All of Me Page 4

  “I think she is in labor. Harold, have someone call an ambulance.” There was no mistaking the authoritative tone of Robert Carter.

  “That won’t be necessary. I’m not going into labor. I’m sure it’s just the stress of today.”

  Okay, maybe pride was willing to fold for Grant, but she couldn’t help getting in one jab to his father. The older man didn’t respond but instead gave her a look she was all too familiar with. It was an identical replica of her father's favorite expression when she annoyed him. She'd started calling it the, "I hear you but choose to ignore what you are saying" face, as a young girl. Charlie winced as more pain coursed through her body, and Robert Carter turned back to the man named Harold and nodded his head. Harold leapt from his seat and headed quickly out of the room.

  “I think you should sit back down,” Grant said softly, gently lowering her back to the seat.

  She could only nod and let him have his way. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. Everything had been planned out perfectly. Scowling as another wave of pain racked her body, she realized this baby gave two shits about her plans. Charlie had settled in the chair Grant had lowered her into when she felt a popping sensation followed by the feeling of warm liquid rushing out of her body.

  “Oh!”

  “What is it?” Grant anxiously knelt next to her.

  “I don’t think we can wait for an ambulance. Oh, and I’m sorry about the chair.”

  It was a whirlwind of action after that. It was hard to focus on much as she felt as if her body was being rent in two. She tried the breathing techniques she’d practiced in Lamaze, but they were useless. She’d been slammed with a great wall of pain, and all she could focus on was getting to a hospital and making it stop. At some point while they were gathering her up and ushering her out of the building, she heard Robert Carter directing people around.

  “Ms. Fitzpatrick, Grant and I will take Ms. Ambrose to the hospital. Please contact her family.”

  She tried to extract herself from Grant’s arms and breathe as the contractions came hard and fast. Grant’s father’s high-handed manner set her teeth on edge. He was not going to dictate how this show was going to be run. Before she could object, Mary reached over and squeezed her arm.

  “Charlie, this is not the time to argue. Unless you want to have your baby in a conference room, I suggest you get moving. I’ll follow and give your family a call. Are your brothers or dad on call?”

  Charlie was finding it hard to concentrate as she was racked by another wave of pain. Shaking her head in the negative, she allowed Grant to lead her out the room toward the elevator. When he swooped her into his arms, she was actually relieved, because she found it difficult to walk with each new contraction. She could hear the sharp click clack of Mary’s heels as she ran to keep up with Grant’s much longer strides. Once again, she found her friend was right. Now was not the time to put Robert Carter in his place, but once she felt like her body wasn’t being drilled with a jackhammer, she’d let him know he wasn’t going to be able to control her life.

  ***

  Grant didn’t have time to process the initial shock of Charlie trying to deny him his rights as a father before she went into labor. Carrying her to the elevator, he briefly took in the curious stares of the firm’s staff. With his father barking orders into his cell phone and Charlie’s friend Mary following quickly on their heels, his only focus was getting them to a hospital safely.

  The elevator took them to the ground floor, where the driver for the limo service they used was waiting next to a car. He quickly opened the back passenger seat for Grant to lower Charlie into. He could tell she was in a lot of pain, and it made him feel useless. Aside from some quick reading he’d done about pregnancy after he’d learned the news, he had no idea how to comfort her. He sprinted to the other side of the car and quickly got in next to her and held one of her clenched hands.

  The argument they’d had earlier seemed like a distant memory. His only focus was getting her to a hospital and making sure she and the baby were safe. The onset of labor had seemed like a complete surprise to her, and the thought that the stress of meeting with him could have caused problems left him feeling guilty.

  “You’re doing great. Was the baby due now?”

  Grant tried to keep the note of concern from his voice, but when he looked into Charlie’s strained face he couldn’t keep the emotion from his face.

  “The baby wasn’t due for another two weeks. I’d been having false labor off and on, but this is definitely the real deal.” Charlie smiled weakly, then her face contorted into a mask of pain as another contraction hit.

  “Carter boys always come early. They’re eager to make their mark in the world.”

  Grant was surprised by the soft tone of his father’s voice. He could see the older man’s profile as he waited for his cell phone to connect to the next person he was calling. Grant was a little amazed that his father was acknowledging his paternity after he had been so adamant about testing. His father glanced over at Charlie. When Robert shifted his gaze to Grant, he felt a connection to his father he’d never known before. They’d shared so many ups and downs together, both personally and professionally, but this… God, this was something neither of them could have expected. He had no words, and it seemed his father hadn’t any either, because he turned quickly back in his seat and talked into his cell phone.

  “Just keep breathing, baby, we’ll be there soon. You’re doing such a great job,” Grant whispered to Charlie.

  “I didn’t know it was going to hurt this much.”

  Grant was working on instinct and adrenaline, so when he gathered Charlie closer to him and began to whisper terms of endearment and encouragement, it seemed natural. He might not have been there in the early part of the pregnancy, but he was here now, and he wanted to prove to her that he was worthy to be a true father to their child. If he was honest with himself, his anger earlier had been fueled by the idea she felt he wasn’t worthy. The agreement her attorney presented made him feel like she thought he was just some guy hoping for an easy out. Yes, he’d contacted her through his lawyers, but it was only to ensure he had a legal right to his child. He would never abandon what was his. Rocking her gently, he realized he needed her to know this was all going to be worth it in the end.

  “You’re doing so great, baby. You are so brave and strong,” Grant said softly, stroking Charlie’s head.

  “How much farther do we have?”

  “Not much. Just keep breathing and squeeze my hand when you feel the pain. Don’t worry about hurting me.”

  “Oh, God, Grant. I don’t think I’m going to make it.”

  “Sure you are, baby. See, we’re pulling up to the hospital right now. You don’t have that much more to go.”

  As if on cue, the car pulled to the curb, and hospital staff began to bustle them into the hospital. It was only when they were inside and going through the motions of preparing Charlie for delivery that Grant had a moment of realization that it was really happening. He was going to be a father.

  “Grant, where are you?”

  Grant felt his heart clench when Charlie called out for him. With the help of hospital staff, he got ready for the delivery and quickly went to Charlie’s side. With her face covered in sweat and her green eyes shining, he didn’t have the words to express how he felt. Leaning down, he placed a soft kiss on her lips.

  “Thank you,” Grant whispered.

  He watched as she assessed him. Gazed into his eyes for the meaning of his “thank you,” which he was finding hard to put into words. She didn’t know him, and she didn’t have to do this, but now that it was done he was thankful for it.

  Her breathing was labored as the doctor told her what to do, and he could tell the pain was more than unbearable. If he could, he would have taken it all for her. He wanted her to know that. He needed her to know that he was the right man for her to have given this gift of life to, and though he couldn’t find the words, he tr
ied to express the emotion with his eyes.

  Grant held his breath as she closed hers briefly as another contraction racked her body. When she opened them again, for the briefest of moments there was no noise, no hospital room, and no memory of hurt words spoken in anger. In that moment there was just the two of them. It was surreal and yet felt right. She smiled weakly as she lifted her hand to gently stroke his cheek.

  “You’re welcome,” she whispered back.

  And then their child was born.

  Chapter Four

  Charlie was awed by the little life in her arms. She kept expecting to have someone come and say there had been a mistake, that she hadn’t actually created the little person she held. She nuzzled her daughter’s soft head and inhaled her unique baby scent.

  While carrying her baby she’d loved the thought of having the little person forming inside her. She’d formed ideas about what it would be like to hold her child, but as her daughter gurgled and made little noises, she felt her heart seize with the amount of love she had for her. Intellectually, she couldn’t find the right words to describe how her very soul felt about her daughter. It was magical and scary all at once.

  Stella Evie Carter was perfection. She was also very unexpected, considering boys were par for course in both her parents’ families. The look of shock on Grant’s face when they’d announced the baby’s sex was priceless. Charlie knew her mother would be over the moon with the opportunity to spoil her new female grandchild. It had taken her three tries to get her girl, and she often joked she had to allow room for one more boy in the bargain.

  She was, of course, the most beautiful baby girl in the world, Charlie thought as she ran a finger gently across her daughter’s smooth brow. Picking Stella’s name was the first thing both Grant and she could agree on since reconnecting. Family names were important in both their families, but Charlie wanted to make sure their child still retained some unique characteristics of her own. Charlie decided on Stella, for her mother’s middle name of Estelle, and Evie for Grant’s mother’s name of Eveline. When it came to her last name, Charlie conceded and allowed her to carry her father’s name. She’d probably blame it on the drugs later, but the look of wonder on Grant’s face as he held his daughter was argument enough he not only wanted to be a father but deserved it, as well.

  He’d been so hesitant at first when she’d offered their daughter for him to hold.

  “Oh, but won’t I hurt her? I’ve never held a baby before,” he replied with a whisper.

  Charlie smiled at the vulnerability in his voice. In the short time she had known Grant she would have never described him as vulnerable. At his pensive expression, she felt a swell of emotion rise in her chest. Attributing it to post-delivery hormones, Charlie had a strong urge to gather him in her arms and kiss away his doubt.

  “You’re a Poppa now, Grant. Here, take her. You won’t break her. I think she would like to have her daddy hold her.”

  “She’s so perfect,” Grant said with whispered awe.

  With his deep honey-colored hair tousled and his scrubs rumpled, Grant had never looked so handsome to her. When he bent down to place a soft kiss on the crown of their daughter’s head, she didn’t prevent the tears from flowing freely down her face. In the secret part of her heart where she feared what it would have been like to tell Grant about their child, seeing him hold their baby had been more than she could have asked for. She’d had time to adjust to the thought of being a parent, and she was aware that she could have given Grant just as much time, but watching him cry freely as he held their baby was more than she could have expected.

  Stella stirred in her mother’s arms as if to say, “Pay attention to me, Mommy,” squirming and making small mewling noises. Charlie had learned that was her way to say she was hungry. She watched as her daughter suckled and giggled quietly at the greedy noises of contentment the baby made. It was too early to form definitive thoughts on her baby’s personality, but Charlie chuckled thinking that Stella was showing signs of wanting things her way.

  Humming softly as the baby fed, Charlie thought it ironic that the Carters had attributed the characteristics of the men in the family solely to the fact they were male. As she studied the content features of her baby girl, she chuckled softly at the thought of a little girl breaking down all the stereotypes the family had built over countless generations. As she demanded more milk and clutched tightly to her mother’s index finger, Stella was showing early on she was definitely a Carter.

  “Well, we don’t have to worry about her appetite.”

  Charlie looked up at Grant, standing in the doorway smiling fondly at the picture of mother and daughter. Smiling back, she gave out a little laugh. As if sensing the conversation was about her, Stella let out a cry of discontent and drew her mother’s focus back to her.

  “Uh oh. I don’t think peanut liked you making fun of her.” Charlie looked at her daughter with an indulgent gaze.

  Walking across the room and standing next to the bed, Grant reached down and stroked the top of his daughter’s head softly.

  “Well, she knows her daddy loves her no matter how mad she may get with him.”

  He leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of the baby’s head to prove his point. Stella let out a small sigh as acknowledgment of her father’s presence. The little gesture caused both Charlie and Grant to laugh. Their little person had definitely established who was going to be in charge, and her parents were helpless to her decisions. Charlie was seized by the striking resemblance of father to daughter. Though her features were still forming, there was no denying the firm set of Stella’s chin and the early formation of patrician features like her father’s. Of course, the soft blonde curls that covered her head were a giveaway also. Sighing, Charlie took consolation in the fact she wasn’t completely fair like her father. She did have a little of her mother’s brown coloring.

  “I think she is going to have blue eyes,” Grant said dreamily.

  “Maybe, but all babies’ eyes are pretty blue when they are first born,” Charlie explained cautiously.

  Her heart fluttered a little as she looked into Grant’s very blue eyes. Time had moved quickly since they’d met with his lawyers. Now that the hustle and bustle of bringing Stella into the world had subsided, she realized the enormity of being in a room with Grant. In comparing her child to her father, she had to acknowledge how handsome and charismatic he was. She averted her eyes quickly and focused on her daughter. Charlie took a deep breath and tried to sort the confusing thoughts and emotions plaguing her. They may look like a happy family, but she needed to remember that was far from the truth.

  ***

  “All Carters have blue eyes.”

  “Kind of like all Carter babies being boys,” Charlie teased.

  Blushing slightly, Grant continued to look down at his baby girl. He couldn’t imagine anything more perfect in his life. As the baby suckled contently from her mother’s breast, Grant couldn’t express the feelings of love that made it hard for him to breathe. He’d never felt anything like it and although he was scared, afraid he would fail her in some way, he knew his daughter was truly a gift and he would never be able to express how happy Charlie’s decision to have their baby made him. He just hoped the euphoria of having Stella whole and healthy would allow Charlie to agree to his plans for their future.

  “I requested a paternity test from the hospital,” Charlie said as she watched Stella lovingly.

  “That wasn’t necessary,” Grant replied, trying to hide his irritation.

  It might seem irrational to others, but he didn’t need a test to tell him Stella was his. It was written across her face, in her features, and in her mannerisms. She was a Carter baby. Also, if he were honest, he didn’t like the idea of doubt it fostered. In the hours it took for Charlie to push their daughter into the world, he’d still been formulating and calculating. The sudden birth of their child might have interrupted the argument they’d had earlier, but he was still committed
to what he’d said.

  “It was necessary, Grant.” Charlie sighed. “It was very wrong for me to not tell you about the pregnancy and for me to deny you the knowledge of your child. I can’t excuse my behavior, but I hope for the sake of Stella we can put it behind us and work together for her future.”

  Grant opened his mouth, ready to argue his rebuttal, but was silenced at the image of mother and child. He had very limited experience of women with their children, but he could tell Charlie was a natural. She quickly burped Stella and handed his tiny bundle of wonder to him. Grant had been terrified at holding his daughter initially but found each time he cradled her in his arms, he couldn’t imagine not holding her. She smelled like sunshine and joy, and the little noises she made caused his heart to beat irregularly.

  “Can we call a truce, Grant? Please, for the sake of Stella?” Charlie asked with a strained expression.

  He sighed and nuzzled Stella’s head with its soft baby hair.

  “Charlie, I only ever wanted the best for both you and Stella. I’m sorry if I led you to believe that you couldn’t trust me with the knowledge of our unborn child.”

  Grant watched as Charlie fussed with her gown and plucked at invisible lint on her clothing.

  “I want you to know that I plan to be very active in Stella’s life and am committed to doing what is best for her.” To punctuate his point, Grant placed light kisses on the top of his now-sleeping daughter’s head.

  When he looked back at Charlie, she was crying softly. He hadn’t meant to make her cry with his declaration. Grant sat on the edge of her bed and balanced Stella in his arms so he could take her mother’s hand in his.

  “What is it?” he asked softly.

  “I’m just…I just… I’m just so sorry I almost prevented you from having each other. I really thought I was doing the right thing, but with how good you are with her I just can’t believe she might have missed out on you,” Charlie sputtered out between hiccupped sobs. “I can’t believe I’m crying like this. It must be the hormones. I’m okay. Really, I’m okay.”