Jenalyn: A Splitting Personality (#2) [Complete]

Chapter 69: Hayden

Sunday, 2:34 P.M.

Tyler meets me at the door of the maternity room that Sophie just had the baby in, his face excited to see me though I can still see anxiety behind it.

"Hey, you going to be nice?" he asks as soon as he meets me, his brows raised in both concern and sternness as he pulls me into a hug and kisses my forehead.

I narrow my eyes at him and fake a smile before nudging him toward the door. "I don't have a reason to be rude, Tyler- did you ask her the same question?"

Tyler rolls his eyes, but let's out a small laugh before slowly pushing open the door and popping his head inside. "You decent?" I hear him ask. A moment later, he pushes open the door the rest of the way.

I take a breath, forcing a warm smile on my face before I step into the room and immediately wave at Sophie. She sits on the hospital bed in a white gown, a tiny pink bundle in her arms.

"Hi!" I whisper, waving both hands as if to be overexcited to see her. I make my way over to the bed, widening my arms to offer a hug. "Congratulations! She's precious!" I say.

Sophie raises her free arm to hug me, the same forced smile on her exhausted face as she thanks me. "Girl, you are in for it!" she weakly laughs. "Childbirth is no joke!"

Tyler laughs behind us, so I do the same while I turn around to shoot him a playful eye roll. "Thanks a lot, Ty!" I tease.

He shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly, a smug smile on his face as he lowers himself onto the rocking chair in the corner of the room. "Hey, it wasn't easy for me either!" he laughs.

I laugh again, ignoring the jealousy that makes its way back to my chest as I imagine him crouched down beside her, gripping her hands while she pushes out their child.

Sophie motions for me to sit on the edge of her hospital bed, which I do in a way I'm sure showed the surprised it brought me when she did.

This isn't really how I pictured this going!

Ty clears his throat after a few moments of silence fall, but before he can say anything- Sophie begins to speak.

"So wow, Hayden!" she exclaims louder than any of us have been willing to talk knowing there's a baby in the room. "This is going to be you soon! Are you excited?"

I can't even really tell if she's being fake anymore- but I can't seem to bring my guard down solely because it's Sophie, and I guess in some sense I kind of stole her baby daddy...

"Uhm- yeah!" I say after a moment. I nod my head and turn back to Tyler with a smile I'm sure he'll read as nervous- though it's just skeptical. I turn back to Sophie. "I mean, I'm nervous naturally... but definitely excited."

Sophie nods her head, her smile only fading momentarily as the baby jerks in her arms. "How far along are you?" she asks after readjusting the baby. "You're super tiny, like- in general."

I nod my head, working overtime to keep the friendly smile on my face. "About 19? 20 weeks?" I respond after a moment. "Last appointment I had, they told me the baby was small, but that I'd wake up with a watermelon within the next couple weeks." I laugh.

Sophie laughs too, readjusting the baby again when she starts to wriggle.

"Hayden is going to look so cute with an actual baby bump," Tyler pipes in from behind us, only to be overpowered by the sound of the baby as it begins to cry.

"Ah, oh no!" Sophie coos, reaching over for the bottle only to have the baby reject it. "Don't cry, little one!"

Tyler stands and makes his way over to the bed to reach out his arms to Sophie. "Guess I better learn the ropes!" he laughs as she hands him the crying bundle. "What do you do when these things cry?"

Both Sophie and I make suggestions, laughing as Tyler tries and fails to rock, burp, and re-swaddle the baby into silence.

He rushes back to Sophie, his face growing flustered as the baby grows louder and more upset. Sophie, cracking up, refuses the baby and motions toward me instead.

Tyler rushes over to me with the baby, immediately shoving her into my arms. "Your turn!" he laughs.

I can't stop laughing, but immediately being to rock the tiny baby, and try cooing at her in between laughs.

How are her eyes so big? And why does she look exactly like Ty?

Her little face turns red as she wails, but after a few moments she quiets herself. Thank goodness!

"You're doing it!" Tyler excitedly laughs, "How are you even doing that?!"

Sophie laughs beside me, reaching out for the baby as she grows silent and her tiny eyelids fall shut.

"I didn't do anything," I laugh. "I held her for a second, and bam!"

Ty and Sophie continue to laugh, gawking at the baby as Sophie puts her back into the portable crib the hospital provides after childbirth.

I have no idea how this is even possible. Are we... friends? Are Sophie and I some kind of friends now? Is that how this works?

This definitely isn't how I expected this to go...