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NOLA is my home…
I don’t know how long I say there with my hand intertwined with his. But when his breathing eventually evens out, he’s fast asleep, and I let out a deep breath of relief.
I feel… liberated.
EPILOGUE
Ashrill scream echoes through the hallway.
Pocus looks in the direction of the sound and runs a hand through his hair, muttering a long string of curses under his breath. His expression is like that of a tortured animal – wild and heart-gripping.
“Here,” I say, holding out my alcohol flask to him.”Drink up, mon ami.”
Pocus snags the cup out of my hand and downs the content at a go.
“Easy, man,” I say gently. “You don’t want to be drunk when you meet your baby girl.”
Another chilly scream permeates the air.
“Fuck!”! Pocus mutters, running a hand through his hair. “I can’t… fuck. I need to be in there.”
“You almost passed out when you last went in, remember?”
Pocus shakes his head. “I can do better this time. I just need to hold her hand. Fuck… she’s in so much pain.”
“It’s a natural process, man,” I say in a reassuring tone, despite the knots in my guts. “She’ll be all right.”
“I… I don’t know…,” Pocus says, letting out a shaky breath. “Everything happened so fast, you know? Her due date isn’t for two weeks. I can’t believe she’s having our baby in the bathtub in our bathroom at 2 in the morning.”
“Water birth is a proven method of childbirth. Besides, Tory is right there with her.”
Suddenly, Pocus’s room door swings open from the inside, and we both look up at the same time. Victoria raises her hand to wave us over with a huge grin on her face.
“She’s here, Pocus!” Victoria calls out all giddy-like. “Your baby is here.”
Pocus breaks into a run. I immediately follow him.
* * *
Iwatch Seer the whole time. His expression is caught between joy, awe, and pure happiness as he watches Pocus with his wife and their newborn baby. I follow Seer’s gaze to the new parents. Pocus is grinning from ear to ear, his eyes filled with pride and love for the tiny creature in his hands. And although Abigail looks tired from the ordeal of childbirth, one can’t deny there’s joy radiating from her.
Pocus goes to sit beside Abigail on the bed, carefully holding out the swaddled baby in front of him, he leans forward and kisses his wife on the lips. “I’m so proud of you, mon coeur,” Pocus says, his eyes brimming with love and pride. “Thank you.”
The perfect family.
Watching them, I feel an indescribable tightness in my chest. Envy, perhaps?
I raise my head to see Seer watching me. He seems to have an idea of what just went through my mind. He gives me a reassuring smile from across the room. I return the smile, soaking in the tender love in his eyes.
“Do you want to hold her?” Abigail asks, looking at me with à smile.
“Sure,” I say, stooping slightly so Pocus can place the child in my arms. I look down into her pretty little face and coo at her a little. “She’s so gorgeous,” I say to Abigail.
She nods. “She is. And her name is Daisy Victoria Dunn.” She smiles meaningfully into my eyes. “We decided to name her after you because you helped ease her journey into this world.”
I blink back tears. “What? You named your baby after me.”
Abigail shrugs like it’s the most normal thing in the world. I bet she doesn’t know how much her gesture means to me.
