Talk To Me

47. Like a father

Wale was chatting with Cherry's parents in the waiting room when Frank arrived. They'd planned to meet at the hospital, and Cherry's parents had just told her the surgery was a success, the baby was healthy and already resting in the nursery. Wale was relieved and eager to see the newborn, but she knew Kind had stayed behind to check on Cherry's lover after Frank delivered some rather blunt news to her.

But where was Cherry?

"Young mistress, apologies for the wait," Frank began, "but your former fiancé's beloved caused quite the stir after reading your note."

"Is she alright? I hope you went easy on her, Frank..."

"Only as you asked, madam. My nephew, Kind, stayed back with her. He was holding the baby when I left, and a nurse came in to help calm her down. Kind took the baby to a private nursery; you're welcome to see them both. Just a heads-up, though. Only two visitors at a time in the nursery. Hope that's alright."

"Perfect, as long as Kind's with her." Wale nodded, feeling reassured.

"What's the baby's gender?" Cherry's mother asked. She and her husband had been waiting for hours, talking over Wale's legal guardianship over the child. Frank had quickly drawn up a proposal to ensure Cherry's parents would remain active grandparents, with Wale as the primary guardian.

Cherry's parents were thankful for Wale's decision, given Cherry's lover instability during pregnancy, and Cherry often threatening to harm the child or put it up for adoption. They knew the two weren't in a state to raise a child, and as much as they loved their son, they wanted their grandchild safe from Cherry's anger, and his lover's drama altogether. Wale had always seemed like a good woman to them; they'd never blamed her for her decision to end things with their son.

"I didn't get the chance to ask," Frank said, "but Kind will know by now. If you like, I can take you both to the nursery." He glanced at Wale, who nodded, giving them the go-ahead.

Wale took a deep breath, sitting down as the weight of everything hit her. It was a relief to know the child was healthy and that Cherry's lover was stable, but she was still reeling from her last-minute dramatics. Wale hadn't wanted to take the child from her forcefully, but she'd left her no choice. And now, Kind was upset. Would it come down to choosing between him and the child?

"You should be smiling, you're a parent now by law as you wanted," a voice said behind her, tapping her shoulder. She turned to see Swalha grinning at her. "You must feel like you're on house arrest, stuck here until the surrogate is discharged. But your daughter's beautiful, if that helps."

"Daughter?" Wale asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Yes...hasn't anyone told you?" Swalha seemed surprised.

Wale looked down, feeling a warmth well up inside her, a mix of joy and relief that made her want to hide the tears gathering in her eyes. Of course, Swalha noticed and seized the moment to tease her.

"Well, well! I must be a dragon to make the famous Wale shed a tear. This is historical! Not even Cherry got to see you cry."

"Quit it, Swalha..." she said, wiping her eyes, but the tears kept coming.

She handed her a handkerchief from her bag, rubbing her back as she smirked. "That handkerchief wasn't cheap, mind you, so consider this a loan."

"Oh? How much will this 'loan' cost me?"

"I'll settle for three wishes. For the first one, I want to be her godmother."

They both laughed, and Wale couldn't help but feel a bit lighter. She'd half-expected her to make some outlandish demands.