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Jameson- Congrats, bro.
I look at my phone one last time, hoping for a text from Hanna. Instead, I drift to sleep, waking up to Jet licking my face at 8 o'clock in the morning. Ellie giggling, "I'll go let him out."
We both shuffle out of bed, Jet busting out the back door in a hurry.
"Guess what?" I say, Ellie's face lighting up, "What?"
"Blakely had the baby! JC has a little brother or sister."
Ellie jumps up and down, running to her room, her voice barely decipherable, "We gotta go!"
She gets dressed, and I pull her hair into a ponytail. "Dad, what are we gonna do with Jet while we go to the hospital."
I laugh, "Well, we will leave him in the backyard. It's a nice day."
She pulls back, looking worried, "Will he be okay?"
"Sure he will. He's Jet."
She nods, "You're right."
I grab my keys off the counter, my eyes falling to the sealed wedding invitation that I haven't dared to open.
"You ready?" Ellie breaks my concentration as I pick her up, "You bet."
The hospital isn't my favorite place. I hate it.
I've never had one decent memory in a hospital. Just my mom dying, Judson almost dying, and a car wreck of one of my friends during flight school. So to see everyone smiling and hugging up here on the labor and delivery floor is weird for me. It's even more upsetting that I missed Ellie's birth.
Hanna is sitting in the waiting room with everyone else, Lexie cooing on about how cute he is. Judson comes out to get Ellie and me, weaving through the halls like he knows exactly where he's going.
Blakely is sitting up in bed, looking tired. A baby bundled up in her arms, "A boy, huh?"
"Yeah, guess I was wrong."
"Or maybe you just misinterpreted your dream. Maybe it wasn't your kid that you saw."
She laughs, "Well, it definitely wasn't because this little guy," she looks down, brushing her finger over his nose, "Is definitely a boy."
Ellie grins, jumping up next to Blakely's side, her voice cutting across the room to JC, "You got a boy, just like you wanted."
"Yeah, I know," JC smirks, "He's pretty cute."
"Can I hold him?" Ellie asks, completely unafraid, just like he is one of her baby dolls.
"Sure you can," Blake motions to Judson to help her pass him off.
The baby is placed in Ellie's lap, her eyes not breaking from his face, "Daddy, can we have one?"
I laugh, "It's not like a dog, Ellie bear."
"I know, but you and mommy could have another one."
Blakely laughs, "It doesn't work like that, sweetheart."
"Well, one day, I want one. A baby."
My mind wanders to Hanna and Eric. Ellie could have a sibling. One that doesn't belong to me. I feel my stomach start to turn at the thought.
"What's his name?" Ellie asks, JC jumping up quickly to answer.
"Jackson! He's named after my grandpa, right mom?"
"That's right, buddy."
His excitement lights up the entire room as I look down at baby Jackson, wondering if I'll ever get to experience this type of joy.
