Chapter 15 - THE NIGHT THE BABY CAME EARLY
|
The contractions began just after midnight.
Nora woke with a sharp pain across her lower back.
At first, she thought it was another false alarm. Her doctor had warned her that Braxton Hicks contractions could become uncomfortable in the final weeks.
Then the pain returned.
Stronger.
Closer together.
She reached for the phone.
“Holly?”
“What's wrong?”
“I think the baby is coming.”
Holly was at the estate within fifteen minutes.
Marcus called an ambulance.
By the time they reached the hospital, Nora was frightened and exhausted.
A nurse placed her in a delivery room.
“Your baby is early, but we're prepared,” the doctor said. “We're going to monitor both of you.”
Nora gripped the bedrail.
“Is she okay?”
“We're checking.”
Holly stood beside her.
“You're not alone.”
Nora looked at the ceiling.
She had imagined Camden beside her.
Not because she believed he deserved to be there, but because some part of her had spent years assuming he would be.
That imagined future had disappeared.
The baby arrived shortly before dawn.
A little girl.
Small, furious, and alive.
The nurse placed her briefly against Nora's chest.
Nora began to cry.
“Hello, sweetheart.”
The baby opened her mouth and let out a thin, determined cry.
Nora laughed through her tears.
“That's right. Let them hear you.”
The doctor explained that the baby would need observation because she had arrived early.
Nora nodded.
“What do I need to do?”
“Rest. We'll take care of her.”
Holly kissed Nora's forehead.
“Have you chosen a name?”
Nora looked at the tiny girl.
“Evelyn.”
After the woman who had raised her.
After the woman who had taught her that being unwanted was never the same as being unworthy.
Holly smiled.
“It's perfect.”
Several hours later, a nurse entered with a visitor request.
“Mr. Rourke is downstairs.”
Nora's expression changed.
“Tell him no.”
The nurse nodded.
But a few minutes later, Nora's phone rang.
Camden.
She answered only because she wanted him to hear the truth.
“She's here,” Nora said.
A pause.
“Is she okay?”
“She needs monitoring.”
“Can I see her?”
“No.”
“Nora, she's my daughter.”
“You remembered that very quickly.”
“I want to be there.”
“You had eleven years to be there for me.”
“This is different.”
“No. It's exactly the same.”
His voice grew quiet.
“Please.”
Nora looked through the glass at the nursery.
“Her name is Evelyn.”
“Evelyn?”
“Yes.”
“Why that name?”
“Because she deserves to be named after someone who loved me without needing anything in return.”
Camden was silent.
Then he said, “I know about the investigation.”
Nora closed her eyes.
“Of course you do.”
“Gideon is preparing to disappear. You need to stop pushing.”
“Where is he going?”
“I don't know.”
“Then you should find out.”
Camden lowered his voice.
“There's something you don't understand. If Gideon goes down, people who helped him will go down too.”
“Good.”
“Nora, that includes people you care about.”
The call ended.
A nurse came in carrying a small envelope.
“This was left at the front desk for you.”
Nora opened it.
Inside was a photograph of baby Evelyn.
It had been taken through the nursery window.
May you like
On the back, someone had written:
You should have stayed quiet.
