I push into the room and head straight toward the bed. Zeta’s eyes are closed, and the only sound in the room is the intermittent beeping of a machine. Taking a seat by her bed, I wrap my hand around hers, grateful to feel the warmth of her skin. I lean over and kiss her forehead, content to just be with her until she wakes up.
“Ryder?” She blinks her eyes open slowly a few minutes later.
“I’m here, baby.” I squeeze her hand. “I’m right here.”
She turns her head, a frown marring her beautiful face as she takes in her surroundings. The beeping of the machine elevates as her eyes pop wide and her hand slides down to her belly. “No! Our baby!”
“He’s fine,” I rush to reassure her, standing up and leaning over her. “Our son is fine. They had to deliver him because he was in distress, but he’s okay.”
“Really? You wouldn’t lie to me?”
I shake my head. “I would never lie about something like that. He’s okay, honey. I’ve seen him. He’s tiny and so fragile looking, but he’s a fighter.” I lean in and kiss his forehead. “Just like his mom.”
“What happened?” she asks. “I just remember seeing Ren and running toward you.”
“He shot you, baby.” I lose the tenuous hold on my emotions, breaking down and sobbing, but I quickly compose myself, wanting to be strong for her. “Sorry. I was just so worried. I thought I’d lost you. Lost our baby.”
She reaches out, stroking her thumb along my cheek. “You can’t get rid of me that easy, Rock Star,” she teases.
Unable to resist, I lower my mouth, placing a soft kiss on her lips. “I love you, Zeta. So, so much.”
“Love you too, babe,” she says, stifling a yawn, fighting a battle with her heavy eyelids.
“Go back to sleep. I promise I’m going nowhere, and I’ll be right here when you wake.”
She shakes her head. “I want to see our son.”
“Rest, babe. I’ll take care of it while you sleep.”
Zeta sleeps for another few hours, and when she wakes, I help the nurse lift her into a wheelchair, and I wheel my wife over to the ICU unit our son is currently calling home.
This time, we’re allowed in, and we’re both in a flood of tears as we sit by his incubator, marveling at his tiny little hands and feet and his small but perfectly formed features.
As I wheel my sleepy wife back to her room a little while later, I wonder if the doctor is right.
If someone up there really was looking out for my family today.
And I can’t help wondering if that someone was my brother Cory.
Epilogue
Ryder – Five Years Later
“Your brother is as crazy as our son,” Zeta says with a laugh, holding onto my hands as we watch Wes race Zander into the sea. It’s only mid-May and the water’s still chilly, but that doesn’t stop the two clowns from charging through the placid waves like it’s sixty degrees.
Our five-year-old is a crazy little dude with a larger-than-life personality and an even bigger zest for life. Maybe it’s because of the crazy way he entered this world, but our boy is as mischievous as they come and always getting into trouble. But I wouldn’t have him any other way. He’s a free spirit. Always happy and laughing, and I hope his life always stays so care free.
I rest my chin on Zeta’s shoulder, rubbing our conjoined hands across her growing stomach. “Wes is great with him.”
“He is.” Zeta turns around to face me, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Did you ever think we’d have all this?” She gestures behind me, and I turn us around to survey the madness that is Etta’s third birthday party.
My little princess is currently squealing as Gar chases her around the bounce house. Scott and Linda’s two join Jill and Liam’s two plus Gage and Kayla’s son and Micah’s daughter on the bounce house, and they’re all enjoying themselves, taking turns jumping on Uncle Gar’s back when they think he’s not watching.
“I dreamed of all this,” I say, holding my wife closer. “But the reality is so much more.”
My stepmom, Clare, approaches with a big smile, offering a bottle of water to Zeta and a cold beer to me. “Thought you might be thirsty.”
Noel stepping up to help Zeta the night she got shot ended up being a turning point in our relationship. His quick thinking helped save my wife. But it was Zander who really put everything in perspective. The love I felt for my son was instantaneous and all-consuming, and in the days that followed, I understood a parent’s capacity for love. No matter what happens, I will always be there for my children, and there isn’t anything I can’t forgive or overcome in the name of love.
