The CEO’s New Baby

They bid everyone in the waiting room goodbye as they headed towards the elevators. The double doors of the elevator opened sooner than they expected, revealing the empty spacious room inside. On their way up, Kayla hadn’t notice the murmuring, but now she did. She felt, saw, and heard things she had previously ignored. And it was all because she now appreciated life, and her second chance at it.

Just as he was about to press the ground floor button, Kayla’s hand stopped him. Her fingers wrapped around his, making him stop midway. She did not wait for him to react, her fingers pressed the last floor button before he got to.

“What are you doing?” He frowned, looking at her from the corner of his eyes.

“You’ll see.”

Kayla grabbed Ryan by the arm, pulling him behind her. There weren’t many people on the hallways on that floor. But they still had to walk past some nurses holding trays of needles and cotton balls. Finally, they reached the door of the stairs leading to the rooftop. Ryan was confused, but said nothing, he was curious as to what his wife had in mind.

She wasn’t one to usually do crazy stuff. She was often one to follow the rules and stick to the safe side, but it seemed that those principles had flown out the window. She pushed the door of the fire escape open, her feet stepping onto the staircase almost immediately.

“What in the world are we doing on the roof?”

“Just shut up, Ryan! Look around.”

Kayla had one reason to go on that rooftop. She wanted to celebrate. To free her body from all the energy that had piled up into her soul and mind those past few weeks. She needed to feel the breeze on her skin and to forget about everyone and everything for a second. She needed to let go.

The view around her proved that there was no better place to do that than on a rooftop. And given that the hospital was the closest thing at hand, that was the best place.

Ryan did as his wife commanded. He gazed around and immediately understood her.

You could see the entire city from up there. The twinkling lights of the dying sun glistening over the dusty windows of the skyscrapers. The busy traffic was one of the main sights, the honking sound of the cars could be heard too, slipping between the cars and passing people.

Up there, with the breeze pressing against their skin and their eyes gazing over the entire city, it felt like they were living above all the rules and principles society placed. It was like they were living in a world parallel to all others, a world of their own.

None of them saw it coming, not even Kayla, but she suddenly screamed. She had been meaning to do that since the doctor mentioned her therapy. She now felt relieved, freed of her worries.

Ryan chuckled form beside her, the sound turning into fits of laughter.

“Go ahead. Your turn.” She motioned towards him.

“Me?” He pointed towards himself, his brows raising. “You want me to scream?”

Kayla did not hesitate, she nodded, as if she was asking the simplest of things. Ryan tried to figure out if she was joking or not. He looked into her eyes for a couple of seconds before he realized she was actually serious.

“Well?”

Ryan shook his head but did not reject her. He curled his hands into tight fists before he let it all go. All it took was one single loud sound to make his entire body relax.

“I have to admit, we must make this a tradition.”

Kayla laughed and shook her head. Her hands reached for Ryan and grabbed him. She pulled him closer and kissed him. She kissed him as if it was her first and last time kissing him. She allowed all her love for him to pour into that one single gesture.

“I love you,” he whispered as he slowly pulled back, his forehead resting onto hers. “Never forget that.”

The bakery had closed a few minutes ago right after the last customer had left. But no one had returned home. Not yet. They were all waiting for Ryan and Kayla to return. No one spoke a thing, nothing could be heard in the entire place except the sound of Emily, who was cheerfully playing in the corner.

Meredith was worried, but no one could truly understand what was going on in Tanya’s heart. Every moment waiting for her daughter was like going through hell. She didn’t know what was going on, if the news was good or bad, or if they had any news at all.

Being oblivious to what was going on was the worst thing ever. She just wished they would come or call already, otherwise she was sure to die before she got to find out.

“Okay, that’s it, I am going.“ Tanya stood up dramatically, slamming her hands against the table. Her gestures were fast, she grabbed her purse and turned around before she even got to finish the sentence.

“And where exactly are you going, Mom?” Kayla and Ryan walked into the bakery hand in hand. They were all smiles, unable to hide the happiness within. Kayla raised an eyebrow at her mom, trying hard not to look amused.

“You! Why didn’t you call us?!” Tanya had been so worried she did not even notice she was crying. Tears were simply pouring down her cheeks. She was frustrated, mad, and sad but also happy to see Kayla.

“Well.“ Kayla took a short pause to look at everyone. “It was mostly because we wanted to give you the good news in person. I start chemotherapy on Monday!”

The news followed no moment of silence. All three grownups sitting around the table screamed, their hands flying in the air. Everyone came to hug her, one by one, their lips muttering things she stopped understanding at a certain point. Everyone talked, wished her well, and congratulated her on the good news. They were all talking in chorus to Kayla and Ryan.

Emily had joined them too, jumping into her dad’s arms, washing him with kisses. She had no idea what was going on, but neither did she ask, much to her parents’ delight. She didn’t need to know, the matter was soon going to be behind them anyway.

“This news calls for a party!” Peter finally announced. His hand was already holding onto the remote control, turning on the speakers behind the counter. Kayla couldn’t remember what songs played that night. But they had all been full of life and rhythm.

She danced by Ryan, holding onto Emily’s hand, laughing and smiling as she chaotically moved her hips. Her moves certainly did not match the rhythm of the songs, although she believed herself to be a good dancer. She was too happy and too full of energy to even focus on the rhythm of the song. Instead, she allowed herself to be as free as a kid. Her body moved without her accord and her lips smiled.

“I told you everything would work out,” her mother whispered to her, just as her arms wrapped around her.

It was true, she had told her. And she had been right. Kayla held her mother close to her chest, allowing her body to feel her warmth. It was true, she had Ryan as her main support now, but she could never do anything without her mom. She and her mom were a duo, a duo that would simply lose direction if one of the two pieces got lost.

“I am proud of you, Kayla! And I am sure you father would have been just as proud.”

No one ever realized it, but hearing such a thing always made her day. To her, having her father’s approval was everything. Whenever she made a decision or chose to do things a certain way, she would always think of him and how he would have reacted. Hearing that he would have approved of who she had become meant she had done something right in her life. It meant that she had indeed lived out her life the way she wanted and should have lived it. And that, in itself, along with the people surrounding her, was pure happiness to her.