“They gave me an ouchie,” she said, looking down at the IV needle. “Hurts, Mommy!”
I leaned down and kissed her head.
“We haven’t seen a nurse yet, but the nurse thinks she has bronchitis,” Henny said quietly. “She cried when they put the IV in, but she’ll be okay.”
I could have fainted with relief. Pushing past Henny, I pulled a chair close to Olive’s bed and sat beside her.
“My poor baby,” I said. “I’m so sorry you’re sick.”
Olive’s eyes were wide and fearful. “I want to go home,” she sniffled. “It smells bad here, Mommy.”
“I know, baby,” I said. I reached out and stroked her hair.
Just then, I heard the curtain being pulled back and turned to see Ben, with a doctor in tow.
The doctor looked at Olive, then at me.
“You’re her mother?”
I nodded.
The doctor went over to Olive and had her cough while he listened to her chest and back with a stethoscope. He checked the chart the nurse had left on the wall, then turned to me.
“We have all the symptoms of acute bronchitis,” he said. “It’s probably nothing to worry about, but I’d like to keep her overnight, just to keep an eye on her and make sure that she’s all right.”
“Are you sure that’s necessary?” I asked quickly. The thought of Olive spending the night in the hospital, away from her bed, was so upsetting that I couldn’t bear it.
The doctor nodded. “Again, I’m sure she’ll be fine,” he said. “This is just a precaution – she has a fever, and I’d like to keep an eye on that and make sure it doesn’t go up.”
Ben stepped close to me and took my hand. “Babe, we should listen to him,” he said gently. “We want to make sure Olive has the best care.”
I nodded. “Okay,” I said in a small voice. “You’re right.”
The doctor left, promising that a nurse would be by with some antibiotics soon. Henny left shortly after, giving me a hug and telling me to call her if I needed anything.
Ben turned to Olive. “Sweetheart, would you like me to go home and bring back some of your stuffed animals?”
Olive, though still looking listless, looked cheered at the prospect. Her eyes got big and she blinked at Ben.
“Really?” Olive asked. Her voice was raspy and her little body convulsed with a cough immediately after she spoke, filling me with worry and concern.
“Of course, sweetheart,” Ben said. He blew her a kiss, then turned to me.
“Anything I can bring for you?”
I shook my head. “No,” I said. “Actually, wait – would you mind grabbing my Kindle?”
“No problem,” Ben said. Leaning in close, he kissed my cheek, then gave me a brief hug and walked out of the tiny, curtained-off room.
“Mommy?”
“What is it, sweetie?” I asked as I turned to my daughter. Sitting in that giant hospital bed, she looked so tiny that it almost frightened me.
“I don’t feel good,” Olive said. She began coughing again, really leaning into it and screwing her eyes closed.
“Try to cover your mouth, sweetie,” I told her. “We don’t want anyone else getting sick, do we?”
Olive looked at me solemnly, then sniffled and shook her head no. I pulled a chair closer to her bed and sat down, trying not to look as worried as I felt. We hadn’t been alone for more than a few minutes when a younger nurse came back. She threw Olive a sympathetic smile.
“And how is the patient?”
Olive coughed, and I pressed my lips together nervously. This was the first time I had been in a hospital since giving birth to Olive and even though I knew that I should have felt safe and protected with all those doctors and nurses around, it was hard not to dwell on the negatives. The sickly-sweet smell hanging in the air. The coughing and rasping of other emergency room patients.
Worst of all, the sight of a young man being brought in on a gurney with a bullet wound to his chest. It made me think of Ben, and everything that could have happened to him in Somalia.
I had already lost him once – I just couldn’t do it again.
The nurse gave Olive some antibiotics with a cup of apple juice and then bustled away, leaving me lost in thought until Olive started coughing again.
“Honey,” I said suddenly, turning to her and cocking my head to the side.
“What is it, Mommy,” Olive asked. She sounded miserable, and my heart went out to her. She was being so brave – at her age, if the same thing had happened to me, I would have been freaking out.
“Ben is really wonderful, isn’t he?” I asked.
Olive nodded. “I like him,” she said, sounding far more content than she had a minute ago. “He smells good.”
I laughed and bit the inside of my mouth to keep from blushing.
“He does,” I admitted. “I like being with him a lot.”
Olive gave me a strange look.
I took a deep breath. “We all want to be a family together,” I said. “You and me and Ben. What do you think about that?”
Olive nodded. “Like, a real Mommy and Daddy?”
“Yes,” I said. “Just like that.”
The curtain to Olive’s room opened and Ben stepped inside. He was carrying her favorite stuffed manta ray – from a visit to the Wilmington aquarium the year before – and some books from her room.
“You know, Olive,” Ben began. “I have a younger sister named Margot.”
“That’s a funny name,” Olive replied.
“Olive!” I said. “That isn’t a very nice thing to say.”
Olive giggled. “Sorry, Mommy,” she said.
Ben chuckled. “Don’t worry,” he said. “She thought the same thing when she was your age – she used to say that she couldn’t wait to grow up and change her name to Esmeralda.”
Olive giggled again.
“But when she used to get sick, I’d read to her,” Ben said. “I thought you might like me to do that for you.”
Olive blushed and turned away, suddenly shy.
“Yes, please,” she said, turning back to Ben and nodding.
Ben cleared his throat, then opened one of the books and began reading all about a little girl named Charlotte and her new pig, Wilbur. Olive listened with rapt attention at first, then snuggled back against the pillows and held her octopus close. Ben’s voice was soothing and melodious and even though I had read the book dozens of times, hearing him read it out loud made it sound new and fresh.
And though I was exhausted and worried sick about Olive, watching Ben with our daughter was the most touching thing I had ever seen. I hoped that we weren’t moving too fast for her – I knew that when kids were involved, one was always supposed to take dating slow.
But Ben is her father, I thought. Her actual father –this isn’t like we’re moving too fast and playing house.
Ben got three chapters into Charlotte’s Web before Olive was yawning and nodding off to sleep. He trailed off at the end of a sentence, then turned to me.
“Are you going to spend the night here?”
I nodded. The prospect of sitting on the hard plastic chair for hours was unpleasant, but I couldn’t bear to think about Olive being here alone while I was at home, warm and comfy in bed.
“I’ll run out and get us some coffee,” Ben said quietly. He got to his feet, then leaned down and kissed me. Just before he left the room, he turned to Olive and I watched as a tender, protective smile spread over his face. The sight of it was enough to make my heart swell, and happy tears filled my eyes as Ben blew his daughter a kiss and went off to get me coffee.
28
Benjamin
Watching Jessie worry over Olive nearly had me sick, but stepping up was the only thing to do. After the hospital released her the next day, I drove them both home to Jessie’s and then went out to the store where I stocked up on chicken soup, saltine crackers, and a box of every single different kind of gummies that they had in stock. When
I went over to Jessie’s, Olive was bundled up on the couch, watching Disney movies. She was clearly feeling better but her cough was still raspy and her face was pale.
“I brought sick-time snacks,” I said, setting the bags of groceries down on the counter.
Jessie laughed incredulously. “Who eats gummies when they’re sick?” She teased.
I shrugged. “They had all those Frozen characters and My Little Pony things on them,” I said. “I thought she might get a kick out of it.”
Jessie grinned at me. Love shone in her eyes as she stepped closer and kissed me, pressing her delectable curves into my body and making lust prickle across the back of my neck.
“You’re wonderful,” Jessie said. She kissed me again. “Olive, Ben brought you snacks. Isn’t that nice?”
Olive managed to tear her eyes away from the TV as she turned to face us and nod. She opened her mouth to reply but another fit of coughing hit her and she turned red in the face as she covered her mouth with her little hands.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” I said. “You don’t have to say anything.”
Olive’s coughing went on and on and I turned to Jess.
“Is that normal?” I asked skeptically. “She doesn’t sound so good.”
Jessie nodded. Her brow was furrowed with concern and there were dark circles under her eyes. Even though she’d have looked gorgeous in a burlap sack, I could tell that she was exhausted.
“The doctor said she’d sound like that for a couple of weeks, but that it sounds worse than it is. As long as she finishes the round of antibiotics, she should be feeling much better in a few days.”
“You look like you could use a long bath,” I said. “And then a nap.”
“Yeah, well, sleeping in a hospital chair does not make for a fun time the next morning,” Jessie said. She winced and put her hand on her lower back, turning and showing off her round ass.
“Luckiest night that chair ever had,” I said under my breath.
Jessie giggled and swatted me. “You’re terrible,” she teased.
“Seriously,” I told her. “Why not take a bath and relax for a while?”
Jessie’s eyes moved over my shoulder, to where Olive lay on the couch.
“Only if you’re sure that you don’t mind,” she said. “And I won’t be long – I just have to wash my hair, it’s driving me insane.”
“You’re beautiful,” I told her. Lacing my fingers with hers, I pulled Jessie in for a light kiss on the lips. She squeezed my hand and then practically jogged down the hall and into the bathroom. I watched her go, admiring the swing of her wide, rounded hips and ass from side to side and wishing I could join her in the shower.
“Is it okay if I join you?” I asked Olive. She nodded and I sat down at the end of the couch, just by her feet. She curled closer under the blanket and coughed.
“Are you gonna be okay, sweetheart?” I asked.
Olive nodded. “They gave me juice at the hops-pittal,” she said.
“Would you like some juice now?”
Olive nodded again, more shyly this time. I got to my feet and went into the kitchen where I poured her a glass of apple juice and ice cubes. When I got back, Olive took it with both hands, like a little squirrel, and drank greedily.
“It’s important to stay hydrated,” I told her.
The two of us turned our attention back to the movie –a live-action remake of Aladdin – and watched in companionable silence. It felt so good just sitting there with her, like I was getting to know my daughter.
And it was wonderful. Here was this little person, who Jessie and I made. Who had grown in Jessie’s belly and stretched and slumbered.
And all the while, I’d been oblivious to the fact that she existed.
It was disconcerting, but there was nothing I could do now other than to move past it and build a relationship with her as best as I could.
Jessie didn’t take long in the shower and when she walked out, smelling fresh and floral with her tangles of wet hair around her shoulders, I grinned.
“You look like a new woman,” I told her.
“Scoot,” Jessie said to me. She raised an eyebrow and I slid over, leaving just enough room for her to plop down between me and Olive. I put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close against my body, savoring the simple closeness of the warmth of her skin on mine.
Here we are, I thought. As American as the fucking Waltons. Just Mom, Dad, and the kid, watching a movie on a sick day.
The feeling was so nice that I never wanted it to end.
When the movie was over, Jessie turned to me.
“Olive’s passed out cold,” she whispered. “I think the two of us should get some sleep.” She hesitated, gnawing on her plump lower lip. “You want to stay? We could just take a nap and then get up later and make some dinner. I think I have some pasta or something.”
I cupped her face in my hands and leaned in for a kiss, a real kiss, with tongue and lips tasting each other. Jessie melted in my hands, moving closer and pushing her ripe tits against my chest. She wasn’t wearing a bra under the t-shirt she’d changed into and I felt her nipples growing stiff and hard. By the way she moved and strained against me, I could tell that she was already powerfully aroused. My cock stiffened and grew hard in my pants and it was all I could do not to scoop her into my arms and carry her into the bedroom, just like that.
“God, I want to stay, but I can’t promise that we’ll do any sleeping,” I murmured as we broke apart.
Jessie turned over her shoulder and looked at Olive, slumbering peacefully on the couch. She gave me a guilty smile.
“Yeah, but what if she walked in on us? I’d feel so bad,” she whispered.
I chuckled. “You know, what? I was actually supposed to meet Margot for a drink. Why don’t I do that and then come over for dinner afterwards?”
Jessie grinned. “See,” she teased as she leaned in and batted her eyelashes against my cheek. “You always have the best ideas. That’s why I love you.”
I smirked at her. “My best idea was you,” I replied. Getting to my feet, I stretched and discreetly adjusted my package, which was still unfortunately hard and throbbing from Jessie’s kiss and the feel of her tits against my body. She giggled like a schoolgirl as I did so and rolled her eyes, then got to her feet and hugged me one more time.
“I love you,” Jessie said. “Tell your sister I said hi.”
I nodded. “I love you, too,” I replied. “And I will.”
Wrenching myself away from Jessie and our still-sick daughter was hard, but I was anxious to see Margot and tell her that Jessie and I had gotten back together, for real.
And if all continued going as well as it was, maybe soon Jessie and I would be married and living together.
I hummed under my breath as I walked to the Land Rover, climbed in behind the wheel, and drove into town. Spring was here, for real, and there were groups of people clustered around the bars and restaurants. I had to maneuver my way through the crowd with some difficult before I found Margot, perched at the bar, with a mug of beer in her hand.
“You’re late,” she said by way of greeting.
“I was with Jessie,” I explained. “Her kid – our kid – was sick last night and spent the night in the hospital.”
Margot blinked in alarmed surprise.
“She’s fine,” I said. “Just bronchitis, but she’s got a bad cough.”
“And ... you’re hanging out with them as a ... friend?” Margot asked skeptically. She took a long swallow of beer and brushed her dark hair away from her brow.
“As Olive’s father. And Jessie’s boyfriend,” I said.
Somehow, the word didn’t sound quite so magical when it came out of my mouth and not Jessie’s. It sounded weird and awkward, like the kind of thing a forty-year-old virginal dude would say.
“Boyfriend?” Margot repeated. She snorted. “Jesus, you’re in deep.”
I rolled my eyes at her as I flagged down the
bartender and ordered a mug for myself, as well as a pitcher to share.
“So, you got back together,” she said finally.
I nodded. “Obviously.”
“And ... does she know about this little plan of yours,” Margot continued.
I groaned. My beer arrived and I drained half of it in one gulp, savoring the yeasty taste as it went sliding coldly down my throat.
“I was literally about to propose to her. Last night. And then she got the call about her kid, and we had to go, and I didn’t feel like the moment was right after that.”
Margot gave me a blank look.
“What,” I said defensively. “Are you telling me that you don’t like her? I know you guys weren’t exactly friends, but come on – she’s the one for me.”
Margot shook her head. “No,” she said. “It’s not that I don’t like it – I don’t really know her that well, Ben. But this is happening really fast. I mean, you just got back together and now you’re really going to ask her to marry you?”
I didn’t answer. I hadn’t thought it was fast, to be honest. I had figured that with our past and everything that lay between us, it was the next obvious step.
The only logical step, even.
“No,” I said slowly. “I didn’t think that at all.”
“Not to mention, you’re still lying to Mom and Dad,” Margot added. “I thought you’d come clean when you got her back?”
I shook my head. “No,” I said, still shaking my head. “I want to marry her. I need to marry her.”
“Mom and Dad are going to be so fucking pissed when they find out it’s her,” Margot said. She rolled her eyes at me and wagged a finger. “And even more so when they find out that made up a completely fictional woman in her place.”
I narrowed my eyes and frowned. Picking up my beer, I took a long swig and refilled my mug from the pitcher.
“You’re going to have to come clean, you know. Sooner rather than later,” Margot added. She opened her mouth to say something else and closed her lips, as if thinking the better of whatever retort she’d had in mind.
“I know,” I said finally. “You don’t have to play bad cop with me. I know that it was a shitty lie, but what could I do? You know how Mom is,” I added. “You know her.”
Forbidden First Times: A Contemporary Romance Collection Page 77
