AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Me: Have you seen her yet this morning?
Garret: You should still be sleeping, blue eyes. But yes, I’ve seen her. She had a difficult night. Her apnea alarm went off more than usual, according to the night nurse. But her vitals are stable, and the doctor said the surgery is still going ahead as scheduled.
I was scared to death of Justice going through this surgery, yet I was relieved that everything was proceeding as planned. Any number of things could go wrong. She very well might not even make it through the operation. But like her cardiologist had once told me, her chances without it were a hell of a lot smaller than with it.
Garret: I wish you would get more rest, but I know you’re too anxious to listen. Try to eat something before you leave. I’ll call Guzman and make sure everything is ready for you by the time you leave. Bring your pump and supplies with you so you don’t get uncomfortable while we wait. The surgeon said it could take a while, depending on how everything goes.
I was torn on how to respond to his second text. Part of me wanted to yell at him that I could tell Guzman myself, and I sure as hell didn’t need him to remind me to bring my breast pump. I didn’t go anywhere without it and enough snacks to keep me constantly producing the milk that was helping Justice gain weight.
At first, she hadn’t been able to tolerate my breast milk, but as I’d eliminated certain foods from my diet, she’d started digesting it better and gained the weight needed.
Another part of me—which was secretly bigger—melted over how he was always watching out for me, even from the hospital. He was constantly texting Maria to tell her to make my favorites, and the ones that had the ingredients Justice couldn’t tolerate, he’d found substitute recipes so I could still eat things I enjoyed without it harming our baby. He knew more about Guzman’s every move than I did, and the head of security was rarely away from me unless I was taking a nap.
The bedroom door opened, and Felicity walked in, carrying a tray. It held fruit and gluten-free cereal with non-dairy milk and a glass of orange juice. I set the phone aside and gave her a small smile as she placed the tray over my lap. Our relationship was still strained, but I was slowly getting over her forcing Garret back into my life.
I’d relented and began allowing her in to see Justice a few times each day. With her son having full access to her granddaughter, she wasn’t nearly as prickly with me, but that didn’t mean I was going to trust her fully. She’d let me down when I’d needed her to have my back the most. I’d learned at a young age that forgiveness was one thing, but putting my full faith in someone again was a recipe for heartache.
“Maria is already packing your food for the day,” Felicity said with a smile. Her bloodshot eyes suggested she’d had just as much of a restless night as Nova and I had. “The car is already out front, so as soon as you are dressed, we can leave. But not until you eat everything on this tray.”
My stomach was in knots, the food on the tray holding zero appeal, but I knew if I didn’t eat, my milk supply would be low for the day, and even a few ounces less than usual was unacceptable. I would not be the reason my daughter didn’t get the nutrition she needed.
After forcing down the majority of the meal, I drained the glass of juice and eased out of bed. A shower and change of clothes later, I left my hair to air-dry and climbed into the back of the SUV with Guzman’s help. Once I was settled, I realized he still held on to my hand.
When I glanced up, he gave me an odd look while his fingers squeezed mine gently. “She’s going to be okay, little one.”
Emotion clogged my throat, and all I could do was nod, giving him a smile that felt tremulous. Releasing my hand, he lifted his to stroke over my damp hair. It was a tender, parental action that made something flip in my brain. I blinked at him a few times at a faded memory of being a small child and having my father do the same thing.
I shook it from my head, feeling oddly queasy all of a sudden.
My real father had died when I was a toddler. I didn’t remember much about him, and the few times I’d asked my mother what he’d died of, she’d just said, “This life, this life took him from us, Cali.” As I’d gotten older and seen what Matias’s lifestyle was like, I realized it could have been a thousand different things that could have ended my biological father’s life.
He’d been the reason we’d moved to Colombia in the first place. She’d met him when she was seventeen, while he’d been in the States studying at some university—which one, I didn’t know because my mother had never gone into detail. When her family found out she was pregnant with me, they’d kicked her out, and my father had quit school to return home.
Not long after his death, my mother had met Matias, and they’d dated for a year or so before getting married.
“Cali?”
I jerked at the sound of Nova’s voice beside me. Blinking away the memories of my childhood, I glanced over at her. “Yeah?”
“We’re here,” she murmured, nudging my leg with her knee. “Guzman has been standing there waiting for you to take his hand for like two minutes.”
Startled, I looked up at the head of security, and instantly, the old memory replayed in my head. A shadowy man, his work-roughened hand stroking over my hair. The gruff way he’d called me “little one” in Spanish. Indigestion made me belch, and I had to fight to keep bile from lifting into my throat, but I placed my hand in Guzman’s rough palm and let him help me out.
Nova exited behind me, carrying the case that held all my breast pump supplies, while Felicity carried the cooler that had my food for the day. As we all entered the hospital, the driver pulled away, leaving only Guzman as our private security until we reached the NICU, where two fresh guards had taken over for the night shift.
As was our routine, Nova and Felicity went to the waiting room, where another guard was stationed, while I went into the NICU. I washed up and got ready to enter the ward, my heart thumping at triple its normal rate as I walked to where Garret was already waiting with the day nurse and a doctor I didn’t recognize.
Seeing me, Garret held out his hand, and I grasped it without thinking, desperately needing his touch. “Baby, this is the anesthesiologist.”
I nodded in greeting before my gaze went to Justice. “So, this is it? She’s really going to have the operation today? There isn’t another delay?”
“It’s really happening,” the man informed me, his tone thankfully soothing. “Miss Justice is the first on the schedule this morning, and I assure you, I’ll be with her the entire time. The procedure can take anywhere from one to three hours, depending on any issues the cardiologist might run into while he’s in there. You will be alerted via text during the entire process. When she’s put under, when the cardiologist has opened her up…”
I clutched at Garret, wrapping my other hand around his arm as I reminded myself that this was all necessary for our little girl’s survival. I swallowed with difficulty, but I didn’t hide my face against him as I really wanted to.
The doctor continued when I straightened my shoulders, showing him I could take whatever else he had to explain to us. “And so on. Once she’s closed up, she will go to recovery until the anesthesia wears off. That can take an hour or several, it just depends on how well she tolerates everything. When she wakes up, we will assess her pain levels. But again, you will get text alerts about every change in her and her condition.”
“O-okay,” I said, proud of myself when my voice didn’t crack too loudly. I didn’t want Justice to hear how nervous I was. She needed good vibes and to know her parents were confident in the medical staff to patch her up. To get her back to us safe and sound.
