Cold Case

Bad News

Chapter Twelve

Bad News

Matt

The walk back to the ER was a filled with anxiety. Matt didn't know what he was going to find. Blue looked terrible and was close to death when they brought her here. Matt didn't know how good this hospital was, it was a small town compared to Austin or San Antonio. He rounded the corner and found a nurse and asked if there was any news on Blue Winslow.

"No news yet but they should be out any time now. Would you like to visit your son? He's all cleaned up and measured. He was six pounds four ounces. Average weight but considering what his mom went through, I say he is starting out real good." The nurse gave Matt a compassionate smile and added, "He was twenty-two inches long. He has all ten toes and ten fingers and a whole lot of hair. Almost the color of yours."

Matt appreciated the Nurse's attempt to make him feel better but the only thing that would be able to do that is if the doctor came out and said that Blue was asking for him and she is doing well. But he did want to see his son so he followed her to the nursery. Looking through the glass, there were about eleven babies in the nursery. Matt didn't look at the name plates; he wanted to see if he could recognize his son without the help of the last name. All babies do look alike Matt thought. But he narrowed it down to two possibilities, the first in row one or the second in row three. After a more careful look, he decided it was the second in row three.

He looked at the name plate and saw Winslow printed in black marker. "You know, his last name is Howard."

"I'm sorry Mr. Howard, I'll get that changed. The nurse who wrote must have been taking the last name on Detective Winslow's chart." The nurse scurried back behind the glass plate and exchanged name cards. Then she waved Matt through the doors and another nurse put a pair of paper scrubs on him while the original nurse brought his son out to him.

"Have you thought of a name yet Mr. Howard?" She asked.

"Well, yes but I am waiting to talk it over with his mother." He smiled at the nurse who put his son in his arms. He hardly weighed anything. His face wasn't red and blotchy like it had been earlier. Now, his face was washed up and he was bundled in a receiving blanket, tight and comfy. He opened his eyes and Matt thought he looked straight at him but the nurses told him it would take a few days before he could really start to see objects. Then his son smiled and closed his eyes. Matt's heart ballooned to a size he didn't think was possible.

He was still holding his son when another nurse came in looking for him. Blue was out of surgery and the doctor would like to speak with him. Matt reluctantly gave his son back to the pediatric nurse and followed the other nurse out to the waiting room. She told him the doctor would be right there. At that moment, Blue's mother Sharon was rushing through the door. She ran straight to Matt and gave him a huge hug. "Thank you for calling me Matt. How is she doing? How is the baby?"

"The doctor is just about to come out and brief us on Blue. As far as your grandson is concerned, never a more beautiful baby has been born. He's perfect." Pride already showing in Matt's eyes.

Sharon smiled at the obvious love this man already felt for his child. Sharon had suspected that he and her daughter were involved and she didn't know how she felt about it then but the way this man has handled this whole situation proved to Sharon that he was the man for her daughter.

"I'm going to go see him just as soon as the doctor comes out to update us. Do you know anything about what happened?" Sharon wanted to know but she was also afraid to know. It was going to put a knife in her heart she knew.

"I know that she went through hell. He did things to her Sharon that he is going to pay for. He is going to pay for everything he did" Matt could barely control his anger.