Unbreakable Hearts (Broken Series #3) (4 page)

Gray

After
we stayed by our son's side for at least an hour, I finally rolled Bennett back
to her room. She had just had major surgery and as tough as I knew she was, I
also knew she was in a fair amount of pain. I gently laid her back in bed and
tucked her in. She was out within seconds. I made my way into the bathroom
across from her bed and quietly closed the door behind me. When I knew no one
else could hear me, I slid to the floor and hung my head as the tears rolled
effortlessly down my cheeks. I was trying to keep it together for Bennett's
sake, but the sight of my fragile son's body, just lying there helpless and
almost lifeless, I just couldn't take it anymore. I needed to let some of it
out.

A faint
knock sounded behind me, and I quickly pulled myself together. I straightened
my shirt and
double checked
my appearance in the
mirror, before reaching for the handle of the door. After another knock, I
cracked the door open and saw the most precious face ever, staring back at me.

"Daddy."

I
scooped Charlie up into my arms and started peppering her with kisses.
"Baby girl. What have you been doing?"

She
pointed in Hannah and Theo's direction before snuggling into my chest. I
glanced over at the two of them with an appreciative glance. Hannah simply
nodded and leaned into Theo's side. The thought of those two not being together
was almost heartbreaking. I couldn't think of two people better suited for one
another. Well, besides Bennett and me.

I
glanced over at my wife as her eyes started to flutter open. I thought the
crying would ensue as soon as she woke up, but she must've caught Charlie in
her sights, because a bright smile lit up her face.

"Bring
me my baby, please." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

I
gently laid Charlie next to her on the bed, as I closed the distance between
us. I stood back and watched my two girls interacting with one another. I
couldn't wait for our little family to be complete.

"I'll
be right back. You going to be okay?"

"We'll
be fine."

I
turned and started making my way towards the NICU. I needed some bonding time
with my son and I needed to do it alone. I could feel the tears starting to
well up behind my eyelids as I washed my hands to go into the room. I wasn't
prepared at all for what I walked in on.

Three
nurses were gathered around his bedside, conversing quickly about whatever was
going on with my son.

"Excuse
me?"

A
petite older brunette turned at the sound of my voice. "Can I help you,
sir?"

"Actually,
yes. That's my son you're holding and I'm just wondering what is going on? Is
he having problems?"

Her
free hand quickly flew up to my shoulder and she gently squeezed it, "Oh
sorry sir. No, nothing is wrong. He's slowly starting to breathe over the
ventilator, so we're just trying to make him more comfortable and see if he can
breathe on his own."

My
heart jumped into my throat as a flicker of hope started calming me. I clutched
my chest, feeling as though a part of me was mending itself back together.

"Sir,
are you okay?"

I
nodded my head, not being able to form words. I wanted to cry. I wanted to
cheer. Hell, I just wanted to hold my baby boy. I could only imagine what
Bennett has been going through over the last twelve hours. I would definitely
lose it if I had carried my child for the last eight months, but have yet to
hold him. Fuck, I was having a hard enough time. I'm sure it was ten times
worse for her.

After
the nurses and doctor dispersed, I sat in the rocker directly in front of my
son. They had told me not to rub his hands or touch him too much, but I just
couldn't help myself. I needed my son to know that I was here with him. My deft
finger reached out and slowly rubbed his tiny little arm.

"Daddy's
here little man. Your momma and I can't wait until we can hold you in our arms.
We love you so much. I hope you know that. You may be little now, but you're a
fighter just like your momma so I know you'll be growing like a weed soon
enough. Your little sister is excited to meet you too. She can't wait to be a
big sister. She doesn't talk a ton right now, but she'll still gab your little
ears off. She's a bundle of happiness, just like you will be. You both are
perfect in every way, and your momma and I couldn't love two people more than
we love the both of you. Now I know we haven't picked a name out for you yet,
but I promise by tomorrow morning, you'll have the most perfect name."

I sat
back in the rocker and continued to touch his perfectly smooth skin. I had
always questioned what I wanted to be when I got older. Of course, I was pushed
to believe that I would follow in my father's footsteps, but I always felt as
though I deserved and yearned for so much more. Up until Charlie was born, I
had still wondered what my purpose was in this life. Only now, did I fully
grasp that all along, I was meant to be a father.

Being a
father felt more natural to me than being with Bennett, and that's pretty hard
to outdo. I glanced at my son and then down at my watch. It was getting late
and I knew they were probably getting ready to give Bennett another round of
pain medication. I was actually surprised she hadn't come down yet to say
goodnight to our little guy.

I
quietly stood and placed a gentle kiss to his forehead. Man, we really were
going to need a name for this little guy soon.

As I
pulled back, I couldn't help but take one last look at my precious son. He
looked lifeless and it literally broke my heart. There was nothing I could do
to fix him and I felt helpless. I could feel the tears welling up and I took
that was my cue to leave. I know he wasn't opening his eyes just yet, but I
really didn't want him to hear me crying. I needed him to be strong and fight.

I said
my good nights and good byes to the night staff and quickly made my way back to
Bennett's room. When I entered the dark room I tried to be as quiet as
possible, but unfortunately, not quiet enough.

"Where
have you been?" She sounded groggy and I wondered if her nurse had been in
yet.

I
closed the distance between us and sat down on the edge of her bed, pulling her
into my chest and giving her a tight reassuring squeeze. "I was with our
little guy. I'm sorry, I thought you would come down if you felt up to
it."

"That's
okay. How's he doing?"

"He's
starting to breathe over the ventilator, so that's good. The nurse said he
should be getting close to getting off of it tomorrow."

"Oh
Gray, that's amazing." Her tiny arms wrapped tightly around my waist and I
melted into her.

"Have
they brought your next dose of pain medication?"

She
nodded into my chest and then placed a soft kiss to my neck. "I'm
super
sleepy."

"Get
some rest, Button. I love you."

"I
love you too, Gray."

I
gently laid her back on the bed and made my way across the room to my cot. I
thought she was out cold, but then her voice broke through my loud overbearing
thoughts.

"Daniel."

"What
Bennett?" I was confused as to why she was saying my father's name.

"I
think his name should be Daniel. It's fitting, you know?"

I was
getting choked up, but pushed all emotion to the side to clearly answer her.
"It's perfect. Thank you, Bennett."

"Anything
for you, my love."

Bennett

Day two
in this god forsaken place and I was already going stir crazy. I had been woken
up every four hours throughout the night; so needless to say, I got next to no
sleep. I was currently in the process of trying to pull myself up into a
sitting position, so I could go use the bathroom. It's a good thing Gray was
still sleeping or I'm pretty sure he would be taking a video of this. I have to
admit, I looked like a fish out of water.

After
at least a good ten minutes had passed and I hadn't made any progress, I gave
up, flinging myself back onto the mattress below me. That's when I heard his
devious chuckle coming from the floor across from me.

"Oh,
you think this is funny?" I couldn't help but break out in a fit of
laughter right along with him.

"I
actually do. Would you like to see what you looked like?"

"You
didn't." Damn that man.

"Oh,
I did."

"No
Gray, but if you don't hurry your smart ass up and get me out of this bed, I am
going to totally wet myself."

"Wait,
don't do it yet. Let me get my camera ready." His laugh continued to
bounce off of every wall.

"That's
gonna cost you." His laughter instantly stopped and he was up pulling a
shirt on over his head.

My eyes
caught sight of his bare abdomen, and I couldn't help but take in the glorious
view in front of me.

"See
something you like?"

"Nope."
I winked. "Now help your dear old wife to the restroom, please."

"Sure
thing."

****

As I
emerged from the bathroom, I decided to fill Gray in on my plan. "We
should probably go see Daniel before Hannah and Theo come by with
Charlie."

"Works
for me, I'm ready to go whenever you are."

"I'm
ready now." I smiled as I made my way over to the wheelchair in our room.
I didn't really need it, but I wanted to err on the cautious side, just in
case.

"Let's
go grandma."

"Shut
up, I'm coming."

"Oh,
are you now? And I didn't even have to touch you. I'm good."

"Ha
ha, such a funny guy."

"You
know you love it."

"I
do." I tilted my head back, leaving an opening for him to kiss me. And
just as I knew he would, he planted a deep passionate kiss against my tender
lips.

When we
got back to Daniel's side, we both gasped in shock. He was off of his
ventilator and breathing amazingly, all on his own. We both stared at each
other for a long time, just smiling. We both knew our little boy was a fighter,
but we certainly weren't expecting this.

Gray
rolled me over to the side of the crib and I quickly ran my fingers down his
tiny arm. "He's perfect, Gray. I need to hold him. Will you go find a
nurse?"

I
wasn't sure if Gray actually heard me, because I could still feel his presence,
but I could only assume that he did, because seconds later there was a nurse
bounding up to my side.

"Is
Mom ready to finally hold her little boy?"

"Absolutely."
I sat back and straightened my shirt. I was suddenly extremely nervous about
holding him. He still had a ton of wires and cords attached to him, but they
were all tightly wrapped up in the blanket that was swaddling him, so my worry
eased up a bit.

I wish
I could explain the feeling, but I don't think words would do it justice. When
I had held Charlie for the first time, it too was an indescribable feeling, but
I had gotten to hold her right after she was born. After not being able to hold
your baby for practically two days after having him, well, it was gut wrenching
to say the least.

An
overwhelming peace fell over me and I could feel the two of us connecting like
we had been when he was inside of me. His eyes were still closed, but a small
smile spread across his itty bitty lips when I ran my finger across them. It
was the most magical feeling I had ever felt.

I
clutched his five pound ten ounce body to my chest as though he was my
lifeline. I never wanted to let him go. I wanted to hold him in my arms for as
long as I was allowed. I know it sounds selfish, but even the thought of having
to give him up to his dad, made me sad. It took everything in me to place him
in Gray's arms a short while later. I think he knew how I was feeling, but he
had to have been feeling the same way. He hadn't been able to hold him yet
either and I knew he needed it just as much as I did.

I
glanced up at my husband holding our little Daniel, and I couldn't help but
smile. He just looked so damn sexy when he was holding a baby. If this is what
he did to me every time we had a child, I was going to forever be pregnant.
Gray let me hold Daniel quicker than I expected, but I knew he knew what I
needed at the moment and he was an amazing man for giving me that without any
resentment.

"You
happy, Button?"

"Extremely."
I whispered as I placed a kiss to Daniel's forehead.

"I'm
going to head back to the room and see if Hannah and Theo are here yet. You
going to be okay?"

"Yeah."
He bent down hugging both Daniel and me and then placed a kiss on both of our
noses.

After
Gray left, I was able to feed Daniel and change his diaper. I even offered to
give him a bath, but the nurse insisted that she do it because of everything he
was attached to. I was disappointed, but I also understood. I wanted my little
guy out of here sooner rather than later. After Daniel was happily fed and
burped, I snuggled him into the crook of my arm and rocked him back to sleep.
Just as I was placing him back in his crib, the doctor in charge of the NICU
came in to speak to me.

"Mrs.
Weston, can I have a word with you?"

"Of
course." I kissed Daniel and then slowly waddled my way over to where the
doctor was standing.

"Your
son is doing much better today. As you can see we took him off of the
ventilator and he has been doing well with breathing on his own and eating, so
far. Do you have any questions for me?"

"Actually,
I do. When can we take Daniel home?"

"Well,
he has to eat at least two ounces every three hours for the next twenty four
hours and then I don't see why he can't go home."

My
heart soared. This was the best news I had ever received. "Okay, that
sounds good to me. Could you please tell the nurses to not feed him, that I
will come in every three hours and do it?"

"I
can. I'm glad he is doing better. Looks like he'll be napping for a bit. You
should go get some rest."

"Thank
you."

"It's
my pleasure."

I moved
as quickly as I could to get to my wheelchair and make my way back to my room.
I couldn't wait to share the amazing news with everybody. Gray was coming out
of the room, just as I was wheeling myself in.

"Hey,
I was just coming to get you. How'd it go?"

"Oh
my god, Gray. I got to talk to the doctor and he says as long as he eats at
least two ounces every three hours, he doesn't see why we can't take him home
tomorrow."

Before
I knew it, Gray had me out of the wheelchair and was spinning me around in his
arms. "That's the best news I've heard, in a long time."

"Me
too."

Just as
I was about to ask where everyone was, Gray carried me over to the bed and I
spotted everyone gathered around the small table and Charlie, as she colored.
Hannah quickly made her way to my side, and I instantly reached out for her. I
gave her the tightest hug I could manage, as tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Oh
honey, why are you crying?"

"No
..
.
no
, these are happy tears. We
might get to take Daniel home tomorrow."

"Oh
Bennett, that's amazing. I like the name by the way."

"Me
too." I whispered.

As
Hannah pulled out of our embrace, Theo popped up on the other side of me,
pulling me into a giant bear hug. He held me longer than usual, but it was
never uncomfortable. Theo had basically become my big brother over the last
couple of years. There was nothing he wouldn't do for me, and there was
absolutely nothing we wouldn't do for him. He was a great man.

Theo
finally pulled back and kissed my wet cheek. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks,
Theo."

Suddenly
there was a loud knock at the door and I wondered if it was time for my meds
again. I was beyond shocked when I saw that breathtakingly beautiful man come
walking into my room.

"Hey
everybody. Bennett, I just wanted to come by and give you these," he held
out a vase full of a dozen stargazer lilies, "and say congrats. So where
is the little guy?"

"Ryan!"
Hannah shouted.

"Hannah,
it's okay. He's in the NICU, but he's doing great, so hopefully he will be home
with us tomorrow night. Thank you for the flowers, Ryan. That was very
thoughtful."

"Of
course."

I
watched as he took in Hannah's appearance, and I couldn't help but wonder what
was really going on with those two. I must not have been the only one, because
Gray and Theo were looking at Ryan like he was their last meal.

"Ryan,
this is my husband Gray. And the bear over there is Hannah's boyfriend,
Theo."

"It's
a pleasure to meet you guys." Gray shook his hand without hesitation, but
Theo was too busy burning holes through him. I had a feeling this wasn't going
to end well.