Fifty Three. Luke

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I pace the room as we wait. Ann finally stands and hugs me.
"They will be okay. Come sit, Lucas." She says and I sit next to her and Mike.
Kare walks back into the room. "Paisley is pushing. I didn't tell her about Scarlett. I couldn't." She shakes her head.
"Go be with her. She needs you." I tell her. She nods and hugs me.
"Update us." She says before her and Brett leave the room.
I stand again. Minutes seem too long. The tick of the clock seems louder than it is.
My eyes dart to the door as Cooper comes into view with a couple nurses and a doctor. In his arms is tiny Conor. I smile as I stand and look at all his hair.
The nurses have to do some tests on him and it's then that I see it; Cooper's eyes are red. He's crying.
"What?" I whisper as everyone looks at Conor.
"She passed out. She lost a lot of blood." He says.
"But she's okay?" I ask.
"I don't know." He shakes his head. "They made me leave."
My legs feel like jello and I have to grab onto his shoulder to steady myself.
"She's okay." I say. "She has to be."
Ann comes and hugs Cooper then me. "He looks like you." She says to Cooper. I try to smile. I don't want to worry her.
"How's my baby?" She asks Cooper.
He bites the inside of his cheek and sits. "She lost a lot of blood. They made me leave while they took care of her." He says. Ann's lip quivers as tears fill her eyes.
"She's a fighter. She will be okay." She nods.
Kare walks in and smiles at Conor.
"Hadley is here, too!" She smiles and looks at Conor. "I can't wait for Scarlett to get in here." She says. "Paisley is doing great! Hadley is adorable. She has Paisley's cute button nose and Cam's eyes. Her little blonde fuzzy hair melts my heart."
"Scarlett will be so happy." I say. Kare looks at me then to Cooper.
"Spill." She says.
Cooper can't say it again so I tell him about Scarlett.
"She will be fine." Kare says and wipes a tear off her cheek. "She's okay." She nods and Brett hugs her.
"I'm going check on Paisley." I say. She's like my little sister. I have to talk to her.
I walk next door and knock. She's sitting in bed in a pink gown and I smile as I look at little Hadley.
"She's cute." I say.
"We think so." Paisley smiles. "How's Scar?" She asks.
"There were some complications." I say and sit at the edge of her bed. "Conor is fine. He's perfect."
"But Scar?" She barely whispers.
"He wrapped his cord around his neck. They did an emergency C-Section and Scar lost a lot of blood. They kicked Cooper out of the room so we are waiting for an update."
"Oh God." She says.
"She will be okay though, right?" Cam asks.
"She swore she would come back to me. You know Scarlett wouldn't break that." I try and smile.
"She wouldn't." Paisley agrees.
I get to hold Hadley and that seems to ease some tension.
After a while, I head back to Scarlett's room. Ann is holding Conor so I sit next to them.
"Here Luke." She says handing Conor to me. I smile as I look at him.
"Hey buddy." I say. "You're pretty cute." He sleeps peacefully in my arms and I hold the closest thing to Scarlett I have. She wouldn't leave him. She wouldn't leave us.
Not by choice.
I finally give Conor to Ann again and head to Cooper's side at the window.
I don't say anything. I just stand next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
My eyes never leave the door.

I hear the wheels on the hard floor and my heart pounds rapidly in my chest.
Michelle and a few other people push the bed into the room. Scarlett is too pale. Her usual pink lips hold barely any color. Her brown eyes flutter open and they look dark; not her usual honey brown.
Cooper and I are at her sides before they click the bed into place.
"Hey." She smiles.
"You scared me." Cooper says and I realize he is crying.
"Yeah sorry about that. They said I lost a lot of blood."
"She's stable." Michelle says. "But we are going to have to check her levels every couple hours to determine if she needs a transfusion."
"Okay." I nod.
Ann comes through with Conor and hands him to Scarlett before kissing her cheek.
"He's perfect." She smiles and kisses his little head. She holds him close to her body and hums softly. "How's Paisley?" She asks.
"Good. Hadley is perfect." I say.
"Oh I can't wait to see her." She smiles. "Please tell her congratulations." She says.
"Baby, why don't you rest?" Cooper suggests.
"I want to look at him a minute longer." She smiles weakly.
My girl is exhausted. She's pale. She's weak; yet she's the most beautiful woman in the world.
Ann comes over and takes Conor for us and Scarlett falls quickly asleep. Cooper looks at her and I smile.
"Maybe you should rest with her." I suggest.
He nods and climbs in bed with her. He's careful but  she soon moves closer into his body. She looks so tiny next to him.
I break my eyes from them and head to talk with Paisley but almost run right into Kare.
"She's sleeping but she's okay." I tell her.
"Thank God." She sighs in relief. "Paisley just fell asleep. We can update her later. I'll text Cam." She says.
"Sounds good." I nod.
We head back to the room where everyone whispers around Conor. He really is perfect.
My chest tightens as I look at him. I realize maybe Scarlett and I won't have any of our own children because I don't want to chance losing her. Looking at the tiny baby before me, however, makes me know I will be happy enough with our sons.

My eyes glance to her as she sleeps soundly next to Cooper. I can't imagine life without either of them.
Scarlett is the greatest thing to happen to me and Cooper has grown to be my brother. I know he would have my back just as I have his.
We love the same woman, but maybe our situation isn't as weird as it seems. Scarlett will always be taken care of by both of us; always for keeps.

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