The CEO’s New Baby

“I came to take the baby. I am sure the mother could use some rest anyway.” The nurse was right about one thing. Kayla was exhausted. The delivery had drained her from every bit of energy her body had, leaving her cold and empty. All she wished for was some sleep so that she could wake up fresh and full of energy, ready to enjoy her new little bundle of joy.

“Where is she taking him?” Emily asked, as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. She seemed as tired as her mother, her eyes were red and puffy.

“Well, the doctors need to take care of him for a bit. Meanwhile, why don’t you head home with Grandma? You are tired and in great need of rest.” Ryan picked her up and pinned her against his side, kissing her nose as he waited for an answer.

“But-“

“No buts. We will be back home in the morning. You won’t even notice we are gone.” She looked at her mother, hoping to be backed up, but sighed when Kayla shook her head.

Emily was just like her mother, she hated to be bossed around. The only problem was she was five, and that was kind of the thing that happened ninety percent of the time.

“Come on, come give your mom a kiss before you go.” Kayla tried not to wince as she moved towards the edge of the bed. The pain in her body made it really hard for her to make any kind of movement.

“Well, we did it again. We brought another wonderful soul into the world,” Ryan finally said when they were left alone. He came to sit by her side, his arms wrapping her in his arms.

“We are kind of good at that, aren’t we?” She chuckled, her head resting on his chest, her eyes closing involuntary. She tried really hard not to fall asleep immediately. She wished to spend a bit more time with him, to talk about the little angel she had given birth to.

But unfortunately, darkness took over faster than expected, and the last thing she knew was him saying, “It’s because I love you.”

“One more, guys! We need to take a perfect one, I have to frame a picture with little Bryan,” Meredith muttered as she closed one eye, ready to take yet another shot of the family sitting on the couch right next to the Christmas tree. That had already been the tenth picture, but none of them dared say anything.

“Say cheese!” They all smiled at the same time, except the baby, who seemed to get more irritated by the second. Emily, on the other hand, loved taking photos, she could stay there the entire day without complaining.

“Grandma, can you take a picture of me by the fireplace?”

Kayla shook her head and couldn’t help but think how much her little daughter resembled her grandma. It was almost as if they had Meredith’s little copy from the past.

“You know, if she turns out to be anything like my mom, we will have some serious trouble,” Ryan whispered in her ear, making her chuckle.

“If? She is already a living replica of your mom,” she argued back, careful to keep her voice down so they wouldn’t be busted.

“Heard that!” And there went her hope of keeping their conversation a secret.

Kayla and Ryan burst into fits of laughter so loud that they seemed to have scared Bryan. The little boy moved in his mother’s arms, kicking with his arms and legs. He was tired, she was more than sure about that. He wasn’t used to the cottage, and the foreign atmosphere must have set him on edge. Not that he was a quiet baby at home.

“Why don’t you go put him to sleep, darling? Ryan and I will set the table while you are gone.” It was her mother who spoke this time around. She walked past them with a bottle of wine in hand, heading towards the small table by the window.

“Go ahead. Your mom and I got this.”

The house wasn’t as big as the mansion. It took her seconds to walk from one room to another instead of full minutes. She even had to close the door to keep out the noise of the Christmas carols they had been playing from entering the room.

“Come here, little one.” Kayla held him close to her chest as she started humming, hoping that the sound of her voice would soothe the little boy’s temper. She hoped she could nurse him too. But the therapy stopped her lactation from day one. She had been sad at first, cursed her fate for taking away her satisfaction of being a mother too. But she figured it was for the best anyway, she wasn’t sure how good her milk would have been.

Thankfully, her presence and the song she had been singing had been more than enough to put the little one to sleep. He was still so small and fragile, a mere bean in her hand. She had forgotten how small babies were in their first couple of weeks. In fact, it had been a few days since she had delivered, but she was still scared whenever she held him.

Slowly, she sat him in his crib, careful not to jingle the little toy she had on top of it. Her lips kissed his hand before she placed it beneath the fluffy blue blanket inside. A gentle knock on the door brought her back to reality, making her turn and gaze towards it.

“Love, dinner is ready.” Kayla nodded and motioned for him to be quiet.

“I am coming,” she hushed.

The smell was divine. The roasted chicken, the mashed potatoes, and marinated wings. The bread and everything else on there was simply and completely mouth-watering. Not to mention the sweets waiting for them at the end of the dinner. Everyone was seated around the table by the time she had arrived, chatting with Emily who seemed to be even more alive than usual.

“Thank God you are here. I was starving,” Tanya confessed, her hand reaching for the fork she had to her left.

“In fact. I would like it if you could wait a couple more minutes. Ryan and I have an announcement.” For the first time, she wasn’t afraid or anxious about an announcement. She had gotten so used to them that she had become immune. Everyone frowned as they looked at her, their hearts stopping for a second.

“Please tell me you aren’t having another baby.” It was Emily who spoke. Her words were so much bigger than her. She had been so serious that everyone around the table burst into a fit of laughter, their voices echoing through the house.

“No, darling. We aren’t. Anyway, we talked to my doctor right after Bryan was born. We did a couple of tests, and well, I am having my last chemo on Friday.” Kayla was overwhelmed. It had been so hard to keep the good news a secret. But she had wanted to share it on a special day.

She was cured. She and Ryan had survived yet another obstacle. It had been a long journey, but looking back at it, she couldn’t believe she even doubted it for a second. Their love and trust in one another was strong, stronger than any disease, human or supernatural power. And that was the key to the happy life they were always meant to live.

The end.