by E. L. Todd
I put my arm around her and let her have her moment.
“He’s…beautiful.” Tears fell down her cheeks. “He’s perfect.” She sniffed loudly and kept her hands to the glass. “He’s so small but so adorable. Look at those fingers…” She kept crying and didn’t seem to care that Slade was standing right there.
“I told him you were coming,” I whispered. “Now we’re all together.”
She leaned over the glass and rested her face on her arms. She peered into the glass at the same time, just watching him.
I rubbed her back gently as she had her moment with our son.
Slade watched us with a pained look on his face. “I’m so sorry…no one should have to go through this.”
Skye lifted her head and looked at him. She gave him a look full of emotion before she looked inside the glass again.
The nurse returned. “My charge nurse is really pressing me for that name, sir. Have you had a chance to think about it?”
I wanted to snap at her since my wife was looking at our son for the first time, but I knew she was just trying to do her job. “No, we haven’t. Give me a few minutes. My wife is seeing our baby for the first time.”
She nodded before she walked off.
“What was that about?” Skye asked.
“It’s been almost a week since he was born and they need a name for the birth certificate.”
“Oh…” Skye nodded. “Honestly, I haven’t really had a chance to think about it.”
“Well, there are the names I mentioned before.”
She cringed slightly. “None of those fit him.”
“What about Zander?” I asked. “That’s a good name.”
“No…he isn’t a Zander.” Skye shook her head.
“Ian?”
“No,” she whispered.
Slade watched us back and forth.
Skye seemed to reject every suggestion I made. “Cliff?”
“No.”
I didn’t show my irritation even though I felt it. “What do you like, baby?”
“I don’t know…how about Mark?”
I absolutely despised it. “No…”
Slade cleared his throat. “I don’t mean to step out of line or interfere but…what about Cedric?”
We both stared at him.
“It means war chief in Latin,” Slade explained. “You know…because he’s going to survive this like a warrior.”
My heart skipped a beat at his words, and something resonated deep within me.
Judging the new light in Skye’s eyes, she felt the same way. “Yes…he’s Cedric.”
“Cedric.” I said the word slowly, absorbing it. “I like it.”
Skye peered into the glass box. “Hello, Cedric.”
Slade didn’t smile in victory. He just stared at us.
“That’s a good name,” I said. “What made you think of that?”
“I remember a Cedric being mentioned in The Odyssey,” Slade said. “Apparently, he was one of the greatest warriors the world had ever seen. Seeing your son fight to live made me think of him…”
“It’s perfect,” I said.
“One day he’ll ask us why we named him Cedric,” Skye said as she stared into the glass. “And we’ll tell him it was because of his Uncle Slade believed in him.”
Slade immediately blinked his eyes quickly and turned away, like he didn’t want us to see him get worked up. When his back was to us, he sniffed loudly.
I gave him his moment and returned to my wife. I put my arm around her shoulders as I looked down at our son. I pressed my hand to the glass beside hers. “Cedric…we’re here.”
Chapter Ten
Slade
The happy and blissful time in my life was gone.
All I could think about was my nephew—second cousin-in-law—whatever. Cedric. All I could think about was Cedric.
He was an innocent baby that came into this world, but the second he opened his eyes he had to fight to exist. He didn’t do anything wrong. He was simply unlucky. Seeing my two best friends go through this was heartbreaking. Neither one of them deserved this, to see their son through glass.
And it made me paranoid about Trinity.
What if the same thing happened to us? What if we weren’t careful and something traumatic happened to our baby? What if I stressed her out so much that I harmed our future son or daughter? Or what if she was stressing herself out at work?
My mind wouldn’t stop.
I didn’t mean to be selfish and think of my own situation when Skye and Cayson were going through a hard time, but as a future father it was all I could think about. What would I do if it were me? I wouldn’t be able to handle it as calmly as Cayson. If I saw Trinity break down I would hate myself forever.
Now I was more attentive to her. I tried to cook dinner centered around vegetables and whole greens. I cut out red meat altogether, and she only ate small amounts of chicken. I hated eating healthy but I couldn’t expect her to do it unless I did it too.
Trinity was just as upset over Cedric as I was. There was no reason to smile about anything because we were both so miserable. Our future nephew might not make it and we may never see him again.
Trinity was always quiet around me. She never made small talk and she had no sex drive. When she did talk, she usually said something about Skye and Cayson. Since I was always thinking the same thing I didn’t let it bother me.
We tried to go back to normal lives as much as possible and stop by the hospital every day but that was difficult. Trinity and I wanted to be there all the time, but we knew we had to work and take care of other responsibilities. My dad was at the hospital pretty often, and I knew he was just as upset over the entire thing.
One evening I got a text from Cayson. Hey, I need your help with something.
I immediately sat up and typed away. I’m here. What do you need? I was at his beck and call 24/7 but he never asked me for anything before. Maybe he needed a change of clothes or some food.
Skye won’t go home. She hasn’t showered in a really long time or gotten a good night’s sleep. I’m worried about her. Could you guys come down here and convince her to rest?
We can do that.
Thank you.
We have an extra room. She can stay with us so she doesn’t have to leave the city.
Okay.
***
Trinity and I stood outside the room near the windows. We could see the small box made of glass and little Cedric inside of it. Skye sat like a vigilant mother looking over her child. Cayson sat beside her, looking exhausted and worried.
I tapped on the glass and waved.
They both turned our way but neither one of them smiled. They left their seats and changed before they entered the hallway.
“Hey, how’s it going?” I asked hesitantly.
“No change,” Skye said with a weak voice. “They haven’t taken him off the ventilator.”
“Give it time,” I said gently.
“They did blood work the other day but there’s no improvement there either,” Cayson said.
Trinity spoke next. “Remember how small he is. He just needs more time—that’s all.”
Skye nodded but she didn’t seem convinced.
I cleared my throat. “Skye, you look like you could use a shower…”
She stared at me in disbelief.
I realized how I sounded after the damage was already done. “I mean, you look like you could relax. How about you come back to our place and have a nice shower? We’ll have pizza then get some rest.”
Skye dropped her rage, but probably because she didn’t care about anything anymore. “No thanks. I’m fine here.”
Cayson eyed me, silently telling me to keep trying.
“Come on, Skye,” Trinity said. “We just got a new bed in the guest room. It’s so comfortable. The pillows are made of goose feathers.”
“That sounds really nice,” Cayson said. “Beats sleeping on a chair.”
“
Then you should go, Cayson,” Skye said. “I’ll stay here.”
He sighed in irritation.
“Skye, come home with us,” I said in an authoritative way. “Sitting here and hurting your back isn’t going to change anything. And not keeping up basic hygiene isn’t helping anyone.”
Trinity glared at me. “Well, that was tactful…”
“You need to rest,” I pressed. “Do you really want to hold your baby for the first time when you’re so exhausted you can’t focus? Do you really want to reek of greasy hair and give him an infection? No, you don’t.”
Skye sighed like she was growing angry.
Cayson intervened. “Baby, I asked them to come down here and get you.”
“What?” She turned on him. “Why?”
“Because you need to sleep in a real bed. You just gave birth almost two weeks ago. You need to eat a hot meal and you need a shower. Go, Skye. There’s nothing you can do for him right now.”
“That’s not true,” she said. “I will sit there so he never feels alone.”
“I’ll sit there tonight so he doesn’t feel alone,” Cayson said. “I want you to get some rest—real rest. You’ll be five minutes away and Slade will look after you. I’ll call you the instant something comes up, okay?”
Skye looked too tired to fight.
“Skye, you’re not invincible like you sometimes think,” Cayson said. “I know you’re worried about our son but you need to take care of yourself right now. Please go with them. If you don’t, I’ll be extremely irritated.”
“You’re tired too…”
“I’ve been showering and napping at Slade’s place. Believe me, I’ve been getting more sleep than you.”
Skye crossed her arms over her chest.
She really did stink—bad. I wasn’t sure how Cayson stood so close to her. If Trinity smelled like that I wouldn’t even have sex with her—which was saying something.
Skye finally agreed. “Okay. But you need to call me the instant something comes up.”
“I will,” Cayson promised.
“Anything,” Skye said. “If the doctor says his temperature changes by one degree, I want to know about it.”
“I understand.” Cayson wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.
How could he stand the stench?
“I love you.” He kissed her forehead then looked down at her. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I love you too.”
Cayson finally released her. “Take care of her for me.” He clapped my shoulder.
I saluted him. “Yes, sir.”
***
After Skye showered she had dinner then got ready for bed. She didn’t say much because she was tired, but Trinity and I watched her every move to make sure she was okay. She seemed a little confused and unfocused because of her sleep deprivation.
“I’m going to bed,” Skye said. “I can’t keep my eyes open…”
“Good idea.” I left the couch and walked with her to the spare bedroom. I pulled down the sheets for her and placed a bottle of water on the nightstand. “You know where our room is if you need us.”
“Thanks.” She got into bed and immediately lay down.
I turned off the lamp. “Need anything else?”
She didn’t say anything because she was already asleep.
I left the room then joined Trinity in the living room.
“Is she comfortable?”
“She’s already out.” I sat beside Trinity and put my arm over the back of the couch.
“Poor thing,” she whispered. “She’s been through so much.”
“I know.”
“Everyone is going through a hard time. I feel like we’re the only ones who aren’t. And that makes me feel worse.”
“I know.” My hand automatically moved through her soft strands of hair.
“Skye and Cayson are the most amazing people in the world. They don’t deserve this.”
“No, they don’t.”
“Silke and Arsen are broken up, Lexie is still trying to get back with Conrad…that bitch better not succeed. Ward and Clementine had to cancel their wedding. Everything is just a mess.”
“It’ll get better.”
“You think?”
“At least I hope it does.”
“Roland and Heath are getting married…that’s nice.”
“Yeah.” Hopefully that doesn’t change.
“I haven’t even had a chance to talk to Silke about what happened,” Trinity said. “I’ve been so wrapped up with Skye.”
“It sounds like Arsen really messed up. But when I talked to him he seemed really sincere about his mistakes. And…I know he loves her despite what happened. I hope they work it out.”
“Yeah, me too. Arsen went through a lot when his mother passed away.”
“I know I made a lot of mistakes in our relationship, and I had to lose you to understand what I really wanted. Maybe Arsen needed that, to get it out of his system before he realized his old life is really over.”
“Maybe you should say something to Silke.”
“No,” I said immediately. “This is their relationship. I’m not getting involved.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “But you’ll be the puppet master of Skye and Cayson’s relationship?”
“Totally different and you know it.”
“Actually, it’s not any different at all.”
I wasn’t in the mood to argue so I let it drop. “I hope Cedric comes home soon.”
“Me too,” she said quietly. “He’s so cute, even through glass.”
“I wish I could hold him.”
“Yeah.” She leaned her head against my shoulder.
My hand automatically moved to her small belly. She hadn’t really started to show yet, but if I placed my entire palm across the area I could feel the definite hardness deep inside. “We need to be careful, baby. I couldn’t go on if that happened to us. I couldn’t watch you cry like that. I couldn’t…” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I couldn’t breathe if my baby was trying to live just for another day.”
“That won’t happen to us, Slade. It’s very rare.”
“Even so, you need to relax more. I think you should work from home a few days a week.”
“I don’t think—”
“This is one of those times when I’m not going to back off. This is one of those times when I’m going to get my way no matter what you do or say. So, just accept it so we can move on.” I wasn’t usually this demanding but I was particularly passionate about this topic.
Trinity knew this was a dead-end. “Okay.”
Chapter Eleven
Jared
I was happy.
I was actually happy.
When did that happen?
Beatrice lay beside me in bed. She was naked underneath the sheets, and her dark brown hair stretched across the pillows. Her eyes were closed and she was dead asleep.
I didn’t move but I stared at her, wondering when she would wake up. I wanted to pull down the sheet and see more of that flawless skin I loved to kiss so much. Beatrice was officially my girlfriend, and I was officially her boyfriend.
I couldn’t mess this up.
I felt like a child eager to play with his new toy. I wanted her to wake up so I could squeeze her and kiss her everywhere. I was extremely impatient and wanted her right then and now.
But I managed to stay still.
Beatrice finally stirred. She stretched her back slightly and released a deep sigh. Her arms moved over her head and she rolled to her back, the sheets moving with her. Her eyes finally fluttered open and she stared at the ceiling for a few seconds.
“Morning, beautiful.” I immediately moved on top of her because I didn’t want to wait another second.
She smiled when she saw my face come into her vision. “Hello, sexy.”
“Sleep well?”
“So well.”
I kissed her neck then her shoulder. “Did that have a
nything to do with me?”
“I think having you as a personal heater definitely made it more comfortable.”
“I can keep you warm now.” I kissed the corner of her mouth.
“That sounds nice.”
“And I can prove I’m much better than that performance last night.”
She chuckled. “You have nothing to prove. You got me off and that’s all that matters.”
“I’ve wanted to touch you for the past hour since you’ve been laying there. Somehow, I managed to stop myself.”
“Why did you stop yourself?” she asked. “I’m yours. You can take me whenever you want.”
I released an involuntary moan from deep in my throat. Hearing her take like that, say she was completely mine was such a turn on. I didn’t have to watch Jason kiss her from the other side of the room. I didn’t have to pretend to be indifferent toward her. I could tell her exactly how I felt when I felt it.
I separated her legs with my thighs and positioned myself over her. “Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
I was at least a foot taller than her so it was easy for me to conquer her entire body with mine. She was petite and small, and I loved that. She was the most beautiful girl I’d been with, and my cock kept twitching in anticipation. Now that the pressure of our first time was over, I felt a lot more comfortable. I could move and touch without thinking about it. I sucked her bottom lip before I pressed my head inside her. She was especially tight, her lips stubborn to stretch. But I loved how tight she was. And my cock really loved it.
Beatrice gripped my forearms. “That feels good…”
I got my entire length inside her, pushing through her slickness, and then I felt adjusted to the amazing sensation between her legs. Whenever I was inside her, I was home. It felt right.
Beatrice’s enthusiasm for me was an added turn on. She bit her lip when I rocked into her, and she didn’t mask the sound of her moans. Even when she didn’t move, she was into it. Her hands moved up my chest and she gripped my shoulders as an anchor as she rocked back into me.
I’d never had a connection like this during sex. I always liked sex with every woman I was with, but this was different. The sex with Lexie was good, but this was a whole new ball game. With Beatrice, I felt a lot more than physical satisfaction. I felt love and friendship…I felt everything.