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Hope explained about the two asthma attacks while the nurse keyed in the information on the electronic chart.
The nurse then placed a probe on Mia’s finger to monitor her oxygen saturation level.
“Wow! Ninety-nine percent! Not bad, little one.” The nurse looked cheerfully at Mia.
After she finished her assessment, Cole, Hope and Mia were escorted to another area where more information was taken, such as name and address.
“Okay, you’ll just have to sit with Mommy and Daddy for a little while, okay?” The friendly clerk tried to cheer up Mia.
Hope’s heart sank. She could also feel Cole’s discomfort as his face flushed. Both knew they were Mia’s parents. But Mia hadn’t been formally introduced to her daddy as yet.
Thankfully, Mia was in a world of her own and was not interested too much in anything outside of her well-loved and worn teddy bear clutched in her tiny hands.
“Okay, you’ll just have to wait for your name to be called.” The clerk spoke as she tore off a page from the dot matrix printer and placed it in a file. She then gave Hope a yellow and white hospital band to hold on to. It was too tiny to be secured on Mia’s wrist.
Cole carried Mia in his arms to the waiting area. Hope was grateful for his presence. He then lovingly rubbed her back to comfort her. She was almost asleep. Hope noticed Cole really had knack with kids, with his daughter. Had she made a huge mistake to not include him in his own daughter’s life from the beginning?
Again, that sick feeling in the pit of her stomach made another comeback. This one felt deserved. Hope really should have tried harder to contact him. Mia and Cole seemed to…click. It was as if they’d been a family this whole time.
A pleasant looking round-faced woman gazed at Hope and Mia then to Cole. She leaned over to Cole and Mia as she sat on her daddy’s lap.
“You’re such a cutie,” she cooed to Mia who by now was looking a little puzzled and too tired to play.
“Look at you…” she continued, “You’re a lucky little one.”
“That’s so sweet of you,” Hope interjected to the lady, “Why do you say lucky…?”
“Oh, you know what they say, a son who looks like his mother is lucky or a girl who resembles her daddy is lucky in life. Daughters always stick close with their daddies.” She tilted her head to the side and smiled proudly at Cole and Mia.
Hope froze.
Cole replied, “Yes, she is a lucky little girl. She’s going to have everything in life she needs. And you’re right. We’ll be very close as she grows up.” He smiled proudly as he clutched his daughter close to his chest.
Hope felt her lungs squeeze. Did that mean Cole was planning to take full custody of Mia or would they have a chance at being a family?
“Morgan. Mia Morgan. Will Mia Morgan please report to the nursing station?”
Thank God.
A loud voice paging over the speaker saved the moment. It was time for Mia to be seen by the doctor. Hopefully.
Cole held Mia in his arms and headed to the nursing station with Hope.
Before long Cole, Hope and Mia were sitting in another room waiting for the doctor to arrive. Hope couldn't believe how quickly Cole seemed to bond with his daughter. Her heart was overjoyed inside as she saw how he lovingly hugged Mia to his body. Mia's head was nestled in Cole's chest.
Her little girl had her eyes closed as if she were in a sweet dream. Cole had his arms wrapped around her and he was leaning back in the rocking chair in the pediatric room.
Earlier he'd asked the nurse for a blanket and he had the blanket wrapped around Mia as he cradled her in his arms as if she was the most precious thing in the entire world to him. On a few occasions while her eyes were closed Cole pressed a kiss to her forehead. Her teddy bear was also clutched in her tiny hands. It was a memorable moment. She felt so comfortable with Cole. Yet, very strangely, Mia would never go to anyone. She was always fearful of strangers or anyone she hadn't met before. But her spirit took to Cole, didn’t it?
"This is so weird," Hope commented.
"What's weird?"
"You and Mia. My daughter, like, never goes to anyone like that. And yet you two seem to have bonded right away." Her heart felt heavy even speaking those words, weighted down by guilt that she might have done the wrong thing, thinking that she was doing the right thing, by protecting Mia from her own past. But realizing now that having a father in the picture, a loving caring father, was advantageous for Mia.
Guilt washed over her that she had denied Cole an opportunity, a chance to bond with his daughter from birth. A lump climbed in her throat when she thought about how much he seemed to take an instant love to his daughter. He sighed heavily and combed his fingers through his dark, slicked back hair. "My father is going to be shocked when he hears about this," he said, his voice sounding gruff.
"Oh my God, that's right,” Hope said. “I'm so sorry about your father’s prognosis, Cole. I do pray and hope he pulls through somehow. I understand about what you mean. I swear to you, Cole, I just heard about his illness on the Internet. I wouldn't want him to pass away without even knowing he had a grandchild. I just have so much on my mind. There’s so much confusion right now that I just wasn't thinking. It's all about timing. Despite what it might look like, I was thinking that Mia would have to meet you one day. But I had lot of things to work through first.” Hope paused thoughtfully. “You're not going to tell your father tonight, are you?"
"He doesn't have much time, Hope. It’s ironic, my dad’s last wish is to see all his sons settle down, marry and have families of their own.”
“He’d be happy to see us back together, wouldn’t he?”
“He’ll think we are back together if he sees us now.”
“What were you thinking? I know you love your father more than anything in this world, Cole. You’ve always been a good son to him.”
“Thanks. I was even thinking since we’ve bumped into each other tonight…Oh, forget it.”
“No, please. Tell me.”
“I don’t want to see him hurt at this stage of his illness. I just want him to be happy. It would be good if we could somehow let him believe in happy endings, that we did get back together.”
“Oh, God, Cole. That would be a wonderful thing to do.”
“But I don’t want to lie to him.”
“You’re not lying to him; you’re just…giving him hope. No pun intended.”
He grinned. “I love my old man. I wish I could reverse his prognosis.”
“So do I, Cole. Let’s do this. I’m all in. Mr. Belmont first interviewed me at the hotel for my internship. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have gotten my first big break. He was like a mentor to me.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“Cole, you just saved me from my crazy landlord and from ending up on the streets from the garage tonight.”
“Hey, there’s nothing to it. Don’t even mention it. Creeps like that landlord of yours should be put away for what he did. You know I’ve always got your back. Whether we’re together or apart, I’d die before I let anything bad happen to you.”
“I know,” she said softly, afraid to look into his eyes that moment, fearful she’d break apart. “Thanks, Cole. I feel the same way about you.” That was why she fled in the first place, so that he wouldn’t get caught up in her awful mess from her past.
“Thanks for going along with this,” he said. “You don’t have to worry. It’ll only be for a short time.”
She wishfully hoped it could’ve been for much longer.
Just then the doctor came into the room in his white lab coat and a clipboard. The ER doctor looked quite tired and adjusted his black-rimmed glasses before recognizing Cole.
"Mr. Belmont, so good to see you. It's an honor, sir," the doctor said.
Hope felt lightness in her chest at that moment. She’d almost forgotten how powerful Cole and his family were. Of course everyone knew the Belmonts. How could they not? The entire town was named after his family bloodline. The chill of truth slithered through her body.
Her daughter Mia was part of a powerful bloodline, wasn’t she? The realization almost knocked her over.
But still, she was Mia’s mother and she may not have much in terms of material wealth or powerful lineages but she loved her daughter more than anything on this planet. And she would do anything to protect her daughter and to keep her safe and happy and okay in life.
“Good to see you again, too, Dr. Mansfield."
The man nodded appreciatively, then he turned to face Mia. "So, it looks as if your little girl had two asthma attacks today." The doctor poised his pen over his notes.
Hope thought it was strange that the doctor didn't seem fazed that Mia didn't have the Belmont surname, but she didn’t say anything.
Another thought just slid into her mind. What if people talked about Cole and his estranged daughter? It might be all over the news tomorrow or in the tabloids if any of this got out. Or perhaps they thought Cole was being private and deliberately didn't want his daughter's name to be a Belmont. Who knew what to think?
Hope and then Cole told the doctor the whole story about this evening from the moment Hope had arrived at the church. But Hope, of course, left out the details about going to the food bank at the church to collect food supplies for her daughter. That would be just so wrong having to do with the billionaire’s daughter.
