Page 63 of The Fire Captain's Unexpected Baby
Paige is here at my side. My dad has traveled all this way to make sure I’m okay. I feel loved, more than usual, for the first time in a long time.
I feel like I belong.
I would give anything for Paige to feel this, too.
* * *
Paige
I want to tell the man who just barged in that he isn’t welcome here. I haven’t assessed Aaron’s injuries yet because he wanted to talk before I could get to it. The doctor will be here any minute, and now everything is in chaos.
But Aaron’s gentle smile and the happiness he radiates make me pause.
“I’m fine, Dad,” he says to the elderly man with a casual eye roll.
The pieces click into place, but not fast enough. Aaron said he grew up in foster homes, but here’s the man he callsDad.
The man’s eyes flicker back toward the door.
“Please don’t tell me you brought everyone,” Aaron groans.
The old man lowers his chin and gazes at the floor. He doesn’t immediately respond to Aaron’s plea. He purses his lips like he doesn’t want to say anything further.
Who could he have possibly brought on such short notice?
“You know how your siblings are, son. Don’t even get me started on your mother!” He starts to laugh as the rest of them come into the room uninvited.
It’s a loud mob of people, everyone jockeying for a spot beside Aaron’s bed. I find myself pushed to the edge of the room.
Son? Mother?
Are these the people who abandoned Aaron to bounce from one foster home to the next? I had thought that Aaron had no contact with them, that he didn’t want contact with them.
Or are these the people who brought him into their family?
I never get to ask because it’s clear that they are here to make sure he’s okay. Whoever they are, they clearly care about him deeply.
Two older men circle the head of the bed, punching him on the arms and giving him big hugs. A younger girl holds his arm, quietly murmuring to him. Her voice is lost in the din.
The only thing that I notice is how his smile warms his entire demeanor. I’ve never seen him look so peaceful. So open. He’s totally in his element, surrounded by all of these strangers.
Then, she enters the room.
She is a force to be reckoned with, pushing the children out of the way so that she has the best spot next to Aaron’s bedside. She places a hand on his forehead like she’s checking for a fever. She pushes stray hair off his forehead and fusses over his blankets.
“I’m completely fine,” Aaron says while she fusses.
“I haven’t hurt so much in my life!” she exclaims. “From the moment I heard you were in trouble. I haven’t hurt this much since I gave birth to you. I can’t lose my youngest son!”
The tension between them is thick. Until Aaron laughs. A deep laugh that has him clutching his belly. The kind of genuine laugh that only comes once in a while, when emotions are running high.
“Youdidn’tgive birth to me,” he says between chuckles.
And the pieces start to click into place for me.
“Right,” the old woman giggles, affectionately squeezing his shoulder. She’s always conscious of not touching his wounds. But she does look at them, her gaze lingering on the angry flesh.
Her worry is gobbled up by the laughter of everyone else. The entire group of unexpected visitors has an easy camaraderie. They truly love each other, I realize. And that includes Aaron.
