“So much for the no visitors sign,” the nurse says with a sigh.
“These visitors are welcome,” I tell her.
“There you are,” Violet says, breathless. Then she sees the baby. “Oh my God, Asher Walker. My ovaries hurt so bad right now seeing that baby, honey. Whose baby is this?”
Walker smirks. “Well, good thing you’re already pregnant.”
Violet fans herself dramatically. “I might just get pregnant again.”
“I don’t think that’s how that works,” Owen mutters.
Cami squints at Ollie. Then the baby. Then back at Ollie again. “Whose baby is this?” she asks, looking confused. “Are you guys okay? What are you doing here?”
Ollie runs a nervous hand down his face. “I was just about to call you.”
Cami shrugs. “Mom called me. Told me to come down, and then Violet realized Walker was here. What’s going on?”
Not a HIPAA violation at all, I think sarcastically. God, Theresa is the worst.
Ollie sighs. “Well...” He looks as if he’s struggling to tell her, and overwhelmed.
Owen answers around a mouthful of snacks he definitely did not have five minutes ago. “It’s their baby.”
The room goes silent.
“Whose baby?” Cami clarifies, her mouth dropping.
“I said,” Owen repeats patiently, “it’stheirbaby.”
Cami looks at me. Then Ollie. Then the baby. “I’m sorry,” she says. “I feel like I skipped a couple of chapters.”
Before anyone can explain, the door opens again, and Maggie comes bustling in, purse on her shoulder, slightly out of breath.
“I had to park practically a mile away,” she announces. Then she stops and stares. “Where did y’all get a baby?”
Owen looks up from my purse, grabs another snack, and shrugs. “Probably the stork.”
That kid is always hungry and apparently funny. But he’s taking this better than I could have imagined so there’s that.
Maggie stares at him and says playfully, “That probably checks out.”
Violet starts laughing, and Walker’s shoulders shake. Cami drops into a chair, rubbing her temples.
“Walker leaves the bar for thirty minutes,” she mutters, “and y’all acquire a whole human.”
Ollie looks down at the baby, then up at all of us, helpless and overwhelmed and smiling despite himself. I slide my hand into his and squeeze.
“Cami, this is our sister,” he says softly.
Cami opens her mouth and closes it again, just as shocked as I was. “I’m sorry?”
Ollie says, “Apparently our dad had a baby and then abandoned it. The mother left my name for some reason and Mom called me down here.”
Welcome to the weird family, I think. Apparently, we all just got a little weirder, and I wouldn’t have it any other way because we’re all here for each other. Weird, good or bad. It should be a wedding vow at this point. For better or worse. For weird or whatever.
Ollie gives them the basic version of what happens, and Cami looks like she still doesn’t believe it. “Are you messing with me right now?”
He shakes his head.
