CHAPTER 9
DELLA
(Nine months later.)
It feels as if the pain is going to tear right through me. The medication they gave me aren’t helping at all.
“Please,” I groan through another contraction. “Give me anything to take the pain away.”
“Just breathe,” Sue says as she wipes the beading sweat from my forehead. The nurse said the doctor will be here soon. He’ll give you something.”
“I want something now,” I cry miserably. How the hell did my mother do this twice?
The nurse comes back into the room. Sue glares at her, concern etched between the lines on her face. “Will the doctor be here before the baby comes?”
“This is normal, ma’am. The doctor will be here in time,” she assures us, but it’s not what I want to hear.
“Nothing about this is normal,” She shrieks. “She doesn’t pop out a baby every other day. This is a very overwhelming moment for the child, and painful. Go fetch the doctor now.”
The nurse quickly leaves promising she’ll get the doctor.
“Thank you,” I groan. I hold Sue’s hand tighter as the next contraction starts.
She smiles motherly at me, wiping my face with a cool cloth.
We’ve been through hell in the last nine months. We almost lost Sue to pneumonia. I took over running the diner while she was recovering and the last month, she’s been taking care of me.
Shortly after I got home, I started to get sick. Soon after that, we found out I was pregnant. I had to give up on my dream of moving to Raleigh.
I got something else in return though – a family. We might not have much, but Sue has made sure that we will always have enough. With her and Jamie’s help, we’ve converted my room into a nursery for the baby.
The nurse returns with the anesthesiologist. “Just a few more seconds and the pain will be gone.”
I nod as I breathe through the intense pain pulsing in my abdomen.
He works behind me as he inserts something into my spine, and after a few minutes, I feel much better. I’m a little nauseous but at least the pain is only a dull ache now.
We have to wait another two hours before the nurse returns with Dr. Lee. He looks tired which isn’t very comforting.
“Della, when I tell you to, I want you to push,” he says.
I nod again, just wanting this all to be over with.
“Push,” he instructs.
After long minutes of pushing, I slump back against the bed. I can’t do this. It’s too hard.
I start to cry but then Sue squeezes my hand. “Honey, you can do this. You’re so strong. Bring this baby into the world.” She keeps rubbing my hand, her eyes shining with tears.
I’ve never seen Sue so emotional in my life.
“The baby is crowning, “Dr. Lee says. “Push hard, Della.”
I cry silently as I push with everything I have. When a cry fills the room, I start to sob. It’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.
“It’s a girl,” Dr. Lee says.
When I look at Sue, tears are streaming down her face. There’s an astonished smile on her face as she looks at the baby.
“Are you ready, Mom,” The nurse says and my eyes dart to the bundle in her arms.
She lays her down in my arms, and I drink in the little red face. She has a mop of dark hair, just like Carter.
“Do you have a name?” the nurse asks.
I shake my head, not sure if there is a name out there to do her justice.
“Daniele,” I whisper. “After Mom.”
Sue smiles proudly. “It’s a good name, strong, too.”
“We’ll complete the birth certificate for you. Who should we list under the father?”
I almost blurt out no one, but that would not be fair to Daniele.
“Carter Hayes.”
***
CARTER
(Three years after the birth of Daniele.)
I walk down the main road to meet up with the rest of the gang for lunch.
Finally, I got some time off from my busy schedule. The last four years have been a fucking nightmare. After Dad passed away, I had to step in and fill his shoes. There was so much to learn and I would’ve caved under all the pressure if it weren’t for the guys. They kept my head above water.
I walk into the only diner in this small town and spot the guys sitting at the biggest table in the back. I don’t know how the guys found this place but apparently they have great outdoor activities.
“Hey, guys, thanks for waiting for me,” I say as I take my seat.”
“Did the conference call go well?” Rhett asks. He passes me a menu and I start to look over the dishes.
“Yeah, Charlotte will handle things from here on out. So we better make the most of this week. There won’t be an opportunity like this for a long while after I get back to the office.”
“Sir, do you wanna eat?” a tiny voice asks next to me.
I look down and see a pretty girl with dark curls staring up at me. She’s got bright blue eyes.
“Daniele.” An older girl takes hold of the little girl’s hand and tries to pull her away from our table.
“No,” Daniele wines and she stomps her tiny feet on the floor. “I wanna help.”
“It’s okay,” I say.
“Daniele, come here,” another voice says and this time the little girl listens.
I watch her run to a woman. She crouches down to catch the little girl. When she looks up my heart stutters and a wave of pain hits hard. My pulse starts to race as the whole table grows quiet.
“Fuck.” I hear Rhett breathe in shock.
Slowly, I rise from the chair and I walk closer to her. My eyes dance between her and the little girl.
Finally, I manage to find my voice. “Della,” I breathe her name.
It’s been four years. She just vanished. After I buried Dad, I heard that she had left that same night. None of the girls or guys had her number. She broke what was left of my fucking heart. I lost my Dad and Della in one night.
“Carter,” she whispers. Her face is pale and it makes the blue of her eyes pop.
The teenage girl comes to stand next to Della and I notice that they all three have the same color eyes.
“Are they your sisters?” I ask just to try and make some kind of conversation.
It’s fucked up that I know every inch of her body but I don’t really know anything about her.
“Um,” she takes a shaky breath and turns to the teenage girl. “Take Daniele to the back.”
She waits until they’re gone before she turns back to me. “Jamie is my sister. Daniele is my daughter.”
Fuck, she’s married. The thought shudders through me. Even after all these years I’ve had a flicker of hope that I’d run into to her again, and that we would get the chance we never had.
“Wow, when did you get married?” I ask, swallowing down the heavy disappointment.
She shakes her head. “I didn’t.” She even holds up her left hand for me to see. No ring.
I frown, not happy with the fact that someone got her pregnant before putting a ring on her finger.
“Where’s the father?”
Yeah, even after all these years, I’ll kick a guy’s ass if he hurts her.
She just shakes her head. “We’re busy with the lunch rush. Can we meet up later?”
I look around the place and see that it is packed with people. “You work here?”
It’s another surprise. Why would she work in a diner when she has a degree?
“Once a waitress, always a waitress,” she says.
I can see that she’s in a hurry, but I want to make sure we meet up later. “I’m staying at The Falls. Can we meet there?”
“Sure. I’ll come by after we close. It should be around ten.”
“Great.” I watch her walk away before I take my seat again.