Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Nine
“Mr Alexander?”
Kelley looked up at the man in scrubs that stood in front of him. He hadn’t heard the doors open or the man’s footsteps approaching. He stood up and raked a hand over his face. It felt like hours that he’d been waiting for news, any news. He'd been conjuring up worst-case scenarios and never before in his life had he felt the amount of guilt as he did right then. His anger had been his biggest weakness. He never should've let her leave and his heart was hammering in his chest as he looked at the doctor.
“Yes. How’s Milana … my baby?”
“You have a healthy baby boy, the nurses have taken him to be cleaned and dressed and he’ll be brought to Milana’s room in about twenty minutes.”
“Milana’s okay?” Kelley asked as relief surged through him.
“She lost a lot of blood and I’d like to keep her for another two days or so, just to monitor her. She was underweight for a pregnant woman and the baby’s a bit underweight as well. Her blood sugar is too low and she was dehydrated.”
Anger started flowing through his veins again and he tried to tamp it down. She hadn’t been taking care of herself and some of that was his fault. “But she’ll be fine?”
“I expect so. Good food, lots of rest and no heavy lifting for the next four weeks and she’ll be fine. I assume you can take the baby home, there’s no real reason to keep him overnight, his Apgar score was a nine on the first time and a perfect ten the second time.”
“Thank you, doctor, and yes, I can take him home,” Kelley said. “Can I see him now?”
“Of course, I’ll have a nurse take you to her room. She’s still in recovery though but she’ll be moved in the next hour.”
Kelley looked at his watch and he realized that he’d been there for about six hours and he wondered if everybody was still in the waiting room. He sent a text to Mason and Lee to tell them that he had a son.
Kelley was left in a spacious room in the maternity ward and he paced up and down until the door opened again and a nurse pushed a clear baby bassinette inside with a bundle wrapped in a blue baby blanket with the hospital’s logo on it.
“Here he is, baby Alexander. I’ve already fed him and I have to say, he’s a good drinker for a newborn,” the woman said.
“Thank you.”
“I have the registration forms here since your wife can’t fill them in now. I can process it for you and have his birth certificate ready by the time your wife gets discharged. I’ve also put together the welcome basket we give to all new mothers with business cards for pediatricians and the like. He got all his first shots and I’ll give you his immunization card once I have a name for him.”
Kelley wasn’t taking anything in really, he kept staring at the little boy in front of him. He’d never felt anything like that before. It was the purest form of love that existed. There was no going back for him. He’d do anything in his power to keep his son safe, no matter what it was.
“Can I hold him?”
The nurse chuckled and picked the baby up. “Of course.” She placed the baby in his arms and smiled as he looked at his son. Kelley couldn’t help the tears running down his cheeks or the smile on his lips.
“Hello Kyzer,” he murmured.
The nurse busied herself and Kelley didn’t notice her comings or goings. The welcome basket appeared and then Lee blocked the doorway. His massive frame filled it and the nurse took a step backwards.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m his brother,” Lee said and another voice from behind sounded out. “Me too.”
Kelley looked up and laughed then as Kyzer stirred in his arms. “You’re still here?”
“Where else would we be? We sent everyone else home about three hours ago,” Mason said as he trailed a finger down Kyzer’s cheek.
“Holy shit, Kelley, you’re a dad,” Lee said as he blinked away his own tears.
“What’s his name?” Mason asked as Kelley relented and placed the baby in his waiting arms.
“Kyzer.”
Lee laughed and then abruptly stopped as Kyzer scrunched his face up. “Sorry.”
“That’s my brother in there! You better get out of my way, woman, I don’t care how high up you are in this hospital. I’ll slap you right into next week!”
They all grinned at the sound of Marley’s voice in the hall outside and then she appeared with Jesse short on her heels. She looked awe struck as she walked over to Mason and promptly took her nephew from him.
“He’s so gorgeous, Kelley.”
“You should’ve gone home. Have you been here the whole time too?”
Jesse shrugged and kept looking at Kyzer. “She went shopping. Like crazy shopping. All neutral colours because we didn’t know he would be a boy. Everything’s at your house and Carey’s busy sorting stuff out with Grace and Marella.”
“Excuse me, Mr Alexander,” the nurse interrupted their conversation.
“Sorry, they’re family and they won’t stay that long.”
She waved her hand in front of her. “I don’t mind. I just need to tell you a few things. In my experience soya milk works wonders for underweight babies. Your wife won’t produce any with all the medications, the blood transfusion and the anesthesia she’s had.”
“Thank you,” Kelley said and turned his attention to the documents she handed to him.
He spent nearly half an hour filling out forms and giving the hospital their medical insurance and then Milana was wheeled into the room. Kyzer was asleep in his bassinette and everyone else had left. He told them all to go home, that they’d celebrate properly the next day. The truth was he wanted to be alone with his guilt and relief.
