Page 68 of The Soul Never Forgets

“Can you hear me, Gussy?”

“Yes, I hear you.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Frank.”

“Are you going to tell me if it’s a boy or a girl?”

“I’d prefer to not shout it at you behind a closed door.”

“I know. It’s just that I’m anxious to find out.”

“Only a few more minutes, Mr. Harrison,” the doctor shouts.

“The baby’s beautiful, Frank,” Gussy calls out.

Beautiful. It’s a girl just like I thought.

“You’re her mother. Of course she’s beautiful.”

Mrs. Le Blanc opens the door. “Come in, Frank, and welcome your little one to the world.”

Gussy is sitting up, pillows propping her up against the headboard. Her color is always fair but she’s whiter than usual. “Are you all right? You look very pale.”

“Your wife is a redhead. They always bleed heavier during childbirth. You’ll need to keep a close watch on her and call if the bleeding increases.”

Now I feel like I’m the one whose blood has drained from his face. “Should I be concerned?”

“I feel fine, Frank. Just a little tired.” Gussy motions for me to join her on the bed. “Come meet your son.”

A son? “You said the baby was beautiful. I thought it was a girl.”

“The baby is beautiful… a beautiful boy.”

“Well, I’ll be damned. I have a son.” And all this time I was certain we were having a little girl.

Gussy pulls the blanket away from his face. “This is William Franklin Harrison Jr. Will.”

“He has my black hair.”

“He does. And lots of it.”

“I’ve pictured a red-haired girl in my mind for so long that he doesn’t seem real.”

“He’s real. My body can attest to that.”

Gussy’s screams were bloodcurdling. “How do you feel?”

“I’m sore. Very sore. And I have cramps.”

“Was it terribly painful when he came out?”

“A genteel lady would probably say that it wasn’t so bad, but she’d be lying. It was excruciating. Even worse than I had imagined.”

“I heard your screams, and it gutted me. I would have done anything to take away your pain.”

“My pain was not for you to take away. It’s all part of nature.”

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