The baby lesson

Twenty One

Chapter Twenty One

Leo's POV

My phone started ringing. Finn and I paused our game and I picked it up without looking at the number.

"Hello," I answered.

"Leo?" I heard Mrs. Burns' panicked voice.

"Yeah, this is me. Is everything okay?" I asked. Mrs. Burns sounded really upset. I could hear loud sobs coming from her. "Hey, you need to calm down. I can't really understand you."

"Its Katherine. The hospital called me and she-she was in an accident. And I don't really know what to do. I need you here, please come quick," Mrs. Burns sobbed. I felt strange and worried. I didn't know how to really react. But Mrs. Burns seemed to do enough worrying for the both of us.

"Okay, I'm on my way," I told her.

"I called Mrs. Wilson and told her. I didn't have your friend's number but tell him that Brooke was also involved in the accident," she told me.

"We'll be there soon," I hung up the phone.

"Who was it?" Finn asked.

"Brooke and Kathy were in an accident," I told him. That was all I had to say to get him in the car.

I drove because Finn was so nervous. Finn and Brooke were so close. They talked about more personal things and said that they planned to stay together even after the baby was born. At least, that's what I had heard from Finn but I doubted that Brooke didn't feel the same. Finn kept rubbing his hands on his jeans and tapping his leg.

We got to the entrance and parked. Both of us got out of the car and quickly went into the waiting room. I saw Mrs. Burns after a few minutes. She was sitting in a chair with her head in her hands. I could see her body shaking. Why is she crying? I asked myself. Next to her was Mrs. Wilson who was patting Mrs. Burns' back.

"Mr. Maddox, Mr. Max," Mrs. Wilson walked over to us.

"Brooke is on the third floor, Room 315," she told Finn. Finn nodded, squeezed my shoulder, and started going to the elevator.

"Where is Kathy?" I asked Mrs. Wilson. She put an arm around me and steered me away from the entrance door and from Mrs. Burns. We were on the other side of the waiting room when she released me. I stood to her face to face.

"I think you should sit down," she advised. I was already nervous enough. I needed to know what was going on. I didn't need her stalling.

"I'd rather not," I answered. Mrs. Wilson pressed her lips together before speaking.

"Leo, there has been an accident. There was a driver that hit a patch of black ice and slid. Katherine and Brooke were in the way and couldn't get out of the way in time. Katherine-she.......she died, Leo."

My jaw dropped open and I started shaking my head. I felt pain and sadness. I had spent months living in the same house. I've seen the ugly mornings and bad hair days. Just as she had seen mine. We were going to have a baby. This wasn't supposed to happen. I didn't really want to cry. But I didn't feel sadness just for myself. But for Mrs. Burns as well. I could feel my throat burn from the need to cry. I clenched my fists.

"But the baby is fine," she said quickly. I think she was worried about me flipping out over Kathy's death.

"What? How?" I asked.

"The stress caused her to go in labor. The doctors got the baby out but then something went wrong with Katherine. She had internal brain bleeding. The car had struk her side. She was lucky to even have the baby. Congratulations about your son. It's a boy," Mrs. Wilson explained.

I had a son. I was going to have to raise a child without a mother. I still had my family and Mrs. Burns. She wouldn't be alone. She had a part of Kathy left. She had a grandson.

"I want to see him," I said quietly. Mrs. Wilson led me to the elevator where we went to the baby floor. We stood at the glass and looked at all of the babies.

"Do you want to hold your child?" A nurse asked me.

Mrs. Wilson said yes and the nurse led me into another room. She came in slowly.

I sat down in a rocking chair. The nurse smiled at the bundle in her arms. "Here you go, Mr. Maddox. A healthy baby boy," the nurse said. I could see Mrs. Wilson in the doorway but I concentrated on the baby.

I carefully held him close to me. The baby was beautiful. He had a little bit of dark hair. His cheeks were kind of chubby. I could definitely see myself as I looked at him. Then he slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were perfect. It was a milk chocolate brown with blue and gold flecks.

"Welcome to the world, little Maddox," I whispered.

A/N

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