“Ok, I will.”
He doesn’t say anything else. We sit in awkward silence.
“You’re angry, I see it. What did Danny tell you?” he asks suspiciously.
“Danny said absolutely nothing. Is there something he should tell me? I’m not angry, I’m at peace with myself. I had someone here who really cares about me, during one of the hardest and most painful phases of my life. The rest doesn’t matter to me. Alice is here healthy, and she’s beautiful.”
“Alice? Did you change her name?”
“I haven’t changed her name. I’ve never liked Danielle. It’s just that I was too afraid to tell you. You know, maybe because of some physical repercussions, I would have suffered in contradicting you. But now everything has changed. I’m not afraid of you anymore.”
“I never would, and you don’t have to be afraid of me. I’m your husband, not your executioner.”
“I don’t want to talk about it. There are so many points to discuss, and honestly, I don’t have the strength. I don’t want to.”
“Fuck, Hailey, what have I done to deserve so much contempt and indifference?”
“You didn’t do anything. I’m the problem.”
I don’t want to know, and I don’t ask for explanations. I’m so happy. I had Danny by my side during childbirth, and it’s the thing I have always dreamed of. I know she’s not his daughter, but she acts as if she were, which pleases me.
Danny comes back with lunch, and Jeremy goes home.
I get out of bed and place the baby in the crib. Although I’m still sore, I want to take a few steps to stretch my legs.
“How did he justify himself?” Danny asks.
“He didn’t. I didn’t want explanations. I’m not interested in them.”
“Ouch. Indifference hurts more than any scolding.”
“I don’t care. I was happy to have you by my side during the birth. Thank you for the support you gave me.”
“Don’t say it even as a joke, love. I’m glad I was there, and I would do it again. I love you, and you know it. I love you very much. The fact that you gave my mother’s name to your daughter is the best gift you could ever give me.”
“It’s a name I like, a name that has meaning to me. Your mom is my guardian angel, so I owe it to her.”
He kisses me, not caring if anyone can see us. He kisses me with all my soul. I feel loved and appreciated by him, as always.
We eat lunch and stop to look at that little wonder sleeping blissfully in the cradle.
“She looks a lot like you when she sleeps, do you know that?”
“She’s my daughter.” We laugh. I feel light as if I no longer have a weight on my stomach. I feel that freedom is approaching, and I want a happy life for my baby and me. I think we deserve it.
After an hour, Jeremy returns with some flowers for me and a toy for Alice.
I take the opportunity to sleep a little. I wake up to the screams of the baby, who is in Jeremy’s arms. He can’t calm her down. Danny shows him how to do it, and finally, she relaxes.
Hailey
We’re discharged the next day. We’re both fine, and I can’t wait to get home.
Oddly, Danny doesn’t come to see me today, and I miss him.
Alice eats every 30 minutes, so I can’t sleep much.
But her big eyes erase all the weariness of the world.
