Caspian

I can’t believe it’s been a year.

The world is not a safe place, but I can’t help beaming with pride when I see her carrying my child. She’s ready to pop in the next couple of days, but she looks simply radiant with a glow nobody can deny.

All the arrangements are made, and no expense is spared to give my sister a coming-out party she will never forget.  She needs to see herself as others do and the only way to accomplish that is by throwing her into the deep end.

A pair of hands circle my waist, and I can feel her fingers slipping into my shirt to touch my chest. “I’m not sure she’s going to be very receptive to this, but I know your heart is in the right place. Just don’t be surprised if she storms out the moment she steps into the room.”

Valeria supports my decision, but she also has some concerns.

I can’t exactly argue with a pregnant woman.

Everybody in attendance is going to see a different side of my sister. She has no idea what is waiting for her, but I convinced Midnight to give me a moment of her time.

The food stretches as far as the eye can see, with the families coming together for a cause bigger than themselves. It is a little overwhelming, but I feel it’s time to set the record straight. Her place in my life is no longer going to be in the shadows where she’s remained since the accident. It was wrong to shelter her when she needed some room to find her place in life without my interference.

“I know what you’re saying, but I think she’ll understand after she sees all the trouble I’ve gone to give her a platform to speak her mind. Everything you see here is for her benefit, but I’ll also be given the reward of seeing her shine like never before,” I say with a glass of champagne cold against my fingertips.

It’s a banner day, and I want to share it with everybody I know. It doesn’t hurt they have money to burn and are always looking for tax havens including charitable donations.

“I’m not saying what you did is wrong, but the way you went about it might not sit well with her. You know that she loves her independence more than anything. Being the center of attention has never been her strong suit. She likes to mingle. I think she uses her condition to keep people at a distance,” Valeria informs while rubbing her belly.

She’s never looked so beautiful.

I have this compulsion to lift her into my arms, but I restrain myself for appearances. There isn’t a moment during her pregnancy that we haven’t been intimate. However, the last couple of weeks have been different. She was ordered to rest without doing anything extreme, including having sex.

It’s a small price to pay to have my child. I’m not some horny teenager desperate to get her alone somewhere to tear off her clothes. I can wait, but my patience is on the clock. It’s about time the kid makes an appearance, but he’s stubborn.

Maybe he knows something the rest of us don’t and wants to stay in there for as long as possible.

The one thing I know for sure is the kid is going to be loved. He might feel suffocated when he realizes there’s no such thing as freedom without my permission. It’s for his own good. I’m doing what I can to change the way I do business, but it’s been one step forward and one step back.

Leo is no longer playing fast and loose with his morality. If I have to change then, he should as well, even if it is kicking and screaming.

I can see them talking in the corner, away from everybody else. He’s also quite aware of everything going on around him.

“I guess we won’t know how she’s going to react until she gets down here.  That girl does like to be fashionably late for everything. It’s not like she cares what others think about her, but her condition shouldn’t hamper her from becoming the talk of the town,” Valeria says.

I’m about to reply when I see the door open with her standing there, stunned into silence.

She almost backs up and leaves but decides at the last moment to step in with her eyes scanning the room until she sees me.

I can tell she’s not happy, but she wasn’t going to do this on her own. She needs that push in the right direction. I’m just the right person to help her along.

The rousing applause keeps her from advancing to my location. She’s soon surrounded by her peers asking her pointed questions about her charity. She fields them one after the other. Somehow she absorbs the fact that I’ve set her up to sink or swim on her own merits.

“He’s kicking again,” Valeria announces.

I place my hand on her stomach, and I can feel the kid letting me know he’s going to be an avid sports enthusiast. I can already picture him on the mound waiting for the signal from the umpire.

I’m going to have to be careful about wanting to live vicariously through his eyes and his accomplishments. He needs the freedom to grow and to stretch his wings to find his way in the world. Of course, he’ll have to do that under supervision, but I think he’ll rise to the challenge set out before him.

Valeria

I sense his fear about being a father, but I know one look at our baby will melt him. The way he touches me strikes a match to my dormant libido just simmering below the surface. We can’t be intimate for the last stages of my pregnancy, but we can touch and tease each other mercilessly until he takes matters into his own hand.

It excites me, and I help him out by barely touching him to send shock waves through his body. It’s not the same as getting down and dirty under the sheets, but it’s better than nothing at all.

Just him rubbing my belly has me turned on and as horny as hell. It’s a byproduct of my pregnancy. My hormones are out of control, and my sex drive has been amplified until I can barely see straight.

I wonder if he knows how much I crave his body?

“What’s the meaning of this?” Midnight asks.

Her nostrils are flaring, and her arms are crossed, but I can tell from her smirk that her anger is tempered by her love for her brother.

“All of this is for you. I still don’t want you anywhere near the business, but I do think it’s impossible to shield you from everything. I want you to oversee every aspect of the legitimate side of my business. I’m making a concentrated effort to clean up my act.

“Why are you doing this? Midnight asks.

“Having a child changes my perspective. I have other priorities, including showing this kid everything this world has to offer. This is your time to walk into the light,” Caspian says with his two hands on her face.

“I wish you would have run this by me before springing it on me. I’m not sure what my answer would have been, but I guess we will never know,” Midnight says.

“We are family. We stick together through everything. I want you to be happy,” Caspian says.

I’m not happy with you at the moment, but I won’t stay mad very long. I’ll make you proud of me,” Midnight manages a smile.

“Don’t you know by now that I’ve always been proud of you? You’ll always be the wind beneath my wings,” Caspian adds.

“Don’t make me cry. That’s my favorite song.” I can already see her tears starting to form.

“Take flight, little bird. They’re waiting for you,” Caspian says.

It looks like I have an audience. I’m glad we’ll be working together on this. It makes me feel even closer to you,” Midnight states.

“This is your home. We want you to be a part of this kid’s life,” Caspian adds.

“And I’m going to be the best Aunt ever,” Midnight snickers.

“You’ll be a bad influence, but he sure will learn to stand up on his own with your help. We’ll give this kid all the tools to succeed. He’ll live with no regrets and never shy away from the unknown,” I say, the little life inside me making it hard to stand for very long.

I don’t have to say it, and she already knows my presence here today depends on the little one staying silent, but that’s impossible.

She gives her brother a kiss on the cheek, and they stay connected with their eyes closed and foreheads touching.

She goes to the podium, and the crowd instantly becomes silent.

“You all know me. I know times are tough, but the kids are suffering indignities, including homelessness and starving. Together we can make their lives better by giving until it hurts. I’ll guarantee to match whatever donations we receive here tonight. My brother is more than an entrepreneur. He’s a humanitarian.”

“I should’ve known she would be vindictive enough to use this against me. I don’t mind spending the money when I have more than enough to live on for four lifetimes. My boy will learn the value of a dollar,” Caspian refers to the child’s inheritance being locked up until he is 30 years of age.

That will give him plenty of time to find his way without his father stepping in to protect him from the big bad world.

Midnight is in her element and is feeding on the adulation of the crowd. She knows what to say. I can see she’s nervous, but somehow, she perseveres beyond that.

Life is good, and it’s only going to get better.

I hold his hand, and he kisses the back of mine. It’s interesting how we got here, but I can’t dispute how good it feels. We are a formidable duo. Having a seat at the table means being privy to the good and the bad. It’s not anything I haven’t heard from my own family and their interaction with others.

Suddenly, a strange feeling comes over me. I ca my feel waters break, and I have this overwhelming feeling to bear down. I’m going into labor. It’s a little early, but this baby is determined to make a grand entrance.

“Someone call for an ambulance,” Caspian screams.

He lowers me gently to the floor, and I feel the pressure building. The baby isn’t going to wait for an ambulance. Most people go through hours of labor, but I can tell this one will take far less, but that is the stubbornness of his father coming into play.

“Is there a doctor in the house?” Caspian inquires.

I see an older man weaving through the crowd with his wife pulling him along. He’s trying to get away, but she’s holding him hostage with her fingernails digging into his palm.

“Jack is a surgeon. He’ll be glad to help your wife,” she says with a gentle nudge to push her husband into the line of questioning.

“I’ve never brought a kid into the world. My wife went into labor three times, and I was in the waiting room. I tried to stay in the room with her, but she screamed bloody murder and said things she couldn’t possibly take back in the heat of the moment. I’ll do what I can until the paramedics arrive,” Jack says.

He has snow-white hair with bristles on his chin in black and white. He’s impeccably dressed in a suit and dark black vest buttoned to the top. He takes pride in his appearance, but he rolls up his sleeves and kneels at my feet.

He’s holding onto my ankles.

“It’s just like you to hog the spotlight,” Midnight teases.

I grab her and pull her down next to me. “I need you and Caspian to keep me sane. This is very painful, but I can do it with the two of you by my side. It’s just like what we went through in the Lamaze class. Just hold my hand, and the baby will do the rest.”

“I can’t believe it, but you’re already fully dilated. It’s time to push. We can’t wait any longer for the ambulance,” Jack says.

I know that look in my husband’s eyes.

“No offense to you, but I think that I can take it from here. We’ve been preparing for this for the past few months. I’ve seen all the videos and read all the pamphlets, but I would like you to guide me. It supposed to be an easy birth, but life has a tendency to keep you guessing until the very end,” Caspian says while taking his place in front of me.

I’m in a lot of pain. I try to smile, but it’s difficult when I want to scream.

“Help me get her to a room,” Caspian says.

He motions for Leo, and the two of them lift me gently with Caspian holding my hand. We leave the crowd and find someplace private with a comfortable bed.

Midnight screeches when I almost break her hand.

I have both Midnight and Caspian with me. I can’t think of a better way for this child to come into the world.

“I want you to give one last push as hard as you can,” Jack instructs while standing next to Caspian.

I blackout from the pain, but it’s only temporary until I hear the baby crying. They’re administering to him on a table nearby, but they soon return smiling with a healthy baby boy and lay him in my lap.

Caspian in there by my side with Midnight.

“This family just got a little bigger. We are sure going to screw this kid up between us,” Midnight laughs.

“I have no doubt about it,” I say with a smile with my head on Caspian’s shoulder.

It’s a party to remember.

It’s not the family I wanted….but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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