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Hunter took my hand as we pulled into the parking lot. “We’re doing this together, Baby girl. Nothing bad is going to happen. You’ll see.”
Once Hunter found a spot for us, he shut off the Maverick and looked at me. Those fears bubbling to the surface for me reflected in his eyes, along with excitement and the pure joy of becoming a parent for the second time. I was so stupid and naïve to believe Destiny would have been better off without Hunter. He had one of the biggest hearts I’d ever seen, and Destiny thrived in his care. So would our new son.
We left everything in the car and went straight to the labor and delivery floor of the hospital. Our social worker greeted us as we stepped inside and gave us a quick rundown of what was about to happen. Since we weren’t there for the initial consult with the doctor about the surgery, we had to wait in the lobby with all the other impatiently waiting families.
To be honest, it felt like a week had passed before a nurse called our names and they led us into a small room with a single bassinet and the cutest, chubbiest baby I’d ever laid eyes on. “Where’s mom? Is she okay?”
The nurse nodded. “She told me to give you this.” The nurse handed me an envelope with the hospital's name in the left corner. “I leave you to get to know your son. Then we’ll have you sign all the paperwork. If all goes accordingly, you should be able to leave within a couple of hours.”
So fast? I glanced at the bassinet, then the letter. I was torn about what I wanted to do first. Hold our son or read what Elizabeth had to say.
“You read and I’ll hold,” Hunter murmured, stepping toward the baby. “He’s a quiet little thing, isn’t he?”
Yes, he was. “Let’s see what Elizabeth had to say to us.”
Dear New Parents,
If you’re reading this, the baby has been born, and I am hopefully in recovery. Some people may question why I gave him up for adoption, but they don’t matter. I knew he would be a special addition for a special family. I chose you because you understand what this life is like. I know this baby will grow up loved, protected, and strong. I had a name picked out for him, Anders. I hope you might use the name even if it’s a middle name or whatever.
Please give him a good life. You can tell him about me, but you don’t have to. There might come a day when he asks, you know. I might not be here then. Tell him my favorite color is metallic purple. Tell him I loved to read and read to him through my whole pregnancy. Tell him we counted stars together and watched clouds pass by. Tell him I loved him so much; I gave him to you because I knew you would love him as much as I would.
Eternally Grateful,
Elizabeth
Hunter
Six years later...
Something was wrong.
Posey hadn’t been able to get out of bed in three days. Any time she ate or drank anything, it went right through her. She either vomited all of it back up or, well, shit herself to death. There wasn’t a glamorous way to put it. Then today while she’d been kissing the kids’ goodbye for school, she fainted on me, scaring both Anders and Destiny and me half to death.
I don’t think I’d freaked out this bad since the day we found out Anders was hard of hearing and needed hearing aids. Sure, sounds way less life threatening than this, but still just as concerning for our child. I was a mess. The kids were beyond consolable. They’d watched their momma collapse in my arms, and I didn’t have any clue what to do.
So, I did what came naturally. I called Ireland for some help. Within ten minutes, she was at the house. Rory and Mack Jr. were with Destiny and Anders while Ireland and I talked. I knew what I needed to do, but I didn’t want to scare the kids more. So, Ireland scooped everyone up and took them to school while I called for an ambulance for Posey.
The second the knock came at the door, Posey groaned, and her eyes fluttered open. “What happened?”
“You passed out on me and the kids and scared about ten years off my life,” I teased. “Don’t worry, the EMTs and paramedics are going to help you.”
They came through the door after I opened it and went straight to Posey who was paler than should be possible while also green along her jaw. Tension radiated off me as they placed her on the gurney and began an IV for fluid replacement and something for the nausea. Once they had her loaded into the back of the ambulance, I followed in the Maverick, hopeful she’d be able to come home with me. However, if it was serious, which I dreaded, she’d have to stay.
Which meant also preparing the kids.
The last few years had been a whirlwind of activity in our house. Between Destiny and Anders, it seemed like we were well into the thick of life with kids. Until two and a half years ago when we found out about Anders' hearing issues. At first, we thought our snuggly quiet newborn was just some freak luck of the draw parents always talked about. Then, with Anders hitting his milestones, he wasn’t quite there. Sure, he was doing all the normal stuff babies did. Sit up, roll over, crawling (though he was a track star more than a crawler), babbling, however, didn’t happen.
So, the doctors started running tests. They checked him for chromosomal defects, autism, or just plain delayed speech issues. When all of those came back normal, they went with a basic hearing test. Why they hadn’t done that from the start, I wasn’t sure, but when we finally had an answer, relief surged through me. Posey and I had a plan of action, and we were going to follow it. Everyone in the house learned sign language. We only used his hearing aids when he wanted them and the rest of the time, we adapted to him.
Now, as I pulled into the driveway of the hospital, I had to think of this as another adaptation to our family. Whatever was going on with Posey, we’d handle it head on as a family, no matter what. I rushed inside and gave my name, then all our insurance information while they wheeled Posey back to triage.
I don’t know how long I sat in the waiting room until a nurse came to get me after they stabilized Posey, but the relief I felt the second I saw my Baby girl was life altering. She was still a little pale, but she had a cup of something in her hand she’d been sipping on, along with an IV in her arm. The eerie, unnatural tinge to her skin was gone, and she fucking smiled at me, like she’d missed me.
God damn, I was the luckiest son of a bitch ever.
“Hey,” I whispered, going right to her side. I took her free hand in mine and kissed her knuckles. “How do you feel?”
“A little better,” she murmured. “Doctor said he’d be back soon to tell me what’s going on.” Posey glanced at her arm. “They should, anyway. They got enough blood out of me. Damn vampires.”
