AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Immediately, all of Julia’s hair stood on end. “What’s going on?”
Charlie unshackled his arms from around Julia and placed his hands on his hips. He was ready to take action, whatever she needed him to do.
“It’s Anna,” Smith continued breathlessly. “Her water broke. We’re almost to the hospital. You need to come. Now.”
A bell went off in Julia’s head. Why was Smith with Anna? It didn’t make any sense. She listened to herself sputter anxious questions and demand that Smith keep her updated until she got to the hospital. “Make sure she’s all right,” she blared. “Make sure she knows I love her and everything will be okay.”
When Julia got off the phone, Charlie passed her coat, hat, and gloves across the room. He was already dressed in his. His eyes were stony and resolute.
“Why was Smith with Anna?” he asked as Julia flung her winter garments on.
“I have a million questions,” Julia confessed. “But right now, I’m terrified. I need to get to the hospital ASAP.” She pulled her hat over her ears. “You don’t need to come, Charlie. I can drive myself.”
Charlie squared his jaw. “If you think for a second I’m letting you go through that alone, you’re wrong.”
Julia couldn’t suppress a laugh. She whisked across the living room and burrowed her face in Charlie’s chest. God willing, she would be a grandmother in just a few hours. She had to stay strong, for Anna’s sake.
Charlie drove them through sputtering snow. Lamps and car lights were a blur, whizzing around them like a nightmarish music video. Julia was too terrified to speak. Instead, she busied herself with texting her ex-husband, Rachel, and Henry with news of Anna’s labor. It was already tomorrow in Beijing, and Jackson texted back right away.
JACKSON: Tell her I’ll call her as soon as she’s up for it.
JACKSON: Tell her I’m pulling for her.
It warmed Julia’s heart that Jackson finally found a balance between loving his children and pursuing his career. Julia didn’t have a place in his life anymore, and that was okay. Julia squeezed Charlie’s hand between their seats just as Charlie eased into the drop-off area at the hospital. “Text me where you end up,” Charlie said. “I can be in the waiting room as long as you need me. I’ll bring a never-ending stream of coffee and sandwiches.”
“You’re a dream.” Julia kissed him and pressed her weight into the door. She was inside the hospital in a flash, racing for the labor and delivery floor, her tennis shoes squeaking on the linoleum.
A receptionist within the labor and delivery wing directed Julia to room 332. Julia hurried around rushing nurses and panicked, wide-eyed fathers to hover outside her daughter’s hospital room. There, she found Anna already in bed, wearing a hospital gown and squeezing Smith’s hand to a bloody pulp. Smith was pale beside her, still standing. It was the first time Julia had seen him without Luka in tow.
And now, because Smith and Anna still hadn’t seen Julia, Julia was allowed a brief glance into their dynamic.
“It’s okay,” Smith breathed to Anna. “Just keep holding my hand. Squeeze it as hard as you can until the pain passes.”
Anna’s face was as red as a cherry. She squeezed her eyes shut and squealed with pain until the contraction passed. All the while, Smith echoed similar sentiments, making sure she knew she was safe and protected. Julia couldn’t bring herself to interrupt until it was over.
Julia stepped into the room.
“Mom!” Anna was sweaty and smiling. “That was fast!”
Julia hurried over and kissed Anna on the forehead. “Charlie drove like a maniac.”
Smith looked sheepish. He brought both hands behind his back as though he wanted to pretend he hadn’t been holding Anna’s.
“It was so scary, Mom,” Anna admitted. “I had no idea it was coming. And now, I’m here. And my body is totally taking over.”
“Did you tell Violet?” Julia asked.
Anna grimaced and shook her head.
“It’s okay,” Julia said. “We can call her when the baby’s here.”
Smith stood abruptly and wiped his sweaty palms on his black jeans. Julia had never seen him look so uncomfortable.
“You can head home, Smith,” Julia said gently. “I can’t thank you enough for being there when Anna needed you.”
Smith was speechless. His eyes dropped toward Anna’s, who held his gaze with a mysterious gravity. Julia couldn’t remember ever having seen the two of them together. Smith had mentioned Anna’s writing exactly once, but Julia had allowed herself to forget about it till now.
“Given what happened with my mother later,” Smith began then, surprising Julia with his earnestness, “it’s a surprise how lovingly she always told my birth story. It was the only time she ever really seemed like my mother. Or like anyone’s mother.”
