CHAPTER 198
SKYLAR'S POV
The hospital room was filled with the kind of controlled chaos that comes with bringing new life into the world, but as I held my granddaughter for the first time, I felt a peace I hadn't experienced since my own children were born. Grace Elena Mitchell-Kane weighed exactly six pounds, three ounces, and possessed the same dark eyes that had characterized every woman in our family line.
"She's perfect," I whispered, studying the tiny face that seemed to hold infinite possibility.
Addison lay exhausted in the hospital bed, her hair damp with sweat but her expression radiant with the kind of joy that comes from accomplishing something miraculous. Around the room, Harry, Jax, and Lucas hovered with the protective intensity they'd shown during every important family moment for the past thirty-five years.
"Has she opened her eyes yet?" Liam asked from his position by the window, where he was unconsciously monitoring the parking lot for potential threats even during this moment of celebration.
"Briefly. She looked right at me like she was trying to figure out what kind of world she'd been born into," Addison said, her voice soft with wonder.
"A world where she'll be protected and loved unconditionally," Elena added, though at thirty-one she carried the same hypervigilance that characterized all our children. "No matter what challenges she faces."
I traced Grace's tiny fingers, marveling at how something so small could represent such a complete transformation of our family's future. This was the first generation that would grow up without the shadow of my father's crimes, without the weight of survival determining every decision.
"What kind of life do you want for her?" I asked Addison.
"I want her to have choices. Real choices, not just the illusion of choice between different ways of fighting the same battles."
"And if she chooses to continue our work?"
"Then I want it to be because she's drawn to protecting people, not because she can't imagine any other way to live."
Through the hospital room window, I could see the city stretching out below us - millions of people living normal lives, raising children who would never need to know how to identify threats or calculate escape routes. Part of me envied that normalcy, but a larger part was grateful for the purpose that had shaped our family's existence.
"There's something we need to discuss," Harry said, his tone carrying the weight of decisions he'd been contemplating. "About the foundation's future direction."
"What about it?"
"The UN has approved our proposal for the permanent international task force. Full authority, unlimited funding, the ability to operate across any border when trafficking is suspected."
I felt Grace stir in my arms, her tiny fist curling around my finger with surprising strength.
"That's what we've been working toward for twenty years," Lucas said. "Complete legitimacy, resources that could actually eliminate trafficking instead of just managing it."
"But?" I could hear the hesitation in their voices.
"But it would require a level of commitment that might not be compatible with being grandparents," Jax said carefully. "Operations that could take us away from family for months at a time."
"Operations that could get us killed and leave Grace without any grandparents at all," Elena added bluntly.
The room fell silent except for the soft sounds of the hospital around us. This was the choice we'd been avoiding for years - the mission that had defined our lives versus the family that had redeemed them.
"What if there was a third option?" Addison asked quietly.
"What kind of third option?"
"What if instead of the four of you taking on more dangerous work, you focused on training the next generation of people to do that work? What if you became teachers instead of operators?"
I looked around the room at the faces of the people who'd become my chosen family, seeing the same mixture of relief and uncertainty I was feeling.
"You're talking about retirement," Harry said.
"I'm talking about evolution. About using everything you've learned to prepare other people to carry on the work while you focus on being the kind of grandparents Grace deserves."
"And if the work suffers because we're not directly involved?"
"Then it wasn't sustainable anyway. If our success depends entirely on four people who are all over fifty continuing to risk their lives indefinitely, then we haven't really built anything lasting."
Grace made a small sound, drawing my attention back to the tiny person who represented everything we'd fought to protect. Looking at her peaceful face, I realized that maybe Addison was right about the need for evolution.
"There's something else," I said, my voice catching slightly. "Something I haven't told any of you."
"What?" Jax asked, immediately alert.
"Last month's medical tests showed some irregularities. Nothing immediately dangerous, but enough to remind me that we're not invincible."
The admission hung in the air like a challenge to everything we'd assumed about our future.
"What kind of irregularities?" Harry's voice was tight with concern.
"The kind that suggest I should probably avoid high-stress situations and focus on spending quality time with the people I love."
"Are you okay?" Elena asked, moving closer to the bed.
"I'm fine. But I'm also fifty-seven years old, and I've spent thirty-five years fighting battles that took a toll on my body and mind. Maybe it's time to let other people carry the heavy weapons while I focus on strategy and training."
Liam moved from his position by the window to sit on the edge of Addison's bed. "So we're really talking about stepping back from active operations?"
"We're talking about accepting that we've accomplished what we set out to do. We've built something bigger than ourselves, something that can continue without us being on the front lines."
"And we get to be normal grandparents?" Lucas asked with something that might have been hope.
"We get to be whatever kind of grandparents Grace needs us to be."
As if responding to her name, Grace opened her eyes and looked directly at me with the kind of intense focus that suggested she was already forming opinions about the adults responsible for her welfare.
"Hello, beautiful girl," I whispered. "Welcome to a family that's going to love you more than you can possibly imagine."
But even as I made that promise, I couldn't shake the feeling that Grace would grow up to face challenges we couldn't anticipate, in a world we'd helped shape but couldn't completely control.
The question was whether we'd given her the tools she'd need to navigate whatever came next.
Or whether each generation was destined to fight their own battles in their own way.
Looking at her perfect tiny face, I hoped she'd have the luxury of fighting for joy instead of just survival.
But knowing our family's history, I suspected she'd probably end up doing both.
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