“I like him, Jae. I don’t know if I’ve told you this, but I do. I like the way he treats you, and I like that he never makes us feel left out or like an inconvenience he has to deal with because he’s dating you.”
There was a knock on the door, and Jalen made sure Landon was okay with whoever it was entering before she called them in. The door opened, and Vega walked in a second later. He approached and squatted in front of both of them.
“I know what that piece of paper said,” he told them. “But I was deprived of knowing my children for seventeen years, and the possibility that I could have had four made me extremely happy when I found out. So, that piece of paper doesn’t matter to me. I will be your father if you will allow me to be.”
Jalen watched Landon surge forward, hugging Vega, as Jalen herself blinked back tears. She didn’t know many men in his position who would have done the same thing. But she wasgrateful to whatever higher power had brought him into their lives. That had destined him to be two of her sisters’ dad.
“I can deal with having two dads,” Landon said. “It’d be fun to confuse people when I’m out with you, Jalen and Rohan,” she finished as she pulled away from Vega with a watery smile.
“You just want to make me feel old,” Rohan replied from where he’d stepped into the doorway and leaned against the frame.
“Teen pregnancies are a thing, my friend,” Landon responded with a smirk.
“They better not be a thing you’re thinking about,” Jalen told her.
“Please do not imply that again,” Vega added.
“Not for you,” Rohan replied.
Landon looked between them before she laughed. “This sounded good before I realized that it meant three lectures when I was in trouble.”
The men chuckled, and Jalen stood from the bed. She needed to check on Mikal too. She knew that Vega not being Landon’s father would hit her harder than the news that he was Mikal’s.
“I’m going to go check on Mikal,” Jalen informed.
“She’s a champ,” Rohan responded. “She asked Vega if it would be weird for him if she called him dad. When he told her no, she smiled, said cool, and then asked if he wanted to see the new comic book she got.”
Jalen smiled, shaking her head. “That sounds like Mikal.”
The four returned to the living room as Mikal walked back into the house with the comic book in her hand. Jalen assumed that she’d left it in the car. She bounded over to where Vega sat and took the space beside him as Landon sat beside her. Kodi came out of the kitchen with Nathan and Omari, with a tray of snacks that she set on the table.
Grabbing a cookie, Omari bounded back over to Rohan and hopped into his lap. “Do you want to hear what I did at school today now?” she asked, and Rohan nodded, throwing out an, “Of course I do.”
Nathan climbed into Jalen’s lap and held up a picture she’d drawn that day at school. Jalen didn’t miss the smile on Kodi’s face as she took in the scene in the living room before taking out her phone and taking a picture. She placed the phone back in her pocket and sat on the arm of the couch to look at Nathan’s drawing as well. Jalen made a mental note to get Kodi to send her that picture.
28
Jalen was making her rounds to check on her patients. Most were recovering well and were watching television. Two of them were sleeping, but she knew it was because of the medication they were on. She stayed and conversed with all the children who were awake and ensured she remained quiet for the two that weren’t, as she checked their vitals.
She sat at the nurse’s station once all her vitals were keyed in and glanced at the clock. She only had a few hours of her twelve-hour shift remaining. She’d gone in that morning at six, and she was glad that she didn’t have to wake Kodi to bring her. It was Saturday, and her little sister deserved to sleep in.
She knew Kodi had an appointment to do someone’s hair earlier that morning too. So, the last thing Jalen needed was for her to have to be awakened any earlier than she needed to be.
Leaning back in the chair she occupied, Jalen thought over the last few weeks. They had gone by quickly. Vega had stopped by the apartment several times a week to spend time with them and get to know them all better, as they did the same with him. He’d been working from his hotel room but would head back home Monday morning. They had all planned to go out tomorrow before he left. However, he’d promised to comeback in a couple of weeks to celebrate Landon’s birthday at the beginning of April.
“Hey,” Maria greeted as she came behind the station. “How’s Mark doing?” she asked about the little boy in room three-eleven.
“He’s sleeping, but all his vital signs look good. His fever has come down quite a bit,” Jalen responded.
Maria nodded. “Good. He was uncomfortable yesterday before I left. So, I’m glad to hear he’s feeling better.”
The two women sat and talked for a few minutes until the phone rang. The room number flashed across the screen, and Jalen answered it, smiling as Rachel, the little girl on the other end, asked if she could have some ice cream. Pulling up her chart, Jalen checked it to make sure she wasn’t lactose intolerant and that ice cream wasn’t something her doctor didn’t want her to have. When she saw nothing, Jalen asked her what flavor she wanted and told her she’d see her in a few minutes.
She grabbed the strawberry ice cream and went to the room, knocking on the door.
“Oopsie,” she called through the door, though she knew Rachel felt fine.
“Daisy!” greeted her with a little laugh, and Jalen smiled as she pushed the door open.
