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Lane watches me attentively, her lips twisting with sympathy.
“Austin, when are you just going to tell her you love her? You have a family now, and this isn’t some fling.”
“It’s not that simple, Lane,” I tell her, honestly. “We have this history, and Ava isn’t like anyone else. I don’t want to push her, not when she has a history of fleeing when she loses interest.”
“You think Ava will lose interest in you?”
“You don’t know her like I do,” I mumble.
“I don’t, but I do know that it’s not possible to lose interest in Austin Carter. You’re a great guy, and you will be an amazing father,” Lane admits, keeping her gaze fixed with a warm smile. “Now, any chance I can meet your daughter?”
“Sure, I was just about to go there myself.”
We leave the breakout room and chat on our way up to the NICU. Our conversations usually revolve around work. That is when we do run into each other and have time to chat.
Upon arriving at the NICU, we follow protocol then enter, where I lead her to the incubator.
“Oh, Austin,” Lane murmurs, her eyes lighting up. “She’s beautiful.”
“Can’t argue with that. She’s progressing nicely, and if all goes well, she should be able to go home on Monday.”
“You must be so relieved.”
“I am. It’s been a stressful week. I would have liked to take time off, but we’re too busy, and my leave is scheduled for when the baby was supposed to be due.”
Lane has a look at the chart, reading some of the information which we discuss in more detail.
A noise interrupts our conversation, prompting me to turn around. Ava is standing a few feet away, dressed in her blue silk pajamas. She must have just showered as her hair is still wet yet brushed neatly to the side.
Ava stares at Lane and me with a pinched expression, crossing her arms beneath her chest.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt the two of you.”
“Of course you didn’t. We were just discussing her breathing levels.” I tilt my head, questioning Ava’s mood. “You remember Lane, don’t you?”
Ava forces a smile. “How could I forget?”
I check my watch, noting the time. “Are you here to feed?”
She turns away with a slight nod and sits in the recliner while the nurse removes Emmy from the incubator, then places her in Ava’s arms. Lane quickly says goodbye to head over to the cardiac ward to check on a patient.
Ava shuffles, trying to get comfortable while unbuttoning her top. Her milk came in a few days ago, and since then, Ava’s breasts grew to double the size. They are impossible to ignore, and if anything, look extremely uncomfortable.
In her arms, Emmy appears to be fussy and not latching on.
“C’mon, baby girl,” Ava cries in frustration. “Why don’t you want to feed?”
Leaning down, I stroke Emmy’s cheek to relax her. She begins to suck as Ava breathes a sigh of relief, closing her eyes momentarily.
“Oh, thank God.”
“Better?” I ask, trying to soothe her.
Ava is exhausted, which doesn’t surprise me. Her body has undergone so many changes over the last week, and it’s usual for a woman’s hormones to be unbalanced after giving birth.
“Does Lane always work the same shift as you?”
I purse my lips and shake my head. “No, sometimes we cross paths, but not daily.”
