Page 140 of Unlikely to Stay
This time, it was Griff’s eyes that filled.“I think that is absolutely perfect.”
At his words, CC and Annie slipped out the door and let the proud parents have their time with their precious Emma Kate.
Brant’s breathwhooshed out of him as soon as he saw CC walk through the delivery room doors.He had been in Lakeview for a training and was about to leave the hospital to head back to the city when he saw Susan, Kelda, and Breckin’s dad walking through the doors.
“What are you all doing?”he had asked Kelda.
“Breckin’s having her baby and it’s about damn time.She looked like a marshmallow that was about to explode!I hear she almost had the baby in the car on the way here!”
Brant had followed the family to the delivery room.He figured Kelda was, as usual, exaggerating.But if she wasn’t, it meant he could hang around and talk to CC after the baby music played, signaling baby Stephens had finally entered world.
He had no intention of seeing her beforehand, not wanting to take away from the excitement of her friend’s delivery.Instead, he lurked creepily in the corner, trying to catch sight of her.Kelda finally caught him looking and walked over to where he was.“Your girl ain’t here.She’s in the delivery room with Breckin.”
“Oh, I wasn’t—”
“I know exactly what you’re doing,” Kelda interrupted.“No sense trying to make up some dumb ass excuse I won’t believe.”
“Why is she in the delivery room?Where’s Griff?”
“Oh, he’s there, too.The lightweight just passed out at the first sign of blood down by Breckin’s hoo-hah, so the doctor put him in timeout when he came to.Said he could be in the room, he just had to stay out of the way.”
Brant couldn’t help but chuckle at the image of big, bad Griffin Stephens passed out on the floor.“He really passed out?”
Kelda nodded her head.“Sure did.The pussy.”
This time, he let out a full belly laugh.It was good to know at least Kelda’s potty mouth and inability to keep it shut hadn’t changed.“Well, I guess that just shows that men, even men as big and strong as your grandson, can get freaked out—”
“By a little blood?”Kelda harrumphed.
Brant had seen women having babies.He sincerely doubted it was thebloodthat threw Griff for a loop.“By seeing the woman he loves in pain.”
“Well, I guess, now that you mention it thatcouldbe the reason.My grandson ain’t never been a pu—”
“Mother!I told you to quit calling Griffin that…that…foulword!”Susan walked over to Brant and Kelda.She rolled her eyes and sighed at her mother but grinned at Brant.“Hello, Brant.”
“Hi, Susan.”He had always liked the woman.She was sweet, and a saint for putting up with her mother.
“Nice to see you back in our neck of the woods,” she said with a smile.“We’ve missed you in town.What’s it been now?One, two months?”
“Almost three, actually,” he replied.Almost three, long, tiring, sad months.It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy his job in the city.He did.It was fast-paced and he never knew what to expect.He worked in triage at the hospital and it was something he had always wanted to do.But, as stupid as it was, he missed Parker and the small town’s crazy clients with their nonexistent ailments.June and her stupid donkey.Marty and Burt’s sexcapades with their women.Kelda in all her dysfunctional glory.
But mostly, he missed the woman with hair the color of maraschino cherries and curves that fit perfectly with his.The scent of raspberries and vanilla that clung to her skin.The freckles that crossed her cheeks and bridge of her nose like she’d been kissed by a hundred angels.His heart.
“Who’s running the clinic now, Susan?”
“They haven’t gotten anyone yet.A nurse comes from this hospital twice a week to see patients.Otherwise, we have to come to Lakeview.Since most of the old people in town are lined up outside the clinic on the two days the nurse is in town, my mother and her…boyfriend, included, the rest of us have to make the drive.One nurse wouldn’t even see Rambo for June and turned Mom away at the door.They can’t find anyone to run it because no one wants to put up with the small town crazies.It’s not the same without you, Brant.You had the magic touch.”
Brant snorted.“I don’t know about that.”
“You did.Even Burt said things haven’t been the same without you.”
He quirked an eyebrow.“Seriously?”
“He said he promised to never ask for more Viagra if you just came back.”
“Do you believe him?”
“I made him put it in writing.Figured I’d give it to you next time I saw you,” she said with a wink.“I’ve been carrying it in my purse for just this occasion.”