by Christina OW
Dale’s eyebrows rose in fear. He always promised her he wouldn’t get shot. She was going to kill him, “Excuse me Miss, is there somewhere I can hide?” She laughed, thinking he was joking.
“Dale!” Ellsa cried out, running into the room. She threw her hands around him and hugged him tight, “I’m so glad you are okay!”
“Ellsa, I’m sorry I interrupted the baby shower,” he winced as he pulled at her arms gently, “So, where is Ellie and should I be hiding?”
She smiled tightly, letting go, “I called everyone and cancelled it when we had to come over. Ellie is over at maternity terrorising the nurses. She went into labor when Audrey told her you got shot.”
“What!” He jumped off the bed and ran out of the room. It took him five minutes to get to the right floor. Ellie’s screaming voice led him to the right room.
“Please don’t lie to me, just tell me if he’s dead, because if he isn’t I’m going to kill him!” She screamed, crying.
“I’m right here, I’m okay,” he ran to her bedside and hugged her.
“Dale! You are okay!” She laughed, still crying. She held him tight then pushed him away with a moan when another contraction hit.
“Just breathe,” Dale put on the shirt Audrey handed him, “Really Audrey.”
“I’m sorry, I thought she’d be okay,” she felt guilty but excited at the same time. Immediately after Kris told her Ellie’s water broke, she jumped in her car and drove to the hospital. Her Godchild was about to be born!
Ellie punched him in the chest, “It’s not her fault, it’s your fault! You promised you’d never get shot!” She punched him again in the arm, below his wound.
“Ouch! That hurt!” He whined, covering the bandage with his hand.
“Hurt! Hurt is,” another contraction stopped her, “Ow, it really hurts!”
Dale stood there panicked. He wasn’t sure what to do, to ease her pain. He wanted to get a nurse, but he didn’t want to leave her, so he settled for rubbing her back, “Why haven’t they given you an epidural?”
“I don’t want one! Natural childbirth... is a beautiful... thing!”
“Babe, right now you’re not looking beautiful, you look like you’re being tortured for national secrets!”
“It will make our bond stronger!” She cried out, fisting Carson’s belly in her hand as a more painful contraction hit.
Carson bit his lips shut to keep from screaming in pain, “Who fed you all this bullshit?” Her lethal gaze made him go quiet, “Okay whatever you want, I’m right here.”
A doctor in blue scrubs walked into the room with a beaming smile on his face. He pointed at the hold Ellie had on Carson, “You must be Dale, the father? It’s good to finally meet you. I’m Roger, Ellie’s doctor.”
Carson felt a little guilty for having not met Ellie’s doctor before, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it, “Yes, I am.”
“Maybe,” Ellie said, shifting around the bed like she was sitting on hot coals.
“What?” Carson and Roger asked at the same time.
“You promise not to get shot again?”
Carson smoothed back the wet strands of hair pasted on her forehead, “Ellie, it’s the hazard of the job, and anyway, right now isn’t the time to argue about this.”
“Promise!” she yelled out, tightening her grip on him.
“Okay, I promise!” He screamed, holding her torturous hand.
“You get shot again, and I swear I’ll kill you myself,” she turned to the doctor, “Roger, get it out of me! Get it out of me now!”
Chapter Eleven
The next few hours were like an uphill battle. Ellie fought to bring their child into the world and Carson fought anxiety, fear and regret for all the pain she was in. At one point he thought she would die and he wanted a C-section. It took both Richard’s and Paloma’s reassurance that all would be well, to deter him from his decision. Then finally, the ring of a baby’s cry filled the air signaling the end of the labor room war. Carson was relieved when Ellie wasn’t screaming bloody murder anymore. But he felt his world shift, when it was replaced by a baby’s cry.
“It’s a girl!” Roger announced proudly, shaking more of Carson’s world, “Would you like to cut the cord?” Carson nodded, but he didn’t move.
“Hey, wake up,” Ellie laughed as she pushed him forward, her eyes full of happy tears, “Cut the cord, and then bring our daughter to me.”
****
Carson relived those few minutes, as he stood in front of the bathroom mirror staring at the new father. The thought was ludicrous, and the fact was even more unbelievable. He had a family, the woman he loved and their daughter- although he wished she would have come into the world in a less dramatic way.
“Congratulations dad,” Ellsa spoke, pulling Carson back to reality.
“What are you doing in here? This is the men’s room,” looking at her through the mirror with a profiler’s eye. He was familiar with that face, that body language and it spelt out trouble. She’d been like that with him ever since the first day they met. Ellie was rounder which made Ellsa more secure in her advances, but one thing she didn’t count on, was Carson’s loyalty to her sister. They may share a face, but he saw exactly how different they were.
“I came to congratulate you,” she moved closer to him and ran her fingers lightly down his spine. She was attracted to him even more than she had been to any other man. He was strong, both in character and physic. He was gentle and loving towards her sister, but bold and assertive at work. She’d watched his televised interviews with the press over and over again, whatever state he was in. He had an imposing statue that drove her crazy and when she watched him console her sister during her horrible labor with kisses and promises she fell in love with him even more.
Dale Carson was a protector, lover, a friend, a support system and partner to her sister. Everything Ellsa wanted for herself.
Carson turned around when Ellsa’s finger got to his belt, “Ellsa we talked about this!” He grabbed her hand when she went to lay it on his chest, “Ellsa you are trying my patience
Ellsa felt her body tingle in response to his sternness, “Dale, you are not going to have another opportunity like this,” she spoke below a whisper, her voice filled with honey. “After waiting, what, two months, you are going to have to wait another six weeks before she could try to satisfy you,” she leaned forward for a kiss, but Carson pushed her back. She was like a mermaid, trying to lure him with her siren to his death, “are you really going to starve because you think you love her? So what, she gave you a kid, I can pop out one of those things too.”
Carson felt his body tighten with anger. How he wished Ellie wasn’t related to her, “Ellsa, I’m going to ask you one more time to stop this!”
Ellsa took a step back and stared at him lustfully, “Okay. I’ll wait for you at your apartment, One hour?”
He grabbed her purse and took out her ring of keys. He found his apartment key and took it off, then returned the rest in her purse and threw it at her, “You are Ellie’s sister so I can’t make you stay out of our lives. The only time you come to our home is by invitation. This crap about you stopping by unexpectedly is over!”
Ellsa just smiled at him. Without a word, she blew him a kiss and walked out. Carson took a few moments to calm himself before he stepped out, and when he did, he wished he hadn’t.
“What were you two doing in there alone?” Kris demanded her arms crossed over her chest.
Walking past her, “It’s not what you think.”
Going after him, “What am I thinking Dale?”
“She’s the one coming on to me,” he defended, half yelling.
“Then why don’t you put a stop to it!” She returned, in the same tone.
Carson stopped and faced her, “Don’t you think I’ve tried that!” he whispered, harshly. He didn’t want the air to carry this annoying situation to Ellie’s ears, “She’s like an itch in my back that I can’t get rid of.”<
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Kris exhaled. She understood. When Ellsa wanted something she went for it, she did it with more zeal if it belonged to Ellie, “Change your locks or move and don’t tell her where.”
“I took her key,” as they walked back to Ellie’s room.
Kris hooted, “You think that will stop her? I’m sure she has a million copies in her apartment.”
“How did she get a copy in the first place?”
“She’s resourceful,” planting a huge smile on her face before she stepped into the room. The smile faded fast when she saw Ellsa, “I found your man Ellie.”
Ellie cradled her daughter in her arms, studying the different expressions she made on her ivory brown face as she slept. She puckered her pink rosebud lips and her brows creased for a moment before they smoothed out with a sweet sigh. Ellie tried to imagine what her little angel could be dreaming of, or probably thinking about how different the safety of her mother’s womb was to the outside world. Ellie was thinking about it. But she wasn’t going to worry about that now. She was going to admire the tiny being she’d felt kick and move inside her for nine months.
“We only have her for twenty minutes before they take her away again,” Ellie cooed, her eyes still on her daughter.
“Why twenty minutes, I thought she was ours?” Carson asked, sitting next to her, reality hitting him hard in the chest again. He felt like he was going to sing, like in one of those corny musicals when the characters were happy. He put his finger on her soft cheek and felt his heart leap in joy when she turned her head into it.
“Something about her adjusting. She likes you,” she reached up to kiss him. “Thank you,” She whispered, on his lips.
“I should be thanking you,” looking down into her eyes. “You gave a lot, went through a lot,” his brow creased remembering the horrifying labor, “Just to give me this precious gift.”
“You want to hold her?” without waiting for his answer, she made a crook of his arms then gently laid the baby in it.
Carson laughed nervously. He was more afraid of handling her than he was about handling a grenade. “She was so tiny and fragile,” he fussed. He raised her high to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, taking in the heavenly sweet baby scent, “How is it, babies smell so good when they are born?”
“You are asking the wrong people,” Ellie answered, resting her head on his shoulder.
Carson kissed the top of her head, “You look tired, are you sure you are okay?”
“I’m perfect,” she reassured him, placing her finger in the baby’s open hand and smiling when she closed her tiny fist around it. “So what do you think about babies now?”
“They are wonderful and a precious gift from God. Little one,” Carson stared at the sound little angel, “We are going to love you and protect you forever. I swear it.”
Ellie kissed his shoulder, letting a tear escape.
“See that,” Kris whispered in Ellsa’s ear, “That’s the sight of a man in love, who’ll never cheat on the love of his life. Give up and leave him alone. He’ll never love you like he loves her.” She stepped from behind her and stood next to her, “Kind of the story of your life when it comes to men, huh?” She taunted, “If they have a son, he will be one more man who’ll love Ellie more than you.”
Kris smiled, knowing she’d struck a nerve when Ellsa’s jaw tightened and fisted her hands at her sides. “Let’s take her first-baby picture,” Ellsa declared, stepping forward with a camera in her hand.
“Congratulations!” Audrey announced, stepping into the room with pink balloons and a huge teddy bear. The rest of the team followed close behind her, each with a gift for the new baby.
“We came to welcome our new team member,” Doran joked, “How is she?”
“She’s perfect,” Carson raved.
“She’s so cute!” Paloma cooed, staring down at the baby.
“Carson, how does it feel to be a dad?” Richard asked with a smile, “Practise is over!” The room filled with laughter, disturbing the baby’s sleep. She whimpered for a moment but quickly fell back to sleep.
“Practise will never be over,” Carson whispered, “But it feels scary and exciting at the same time.”
“It’s going to stay that way for the rest of her life, trust me.”
“So what are we going to name my goddaughter?” Audrey asked excitedly, Kris rolled her eyes at the comment.
“Hey! I only let Audrey be godmother, because I called dibs on the next one!” Kris protested.
“Actually, I wanted to wait for Dale’s mom before we settle on any names,” Ellie answered tiredly, “It’s the least we could do since she missed the birth of her first grandchild.”
Ellie and Ann had grown close over the past few months. Ellie got the mother she’d missed and Ann got the daughter she never had. They talked on a daily basis and Ellie was excited about her coming to stay with them to help with the baby. She was supposed to be Ellie’s coach through the labor and not her frantic son.
“Her only grandchild,” Carson corrected, the labor ordeal still haunting him.
“How about having one of your own Kris? I can’t take another delivery like that.”
“You are such a coward, considering Ellie did all the work!” Kevin teased, “You run into firefights without thinking twice about it, but when you hear of a second baby, you quiver?”
Carson gave Kevin a cut look, which wiped Kevin’s smile away. That was one thing Carson didn’t want Ellie to know.
“Don’t even remind me,” Ellie said with a sad tone in her voice, as she lightly stroked Carson’s bandaged arm.
Doran spoke quickly, changing back the mood, “You’ll change your mind when you get tired of playing dress up and you want to play ball instead.”
“She’s daddy’s little girl, we’ll do everything together,” Carson answered, already imagining her at five. She would be as beautiful as her mother. He’d teach her how to play basketball and watch proudly as she breezed through arts and crafts. With an artistic mother, she’d probably be drawing full human figures and not sticks and circles like other kids.
Daniel stepped into the already overcrowded room, a giraffe in his hand. He looked at Ellie- who hadn’t noticed him yet- jealousy in his heart, as he stared at the picture perfect family that could have been his. He stood next to Kris, opting to stay unnoticed for a few more minutes, but she wouldn’t allow him that pleasure. “The godfather is here!” Daniel cringed at the title. He didn’t want it, but he couldn’t say no to Ellie, he loved her too much.
He smiled at Ellie when she turned to him. She looked exhausted, but her smile was full of life and love, “Congratulations, to both of you.” He drew his eyes from her and glanced at Carson in acknowledgement for a second, before he turned back to Ellie.
“Thank you,” she said, “I’m happy you came.”
“I am the godfather,” the title began to feel like an insult to him, “Don’t worry, I’ll always have your back, no matter what.”
“Thanks.”
“Yeah, thank you Daniel,” Carson spoke, his voice stiff. He didn’t like the fact that Daniel was going to be his daughter’s godfather, but he had to forfeit that choice when he insisted on Audrey over Kris. Daniel was in love with Ellie, and that just rubbed him the wrong way.
Gwen chortled, recognizing how she felt, on both Ellsa’s and Daniel’s faces. Ellie’s and Carson’s lives were going to be full of drama, “This is where I bring my gift in and say congratulations.”
Gwen had been standing in awkward silence since they stepped into the room. She’d gotten over Carson and she’d stopped being rude to Ellie, but there was still that pang of jealousy and hurt, especially now that they had a kid together.
Gwen opened the door to leave, and in stepped Ann.
“Mom!” Carson exclaimed excitedly, this time the baby wailed in response. Ann hurried to Carson’s side and took the tiny creature into her arms.
“My little angel, you are finally he
re,” she kissed her son then Ellie, holding her in a gentle gaze, happy and appreciative. “Thank you,” Ellie just nodded, too emotional to speak.
“Where is Senior?” Carson asked, referring to his father.
“He’s still in Scotland. But I called him and told him his first grandchild was born. He was so happy, he rushed to the family pub and put me on speaker to announce it again. He said he wished you stayed on schedule Ellie.” The room filled with laughter again, Ann pulled the pink beanie over the baby’s ears to muffle the noise.
“Well, I didn’t have much of a choice,” she said, giving Dale, a look. Carson looked back at her, his eyes begging for her not to say another word.
“So, what is my little angel’s name?” Ann nuzzled her nose against the baby’s.
“I thought we could combine the two names of the most important women in our lives, our mothers.” She starred up at Carson tearfully and then settled her gaze back on Ann, “Stacey-Ann.” Saying her mother’s name didn’t hurt as it usually did. Now she felt immense love when it referred to her daughter, “Ellsa, are you okay with that?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” She responded with a tight smile.
Carson caressed Ellie’s cheek lovingly, “That’s a beautiful name.”
Ann teared up, “The best.” She cleared her throat, “And now, you all need to go so that Stacey-Ann and her mommy can rest.”
“I’m not tired,” Ellie shook her head, the exhaustion dominant on her face.
“Still, its time,” the nurse who had slipped in unnoticed spoke, “I have to take the baby back anyway,” as she reached for the baby.
“Wait,” Ellie said sitting up. Ann handed her the baby, “See you later Stacey-Ann. Always remember we love you,” she kissed her tiny cheeks then handed her to the nurse.
“I’ll go with you,” Carson announced, following the nurse. The rest looked at him with amused looks on their faces, “What? I just want to see where she’s taking her and make sure she’s safe.”
“Stacey-Ann is never going to date,” Kevin said with a laugh.