“It wouldn’t have made a difference,” Graham answered, his hand catching hers. “Breathe, Felicity. Be calm. You can’t be everywhere at once. He’s awake, but he doesn’t know who you are. You know he’s yours now. He doesn’t.” Graham’s brown eyes held hers.
He was right, of course. Jack would have woken up screaming his head off whether or not she was at his bedside. He didn’t know her. No matter what the lawyer said at their upcoming meeting, this little boy wouldn’t see her as his mother—she was a stranger.
But, stranger or not, she couldn’t bear the sound of his crying. She squeezed Graham’s hand before letting go. The closer they got, the louder his wailing became. She sucked in a deep breath, put a smile on her face, and walked into the room.
“Oh, Filly, he’s in a state,” Grams said when she spotted them.
“Don’t worry. He’s a little disoriented.” A nurse was checking his chart. “Give him some time, and he’ll settle down.”
Disoriented? More like terrified. Of course he was. Waking up alone in a strange place. Not a familiar face in the bunch. Her heart ached for the baby boy.
The nurse smiled. “I see you brought some of his things. That might help. Does he have a favorite toy? Or a blanket? Something familiar.”
She carried the bag full of Jack’s things to the bedside, praying something inside worked. “Here’s hoping,” she murmured, the little boy’s bright red face worrying her. “Can I hold him?” she asked the nurse. “I don’t want to hurt him.”
The nurse smiled. “Hugs are encouraged but we don’t want to move that leg too much.”
Grams moved so Felicity could sit on the edge of the bed. “Hi, Jack.”
Jack stopped screaming long enough to look at her with huge light-brown eyes. Brown, not blue or green. Light brown. Amber’s eyes.
She smiled, smoothing the curls from his forehead. “I’ve been waiting to meet you.” She touched the tip of his nose. “I’m glad you woke up.”
He sniffed, his chin wobbling, before he pressed his eyes tight and began to fuss again.
“Hey, hey now, little one,” she soothed. But Jack turned his face into the pillow, away from her, and crossed his arms over his chest.
“You can cry.” She continued to stroke his forehead. “I’d cry, too, waking up and not knowing what was going on.”
Her grandmother squeezed her shoulder.
Felicity smiled up at her. “Grams, I’ll stay now. Thank you so much for sitting with him.”
“I’ll be back tomorrow, Filly—with the other ladies.” She pressed a kiss to her cheek. “It’ll all be right as rain, you’ll see. Keep on loving him; he’ll come around in no time.”
Felicity hugged her grandmother goodbye, praying she was right. She didn’t like feeling helpless. And right now, she’d never felt so helpless. With a wave, Grams left, and Felicity started rubbing Jack’s back. Offering comfort, through touch, was all she could do.
“Let’s see what we have here,” she said, opening the bag and pulling out a few things.
Jack had no interest in the purple hippo or the soft truck that beeped when you hugged it. He ignored the board book on dinosaurs, too.
“I can go to Matt’s condo tonight and bring back more options,” Graham offered, watching from the foot of the bed.
“I think Charity and I already cleaned out the nursery,” she murmured softly.
Graham sat on the opposite side of Jack’s hospital bed. “Was it bad?”
There was no point pretending she didn’t understand his question. She glanced at him, wrinkling her nose before rifling through the bag for other options for Jack. “It was something I hope never to experience again.” She pulled out a toy plastic phone and the blue blanket covered in lambs and clouds.
Jack stopped screaming, grabbed the blanket, and tucked his thumb in his mouth.
“Well.” Felicity smiled at the little boy.
“Looks like a winner to me.” Graham’s chuckle was soft.
Jack was staring at Graham now, sniffling and wary, but no longer screaming.
“Does he know you?” she asked.