“You’ll get through it. Before you know it, you’ll be back on the road with Dirty. You’ll have your life back.”
I figured that’s what she wanted to hear right now. She was looking a little wilted and if I knew Elle at all, she probably hated being stuck in a hospital bed for any length of time.
“Seth went to get you some good food,” I told her when she said nothing. She was staring at the baby.
“Yeah.” She blinked at me. “I’m happy, Ash,” she said softly, and her eyes shone a bit.
“I’m glad.”
“She’s so strong,” she said. Then she burst into tears.
Uh-oh.
“It’s okay, Elle,” I told her, though I had no idea if it was okay, or why she was crying. But it had to be okay, right? She had her baby, and she had Seth.
I nudged the baby’s rolling cart away from the bed just a few more inches. Far enough for me to squeeze through and take Elle’s hand.
“Is something wrong?”
“No. Nothing’s wrong.” She sniffled. “I’m just so happy.”
“Oh.”Thank fuck.“Then that’s good, right…?” I was way out of my element here.
Where the fuck was Summer?
“Yeah. It’s good.” She squeezed my hand. “Can you hand her to me, please? I want to hold her.”
“Of course.”
I turned to look at the baby. She was such a tiny little bundle, I wasn’t even sure where to start.
I reached in and slid my hands under her as gently and slowly as I could, trying not to wake her. I could feel her warmth through the blanket. She frowned a little in her sleep but didn’t wake. Then I lifted her up, and the whole bundle weighed about as much as a bag of cotton balls.
“Wow. She’s so tiny.”
“She’s so cute,” Elle said, in the sweetest voice I’d ever heard out of her mouth. She took the baby as I handed her carefully over, and cradled her in her arms. “And believe me, as the person who lugged her around in my belly until she was overdue, she’s notthattiny.” She smiled. “I was so tired of holding her and feeding her, and so thrilled when Seth managed to get her to sleep over there. But I can’t stand being apart from her for very long. I can’t believe she was just inside me.”
“Yeah. It’s a mindfuck.”
Elle laughed. “This is your uncle Ashley,” she told the baby, who was still sleeping. “He sings really well, and he makes a mean chocolate cake.”
I smiled a bit. Felt pretty cool, actually, being an honorary uncle to Elle and Seth’s baby. “What’s her name?”
“Oh, no you don’t.” Summer strode in. “No, no, no. You can’t tell Ash before you tell me.” I moved back as she swept in and gave Elle a hug and a kiss on the head.
“Summer…” Elle sighed. I thought she was gonna start crying again, but she held it together.
“Elle! She’s gorgeous! She looks just like you. And Seth.” Summer frowned at the baby. “And your dad, in a weird way.”
Elle laughed and swiped away a tear. “I know. It’s creepy. Wait ’til she opens her eyes. It’s like my dad is looking right at you.”
“That is creepy. Your dad must love it, though.”
“He doesn’t see it. He just keeps saying she looks like me and my sister when we were babies.”
“Where are they?” Summer asked, squeezing onto the side of the bed. I hung back to let them have their moment.
“Dad just left for work. He’s coming back tonight with Angie.”
