Alaska

Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Julie Isabella Segae was born about thirty minutes after Lexi left the room.  Ashton was the first to visit and he came back with what Lexi could have sworn was a tear in his eye.  He covered his face to hide his masculinity but Lexi giggled to herself anyway.

After Ariel came out hugging her own belly with a flushed and wet face, Lexi took a deep breath and stood up.

Julie was the tiniest creature with pale olive skin and navy blue eyes.  She had a squished up face and very chubby cheeks as she writhed around in her little cot, with her pink gloved hands wobbling.  Violet watched as Lexi offered her pinkie finger to Julie who suckled it, cutely.

"Wow," Lexi murmured, her eyes not daring to dart away from the bundle of joy before her.  "I really can't wait to meet my baby.  The feeling must be amazing."

Violet nodded, her eyes filled with tears of pride.

"Congratulations, Violet," Lexi beamed.  "She's adorable.  And I know you can do this!"

"Thanks, Lexi," Violet replied, quietly.  "For being here when my parent's wouldn't..."

***

Over the next few days, Lexi delivered Violet's assignments from school and spent a half hour holding the bouncing baby Julie, instantly becoming attached to her and desiring the day when her own baby would be brought into the world.

Ashton and her shared intimate glances every now and then, as he watched from the sofa through his silky black hair, yet they hadn't communicated as much as they had done at the hospital.  It seemed that after Lexi's conversation with Violet about Ashton's ways with girls, her goal to have him was on hiatus, just so that she could observe his attitude.

On Friday afternoon, Lexi stood in front of her mirror at Angel's house, dressed in a flowing cream blouse and a pair of denim jeans.  The top made her belly budge out a little bit and she sighed, feeling enormous.  She was going for an early dinner with Ariel and then meeting Angel for a film.

The sky outside was gloomy and grey but most of the snow had cleared up, leaving just a few frosty pathways here and there.

"What time do you want to catch that film?" Angel entered the bedroom, carrying a sleepy Meagen.  She was still dressed in her pink nursing scrubs.

"How about nine?" Lexi suggested, turning to her.

Angel nodded, twinkled her fingers and set out again, leaving Lexi to herself.

Lexi reached for her phone that was nuzzled in between the pillows on her bed and she glanced at the screen for any messages from Ariel.  Instead of a text, she found several missed calls blinking at her, all from an unknown caller.  Her eyebrows furrowed together and she considered calling back, but then she noticed that it was already five pm and she was ten minutes late.

She snatched her coat from the desk chair and sprinted out of the room.

Ariel had long been waiting outside Ketchup, a casual diner that was found on the corner of a shopping square and park.  She gave Lexi a tight smile as she approached her but soon loosened up when they sat down and accepted their menus.

"Did you visit Violet today?" Ariel asked as she scanned the menu, carefully.

"Yup.  In between Lit class and Writing," Lexi replied.  "Julie's so adorable!"

Ariel gushed, her freckled face blossoming.  "I know.  Makes me wanna hold JJ even more."

Lexi widened her blue eyes, taking a sip from her newly placed Coke.  "You named him?!"