Ciara
“Ciara, can I have the baby?” Lianna asks me gently, simultaneously trying to coax the baby away from me while also calming me down.
But I can’t move. Tears roll down my cheeks and I’m frozen in place.
“My baby!” I wail. I can’t brush away the vision of Alfred at home in another woman’s arms, I can't unheard his crying as I left this morning.
“Ciara, we need that baby right now!” Now Dr. Juliet is standing next to Lianna, her tone forceful and her eyes seething with anger. “Give us the baby!”
“I’m sorry,” I gasp, unable to stop my tears. “I’m sorry, I just…my baby is…I’m so sorry.”
I look down at the child in my arms and then up to his parents, both panic-stricken. Embarrassed by what I’ve done, I hand the baby to Lianna, who immediately brings him to his mother. She doesn’t look at me—she only has eyes for her baby, who has begun to cry. My knees feel like jelly.
“What’s wrong with her?” The father snaps.
“Oh, um . . . I think her blood sugar is low,” Lianna mumbles. “This is her first day back from leave and she’s so excited, I think she skipped breakfast. That makes everyone dizzy.”
That sounds like a lame excuse, even to me.
“You should go,” the father says through gritted teeth. “I want you to leave.”
“I’m so sorry,” I say, wringing my hands. “I don’t know what came over me. I know I overstepped, and I apologize.” I try to sound as professional as possible, to remind myself that I am a nurse and that I can handle this.
“No, I’ve heard about this happening before,” he continues, his voice rising. “You’re trying to steal our child. You want our baby for yourself! Get out of here. Now!”
Lianna gasps. “That is not what’s going on here, sir. This isn’t that sort of situation —” She reaches for my hand, but I’m so horrified by the father’s accusation that I’m rooted in place. Dr. Juliet strides over and pulls me by the arm.
“Ciara, you should step out of the room, we’ve got it handled now,” she whispers firmly. “Come to my office after I’m finished here.” Her eyes are no longer flashing, but I can tell she’s still furious.
I walk out of the delivery room and into the hallway, taking deep gulps of air. Slowly I sink to the floor with my head in my hands. I’ve messed up. Majorly and terribly. And now I might be fired on my first day back—and may have ruined my career forever.
Evans
As Elena continues presenting to our investors, I sneak a peek at my phone under the table. Ciara hasn’t texted me since she wrote earlier to suggest buying a video monitor. Now, instead of brainstorming ways to make the Barcode Vegas the hottest nightclub on the strip, I’m worrying about Ciara’s first day back and if she’s okay.
“Evans” Elena puts her hand on my arm, interrupting my thoughts. “So?
Shit. I give Elena a look, and thankfully she helps me out. “So, do you think that Vegas is a go?”
“Yes, I’m definitely interested.” I nod to the investors. “I just need to see the numbers first.”
Elena’s brow wrinkles slightly. “I showed them to you yesterday, remember?”
Smiling, I turn to the two investors, both gray-haired men in their fifties, and make my apologies for my slip-up. “New Dad brain,” I clarify. This was the right play—both men have children and are happy to reminisce about the sleepless nights and foggy days after their children were born.
Before we can get back to business, my phone rings. The screen says Ciara and I’m immediately out of my seat.
“I’m sorry, I have to take this.” I walk out of the conference room and into the hallway.
“Ciara, are you okay?” Right away I can tell she’s sobbing, and she can’t catch her breath.
“There was a baby.” Ciara takes a huge, teary inhale. The next word is garbled but it sounds like Alfred. My heart races at the thought of something happening to my son.
I keep my voice firm but calm, so as not to upset her more. “Ciara, listen to me. Is Alfred okay? What happened?”
Through her sobs, Ciara says, “I freaked out in the delivery room! I couldn’t give the baby back to its mother. I just . . . I just couldn’t do it. My body wouldn’t let me. And now Dr. Juliet wants to see me. I think I’m going to get fired, Evans. What if I lose my job? What if no one wants to hire me after this?”
“Whatever happened, I’m sure Dr. Juliet will understand. I’m sure it’s not a big deal. Take some deep breaths. It will all be okay.” I try to sound as soothing as possible.
The conference room door opens and Elena leans out. “Evans, is everything okay? The guys need an answer.”
I hate to leave Ciara this upset, but I can’t risk losing this opportunity.
“Ciara, honey, I have to go, but keep me updated okay? I love you.” I hang up the phone and adjust my shirt cuffs before following Elena back into the conference room.
As soon as the investors are gone, I sink down into my office chair with a sigh.
Elena frowns. “Is everything okay with Ciara?”
It feels a little strange to be confiding in Elena, but maybe a woman’s opinion can guide me to better help Ciara. “I don’t know. Apparently, she held a newborn baby at the hospital and got upset. Now her boss wants to talk to her and Ciara is afraid she’s going to get fired.”
Elena’s winces. “I’m sorry, that’s awful. Ciara’s such a sweet girl. Should she even be working right now? Maybe the pressure’s too much and she’d be better off at home with Alfred. I can see her being a great stay-at-home-mom?”
Ciara
I try to clean the tears off my cheeks, disappointed that Evans couldn’t talk for longer. I know he had to meet with those investors this morning, but this feels like an emergency. Despite our earlier disagreement, Evans is my rock and I need his support.
I press the palms of my hands against my eyes and try to get myself together. Getting upset isn’t going to make this any easier. I walk to the break room, deciding that a cup of coffee will make me feel better, even if it’s decaf. Although I’m breastfeeding and shouldn’t really be drinking coffee, I need a jolt right now.
I put a new coffee pod into the machine and press the picture of the medium sized cup. As my coffee pours into a mug, I hear voices floating in from the hallway.
“Did you hear Ciara Damien freaked out in delivery today? She makes the rest of the nurses look bad.”