Nick heard all of it. He walked away with a small smile playing on his face. The hospital was buzzing around him as he made his way toward his office, ready to call it a day even though half of it was still left. Bumping into Shepard was a very pleasant and much-needed surprise. A part of him wanted to hit the brakes and let him know that he had heard, but there was another resident around and Nick didn’t want to start any rumors (as if none already existed). Nick sighed, another part of him hating himself for walking away, for pushing Shepard away the other night. The frustration of being unable to open up was compounded with the sadness of the fact that he had to say goodbye to Emma in a few hours. A few doctors and nurses caught Nick’s eyes as he walked by, offering a friendly ‘hello’, but Nick would simply drop his gaze and keep walking, offering a muted ‘hello’ in return. Needless to say, he wasn’t particularly excited about the day ending, unlike the last couple of days that had him counting down the seconds until he got home and saw Emma again. Anna hadn’t felt up to the task of caring for her since her incident and so she “allowed” Emma to stay with Nick. While he worked, she was with a babysitter back at Nick’s home. He wished his parents lived close enough that they could bond with her but they lived six states away.

The last couple of days had been pure bliss. Sure, Emma didn’t sleep a full night and she sometimes threw crying fits for no apparent reason, but none of that outweighed the absolute joy it was to hold her in his arms and feel her breathing against his chest. Hear her giggles and her chirps. He almost allowed himself to think that he’d be able to do that whenever he wanted. The unfortunate truth, reminded by a text from Anna saying that she was feeling better and wanted her baby back, was that Nick still had to fight a long and difficult battle for the right to keep her.

He made it to his office, shut the door with the lock clicking in place, and started to cry.

* * *

The drive to Anna’s place felt long. Like the road stretched for miles more than it should have. Even longer than it took with Shepard, though the roads were pretty clear this late in the evening. Nick glanced up at the rearview mirror as he pulled to a stop in front of the apartment building. Emma was nodding off, her head resting against the car seat, a small string of drool dropping from her lips. He let go of a deep breath and readied himself for what was coming. He knew this wasn’t going to be easy. Not only did he have to say a temporary goodbye to Emma, but he also wanted to confront Anna about what happened the other night. He wanted to make absolutely sure that Anna wasn’t doing anything sketchy that could harm his baby girl in any way.

He got out of the car, the night air particularly chilly with a gentle breeze that whipped up every now and then. Nick glanced at the white coat folded up on his passenger seat but decided against it. He didn’t want to intimidate Anna, he just wanted information. He figured he already looked like he meant business in a light gray button-up and black slacks. He texted her that he was outside and then got to work on getting Emma out of the car seat. By the time he turned around, a sleepy Emma in his arms, Anna was already waiting by the entrance to the building. She looked a little exhausted but still put together in a clean black shirt and khaki shorts, her hair wet from a shower.

“Ugh,” she said, as Nick climbed the steps toward her, a heavy diaper bag slung over his shoulder. “You couldn’t have come earlier? I could get the cops on you, you know?” Her tone was acidic, cutting through the mood like a hot knife through butter. Nick felt himself start to boil. He focused on Emma, using her as an anchor. He couldn’t fight back, even though what she had said was the truth. With their custody agreement, Nick was technically breaking the law by keeping Emma for longer than he was supposed to.

“What happened to you?” Nick was reluctant in handing Emma over to her mother. He felt like he was tearing off a limb, passing it on to a hungry scavenger. “What were you taking?” Nick was still giving Anna the benefit of the doubt, but that wasn’t going to last for much longer if he didn’t get any answers.

“It’s ok, I’m fine now.” She grabbed Emma, who was looking at Nick with soft, sad eyes. She cried for a brief moment but Anna quickly adjusted her so that Emma was facing over her shoulder, away from Nick. “Have a good night, Nicholas.”

“Anna, I need answers. You’re holding my daughter. If you’re doing anything that could put her in danger, I’ll make sure you never see her again.”

Anna narrowed her eyes. This was terrible. Nick hated all of this negative energy surrounding his beautiful baby girl. She should be bathing in positivity, with all the adults around her cooing and awing. “Don’t threaten me, Nicholas.”

“Then answer me. Why did I see an ash tray inside the apartment? And why wouldn’t Chris tell me what medicine you took? I’m a doctor for Christ’s sake, I should have been the first person you called.”

Anna adjusted her grip on Emma. “I don’t need to tell you what I’m sick with. You’re a doctor, but you aren’t my doctor. You aren’t my anything.”

“I am the father of your child.”

“Unfortunately.”

The word cut much deeper than Nick would have expected. He felt the burn in his chest. Like a fucking molten-hot cattle brand.

That was when a hand appeared on Anna’s shoulder. Rough with blunt fingers. Anna turned and stepped to the side. Chris appeared in the doorway.

“Chris,” Nick said.

“I thought Anna could use a little support. Seeing as she’s not getting much from you.”

Nick flexed his jaw. He couldn’t understand why Chris always insisted on getting involved. Since he and Anna started dating, Chris was always in the middle, starting unnecessary fights and then stepping back to watch the chaos unfold. It was like he got off on creating drama and, for some reason, Anna let it happen. The only time he wasn’t concerned with Anna’s relationship seemed to be when he was in church.

“You know, I’ve been telling Anna, she’s being way too lenient with her hours. You broke up with my sister and then left her to have a baby by herself. To top it all of, I told her to never sign that prenup, but she did.”

“Your sister cheated on me, which was really only the cherry on top. So yes, I divorced her, but I sure as hell am not letting her raise Emma by herself.” Nick could see what Chris was trying to do, and he could see Anna start thinking about it, the cogs in her malleable brain already moving along to Chris’s fucked-up beat. He wanted Anna to revoke all parental rights. He wanted it so that Nick never saw Emma again. He never liked Ethan, from the beginning, and this was only another way for Chris to show his contempt. So much for the cross that hung around his neck.

“So now you’re calling my sister a liar?” Chris’s face twisted with venom.

“Jesus, nothing is going to get through to you.” Nick was at a loss. Emma started to whimper in Anna’s arms. She turned her head and started to reach out toward Nick. It was a gesture that shattered Nick like a hammer smashing through glass. His first instinct was to reach out and grab her, but of course, that wasn’t an option. Anna must have sensed it because she held Emma a little tighter and turned so that she couldn’t see Nick anymore. Chris stepped forward, taking up more space in the doorway. He was a bulky guy but only because he had a little too many of those pies his church put out every month for fundraising.

“I think we’re done here, thank you for taking care of her.”

“We’re far from done here, Chris.” Nick was seeing red. His shoes were filled with cement. They had to be. That was the only explanation as to why he wasn’t just turning and walking away yet. He physically couldn’t move his legs.

But he had to. And he had to keep fighting for his daughter.

He couldn’t even say goodbye. He managed to move his cement-filled shoes and started his way down the hall, toward the row of elevators, every painful step taking him farther and farther from Emma.