When we arrive at the hospital, they take me to the delivery room. Jeremy is still unreachable.
During visits, Danny walks out into the hall, trying to reach Jeremy on my cell phone.
Danny
“Come on, bloody idiot, answer!”
Jeremy finally answers after the thousandth call.
“What’s going on, love?” he asks.
“Hey J, its Danny. Listen, man, your daughter is about to be born. Hailey is already in the delivery room.”
“What? But isn’t she early?”
“Her water broke, so I’d say the baby’s ready.”
“Fuck, I’m out of town. It’ll take me at least four hours to get there.”
In the background, I hear a woman’s voice. “Love, what’s going on?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I ask. “Would you rather be with a slut than meet your daughter? You’re such an asshole. I’m going back to Hailey!”
I close without even saying goodbye. Then I send a message to Drew and Ingrid. “Hi, it’s Danny. Hailey is giving birth now. We’re at Memorial Care, and Jeremy’s not here.”
When I enter the room, the doctor informs us that she’s ready to start pushing.
Seeing her in pain breaks my heart. I give her all my support.
After what seems like an eternity, we both burst into tears when we hear the baby cry.
The doctor has me cut the cord and hands the baby to Hailey.
She looks exhausted, but the little girl latches onto her breast and starts eating as if she had always done so.
“What will you call her?” asks the midwife, opening the folder, ready to write the baby’s data.
Hailey looks at me and smiles. “Alice. We’ll call her Alice.”
My heart skips a beat, Alice is my mother’s name. I’m moved. This means a lot to me, much more than an “I love you.”
Ingrid and Andrew arrive with pink balloons, flowers, and plush toys.
“Hello Preciosa, how are you feeling?”
“Tired and less bulky.” Hailey smiles.
“Ohhh, let me see your wonderful baby,” says Drew. Ingrid approaches, too.
“Oh, darling, she’s perfect. Look at how she sleeps blissfully,” says Ingrid. “Where is Jeremy?” She looks around.
“He’s on his way here,” I reply.
Ingrid pulls me into a corner. “What do you mean he’s on his way? Did he missed his daughter’s birth?”
“He told me it would take four hours to get here. That was maybe two hours ago,” I reply, annoyed.
“I understand. Thanks for being there with Hailey and for letting me know.”
