This Time

by Amy Reece

  “They just took her in to surgery.”

  The elevator doors opened, and Seamus ushered his sister in ahead of him. “What happened?”

  Cara slumped against the back panel of the elevator. “Finn said she went into labor early this morning. He drove her here to the hospital about an hour ago and I guess things went downhill pretty fast. The baby is breech, so they have to do a C-section. I guess the heartbeat dropped suddenly and they rushed Mel away. Finn’s freaking out.”

  “Shit. I can imagine.” He loosened his tie with his free hand. “Is everyone else here?”

  She nodded. “Sorry we had to call you away from the funeral, but Mom figured you would want to know.”

  “Yeah, of course. The funeral was already over, anyway.”

  “How’s Nina doing?”

  “She’s a rock; she’s so strong, but this is really rough on her.” The elevator dinged to a stop and opened. He followed Cara down the hall to the surgical waiting room, where the rest of his family waited. Cara handed the coffee around, then sat beside Finn.

  Seamus found his oldest brother, Hugh, standing across the room. “I thought they let the dads be there during C-sections these days.” He muttered the words under his breath, so Finn, whose face had lost nearly all color, couldn’t hear.

  Hugh turned toward him, his back to the rest of the room. “That’s only when the mother is awake; they had to put Mel under. Finn’s a wreck.”

  They both turned to glance at their brother. Finn’s hand was shaking so hard he couldn’t manage the coffee. Cara took it gently from him and put her arm around him, rubbing his back as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his thighs.

  Moira approached and pulled Seamus close for a hug. “I’m sorry I had to pull you away from the funeral.”

  He inhaled the comforting fragrance of his mother’s perfume and held her tighter than he had in years. “Please tell me she’s gonna be okay.” He didn’t think he could take any more bad news this week.

  “Well, of course she is, and the baby too.” She spoke confidently, but the uncertainty in her eyes as she pulled away sent a chill down his spine.

  He glanced around at the rest of his family; they all had the same bleak, scared faces. Only Mac was absent—undoubtedly at home with Janey—and Tony, who was away at school. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out to see Sloane’s face and number on the screen. He knew he needed to talk to her, but her timing sucked. “I gotta take this.” He stepped into the hallway. “Hey, Sloane.”

  “Seamus! I’ve been trying to call all week. How come you never called back?” She sounded pissed.

  Christ. He pinched the bridge of his nose. I was really hoping talking to my girlfriend would make me feel better. “Listen, babe. I’m sorry. It’s been a hell of a week.”

  “What happened?”

  He huffed out a harsh sigh and leaned against the wall. “Neal’s dead.”

  “Neal Braden? Your friend? Oh, my God! How? Car accident?”

  God, why did I think this would make me feel better? Rehashing everything wasn’t going to help. “Uh, no. He, uh, it was suicide.”

  “Oh my God! Oh, Seamus! I’m so sorry! Listen, I can wrap this up in the next few days and then I’ll get a flight home. I can be home by this weekend.”

  The headache that had been plaguing him all week came back with a vengeance. He knew he should want her to come back and when he’d seen her beautiful face on the screen he’d felt relief, but the feeling was short-lived. “No. Don’t do that.”

  Lengthy silence followed on the other end before she spoke at last. “So, you’re still mad at me? We’re still fighting?” Her voice was pinched.

  When did this become about her? I don’t have time for this. “No, that’s not it. It’s just…listen I gotta go. I’m at the hospital right now. Mel’s having her baby and there’s been a few complications. She’s in surgery right now.”

  “Oh.” More silence. “I’m sorry. I’ll, uh…call me when you can, okay?”

  “Yeah.” He took a deep breath. “Take care, Sloane. Bye.”

  “I love you, Seamus.”

  “You too.” He couldn’t say the words she wanted to hear. He clicked off before she could say anything else. I can’t deal with her right now, that’s all. Sloane tended to be dramatic about everything and it was likely to push him over the edge if she came home now. The phone buzzed in his hand and he grabbed it up, prepared to tell Sloane he needed some space. But it was Nina’s number with no picture because he didn’t have one of her. “Hey.”

  “Hey.”

  He felt the relief flow through his body at the sound of her voice. “Are you home yet?”

  “Yeah. The girls are in the bath. How’s Mel?”

  “She’s still in surgery.”

  “How’s Finn?”

  “He’s a wreck.”

  “How are you doing?”

  He smiled crookedly. It was so like her to be concerned about him when she’d just gone through what had to be one of the worst days of her life. “I’m fine. This isn’t about me. Listen, I should go.” He wanted nothing more than to stay in the hallway and listen to her voice.

  “Yeah. Can you call or text when you have news?”

  “Sure. Try to get some rest. Say goodnight to the girls for me, okay?” He waited until she hung up, then pocketed his phone and returned to the waiting room.

  It was nearly an hour later when the nurse finally came for Finn. He spoke with her in the doorway for a moment, then turned to his family. “She’s okay. It’s a girl. Mel’s in recovery. They’re both okay.” Then he rushed to follow the nurse.

  “Oh, thank God.” Moira spoke for the entire family.

  More waiting ensued, but Finn finally returned, a huge grin replacing his earlier pallor. “They’re moving Mel to a room. She says to tell everyone she’s fine and she’s sorry for causing such a fuss.”

  “That sounds like Mel,” Cara said. “When can we see your daughter?”

  “Soon. They’re taking her to the nursery so Mel can get some sleep.”

  After a general round of congratulations, hugs from his mom and sisters, and back-slapping from his father and brothers, Finn led them to the nursery, where they were able to view the newest member of the DeLuca family sleeping in her Lucite bassinet, a tuft of dark fluff crowning her red face.

  “What’s her name?” Big Tony whispered the words although the thick glass between them and the babies rendered it unnecessary.

  “I don’t know.” Finn hadn’t stopped grinning.

  “What do you mean you don’t know?” Cara demanded. “You’ve had nine months to think of a name!”

  “Mel and I haven’t decided. We were sure she’d be a boy.”

  They let Finn return to his wife then, saying they would be back later. Big Tony suggested they all grab a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant and come back in an hour or so. Seamus filled them in on the funeral, accepting their expressions of sympathy and offers to help Nina’s family.

  “I’ll take some casseroles over to her parents tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, Mom. That would be great.” He was sure the Bradens’ freezer would be well-stocked thanks to his mom and the church ladies he’d met at the funeral.

  ***

  Nina met him at the door, stepping aside to let him in. He’d texted her earlier and she’d suggested he stop by on his way home if he wasn’t too tired. He was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, but he’d jumped at the chance.

  “Did you get to see Mel and the baby?”

  He smiled and reached for his phone. “Yes, to both. Meet Ava Sophia DeLuca.” He handed her the photograph of Mel holding her small daughter, Finn gazing down on both of them, an expression of utter devotion on his face.

  She took the phone from his hand. “Oh, wow. She’s so beautiful!” She glanced up at Seamus, her eyes shining slightly.

  He nodded and followed her to the living room. “She sure is.” He’d never thought bab
ies were anything near beautiful before—he’d actually never thought much about them, at all—but this was different. This was a DeLuca baby. He remembered thinking Janey was cute, but he’d been barely twenty when his first niece was born and had been somewhat ambivalent. But holding his tiny newborn niece had been different this time. He’d looked into the wrinkled little face and fallen in love. He’d FaceTimed Tony while the family was still in Mel’s hospital room and was thrilled his brother planned to come home the following weekend to see the new baby.

  Nina smiled radiantly up at him and handed his phone back. “You want a beer?”

  “God, yes. This has been the world’s longest day.”

  “Agreed.” She pointed him toward the sofa as she headed toward the kitchen, returning seconds later with an ice-cold beer apiece. “Cheers.”

  “Cheers.” He took a deep pull and let the events of the day—good and bad—seep away. “Are the girls already asleep?”

  “Yeah.” She sipped her own beer. “They crashed right after their bath. They were so good at the funeral, huh? I was proud of them.”

  “Me too.” He was getting attached to Nina’s daughters, something he never would have imagined a week ago, when he had nothing more serious to worry about than a fight with his gorgeous girlfriend. Life had a funny way of smacking you in the face every so often. Son of a bitch. He chuckled as he took another long pull on his beer.

  “Care to share with the class? I could sure use a laugh.”

  He glanced at her, smiling wryly at her small figure tucked into the opposite corner of her couch. She’d changed out of her funeral dress into a pair of khaki shorts and a red tank top partially covered by a grey zippered hoodie. The fuzzy socks covering her feet were somehow endearing, almost distracting him from the smooth, pale skin of her legs. Nothing could distract him from noticing she didn’t wear a bra. Stop looking, dickhead! He fondly remembered the time he’d briefly caressed one of those small, delicate breasts. She was so petite; Seamus doubted she weighed more than a hundred pounds soaking wet. Neal had been fairly short for a guy, but he’d been stocky. Nina, on the other hand, was slim and barely over five feet tall. “Sorry. It wasn’t funny. I was just thinking about how a week ago all I was worried about was a stupid fight with my girlfriend. What a difference a week makes, huh?”

  “God, that’s for sure.” She fiddled with the moist label on her beer bottle, tearing it off in strips. “You had a fight with Sloane?”

  “Yeah. It doesn’t seem very important now.”

  “What was it about?” She didn’t look at him until he sighed. “Sorry. It’s none of my business.”

  “No, it’s fine. Sloane has a tough time with punctuality. And I’m fashion-challenged, at least in her view. It was stupid.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah.” He tipped back the last dregs of beer and rose. “I should probably get out of here and let you get some rest.” The purple shadows beneath her eyes seemed to have taken up permanent residence.

  “Don’t go.” She stood and took the empty bottle from him. “Unless you’re tired, of course. But I could use the company. I promise I won’t ask about Sloane.”

  He reached to take his bottle from her and walked it to the trash can. “I’d like to stay for a while.” The thought of returning to his stark, empty apartment was depressing. “Maybe we could watch a movie or something?”

  She smiled. “Sounds great, as long as it’s something mindless. You mind if we switch to wine?” He was amenable, so she gathered glasses and a bottle of red while he chose something on Netflix. She poured them each a glass and curled up in her corner again. “Thanks again for helping with the party Sunday.”

  When he’d discovered Nina was on the hook for the twins’ birthday party on Sunday, he’d rearranged his work schedule so he could help. She shouldn’t have to do everything by herself, for Christ’s sake! So, he’d set up tables and chairs in the backyard, drawn and painted a dinosaur on poster board for Pin the Horn on the Triceratops, and served plate after plate of pink frosted cake and bubble gum ice cream. “Any time, and I mean that literally.” To his utter dismay, she set her wine glass on the coffee table and burst into tears, her face buried in her hands. Well, shit. He set his own glass on a side table and reached to pull her into his arms.

  ***

  Nina

  The tears surprised her. She’d been doing so well holding it together all day. She’d been determined not to lose it, especially in front of the girls, who didn’t understand what was happening and why their beloved uncle had been taken away. But it had bubbled up suddenly—all the grief and confusion of the last week—and she was powerless to stop it.

  “Hey, come here.” Seamus’s strong arms pulled her against his warm body.

  So warm, so solid. She burrowed against him, the sobs shaking her body. She didn’t want to wake the girls, but she couldn’t catch her breath.

  “Breathe, Nina. It’s okay. I’m here.” He crooned an endless stream of nonsense until she achieved a small measure of control.

  “Sorry.” The words were a harsh whisper, but her tears had slowed. She glanced up at his face and was devastated to see tears streaming down his cheeks.

  “I know. Me too.” He laid his head atop hers and stroked his hands down her hair.

  They remained like that for more than ten minutes, until Nina sat up and reached for a tissue. She handed one to Seamus. When she made to move away, however, he pulled her back. She went willingly and leaned against his warmth while he grabbed the remote and turned on the movie. He’d chosen a thriller she’d been wanting to see, but she couldn’t keep her eyes open as she finally relaxed against Seamus’s intoxicating warmth. Why does he have to smell so good? It was her last clear thought until the early morning sun creeping through the blinds woke her. Her head was pillowed on Seamus’s lap and he’d pulled the afghan off the back of the couch and spread it over her sometime during the night. His feet were propped on the coffee table and he’d shoved a pillow behind his head; he was still asleep. She managed to get up without waking him and, after answering nature’s pressing call, she crept into the kitchen and started the coffee.

  “Hey.” He appeared a few minutes later, rubbing his hand across his jaw, now scruffy with brown whiskers.

  “Hey. Sorry about falling asleep on you. You should have woken me. Your neck must be killing you.” She handed him a mug of fresh-brewed coffee.

  “Ah, this is great. Thanks.” He sipped, looking at her over the rim. “It’s fine. I wasn’t about to wake you. I know you haven’t been sleeping well. Besides.” He grinned and winked. “I was out cold.”

  “You don’t have a shift today?”

  “Nope. What about you? Are you going in to work?”

  She shook her head and sipped her own coffee. “Not yet. I thought it best if I took a day to myself. A day without any funeral arrangements or conversations with police officers.”

  He smiled. “I think it’s a great idea. You want to hang out? Unless you want some time alone. I won’t be offended.”

  She had planned to spend the day alone, but the opportunity to be with Seamus was too good to pass up. “I’d love to hang out.”

  “Cool. Would you mind if we run by the hospital to visit Mel?”

  “I’d love to.”

  “Great. Maybe we could swing by my place so I can grab a shower and fresh clothes before we head to the hospital. This ‘walk of shame’ look doesn’t do a lot for me.”

  She choked on her coffee as she laughed.

  “Seamus!” Lily ran into the kitchen and clambered into his lap. Iris followed, a hesitant smile on her little face. Seamus reached out a hand to her, inviting her to join Lily. Iris considered for a moment, then took his hand and climbed up next to her sister. And Nina’s heart melted.

  ***

  Seamus dropped her off with an hour to spare before she needed to pick up the girls from school. They’d had a pleasant, low-key day, enjoying a late lunch after visiting M
el, Finn, and baby Ava at the hospital. Neither of them was inclined to spend any more time with other people and opted for eating Subway sandwiches at a picnic table at a park near Nina’s house. He was so restful, and she was glad she’d taken him up on his offer to spend the day together. She was very much afraid she was getting too attached, but pushed aside the unwelcome thought along with the rather inconvenient reality of his absent girlfriend. When Sloane comes back, everything will change.

  She stood, irritated at herself for her thoughts. Sloane will be back, so don’t get any ideas. She was tempted to take a short nap, but feared an hour wouldn’t begin to be enough, so she took the opportunity to pick up a bit, aware that housework had gone by the wayside over the past week and a half. She hadn’t done much when she spied the laptop on her desk in the living room, where she’d stashed it a few nights previously. She frowned, trying to remember what her brother’s fiancée had said about it. He told me you’d know the password. She took the random shoes she held to the girl’s room—why couldn’t they ever manage to put them away?—and returned to pick up the computer. She took it to the kitchen table and lifted the silver cover, wondering if it had any battery power left. How long had it been since her brother last used it? The glossy screen blinked to life, with Neal’s name and an empty box beneath. What could his password be? The guy owned a cyber security business, so it wouldn’t be something easy. He’d tried to teach her how to create strong passwords, but Nina always fell back on her old favorites. He’d stopped by after work one day a year or so earlier to help her figure out how to install something—she couldn’t remember what—on her laptop and had taken the opportunity to give her the third degree about her passwords.

  “Nina! You can’t use LilyIris18 as your password! It’s way too vulnerable!” Neal rolled his eyes at his sister.