Chapter 197: THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME A FAMILY
Ranon stayed in the operating room with Hazel as she gave birth to their daughter. He held her hand and caressed her head to give her some comfort.
Meanwhile, the process momentarily distracted Hazel. She stopped thinking about the decomposing body in the mortuary cabinet.
She was anxious.
Something could go wrong, and she could die on the operating table. Her mind jumped straight to the worst-case scenario.
She could smell the metallic scent of blood in the midst of the strong scent of antiseptic. It made her want to vomit. The thought that they were going to cut her open made her slightly panic.
Only Ranon’s voice anchored her and kept her sane.
"It’s okay." Ranon kissed her forehead to distract her, since he saw the panic in her eyes.
"I am thirsty," Hazel said; her voice was very rough.
Ranon was well prepared. He helped her to drink with a straw and then asked if she wanted something else.
"Distract me." Ranon then pecked her lips, but Hazel frowned. "I mean, tell me a story..."
"What story do you want?"
"Little Red Riding Hood."
Hazel didn’t know why she mentioned that children’s book and told him about her childhood. It was not hers, but River’s. She was trying to hold onto River. The life she had before this...
"I have a book, Little Red Riding Hood. My father bought it for me, but I have not yet read it." River had her training from such a young age; therefore, she didn’t have time to read the book.
In general, she knew what the story was, but she had not yet really read it.
"Little Red Riding Hood?"
"Hm."
Hazel thought Ranon wouldn’t grant her request, but then his soft voice lulled her. If it were not for the weird story, Hazel would have felt slightly relaxed.
"...One day, when the grandma was waiting for her dear granddaughter, a wolf came to her, pretending to be her granddaughter by wearing her red cloak.
But obviously, there is no way the grandma could mistake a wolf for her granddaughter, so she took the gun she hid under her bed and shot the wolf."
"Are you sure you know the story?"
"Uhm, yes."
The doctor and nurses: "..."
That didn’t sound convincing.
***
"She is giving birth..." Lucian stopped himself when he saw that Denzel was in Ranon’s living room, while Ares sat across from him. "Good morning, Mr. Leighton," Lucian greeted Denzel politely.
Ares and Lucian had been staying in Ranon’s apartment ever since Hazel was hospitalized, and earlier, Lucian stepped outside for a while when he received the news.
Who would have thought Denzel would be here when he returned?
"She is giving birth?" Denzel looked enraged. "Why didn’t anyone inform me of this?!" He had been furious with Ranon because he washed his hands of the matter with the company after he said he would step down.
He didn’t think he would follow through on his words, but so much time had passed and Ranon still didn’t care. Denzel came here early in the morning to talk him down since he didn’t pick up his call.
There was time to throw a tantrum, and Denzel had had enough with his antics.
But now he learned Hazel was giving birth? Her child would be the first granddaughter in the family.
And from the direction of the kitchen, they heard a glass break. It was Ema who went to the kitchen and fetched a glass of water for Denzel. She heard the news when she returned.
"Which hospital are they in?!"
***
Everything went smoothly. The process was painless and quick; in less than half an hour, they could hear the first cry of the baby.
The nurse cleaned her up, and after that, the doctor ran an Apgar test on her. Ranon saw all of this, but he didn’t move from Hazel’s side. She looked so pale after she lost so much blood.
The room was filled with the baby’s cry. From afar, Ranon saw his daughter’s red face and her tiny hands wriggling.
"The baby is so beautiful. She has your eyes," said one of the nurses as she took the baby and put her on Hazel’s chest.
It was an important moment for the mother and the baby to bond. Skin-to-skin contact could help the little one, too, as it would regulate the baby’s temperature and heart rate.
"You need to breastfeed the baby; the colostrum will be good for her antibodies." The nurse then explained some more things for her to remember.
However, Hazel’s mind was clouded. She held her daughter for the first time and felt... nothing.
They said she had her eyes. Yes, the baby had brown eyes like hers, but those were not the color of her eyes.
A tuft of brown hair on her head was not the color of her hair.
However, Hazel couldn’t remember River’s face, because every time she thought about her, the only image that was etched in her mind was the decomposing body that was beyond recognition.
"Oh, the baby is hungry," the nurse gushed when the little one started to suck on Hazel’s nipple.
She grimaced because of the pain and a little bit recoiled, but she quickly stopped herself and endured it. She had gone through so much more than this.
"Are you okay?" Ranon asked. He helped Hazel hold the baby. "She looks like you."
"I am fine." She was anything but fine.
Hazel looked calm on the surface, but beneath her calmness, there was a turmoil that wrecked her soul. The baby didn’t look like her. She was not like her at all, and Ranon’s comment irritated Hazel.
She wanted to ask for the nurse to take away the baby, but she knew it was only her intrusive thought, since she was not in the right headspace right now.
The anesthesia they gave her must have worn off, because she could feel the pain. But there was a high chance it had nothing to do with the anesthesia, because she had been in so much pain for days before she gave birth.
Hazel didn’t hate the baby, but she didn’t want to have anything to do with her. It was the right decision to have Ranon as the primary custodian of their baby.
She felt bad because she had this feeling, and the more Hazel thought about it, the more she was spiraling.
On the other hand, Ranon looked fascinated with the sight of his daughter. He caressed her cheek, and a smile formed on his lips.
"She is beautiful," he said with emotion. He put his finger in her little hand, and she grabbed it. Her grip was rather strong for her little body.
He was a father now. He had a family of his own.
The moment he saw her, he knew he would do everything for her. She was so beautiful and fragile. The way her eyes wandered around and then met his was the moment Ranon knew he loved his daughter.
It was weird to have this strong emotion, since he used to tone down anything he felt.
"Thank you," Ranon said softly, kissing Hazel’s forehead. "Thank you for giving me a family."
***
"You need to convince Ranon to do a DNA test on the baby so we can be on the safe side. This is only a precaution," Ema rambled.
She cornered Ares once they arrived at the hospital. Right now, Denzel was talking to Ranon while Hazel was sleeping. He didn’t allow anyone to bother her.
Therefore, Ranon wheeled his father to the cafeteria.
"Why should I do that?" Ares raised his brows. He wanted to shove her to the side because he didn’t want to be alone with her. He didn’t like her, and he didn’t try to look otherwise.
Yet, Ema couldn’t care less about what Ares thought of her. "I know this is ridiculous, but I think it will be better to be safe than sorry."
"Just because Denzel demanded a paternity test from you, you wish for Ranon to treat his wife the same." Ares clicked his tongue. "Move on, Ema. Whatever he is doing with his family, it has nothing to do with you."
Ares was cautious about Hazel, but if he had to choose between her and Ema, he would choose Hazel. She didn’t try to deceive Ranon, as everything between them was laid out in the open.
However, things were not good right now, because whatever problem Hazel put herself into, it would drag Ranon down with her as well, and it would be better for the two of them to end things as per the contract said.
"If you care about Ranon, you don’t want him to be deceived." Ema was being stubborn. Ares was right; she wanted Hazel to feel the same humiliation she felt when Denzel tested their son.
"The only person who has ever deceived him is you, Ema. You and your rich husband." Ares shoved her to the side. "Stay away from them."
Ema was frustrated. She watched Ares walk away.
"He lied to me!" Ema shouted. "He said he didn’t want to have a family; he didn’t want to have a child! He didn’t want to be part of the Leightons! But now, he’s become everything that he said he didn’t want!"
Ares stopped walking and then turned around; the people around paid close attention because of Ema’s sudden outburst.
"You never said that you would sleep with your boyfriend’s father; is that why you did it?"