Growing up too fast

Chapter 22

Merediths POV
Oh dear God. What the hell am I gonna do now. What is Zola going to do now? Crap– Zola! What am I going to tell Zola? Not only did he just leave my grandson without a father and my daughter without... whatever they were, he put me in a pretty awful situation. I'm not sure whether or not to wake Zola, So I decide against it and go upstairs.
"Andrew. He's gone."
"What? I'm right here. How was your shift?" "Not you. Michael."
"What do you mean?"
I answer the question with a stern yet distressed look that seems to do the job.
"What do I tell Zola?"
"She doesn't know? He left without saying goodbye?"
"Yes, he left right after I opened the door."
He shakes his head as if thinking something he won't say aloud, adding "Just come get some rest. I'll help you tell her in the morning."
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"Zola sweetie, come sit down," I say motioning for her to sit next to me and Andrew on the couch once I see her walking down the stairs. "Where's Michael?" She says, and Andrew and I exchange a glance. I can tell he senses the reluctance and pain in my expression. After a moment, he answers the question when he realizes I'm not going to.
" Zo, Michael left last night after you fell asleep. We don't know why. But he's not coming back. His mother dropped the lawsuit, but- " he shakes his head with nothing more to say, And Zola's expression goes dark.

Zola's POV
I want to feel sorry for myself. I want to curl up on the couch with my mom and cry and scream and throw things. But I don't, because I have a little boy. Michael has a little boy. But that didn't seem to mean much to him after all. I know that having a baby doesn't mean I can't meltdown once in a while, but Issac just lost a father. He's got a village, yet that won't be enough to make up for what he's lost. And he'll never even know that he's lost anything. He won't remember, and I won't be the one to tell him about the guy who had held him and loved him and put his life on pause for him. Because all he'll here is that he left him.
I nod, Pick up Isaac out of his swing, and walk up back upstairs. I don't feel it. I can't feel this.
I hold baby, studying every feature. Every wrinkle, every dimple, every scar from his dozens of surgeries.
"Hey. I'm Micheal." He looks me over with a crooked grin, leaning against the wall with a can of coke.
"I know. Wow, that sounded- I'm Zola."
He laughs.
"I know. You look great, Zola. Love the dress."
"Thanks," I say, feeling like it's a little early for him to start flirt with me but a little late to care.
"Hi, baby. You want the lion? Look- rawr!" My dad had given me that lion when I was a baby, and my mom suggested I passed it down to my baby.
He grabs it from my hand and sticks it in his mouth, and I run my fingers through the beginnings of his sweet, dark, curly hair. He makes a little "coo" noise, and gives me the biggest smile. If only he knew.
"Are you sure you wanna do this?" He asks, breaking our kiss.
"Yeah, I'm sure." I say, unzippering my dress.
I lean back into him, hardly ever coming up for air.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
I sing whatever stupid lullaby comes to mind, rocking in the cushy chair with him in my arms until he's asleep.
"Zola? Are you okay?" Andrew says, appearing in the doorway. "Mom was gonna come check on you but she's really upset, so I called aunt Maggie and asked her to find something for her to scrub in on. You know how she likes her work."
I smile at this because I know it's true. I've spent hours of my life watching from the OR gallery as she saves lives with sheer focus and precision.
"I'm okay. I-" I stop myself, not wanting to get into it. "We're fine."