Chapter 246 Penelope and Greyson Sterling.
Chapter 246 Penelope and Greyson Sterling.
CHAPTER 246
Penelope and Greyson Sterling.
ROMAN
I pace the hospital hallways as Scarlett screams at the top of her lungs. She doesn’t hold back, not even for a little bit. My heart slams hard against my ribcage as I think about the worst things ever. She has to survive this. She has to make this. All I want is her, if need be. She needs to come back to me, or I will follow her into oblivion.
“She is fine. I’m sure she is fine.” Luca assures me, but he sounds so faraway, as if he is underwater or maybe I am. I seem to be drowning with no one to help me. Scarlett is my breath of fresh air, and now she is locked in a room, going through the worst pain imaginable. I should be there. I should be helping.
“Hey, hey, calm down.” Caleb pulls me back, and only then do I realise I’d tried to walk into the labour room.
“She is fine. She has the best doctors in that room. She has everything she needs. She has been preparing for this, and all you have to do is trust her.” He tells me firmly.
I exhale shakily and sit on the ground. My head is spinning, and my chest is caved in hard. What the fuck am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to pretend to be fine when she is in pain? I should be able to bear her pain.
“She told me you want your daughter named Penelope.” Eve sits on the ground beside me.
I look at her, blinking, “What?”
“Penelope. It is a beautiful name, but why that name in particular?” She asks, smiling at me.
I shrug, jaw clenched. “Scarlett loves Epic. I listened to it a lot when she was gone, and in a way, I related to the story of Penelope and Odysseus – they were separated for twenty years, and I genuinely do not know how either stayed sane.”
“Maybe because they knew they would see each other again.” She answers, and I nod, “Yeah, and it … their will kept them going. I spent a lot of time listening to the song when Scarlett was gone, and at one point, it was a mirror because I had become the worst version of myself. I was afraid that when she returned she wouldn’t recognise me and definitely wouldn’t love me, but she did. To me, Penelope won’t just be a name for our daughter but a sign of our l –”
I pause immediately, realising Scarlett isn’t screaming anymore. The silence in the hospital slams hard into me, and I jump up.
I’m about to push the door open when the sound of a baby’s cry fills the air, loud and soothing.
My knees weaken, and I almost sink to the ground. The second baby joins in immediately, and the entire hallway floods with the soft sound. Yet, one is missing. I need to see Scarlett. I need to hear her speak. I need to know that she is fine.
Without waiting for permission, I push the door open carefully and see her there. Her face is flushed, and she’s covered from the waist down. There’s blood on the bed, and my heart races harder. Is that much blood normal? Will she be fine? The doctors and nurses are with her. I watch in awe as they place both babies in her arms. She stares at them as if she has tasted magic, pure, undiluted magic. Then, she looks at me, eyes clouded with tears.
“Come,” she urges softly, and I step forward.
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Hours later, she is asleep, and I am staring at our bundles of joy. Penelope is as beautiful as her mother – she has her thick black hair and freckles, but she has my eyes, brown and wide, looking around as if she can barely wait to start truly living. Impatient like her father. Greyson has my curly hair and olive skin, but he has his mother’s green eyes and freckles. They are a perfect combination of our love.
I glance at Scarlett, in time to see her stir from her sleep. She sighs, pain flickering over her face for a second before she sees me. Then she smiles, and it knocks out all my doubt. All I truly had to do was trust her.
“Hi.” She smiles at me, shifting softly so she can look at the babies.
“Hi. What do you need? Are you hungry? Tasty?” I ask, caressing her cheeks fondly.
“I have everything I need right here.” She whispers, yawning tiredly.
As if they’re aware that their mother is awake, the children stir too. Greyson wakes up and starts to cry. Penelope looks at him, and soon, both are crying. I carry Greyson carefully, cradling his head, and hand him over to her. I sit down on the chair, reach for Penelope with trembling hands and rest her on my bare chest. She stops crying immediately.
“Someone likes you already.” Scarlett teases, then winces as Greyson starts to suckle.
I bite my lip hard enough to bleed. There are some things I will always be useless at. I would spare her all the pain in the world if I could, but I just can’t. Nature must always take its course. All I can do is make sure she is comfortable and has everything she wants.
Penelope soon falls asleep on my chest, but I make no move to drop her. I hold on to my daughter. My beautiful daughter. Scarlett has filled my life with everything I need, and it all started with a contract.
Dr Shay walks in and shuts the door quietly behind her.
“How is everyone doing? How do you feel, Scarlett? You were very strong.” She praises, and I nod. “The strongest.”
“I am fine,” Scarlett answers, running her fingers over Greyson’s little cheeks. He’s dozing off already.
Reluctantly, I stand up and hand over Penelope to the doctor so I can take Greyson. Scarlett feeds Penelope, who wakes up immediately, and I hold on to my son. My son. I never thought I would marry, and now, I have a family. I hit the jackpot with Scarlett.
“Your family will like to come in now, but I can hold them off until you’re ready.” The doctor explains.
I look at Scarlett, and she nods, “Let them in. Just make sure their hands are clean and they’re not noisy.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Dr Shay smiles and walks out.
A few minutes later, Luca, Caleb, Adeline and Eve walk in. Eve, of course, starts crying immediately she sees her sister, and I realise she was not just distracting me earlier; she was also distracting herself.
“Would you like to meet Penelope and Greyson Sterling?” Scarlett beams, pushing through her exhaustion.