Page 60 of Wrath's Nightingale
“We’ll know.”
“Millie Barnes, what did you do?
I turned my attention to Becky.
“That cast or the ring?” I ask with a laugh.
“Ring?”
I show her my hand. Her eyes widen. “We need to catch up. Like yesterday. Now the cast?”
“I don’t know all the how, but my brother somehow spooked a bear that chased my horse, and I wound up rolling down part of the mountain.”
“Good thing it was only part. Has your new man killed him?”
“Not, yet. My Nightingale only regained her memory earlier tonight and made me swear to feed her first.”
Becky nods. “How can I help you? Duty nurse said you wanted to see me?”
“Wade and I are here to pick up the Jackson twins.”
“It might be under Biaz, Nightingale.”
“Those two are the cutest. Millie, is this man your new husband?”
“Yes. Why?”
“The twins still need extra care. They’ve come a long way in the last two weeks, but they’ll still need to be monitored.”
“We have a doctor at the compound we live in and a nurse practitioner,” I add.
“I’ll take you to see them, then go get the paperwork started.”
“Lead the way.”
Wrath
This is surreal. I need a moment to catch my breath, but first I have to meet my children. Children, fuck. I mean I was prepared, but the delivery was surprising. When we reach the NICU, my heart breaks into a million pieces looking at their tiny, underweight bodies. I wonder what kind of hell they’ll have to endure because of their mother’s drug addiction.
I’ll ask Wizard to investigate Lola’s death and recent history. It may have been a hook-up, but that girl was not using drugs that night. Millie wraps her fingers around mine, bringing me out of my thoughts. I look down at her. She’s raptly watching the twins. I can tell she’s already in love. I am too, honestly. I can’t believe I’m a dad.
I stare down in awe at the tiny bundles. Their skin is a mixture of my medium brown complexion and their mother’s Latinx complexion. We both have brown eyes. I wonder if their hair will be kinky, curly like mine or the more relaxed, loose curls of hers.
Lola was a beautiful woman. Vibrant and full of life. It’s why she caught my eye. I can’t help but wonder what happened and why she never tried to find me. The Kings are well known in Louisiana. I had my cut on that night. She knew.
I feel a slight squeeze on my hand.
“I'm sorry, Nightingale, I got lost in thought.”
“As long as you’re not apologizing for these babies.”
“What? Why? Aren’t you upset?”
She shakes her head. “We were always planning on adopting and having children. With these two, we can do both at once. I know we planned on waiting a year or two, but God had other plans and now we have our little peanuts. Now that I’ve seen them, I want them. I want to be their mother. Please let me do that.”
I feel a fat tear slide down my cheek.
“Dammit woman. You’re going to make me cry. You prove to me every damn day I made the right choice asking you to marry me.”