Page 96 of Infinite
A child I thought would never be is alive.
My tears are falling, and I haven’t even seen or heard anything that’s happening. All that I can focus on is the sound of our child.
“Ashton,” Greyson calls my name. “Get in the bed, and we’ll bring the baby to you.”
I nod and then look at Gretchen. “Go meet your baby, Ash.”
“You . . .”
“I’m fine.” She smiles. “I’m tired, but I’m fine.”
Catherine is on the other side of her, tears streaming down her face. “You’re more than fine, my amazing friend.”
Quinn and I climb onto the bed and his arm wraps around my shoulder. Then the baby is brought over. The nurse smiles. “Please meet your son.”
“A boy?” I choke on the words.
“I always knew my boys were strong.”
Before I can respond, the nurse pulls my gown down and places him on my bare chest, his tiny warm body rests on mine, and I can’t stop the steady stream of tears. “Hi, sweetheart. I’m your mom and this is your dad.”
Quinn touches his face, caressing our son’s cheek with reverence. “He’s perfect.”
“He is.”
I hold him close, whispering things I don’t even think make sense as I drop soft kisses on his forehead.
“How is he?” Gretchen asks from the other bed. I look to Quinn, and he nods.
I get up, carrying over a child we both love. He might be my egg and Quinn’s sperm, but without Gretchen, he wouldn’t be here.
“Do you want to hold him?”
Her lip quivers, and I know this has to be incredibly difficult for her. She carried a child for nine months, only to hand him over, and my heart hurts a little. Whether she knew all along, she loved him. She felt him kick, heard his heartbeats, and dealt with the not so pleasant parts. She’s also hormonal and exhausted. I wish I could make this easier for her. I wish she didn’t have to suffer to bring me joy.
“I would very much if that’s okay.”
I place him in her arms and a sense of relief flashes over her. “Hi, little one. I’m your Aunt Gretchen and I’m very happy to meet you. I hope you give your parents so much trouble. Like, draw on their walls, pee in their faces when they change your diaper, puke down their back too, okay?”
I laugh and touch his face. “I will never be able to thank you enough for this.”
“Oh, Ashton, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. Just promise me that you’ll never ask me to do this again.”
I lean in and kiss her cheek. “I promise.”
Gretchen kisses the top of his head, and a tear rolls down her face and she hands him back to me. “Here, I think someone wants his daddy.”
Quinn is beside me, his eyes transfixed on our son.
I lift him and place him in his arms. Quinn’s eyes mist as he holds his son for the first time. “Is that still the name you want?” he asks.
“Please,” Catherine complains. “The suspense is killing us all. We had to wait to find out the sex, don’t make us do it with the name.”
I look down at him and smile. “Gabriel Burke Miller.”
Gretchen gasps. “Burke?”
We wanted to honor Gretchen in some way. After a lot of talk, Quinn and I found a way to do so regardless of whether the baby was a girl or a boy. “If he was a girl, we would’ve gone with your first name, but I thought your maiden name would be the perfect middle one for a boy.”
