Still Loving You (Synyster Gates Series: Book 4)

Benefit of the Doubt

As promised! Sorry for the LONG delay. I studied for a test I thought I failed, but I actually passed. Hooorrraaaay! By the way, last minute I changed the entire direction of this story. I love drama ;) 

BUT I LOVE YOU MORE! 

By the way, how are you guys liking the story so far? I know it's kind of meh right now, but it gets better. I promise! 

April 3, 2014

Noah Haner was torn away from his parents, almost immediately, and placed into the neonatal intensive care unit for observation due to jaundice; a medical condition with yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes, arising from excess of the pigment bilirubin. For the first five hours of Noah's photo-therapy, Brian and Jackie were the only visitors allowed in the Luz Valencia Neo-Natal Specialty Room, which was also being occupied by another couple who's son also had a mild case of jaundice. Once Noah was released back to Jackie's personal room, the visitors began swarming in to meet the newest member of the Avenged Sevenfold family.

As guests constantly paid their visit Noah, Jackie and Brian had yet to discuss the intimate moment shared seconds after Noah's birth. The two were completely unaware of how they were to bring up such a sensitive topic--How were they to do so without striking any nerves, or starting any fights? It seemed inevitable. Therefor, they both decided if the other was not going to speak of it, then it was not going to be brought up. 

When the number of visitors finally decreased to zero toward the evening, the light in the room grew dim and Noah was placed under the photo-therapy lights once more for yet another round of treatment. Although jaundice may have not been deadly, it still pained Jackie and Brian to see their son so defenseless. 

 Brian sat in the comfortable beige hospital lounge chair--resting his foot on his knee--and stared intently at Noah laying in the glass bassinet before him; the blue photo therapy beamed down on the infant's helpless body. He bit down on his thumb nail, looking on as Noah's chest rose and fell with each breath the newborn took and asked himself, how did I get so blessed? He considered himself a bad person for doing such harmful things to such innocent people. After everything he had gone through--the separation, the cheating, the crash--why did a Greater Force believe he should continue to live his life with luck? 

Most importantly: Why was he still living?

Brian was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of shuffling coming from the hospital bed. He rose to his feet, getting a clear view of Jackie struggling to get up from the seat--her walls still incredibly sore from pushing out an eight pound, nineteen inch baby. He offered his help, but she quickly denied it, claiming that she could do it on her own. However, it was all but true. Jackie couldn't move a muscle without pain pulsating against her walls. Normally, such pain would be pleasurable; in this case, she would've done just about anything to seize the pain.

Eventually, Brian had her convinced and she grasped his hand with all her strength and shambled her way to the restroom. Needless to say, such victory had an effortless smile painted across his face. Although she would quickly disagree, Brian knew post-partum Jackie would struggle and need his help with basic parental duties. He wanted nothing more than to be of assistance; even more so as they had a new addition to their family.

As Brian pressed his shoulder against the wall beside the restroom, there was a light knock at the door, followed by a soft, husk voice saying,  "Hi."  Brian looked up, meeting eye-to-eye with a tall, blue-eyed brunette young man, who was hassling to push a bronze metal flower cart into the room. The young man named Jamie smiled, putting the breaks on the cart with his beaten up Old-Skool Vans and nervously searched for the bouquet of flowers, among the sea of color. He graciously picked up one of the biggest bouquet of roses from the bottom shelf, while tightly holding the delivery clipboard between the fold of his arm. "I have a delivery for Esperanza Haner. I'm going to take a guess and say I've got the wrong room."