Hope
When my mother arrived at the cottage thirty minutes later, she walked into the bathroom to find me immersed in the biggest bubble bath known to mankind.
Her warm gray eyes landed on mine, so completely full of maternal love, and just like that, all of my previous anger and resentment towards her evaporated.
She was my mom.
And I needed my mom right now.
"I don’t know how you did this," I whispered, biting down on my lip as another contraction rolled through me. "Seriously," I grunted, casting a quick glance in her direction. "Six damn times…I feel like my body is ripping apart."
"Oh, baby," Mom soothed as she removed her coat and hat and laid them neatly on the little stool in the corner. "How far apart are the contractions?"
"They were fifteen," I moaned. "Now I think they're about eight…ugh, fuck! Mommy," I whimpered, reaching out a hand for her. "It hurts so bad."
"I know it does." She came straight to my side. "But this pain you're feeling? It's the best kind." Kneeling on the damp floor tiles, she took my hand in hers and whispered words of comfort and support. "Every pain you're feeling right now is bringing you another bit closer to meeting your baby."
"I have so much respect for you right now," I told her, relaxing once more as the pain eased. "I've seen the size of Colton's head…. I don’t know how you did it."
Mom laughed softly. "What goes in, must come out."
We stayed like that for the longest time, with me whimpering through every pain, and my mother right beside me, offering me support and comfort.
When the water grew cold, and I couldn’t stand the temperature any longer, Mom helped me to get out of the tub and dressed.
"When I was in labor with you, my water broke in your father's car," Mom explained as she helped me into the kitchen.
Lowering myself onto one of the chairs at the table, I groaned in pain; my vagina feeling like it was two seconds away from detonating like a fucking bomb.
"Keep talking," I ordered her, breathing deep and slow. "Distract me."
"It was the same with the boys," Mom quickly carried on as she pottered around my tiny kitchen, opening cupboards and pulling out some cups. "I had a caesarian section with the triplets –"
"That won't happen to me, will it?" I whimpered in fear.
"Of course not," Mom soothed as she prepared two cups of tea for us. "You are going to be perfect, honey. Absolutely perfect." Returning to the table, she placed both cups down, then took the chair to my left. "You are going to have a beautiful, healthy baby, and nothing bad is going to happen to you while you do it."
The sound of a car door slamming outside filled my ears and I balked.
"I told you not to wake Dad," I groaned.
"I didn’t," Mom promised before releasing a weary sigh. "But you know your father, sweetie. He'll want to help you."
"I just wish he was here, Mom," I choked out then, feeling my eyes well up. "I am so scared of doing this without him." Unable to stop the sob that tore out of my chest, I looked at my mother and cried, "It's not fair, Mom. It's not."
"I know it's not fair, honey," Mom whispered. "Oh, I know. And if I could change this for you, I would in a heartbeat." Taking my hand in hers, she squeezed tightly. "But this little baby demanding to be born right now? This baby is half of him." A lone tear slipped down her cheek as she said, "He'll never be gone, Hope. Not really. Because this child is his legacy, and when a father loves his child as much as I know he loved this little one, he can never truly die."
The front door creaked open, then closed with a click.
"Kyle?" Mom called out. "We're in the kitchen."
"Do you really believe that, Mom?" I whispered, wiping my face with the back of my hand.
"I honestly do," Mom confirmed. "I know that I will love my children long after death comes for me," she added, smiling.
"Well, let's put that theory into play, shall we?" a male voice stated coldly, causing me to turn towards the doorway.
And there he was, standing in the doorway, blue eyes narrowed on us.
Not my father, as we had thought.
No, those cold, soulless blue eyes could only belong to one man.
My grandfather.