Mosquito Chase (19 page)

I shook my head. “I want him to stay.”

“I’m sorry. It’s policy, ma’am.” She stood there with her hands clasped together in front of her, not giving an inch.

I sighed and reached out for my baby boy. My mother placed him back into my arms and I kissed his forehead. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Simon.”

I handed him over to the nurse and she wheeled him out of the room. My arms ached without him.

“Sleep is best, honey. We’ll catch up tomorrow.”

I nodded, and my mother left. I turned to Caleb.

“Why don’t you go back to Paul’s and rest? It’s been a long day,” I said, trying to hold back the tears.

He shook his head and moved the recliner next to my bed. “I’m not going anywhere.”

I scooted over a little, wincing the whole time, and patted the space next to me. He crawled in, easily filling the void in my hospital bed and in my heart.

My body ached. I didn’t want to move. Caleb’s face remained buried in the crook of my neck, giving me a sense of comfort, but his hand rested on my thigh instead of my stomach.
Thank God
. I would have woken up in more pain than just aches. I cracked open my eyes to the dim light of the hospital room. The thoughts of yesterday came rushing back. I had a son. His name was Simon. He was named after a
good
man. I wouldn’t have to lie to my son about his father. He could be proud of his name. I was proud of my fiancé. I would never forget him for as long as I lived.

I turned my head to the side, pulling slightly away from Caleb as I stared at his sleeping face. Caleb couldn’t replace Simon, but he was equal to him in my heart. Caleb knew I loved him. I knew that Caleb loved me. I could see it in his eyes, I could feel it in his touch, and I could hear it when he said every combination of words in the English language.
I love you
didn’t need to be said. It shouldn’t have to be said. Love was about the beat of the heart and the vibration of the soul, and that was exactly the way it had been since the moment I walked into Caleb’s life. He fought it – Lord knew I fought it – but everyone deserved to be happy. Caleb deserved to be happy. I deserved to be the one who made him happy.

He shifted slightly and drew his hand farther up my thigh. I was faster in stopping this motion, slapping down on his hand.
None of that, Caleb
. He moved his face away from my neck and kissed me. He blinked open his eyes with his lazy smile. His smile fell slightly and his eyes widened. My cheeks quirked in reaction. Yesterday was coming back to him. His eyes lit up and he pressed his lips to my cheek before settling back into the crook of my neck. This big tough guy was a total kid at heart. I loved that about him too.

“I don’t want to move yet,” he croaked.

“No one says you have to,” I whispered and laced my fingers with his.

His gaze met mine. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Pretty sore, but I’m content right now.”

“You are?”

“Of course, I am. There’s no place I’d rather be.”

Caleb propped himself up on his left arm and slowly pushed up the sleeve on his shirt, turning his arm slightly to show me his tattoo. I looked up at his face as his eyes met mine.

“When Tabitha left me, I thought my life was over. I had our future mapped out. I’d planned on proposing to her the weekend after she told me she had been sleeping with Steven and wanted to be with him. I had the ring and all. I pawned it, got shit-faced, and woke up with this tattoo.”

I glanced down, gliding my fingertips down the black lines and tiny words.

“It’s a cocoon,” he started. “Or some weird jagged version of one. I wanted something that emphasized starting over. Something new, I guess.”

I leaned in closer and read the words out loud. “We are well able to overcome it.”

“It’s from the Bible,” he said.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you for sharing that with me.”

He reached over and brushed the back of his hand down my cheek.

“Angie, I’ve overcome it. You and Simon helped me. I want this. I want us.”

Nodding was all I could do in order to keep back the tears. I pulled his face down to mine and kissed his lips, his words echoing in my mind.

A sudden knock on the door shattered the moment. Caleb shifted slightly and pulled away as two nurses walked in. They both stopped and stared at us. It wasn’t like we were
doing
anything. Couldn’t I sleep with my (for lack of a better word) boyfriend?

“We’re … uh … just changing shifts,” one said. I nodded and smiled as she wiped one name from a white board and replaced it with her own.

“I’m Casey,” she said as she rolled in a mobile computer unit from the hallway. She studied the screen. “Can you tell me when the last feeding was?”

My eyebrows scrunched up as I glanced at Caleb, now standing beside the bed. I looked back at the nurse. “The nurse from last night took him away before one. I assumed they just fed him formula.”

Casey turned to the other nurse and asked, “Where’s Bridget?”

“I don’t know,” the nameless nurse said. “This wasn’t my room last night.”

“Her vitals were checked at 2:00 and that’s recorded, but the feedings weren’t.”

“Would they have recorded the feedings on the mother’s chart?” Caleb asked.

“It should have at least been cross-referenced,” she turned away from the computer screen to face me, unfazed. “How is the pain?”

“I’m a bit sore.”

“We can give you something for the pain that won’t make you too drowsy.”

I nodded and they scooted out of the room. I stared after them and then turned to Caleb. “Why would they just give him formula? I hadn’t even tried to breast feed yet.”

He shrugged his shoulders with a blank look on his face. If I didn’t know the answer, he surely wouldn’t. I really didn’t have many answers, though. I hadn’t prepared enough for this moment the way most women might. Trying to keep my son and I alive took precedence.

Another knock came at the door. I was glad I slept because there was no rest in a hospital. Caleb went to open it just as Parker walked in. He shook hands with Caleb, his face beaming a bright smile.

“What’s up, Parker?” Caleb asked.

“Oh, I have the next watch shift.”

“Why aren’t you leading the Sigmon Road case?”

“Because … I volunteered to come here?”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because … I wanted to see the baby.”

“Parker,” Caleb mumbled. “He’s not technically mine.”

“Yeah, I know I was hoping I could get Devon to come down and see the baby, and possibly he could see how good I was with kids.” He sighed. “I want a baby and he doesn’t because he thinks he’d have no life and he would be the only one taking care of the baby.” He stepped toward Angie. “And that’s just not true. I’m good with kids.”

“Parker.”

Parker abruptly stopped and turned to Caleb.

“Maybe later this afternoon,” I said, interrupting Caleb. I nodded a smile at both of them.

“Let’s go, Parker. Man the door.”

Parker smiled and said, “See y’all later. I’ll give Devon a call.”

Once Parker had left the room, I looked at Caleb and he let out an exaggerated sigh.

“My head is spinning from all of that.” My eyes crossed.

He laughed and sat down in the recliner next to me. “Yeah, Parker has that ability sometimes.”

I laid out my hand next to me, and he placed his in mine. He squeezed tight, and I looked away from our hands to his eyes.

“Baby?”

“Yes,” he smiled in reply.

“Is there any chance you can get the nurses to bring in Simon? I miss him.”

“I’ll ask when they bring in the pain meds. They should be back in a second.”

Like clockwork, Casey the nurse walked in alongside another nurse. “We need to take out the catheter and get you up and walking.”

Caleb stood up. “That’s my cue to go check on Parker.”

He kissed my cheek and swiftly left. Casey handed me two small pills and a cup of water. I took them while the other nurse removed the catheter.

“When your boyfriend comes back,” Casey said, “make sure he assists you to the bathroom. If you need me, just push the button on your remote.”

She turned to walk away, but I stopped her. “When can I see my son?”

“I’ll go check on that right now.” She left the room. I sighed at the closing of the door.

The silence was almost deafening. This was the first time I had been alone in a long time. I gazed around as the morning sun brightened the room. It was pretty small, not like the hospital rooms on TV. There was a white board in front of me where the nurses wrote their names with the room number. I was in 325. The third floor was the maternity floor. There were circular faces lined on the top of the board with the words
Pain Level
written below it. A big grin was a “1” and a sad face was a “10.” I was about a six; bearable pain, but I didn’t particularly want to move. A large remote connected to the bed, a nurse call button and the TV control, but I didn’t have much use for the TV. The blue recliner remained flush against one side of the bed, a bedside table on the other. The red roses my mother brought me brightened the stark white walls, their scent broke through the pungent stench of bleach and antiseptic.

I stared at the roses for a little longer. I hadn’t seen my mother in years, and I hadn’t expected her to barge back into my life. Having a child was something most women would want to share with their parents, but I only had one parent who never approved of anything I did. Ever. I wanted to try out for cheerleading back when I was a freshman. She disapproved. She wouldn’t allow her daughter to be in skirts that short. Needless to say, I never told her about my little stint as a stripper. Some information people didn’t disclose to their parents, no matter what their age. She didn’t approve of my dating Steven. I totally agreed with her on that one in hindsight; however, she wouldn’t have approved of Caleb back then either. She probably didn’t approve of him now.

I’d wanted my mother to be a part of my life, but I couldn’t take it anymore. After Lance dumped me and moved on to Katherine, I knew I’d get no support from my mother. I knew it was time to go. Within a day of moving, I’d met Simon. Now he was dead, and here I was in a hospital room, having just given birth to his son. Only three people had ever supported me: my father, Simon, and Caleb. Two were dead. Like hell I’d let my mother make an issue about Caleb.

Another knock and the door pushed open.
Speak of the devil
. My mom walked in, holding a blue and white plaid blanket in her arms.

Caleb peaked into the room. “If you need me, just push the call button. The desk is right here, and they can let me know.” He smiled and shut the door behind him.

I pushed the button to elevate my bed a little more. She approached quickly. “Do you need any help?”

I winced and shook my head. “I got it. Just trying to get through the pain.”

“Have you taken something for it?”

I nodded. “I took something not too long ago. It hasn’t kicked in yet, but it’s not too terrible. I can deal.”

“You were always tough.”

I nodded. “I had to be.”

She stood next to the bed and opened the blanket. “I embroidered this last night for Simon.”

I gazed at the plaid blanket, brushing my hands over red block letters spelling out my son’s name.

“It’s beautiful, mama. Thank you.”

“I know there’s been a lot of wrong done on both of our parts. I know I was strict, but I didn’t know any better. And even though it’s not a good excuse, I was all alone trying to raise you. I didn’t understand things the way I do now. I want to do better by my grandson, and by you. Seeing you and Caleb together …” She clasped her hands together and her brown eyes were laced with hope. “I hope that means you’ll stay here in Olde Town.”

“I want to stay. I want to have a life here … with Caleb.”

“He has a good family. His mother and I were close before they moved away. I just had lunch with her this past summer. She raised good boys.”

“I never knew y’all were that close.”

She nodded. “Your father and I used to go on double dates with Caleb’s parents back in high school. The closeness wore off when your dad joined the army, but they still remained good friends.” She shrugged her shoulders and laughed. “Life changes when you have a kid. You can kiss your old life goodbye.”