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I wrap my arms around her and fight the emotion threatening to drown me. Once a momma’s boy, always a momma’s boy. Then I think about my son and Melissa. She has to wake up. He needs her. I need her. I can’t do this on my own. We might not be together, but who knows what the future holds?
Dad holds up a bag of food. I take it and nod my thanks.
“We’re going to stay here for a bit.” Mom looks over at my son and smiles.
“We’re going to head out and grab a shower, but we’ll be back,” Kent says, pointing down at his work boots and dirty jeans.
“You guys don’t have to come back. There’s nothing but waiting right now.”
“So we wait.” Seth shrugs.
“Walk us out. Some fresh air for a few minutes might do you some good,” Tyler chimes in.
I say a quick good-bye to my parents’ and sister and follow the guys outside. I take a deep breath, holding it in before slowly releasing it.
“Some crazy-ass shit,” Mark says, breaking the silence.
“Don’t I know it.” It’s like one of those movies my mom and sister like to watch on that Lifetime channel.
“You need anything, man, you let us know,” Kent offers.
“Just take care of the office. I can’t even think about all that right now.”
“We got you. I’ll bring a deck of cards or something when we come back,” Seth says.
“Guys, really, you don’t need to sit here. No point in all five of us sitting and staring at her.”
“Fine, we’ll take shifts. I’ll be back later,” Tyler states. “You guys—” he points to our other three friends “—can take the next one.” Finally, he looks at me. “See you in a bit.”
I concede with a nod. Each of them takes a turn giving me a quick hug and slap on the back.
I stand there on the steps, eyes closed, just taking a minute to reflect on everything when I hear my name being called. Slowly, I open my eyes and see Stephanie.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
Three days. It’s been three days since I told her I was here. I know we didn’t label what was going on with us, but three days?
“I’m good.” I don’t bother further explanation.
She takes me in, seeing that physically I am indeed okay. “You’ve not returned any of my calls or texts.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“What’s going on, Ridge? You really believe he’s yours?”
I tell her about Melissa, about our night together. I tell her about the night of the gala and end with earlier today when my son was born. I give her the CliffsNotes version, but I don’t hold back.
“So, you’re falling for this girl’s story? Are you sure this kid is even yours? I mean, come on, Ridge. Think about it. How many women try to trap men with ‘I’m pregnant’? I thought you were smarter than that.”
What. The. Fuck.
“He’s mine,” I grit out. Sure, we’re still waiting on the results of the paternity test, but he looks like me and I just know he’s my son.
She stares at me as if trying to see through me. She won’t find what she’s looking for. He’s my son; my gut has never been wrong before.
“So, what, you’re just going to play daddy now?”
I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. She’s testing me. “There is no fucking playing about it, Stephanie. I’m a father. I have a son.”
“I can’t believe you’re falling for this shit! You really want to be tied down with a kid from a one-night stand?”
“Yes!” I growl. “He’s mine. I will be in his life, regardless of my relationship with his mother. His mother who, by the way, is currently lying in a hospital bed, fighting for her fucking life!”
Stephanie shakes her head as if my words are the craziest thing she’s ever heard. “Good luck with that. Call me when all this shit blows over and we can get together.”
I’m fucking done. “Not gonna happen.”
“What, you have a kid so now we can’t hook up?”
“My son has nothing to do with it. I don’t want you.”
She steps forward and runs her finger down my chest. “You sure about that? Why is it that I’m the only one you keep coming back to?”
Fuck this! “You were a bet,” I snap. “The guys fucking bet me that I couldn’t stay with one person for three months. Sure, we had a good time, but don’t mistake that for something more. You were their pick.” I shrug, letting her know that she’s of no consequence to me.
“A bet?” she asks, appalled.
“Yep. So you can take you’re ‘better than thou’ bitchy self and move on down the road. Even if it were more, there is no way I could be with someone who doesn’t accept my child.”
“You don’t even know if he’s yours!” she yells.
“Go!” My voice is low and menacing. “I don’t want to see you anymore. He is mine, and you are not. Leave now, and lose my number.”
I turn and stomp my way up the steps, needing to check on Melissa then go visit my son.
“You’ll regret this, Ridge Beckett!” she yells after me. “I won’t be waiting for you when this blows up in your face!”
“Good fucking riddance,” I mumble under my breath. I don’t bother turning around to address her, just keep walking as though I didn’t hear her dumb-ass tirade.
I take the elevator up to Melissa’s floor. Her room is quiet, nothing but the sounds of the beeping machines. Pulling a chair up next to her bed, I gently hold her hand in mine. She has no one, just me and our son. I think about my family, my friends who were all here for me today, who have been the last three days. There’s no one in her corner. How lonely she must be.
“Hey, Melissa,” I say, my voice low. “You did good today. He’s perfect, and so damn tiny.” I chuckle. “When I hold him, he’s so small in my arms. I’m almost afraid I’ll break him, but the nurses assure me that I won’t.” I gently run my thumb over her wrist. “You need to wake up now. I need you to fight to come back to him.”
That’s when it hits me that I need to bring him here. Maybe having him in the same room, or laying him against her chest, might bring her back. Hell, I have no fucking idea what I’m even talking about. I just know they said she could possibly still hear everything. If that’s the case, I want her to know he’s here. Give her a reason, motivation to open her eyes.
“I’m going to go down to the nursery and get our boy. He needs to see his momma, even if she is Sleeping Beauty. I’ll be back.” Standing, I kiss her on the forehead before leaving the room.
Once I reach the nursery, I stop at the window and look for him. It doesn’t take long to spot the ‘Baby Kn
ox’ sign, my son sleeping peacefully beneath it. Although it scares the hell out of me, I can’t wait to hold him again.
I swipe my bracelet, which gives me access to the nursery waiting room. I inform the girl at the desk that I’m here to take my son to see his mother. She doesn’t ask for anything except to see my bracelet. I assume the story of Melissa, her coma, and me not knowing about the baby has rapidly filtered throughout the hospital. Everyone loves a good storyline.
“Hey, Daddy,” a nurse I’ve never seen before greets me, wheeling my son’s bed with her. “It’s time for this little guy to eat. You can do that here, or I can go with you to Mom’s room.”
I have a feeling this is not standard protocol; they must be able to see I have no experience with babies or any clue how to take care of one. They’re taking pity on me, but I’m grateful.
“Can we do it there? I just want him to be close to her. I thought maybe it could help.” I run my fingers through my hair. I know it’s a long shot, but I need for her to wake up.
“Absolutely.” She gives me a sad smile.
I watch as she signs him out and tells the others where she’ll be. As I hold the door open for her, we run into Reagan and Tyler.
“I had to argue with Mom. She wanted to come back first, but Dad helped to convince her that she needs a good night’s sleep because when you bring the baby home, you’ll need all the help you can get.”
Bring him home? I look over at the nurse. “He’s doing well. As long as he continues to do so, we can release him as early as tomorrow. However, paternity will need to be proven before you can take him. It might take an additional day or two,” she explains.
I nod, hoping those results come back fast.
“Can you keep him here that long? I mean, you won’t send him to foster care or anything, right?” Reagan asks.
Her words cut me like a knife. Melissa’s letter, her words are flashing through my mind. “No, do what you have to do to speed up the test. I don’t care what it costs, but he will not be going into the fucking system,” I growl.
