“Congratulations, you two,” Dr Saunders said as Natalia collapsed against the pillows. “You have a daughter.”
“Can I see her?” She raised her head. Cash put his arm around her shoulders to help her see better.
The doctor held up this tiny little thing, her face red and angry as she whimpered.
The first thought that hit him was, I know you.
Different emotions scattered throughout his body, taking his breath away with their intensity. Nothing in either of their lives would ever be the same again.
“Oh, Cash,” Natalia said as tears began streaming down her face. “She’s amazing. She’s the image of you.”
“Poor thing,” Cash said with a grin. He leaned over and kissed Natalia, and when he gazed into her eyes, the pain that had necessitated their daughter’s arrival into this world seemed to disappear, the night of tension and terror vanishing, memories already being wired differently so the two of them could inaccurately look back on this experience as a true miracle.
“You are something else,” he said. “I couldn’t love you more.”
“Four pounds one ounce,” Louise said, making a note on Natalia’s chart. She wrapped up the baby and placed her into a glass incubator.
“We need to take her to NICU,” the doctor said.
“Why? What’s wrong?” Natalia said, panic leaching into her tone.
“She’s fine,” Dr Saunders said in a reassuring voice. “But she’s small. It’s routine, Tally. She’ll be able to get the extra help she needs.”
“I want to go with her.”
“We need to take care of you first, and then you can be with her.”
“Cash, go with her,” Natalia said as their daughter was wheeled towards the door. “I don’t want her to be alone.”
“Baby, she’s not alone. Let’s go up together after you’ve been seen to.”
“I didn’t even get to hold her.” Smiles gave way to tears as Natalia began to sob. He wrapped his arms around her and let her cry into his chest.
“You will,” he whispered, brushing her face softly. He kissed the top of her head. “We both will.”
She nodded and sniffed loudly as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Cash chuckled and reached into his pocket for a tissue. He passed it to her.
She blew her nose. “I’m such a classy girl,” she said with the hint of a smile.
“I know. I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” Cash said.
“Do you think Em’s still here?”
He gave a wry smile. “Knowing Emmalee, I’d say it’s a safe bet.”
“Can you go and tell her and Pete? I don’t want them worrying.”
Cash shook his head. “I’m not happy about leaving you alone.”
Natalia rolled her eyes. “I’ll be fine. There’s not a lot you can do,” she said, tilting her head towards the doctor, who was doing things to her that Cash didn’t want to have to think about. “Go on. And tell Kinga I’m sorry for ruining her day.”
Under duress, Cash set off for the reception area, but about halfway there, his legs buckled, and he leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes and let the joy of what had happened over the last few hours seep into his bones. He wanted to remember this moment for the rest of his life. He had a daughter. A precious baby girl. And as clichéd as it sounded, his life had changed forever. But what surprised him more was how much of a positive change he knew it was going to be.
After composing himself, he opened the door to the reception area. Emmalee was asleep, her head resting on Rupe’s shoulder. Cash glanced around and chuckled. Everyone had turned up. Pete, Brad, Jamie, Kinga—still in her wedding dress—and William. The only person missing was Mum, but he hadn’t exactly had time to call her. She’d be disappointed when she found out she’d missed the birth.
“Hey,” Cash said, his voice sounding exhausted even to his own ears.
Like a choreographed move, everyone jumped up at virtually the same time.
“Tally?” Emmalee said. “The baby?”
A broad grin spread across his face. “A girl. Four pounds something I can’t remember. She’s perfect. They’ve taken her to intensive care, but it’s routine apparently. Natalia’s fine. Exhausted but fine.”
Cash found himself surrounded as they all hugged him and then hugged each other. He managed to extricate himself and caught Pete’s eye.
“My girl okay?” Pete said, his eyes glistening with emotion.
Cash nodded. “She’s better than okay. They’re… looking after her, and then we’re going to see the baby, but after that, I’m sure she’ll be dying to see you.”
Pete shook Cash’s hand and clapped him on the back. “Well done,” he said gruffly as though Cash was the one who had performed the impossible.
“I’ll come and get you as soon as she’s rested.”
He wandered over to Kinga. Her small hand was clutching William’s much larger one. “Natalia wants me to apologise, even though I know you’ll be fine. She didn’t want anything to detract from your day, and yet, in her mind, she’s managed to do that rather spectacularly.”
“Tell her not to be so ridiculous,” Kinga said. “We had a wonderful day, made even more wonderful by this amazing ending to it.”
Cash nodded. “I knew you’d see it that way, but you know Natalia.”
“I do,” she said with a smile. “Tell her we love her, and we can’t wait to see the baby.”
When Cash pushed open the door to the delivery suite, Natalia was alone. She was sipping on a cup of tea, and her normal pale complexion had returned.
“I could murder one of those,” he said, nodding at her cup.
She pointed at a tall cabinet behind him. “Good job Louise brought you one, then. She’s gone to fetch a wheelchair, and then we can go to see the baby.”
He lowered himself onto the bed and tilted her chin up to his. Her eyes seemed to hold a newfound knowledge and wisdom.
“I will never forget what you did today. What you went through.”
She put her cup down on the cabinet beside her then removed his from him and placed it next to hers. Her arms curved around his neck, and she kissed him. When they broke apart, her eyes were brimming with tears.
“I love you,” she whispered.
He was about to kiss her again when Louise arrived with a wheelchair.
“Okay, kids. Want to go and see your baby?”
Excitement crossed Natalia’s face, and she gripped Cash’s hand. “Try to stop us.”
32
Tubes. So many tubes everywhere. But it didn’t matter because those tubes were helping her little girl. Her daughter. Saying the words to herself brought a thrill of excitement. She could barely believe what had happened since the previous day. Kinga’s wedding and Cash’s proposal were like memories seen through a veil, but the memories of how this precious gift had arrived were crystal clear.
She clutched Cash’s hand. She wanted to look at him but couldn’t tear her eyes away from the tiny person inside the incubator. The nurse showed them both how they could touch her, and as soon as Tally caressed her baby’s soft skin, tears trailed down her face.
“Look what we did, ace.”
“What you did,” he said with an unmistakeable tone of pride in his voice. His arm was comforting around her shoulders, and an innate peace settled over her.
“She’s perfect,” Tally said turning towards him. “A tiny replica of you.”
“But she has your eyes, sweetness,” he said, his gaze locked on his daughter. “I never could take my eyes off you, and now I can’t take them off her either. I’m in love with two girls. You and her.”
“Do we have a name yet?” Shelley, the NICU nurse who was looking after their baby, asked.
Tally glanced at Cash. “I haven’t even thought about it.”
“I have,” he said.
“Really? What were you thinking?”
“Darcey.”
Tally cocked her head to the side
. “Darcey Gallagher. I like it.” She stroked the baby’s cheek with her finger. “What do you think, little one?”
“It means descended from the dark one in Irish.”
Tally’s finger stilled. Her eyes locked onto his. “How long have you been thinking of that?” she said, feeling a tinge of sadness.
He held his hand up. “Hear me out. I was in such a dark place before I met you. From the outside, I had everything, but in reality, I had nothing that mattered. When I had the accident, I almost went back there and lost everything. Yet now look at us.”
He held out his index finger. The baby instantly curled her tiny hand around it, and a rarely seen peace settled over his face.
“She is descended from the dark one. But you and her, you help me choose the light.”
A wave of emotion washed through Tally as she rested her head on his shoulder. “Then Darcey it is.”
“So what do you think?” Tally pressed her nose against the glass, behind which her daughter was fast asleep, oblivious to the three pairs of eyes staring at her.
Em squeezed her arm. “She’s totally awesome.”
Pete looked as though he might burst with pride. “She’s beautiful, Tal. Just like her mum. How are you doing?”
Tally grinned. “I’m sore as hell.” She turned back to face her daughter again. “But I’d do that every day if it meant she was my reward.”
“I’ll call in to Toys R Us later and buy you a rubber ring to sit on,” Emmalee said with a giggle.
Tally dug her in the ribs. “Supportive.”
“Have you thought of a name?”
She nodded. “Darcey. Cash chose it.”
Em squinted through the glass. “It suits her. Where is Cash anyway?”
“Gone to call Rachael. She’ll be gutted she wasn’t here. We should have asked you to call her, but it was all a bit fraught.”
Em hugged her. “I was so worried about you.”
“We hadn’t noticed,” drawled Pete. “Your constant pacing, chewing of nails, and jumping every time the door opened hid your feelings pretty well.”
“You can let some of them go, Dozer,” Em said.
Pete laughed. “And where’s the fun in that?”
Tally watched two of the most important people in her world banter, and let happiness soak into her bones. She closed her eyes, savouring the moment. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so euphoric, so ecstatic with life. Tears pricked the back of her eyes, and when she opened them, they spilled over. A sob broke from her throat, causing both Em and Pete to jerk their heads in her direction.
“Babes, what’s the matter?” Em was by her side in an instant.
“I’m so happy.” Tally licked the salty tears from her lips and brushed her hand across her face to wipe away the rest. “I never thought I could feel like this.”
Two sets of arms wrapped around her, and the three of them huddled together. They were all crying and laughing so hard, they didn’t hear Cash come back until he spoke.
“Room for a fourth?” he said, his warm hands wrapping around Tally’s waist.
Em and Pete stepped away, allowing Tally to fall into Cash’s arms. “Hey, now,” he said, drying her eyes with a torn tissue. “I hope to fuck they’re happy tears.”
“They are,” she said, sniffling. “Is Rachael coming?”
Cash nodded. “I’ve sent Isaac to fetch her. I could barely get a word in with all the questions she hit me with as soon as I told her you’d had the baby. She’ll be here first thing tomorrow.”
Tally laughed. “I can’t wait to see her.”
Cash glanced over his shoulder at Em and Pete. “Do you mind giving us a bit of space?”
“Oh, sure.” Em and Pete left the NICU, and as soon as they’d disappeared through the door at the end of the corridor, Tally looked up at Cash and frowned.
“Something wrong?”
“No,” he said, taking hold of her hand. He pushed open the door to the intensive care unit. “I just want us to be alone with our daughter.”
33
The bright springtime sun woke Tally earlier than she would have liked. She rolled over. Dust motes floated in the air, catching the sunlight through a crack in the curtains. They resembled a thousand stars twinkling in the sky.
Her body was sore, as though she’d had a seriously heavy session at the gym, and every muscle ached. But none of that mattered because she had a daughter.
Love she never thought she’d be capable of filled her heart as it expanded to make room for the new addition in her life. When she’d fallen in love with Cash, she’d assumed nothing would ever top that. How wrong she’d been. And yet with the arrival of their baby, her love for him had grown too.
She pushed herself upright. It felt strange to be alone after spending forty-eight hours surrounded by people. Cash had reluctantly gone back home the night before to get some sleep but only after she’d bullied him by saying he’d be no bloody use to her if he didn’t rest up.
She swung her feet over the side of the bed and thrust them into her slippers. She shrugged into her dressing gown and padded out of her room, the need to see her daughter pressing her forward even as her body asked for more rest. She’d have to express some milk soon. Despite the fact Darcey was being fed through a tube, Tally still had a job to do.
The NICU was quiet with only Shelley inside, tending to the four babies who needed extra care. Tally paused outside the door, her eyes fixed on her daughter. She was so beautiful, perfect in every way, and even though she was a preemie, the doctors said she was doing fantastically well and they expected to be able to remove her breathing tube sometime that day.
“Precious, aren’t they?”
Tally jumped. She’d been joined by a woman in her fifties with dark hair pinned up in a neat bun.
“Sorry,” Tally said. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Which one is yours?”
Tally pointed. “The one at the front, on the right-hand side.”
“Ah, a girl. She’s beautiful.”
“Yes,” Tally said. “She is.”
“And you, are you doing okay?”
“I’m fine.” She laughed. “A little stiff and sore, but that’s to be expected.” Tally tilted her head to one side. “Are you here visiting someone?”
The woman nodded. “My granddaughter.”
Tally glanced at the babies. Two boys and two girls. Tally’s gaze fell on the cot opposite Darcey’s. “She’s a little cutie.”
“I’m Meredith, by the way,” the woman said, holding out her hand.
“Tally.”
“Have they said when your little one will be able to go home?”
“Not yet. I’m expecting a few weeks, though.” Tally made a move towards the door. “Are you coming in?”
Meredith shook her head. “No, I have to be somewhere. I’ll pop back later.”
“Well, it was nice to meet you. Maybe we’ll bump into each other again.”
“That would be lovely.” Meredith turned around to leave and then spoke over her shoulder. “Take care of yourself, Tally.”
“You too.” Tally pushed open the door to NICU. She was anxious to touch Darcey. Without the feel of the baby’s soft skin beneath her fingers, she no longer felt whole.
“Morning,” Shelley said as she grabbed a chair and placed it in front of Darcey’s cot. “How are you feeling?”
Tally sank into the chair and opened the round door that separated her from her daughter. She relaxed the minute her hand touched Darcey’s skin. “Knackered. Euphoric.”
Shelley laughed. “Pretty normal, then. You okay to get some feed ready?”
Tally grinned. “Sure am. Can I do it?”
“Absolutely.”
Shelley helped her connect the pump. If anyone had told her she’d be doing this a week ago, she’d have laughed in their face. But it felt completely normal. A means to an end to give her daughter the best nutrition possible.
Shel
ley showed her how to add the milk to the feeding tube, and although she was desperate to feed her baby via natural means, at the moment this was the best she had. As she injected her milk into the feeding tube, protective instinct flooded through her. God, she loved this kid. More than anyone else alive, including Cash. She would do anything to protect her baby. She’d kill for her. Die for her.
“You started without me?”
She glanced around in time to see Cash walk in. “I woke early and couldn’t wait to see her. You look much better.”
He grinned, the smile she loved, and bent down to kiss her cheek. “Amazing what eight hours of sleep will do for a man.”
“I missed you,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder when he pulled up a seat.
“Did you sleep okay?”
“Too good. I want to be able to say I was awake all night because I couldn’t sleep without you beside me, but I’d be lying. Dead to the world until I woke this morning.”
“We’d better make the most of that. When this little one comes home, times are going to change.”
“Can’t wait,” she said.
Cash curled his fingers around hers. “I wanted to talk to you about that.”
Tally frowned. “What, her coming home?”
“Yeah. I don’t want you exhausted all the time. What do you think about getting a nanny?”
Tally stiffened. “I’m not sure about that.”
Cash casually rested his hand on her inner thigh. “Think about it. No need to make a decision right now.”
A nanny… she’d never even considered it. Darcey was her baby. She didn’t want some stranger doing all the things she should be doing. Feeding, changing, getting up in the middle of the night, looking after her when she was sick. That was what she’d signed up for. What she wanted.
“Stop stressing,” Cash said, correctly reading her inner turmoil. “I don’t mean full-time. Just someone to take the load when you need a break, and give us some alone time.”
“What about asking Anna to come across for a little while?”
“I did think about that, but she looks after her grandkids on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
Grand Slam Page 17