Chapter Forty-Nine

One Year Later…

Olivia set the last plate down and surveyed the table to see if anything was missing. She wanted everything to be perfect for her daughter’s first birthday party. Giggles made her look up, and she saw Owen with little Sonia in his arms running around to catch the bubbles in the air that Jude was creating. Her family… the people she loved most in the world, safe and carefree, enjoying a happy occasion together.

Owen caught her eye and smiled at her. Fatherhood suited him so well. But even before the birth of their little princess, he had become the most attentive person she had ever met in her life. Always there for her, taking care of her needs no matter how absurd they might have been. And the day he finally held his daughter in his arms for the first time, he couldn’t have been more excited. Seeing the two of them together made Olivia think that Owen was certainly born to be a father.

Her mind wandered back to the night she gave birth to Sonia.

***

Olivia cried out in pain, and Owen jerked awake beside her. His hand reached automatically for his phone, set to stop-watch. Bleary eyes refused to focus. “How long between the contractions now?”

“Four minutes,” Jude reported.

It had been going on twenty-four hours. When the contractions began, Owen had stood by all night, counting down the minutes and make Olivia as comfortable as possible between each spasm. He had never known such a watch, hours counted by in diminishing intervals of minutes.

With the morning, Jude awoke, and Owen was able to at last snatch some sleep, dozing and waking, noting each timestamp and dozing again. With the decreasing gaps between contractions over the hours, both he and Olivia had slipped into a nightmarish daze, neither quite awake nor asleep.

Olivia winced audibly again, and Owen jerked upright once more.

“How long now?”

“Three forty.”

“Make the call.”

“It’s not time. We could have hours of this yet.”

Owen groaned and slumped back beside Olivia, who had almost immediately passed out as soon as the contraction eased.

Jude calmly logged the time and let them snatch a few minutes of rest. Then Olivia winced again, and the routine repeated itself, as it had now unceasing for a night and a day and into the night again.

“How long?”

“Three twenty-two.”

“Make the call at three,” Owen groaned.

“We were told two,” Jude replied.

On the next round of contractions, Olivia uttered an articulate snarl, “Oh for... argh! Make the call!”

“Okay.” Jude withdrew and picked up the phone, dialing the number Soonja had given him.

“Hello. This is Jude. Mrs. Kim told me to call you when it was time and say ‘go-go golden grandma.’ She was in hospital and high on morphine when she said it, but I know this is her chauffeur’s number, and I assume you already know why I’m calling after midnight. Sorry about that. We need a car, pronto.”

The car was with them within fifteen minutes. Jude and Owen together helped Olivia outside and into the car. There was space in the back of the capacious limo for all three of them. Sitting in the front passenger seat, to their surprise, was Soonja herself.

“What?” she demanded. “Think I’d miss this?”

“Um, Grandma...” Owen began, but Soonja shushed him at once.

“You just attend to Olivia. Jude, you keep doing whatever you’re doing so well. Mister Jerome...” she spoke to the driver, “Maximum warp! Engage!”

“Buckle up,” the driver said, tapping the navigation on his dashboard. “It’s a clear run, no traffic and no speed-traps. We’ll be there in a jiffy.”

The car tore away from the curb, leaving burnt rubber in its wake. They took the turn out of Olivia’s home street shot along the empty main road. As they tore through a red light at a deserted intersection, Jude asked, “Is it legal to drive this fast, even in an emergency?”

“With a lady about to give birth aboard,” the driver replied, “yes indeed.”

“I will just pay the fines,” Soonja said. “This is what it costs to drive fast, simple as that.”

“Just drive!” Olivia yelled, clawing her hands in the upholstery.

“Less than a minute, we’ll be on the motorway,” the driver reported.

They cleared the edge of town. As the car levelled off and straightened again, the driver shifted gears and put the hammer down. A deep roar went through the engine and acceleration pressed them all back into their seats.

“Woot!” Jude cheered.

“Wah!” Olivia doubled up on the latest contraction.

Owen opened a window a crack and was blasted alert by a cold lash of speeding wind. The car fishtailed in its course, and the driver coolly closed the window again. The car sped on, streaking through the night along the deserted road.

“Don’t worry,” Soonja called cheerfully back, “Jerome here used to drive Land Rovers offroad in warzones. He really is an amazing driver.”

Just as she said this, a warning road sign flashed past them. A split second later, the road narrowed with crash-cones and the dark shape of a halted truck loomed out of the night. Jerome swerved, fishtailing the car again around the unexpected obstacle. As the near-death instant flashed past and into the rearview mirror, Soonja said again, breathless now, “He really is an amazing driver.”

They sped on up the highway, slowing only to take the offramp and steep curve down to local roads once more.

Jerome set a more sedate pace, still taking corners at speed but far reduced from the haste of the open road. They wound quickly through country lanes, and then up to the last open stretch of the hospital drive. Jerome opened up the engine again for the final dash, arriving at the hospital door in a screech of brakes.

“Here,” a hospital porter taking a late-night smoke-break by the door said, “you can’t drive like that in here!”

“Pay the fine and keep the change.” Soonja threw a brick of cash at him as she got out of the car. “Owen, Jude, get Olivia inside. No, never mind me, I’ll be fine. Jerome, park and find us inside, please.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Within a few moments, Olivia was on a stretcher and being wheeled into the maternity ward, surrounded by nurses. Owen and Jude gave chase, while Soonja followed more sedately.

“Are you coming in?” a nurse asked Owen right outside the surgery.

Owen paused and looked at his grandmother. “Maybe you should go with her?”

“Why? Are you afraid you’ll faint?” Soonja joked.

“I can go,” Jude volunteered.

“Nonsense,” Soonja said, “This is Owen’s job.” She turned to her grandson again. “Go on! Put on a brave face and go help your partner.”

Owen nodded and reluctantly followed the nurse.

In the delivery room, he awkwardly stood by the door, not wanting to be in the way while the doctor and nurses were preparing Olivia.

“Hold her hand,” a nurse told him. “She will feel safer.”

Owen walked to the bed, and with a trembling hand, he pushed Olivia’s hair off her forehead. “You can do this,” he said, leaning in to kiss the top of her head.

“Olivia, when I tell you to push,” the doctor said, “you push hard, okay?”

Owen took hold of her hand to make her feel he was there and supporting her.

“Now, push!”

Olivia did as was told, screaming in pain. She felt her insides tearing as the baby was coming out little by little, but all she could think of at the moment was that she would soon hold her baby in her arms.

Fortunately, the delivery didn’t last long. The baby spared her, it seemed, and came out quickly, making herself known to the world loud and clear. Olivia turned to look at Owen hearing their daughter’s first cry.

“We did it!” she told him.

Owen wiped the tears from his eyes. “She’s perfect,” he replied. “Just like you,” he added and kissed her on the lips.

***

A tap on her shoulder brought Olivia back to the present moment. “A penny for your thoughts,” Soonja said with a smile.

“Sorry, I got lost for a moment,” Olivia replied. “Did you ask me something?”

Soonja laughed. “Only if we are ready to begin. I am starving.”

“Oh, yes, we are.”

“Owen, Jude,” Soonja shouted. “Come to the table. Let’s eat.”

Owen helped Sonia sit on her little chair and took his place next to Olivia. Jude sat close to Soonja, who immediately started serving food to everyone’s plates.

An hour later, dishes empty and bellies full, everyone was happy and smiling. Owen got up and said, “I think it’s time for the cake.”

“I’ll go get it,” Olivia said.

Owen put his hand on her arm to stop her. “No, let me.” He quickly walked into the house before Olivia could object.

Owen returned holding a heart-shaped cake.

“That’s not the cake I ordered,” Olivia said.

Owen put it down on the table. “No, that’s the one I ordered for us.”

Olivia took a better look at the cake in front of her. It was covered in red candy flowers and in the center, “Will you marry me?” was written in red syrupy letters.

Lifting her head, Olivia saw Owen kneeling next to her, holding a little black box. “Owen,” was all she could say, her eyes already teary.

He opened it, revealing a diamond ring. To her surprise, she saw that he had chosen an elegant but discreet ring. She wasn’t the flashy type, and she was glad Owen knew her so well and hadn’t opted for something that would scream billionaire.

“My love, are you willing to put up with me for the rest of your life?” Owen said, earning a hearty laugh from Jude and Soonja.

Olivia wrapped her arm around his neck and smiled. “You fool, do you even have to ask?”

Owen laughed. “Well… I had to make sure, didn’t I?” He got up, lifting Olivia off the chair as well. He took her hand in his and placed the ring on her finger. “There! It’s sealed now. You are mine forever!”

Olivia nodded. “And you are mine too.”

Owen wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tight on his body. He leaned in and took her lips in a passionate kiss.

“Hey, there are kids around,” Soonja protested.

Olivia and Owen started laughing in unison. Owen picked up Sonia, and Olivia turned her attention back to the cake on the table.

“What happened to Sonia’s cake?” she asked Owen.

“I cancelled the order.” He reached into his pocket and took out a little candle and a lighter. “But we will use this one for my princess’s first birthday,” he said and placed the candle on the cake after giving a peck to his daughter. He lit it and turned to Olivia. “Ready?”

They all sang Happy Birthday to Sonia. Once done, Owen and Olivia leaned closer to the cake and blew the candle together. Their joint wish: to be a happy family forever!