Good grip, she’s strong. She is gonna break some hearts, Josh, you hear me?”
It was an image I’d remember forever. A woman at the end of her life, and a newborn at the beginning of hers.
“Yes, ma’am. I hear ya. Always did. You are one of the best people in my life.”
“Oh, son. Hush now. You speak those words when I’m gone. Come take my hand, Josh.” With every word, Myra’s voice grew weaker.
Josh clasped her hand in his big grip, gentle as could be.
“Look at all you young’uns with babies born and chirrun to be. Nothin’ finer in life. You do me proud, yes you do.” Her hand spasmed and she frowned. “You there, Ashe.”
Beside me, Ashe’s lips popped open.
“Why you lookin’ at me like that? ’Course I remember your name. You and Brodie gonna be so happy, I just know it.” She patted Jolie’s cheek one last time and whispered something in her ear. “See now? The brain still sparks even if the heart is done. Only reason for that is ’cause I loved too much all these years. My heart is too full. Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Momma?” Myra’s son Ted approached.
“I’m just makin’ some room for you and Letitia and our boy Nicky. Ashe, come on over here and take this little bundle of joy back to her momma. Just breathe in that baby scent.”
Ashe accepted Jolie into her arms. Her hair fell over them both as she rocked back and forth as only a mother knew how to do.
The sweet scent of baby powder filled my nose. Ashe with the newborn girl swam in my vision. I had to turn away for a second. When I faced the room again, I was undone by the hugeness of love. Nick, Cat, and his folks huddled over Myra. Boomer stood against the wall, his face a mask, one I saw straight through. Ashe curled over little Jolie as she delivered her back to her momma and daddy. I imagined Jolie’s milk-warm hiccups, her baby-soft skin. My pulse raced when Ashe’s gaze locked onto mine.
A smile tilted her lips.
This was life. This was love. This was everything.
Family.
Then the sudden shrill alarm from Myra’s monitors shattered us all to pieces.
Chapter Sixteen
A Wake
IN A TWIST OF FATE, Jolie Myra Stone was born the same day Miss Myra Loveland died. Myra blessed Jolie with one of her last touches, and they were forever bound together by the people who loved them.
After the alarms went off, nurses and doctors rushed into Myra’s room. They ushered out all but Nick and Cat, Ted and Letitia. The rest of us stood in the corridor, forming a tight circle around Leelee and Jolie.
Years seemed to pass as I held onto Ashe’s hand, but in reality it was over all too quickly.
Nick came out minutes later. “She’s gone.” His hoarse sobs echoed through the hallway.
Josh grabbed his best friend to his chest as the doctors and nurses filed out, removing surgical gloves and masks.
After composing himself, Nick stepped back from Josh. “Thanks for waiting with us, y’all. There’s nothing else we can do tonight, so I think it would be best if everyone went home now. And Leelee, get back in bed already with that gorgeous little lady.”
“Are you and Cat going soon?” Boomer asked.
“Yeah. We need to say goodbye first.” His voice broke, but he kept all other emotion inside.
“Send Cat out for a second?” Boomer clasped him on the shoulder.
“Will do.”
“I’m sorry, man.” I hugged Nick hard before letting him go.
When Cat exited the room, she looked waxy and pale. “We thought we’d have more time.”
“We always do.” Holding her tight, I whispered, “We always do.”
****
Two evenings later, Ashe, Cara, and I were in my old house with Boomer . . . and Shitlock. We’d taken it upon ourselves to host a wake for Miss Myra, although it would be a celebration of life more th
an anything else. I imagined she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
Cara snooped around the first and second floors, shouting every time she found Shitlock, which only spurred him to run faster—a flashing furball of motion. Boomer cooked like he was about to appear on a Food Network competition, and Ashe and I readied utensils, dinnerware, and drinks in the dining room that hadn’t been used since my folks had died.
All the lights were on, the doors wide open. We’d considered placing a framed photo of Nick’s grandmother in the entryway, then decided that would be too funeral-parlor-morbid. Instead, we’d filled the house with what Cat had told us were Myra’s favorite South Carolina flowers.
Everything was ready when Nick and Cat arrived with his parents, and a very curious Viper who quickly caught the scent of cat—meow-meow cat. I wondered if Shitlock had a chance of surviving the night.
Drinks were poured, appetizers set out, and hugs exchanged all around. The four of them seemed to be handling Myra’s death better than expected. I’d only had one teary phone call from Cat and one SOS from Nick. Neither of our families was new to bereavement, but we’d never had other people to rely on before.
Josh came in with Jolie held in the crook of one arm and Leelee escorted on the other. JJ settled on Leelee’s lap as soon as she’d taken a seat, but he quickly clambered down when he caught sight of Shitlock, the electric-orange flash of fur hightailing it away from long-legged Cara and an even faster Rottweiler.
“Hey, kid! You catch that cat I ain’t takin’ it home. Mews and Leelee are more than enough pussycat to have in one household,” Josh called after his son.
Hitting Josh on the shoulder, Leelee hissed, “I cannot believe you just said that. And me in my condition and all.”
“Woman. Your condition? You are cock of the walk, high queen of the roost.” He leaned down, stealing a quick kiss that made her cheeks as bright as her hair. “You are the love of my life, and momma to our children. Also, I don’t need anymore clawing kittens in the family. My back still hurts from the last time you scratched me when we—”
“Oohhh!” She took Jolie from him and walked off. “You need to learn to stop when you’re ahead, mister. You almost had me there.”