Page 10 of Riley

“Someone’s in a good mood,” Shay comments in a sly tone.

“Yeah,” says Lily. “You look more relaxed today. Did you sleep well?”

I roll my eyes but don’t take the bait. They are digging for information, and I’m not going to satisfy their curiosity anytime soon.

“Where’s Abby? Isn’t she supposed to be working today?” I ask.

“She may have slept in. She’s been more tired lately. The pregnancy is really taking a toll on her,” Shay comments.

That’s when we get a call from Jake; Abby’s gone into labor.

We head to the hospital, and I see Adam walking down the hall, clearly on duty, and I rush over to him.

“Adam! Abby is in labor, have you seen her?”

“In labor? No, I haven’t seen her, but that’s not my floor either. Don’t worry. I’m sure she’s fine. I’ll get some information for you and let you know when you can go back to see her.”

Adam comes back out about 30 minutes after he went hunting for details, and he lets us know that Abby is doing fine, but because of the room’s size, they aren’t letting anybody else in yet.

Hours pass, and finally, I have a new baby niece. The nurse comes out to escort us back to Abby’s room. Abby is lying in bed with the baby clutched to her chest. She’s beautiful and tiny, and I feel my heart bursting with love.

“Hey, Abs,” I say and sit down in the empty chair next to her. Jake is on the other side with a proud smile and tears on his cheeks. “How are you feeling?”

“Exhausted,” she says with a sigh. “But so incredibly happy.” She shifts the baby a bit so that I can see her face a little better. “Meet Emma Rose, your new niece.” I feel my eyes burn with unshed tears.

“She’s gorgeous, Abs. Congratulations.”

“Do you want to hold her?” she asks with a tired smile.

“Can I?” My hands are shaking a bit, but when she hands me the baby, I cuddle her to my chest, carefully supporting her head.

Adam picks that moment to walk into the room, and he looks at me, holding the baby with such a soft look in his eyes that it makes my heart ache. He makes his way around the room, congratulates both Jake and Abby, and chats with my sisters for a bit. When the nurse comes in to announce visiting hours are over, I pass the baby back to Abby with a promise to visit tomorrow.

It’s well after midnight when I walk out of the front doors of the hospital. I shiver as a cold gust of wind blows over me.

“Are you hungry?” Adam asks. Shay and Lily are walking ahead but turn when they realize I’m not walking close to them anymore.

“Starving,” I reply.

“Can I take you out for a very late dinner… Or an early breakfast. However, you want to look at it.”

“Yeah, I’d like that. Let me tell Shay and Lily.”

I jog up to my sisters and let them know that I’ll catch a ride home with Adam. I give them each a hug and tell them to drive safe, and then Adam and I head to his car.

We go to a little 24-hour café that Adam swears has the best pancakes he’s ever eaten.

“So,” he says after we place our orders – an omelet for him and chocolate chip pancakes for me. “Tell me, Riley. Where do you see yourself in five years?”

“It’s funny if you had asked me that same question yesterday, I would have had a different answer. But after today, I think in five years, I could see myself married and maybe having a family. What about you, Adam?”

“I have a five-year plan, actually.”

“Oh? Tell me about it.”

“In five years, I want to own my practice. I have colleagues with families, young children… And the hours in the emergency ward are stressful. They put a strain on the families; I could never do that to my wife or my kids.” The waitress brings our food and places our plates in front of us. Adam cuts into his omelet and takes a large bite, chewing and swallowing before continuing. “So, yeah, I want to start my own practice. And that’s probably going to happen long before five years. I’m already looking into it. But in five years, I hope to have a thriving practice and a family.”

“It sounds like you have a pretty solid plan.”

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