Page 16 of Property of Shotgun
“Are one of your Mr. Callahan?”
“He is!” Legend blurts, pointing his finger at me.
“Look at that,” Guido mutters, elbowing me. “The kid has more balls than you.”
“Mr. Callahan, your wife suffered a placenta abruption. We had to perform an emergency c-section. She lost a lot of blood, so a transfusion was necessary. She’s lucky you got to her as quickly as you did, because things could’ve been a lot worse. She’s still sedated, and in recovery right now. Once she wakes, you’ll be able to see her.”
“And the baby?” I ask hoarsely.
“The baby is in the NICU. He appears to be having some difficulty breathing, but he’s in the best hands. I can have a nurse take you to see him, if you’d like.”
Before I can think better of it, or convince myself it’s not my place, I nod. I don’t think Irish nor Jade would want their premature son to be alone.
I feel a hand clamp down on my shoulder, and when I turn my head, I find Biggie standing there, nodding his head. “Go, I’ll take the boys to the cafeteria and get them some snacks. No strippers, I promise.”
My gaze darts back to Legend. “You good with me going to check on your brother?”
He nods. “Mom’s going to be okay, right?”
I glance back at the doctor, hopeful he’ll be able to give the boy some peace of mind.
“Your mom has a long road to recovery and will have to take it easy for the next few weeks, but I think she’ll be just fine.”
He takes a deep breath, then looks back at me. “You did good, Legend. You knew your mom needed help, and you got it for her. You saved her life and your little brother’s too.”
I visited Legend and Raiden shortly after they were both born, so babies don’t particularly scare me. I don’t even mind holding them, but as I step foot inside the NICU and see Jade’s baby for the first time, I hesitate. He’s smaller than his brothers, not by a lot, but significantly, and there are a bunch of tiny wires taped to his chest. There’s also an oxygen tube hooked up to his nose and something that looks like a soft cast is wrapped around his left arm.
“Would you like to hold him?” The nurse questions, forcing me to tear my gaze away from the baby to stare at her.
“Can I?”
“Of course. Skin to skin contact in preemies has many benefits for preemies. It can regulate a baby’s heart rate, breathing, and blood sugar levels. It also helps reduce stress, and this little guy seems to have had his fair share of that tonight.”
Skin to skin contact—what the hell is she talking about?
“You can take off your scrub shirt, and sit right there in that chair, I’ll get a blanket, and the baby.”
“You want me to take off my shirt?”
“I’m sorry, I just assumed you had done that with your other children. I read Mrs. Callahan’s chart.”
I almost forgot the only reason I’m here is because I came in under the false pretense that I’m Irish.
“It’s fine… it’s just he’s smaller than the others, and the wires—what if they get tangled or I accidently disconnect something? I don’t want to hurt him.”
She smiles softly at me. “I think you’ll be just fine. I’ll be close by.”
I don’t know why she has so much faith in me. Usually people look at me and think the worst. But rather than question it, I lean into it, and soon I find myself holding Jade’s son against my chest.
“Hey, there little guy,” I whisper, gently smoothing my tattooed fingers over the peach fuzz that coats his little head. It boggles my mind that a little over an hour ago he was inside Jade, and now he’s tucked safely in my arms.
I remember the first time I met Legend, Jade joked about how she did all the work, only for the baby to come out looking exactly like Irish. That’s not the case with this baby.
He's a spitting image of his mama.
From the shape of his nose to the shape of his lips.
But most of all, I think he has her fighting spirit.
