Forever Mine: Callaghan Brothers, Book 9(57)

“Third. How is she?”

“Excellent. I wish all of my patients were as cooperative,” he chuckled.

It was an effort to refrain from wiping that smile right off the guy’s face. “Can we see her?”

“Soon. We’re trying to find a room for her now. As you can tell, a lot of little ones decided tonight was the night. It happens every time there’s a full moon.” The doc reached down and ruffled Kane’s hair. Kane scowled back at him, making Jack proud. “In the meantime, I hear they’re serving chocolate ice cream in the cafeteria tonight.”

“Chocolate ice cream!” Jake repeated excitedly after the doctor made his exit. “Can we get some, Dad?”

The last thing he felt like doing at that moment was navigating the crowded cafeteria. He wanted to see Kathleen, to see for himself that everything was all right. He wanted to hold her hand and kiss her lips and tell her how much he loved her. He wanted to hold his newborn son, count his fingers and toes. But he also knew from prior experience that it would take time for the doctors and nurses to check out the baby and clean him up; the same went for Kathleen. None of that mattered to him, he’d seen far worse, but since he had the boys with him, he would force himself to be patient.

“Sure. Maybe we’ll even pick up a little extra for your mom. I’d say she’s earned it.”

It took much longer than expected, but Jack, Kane, and Jake were eventually directed to a semi-private room. Kathleen was sitting up in bed, looking tired but radiant and holding a swaddled bundle in her arms.

Her eyes met his, and he swore that in that moment, he fell in love with her all over again.

“Come on in,” she said softly, “and meet your little brother.”

Jack lifted both Kane and Jake onto the chair beside the bed so they could peek over the railing.

“Yep, he’s a Callaghan,” Kane said.

Jack leaned over and took in the black hair and bright blue eyes. He looked just like Kane and Jake had, though maybe not quite as big at only nine pounds, eight ounces.

“What are we going to name him?” Jake asked.

“Ian,” Kathleen said with a smile. “Ian Patrick Callaghan.”





Chapter Twenty-Two




September 2015

Pine Ridge

“Everything okay, Dad?” his third-born son asked, breaking into his reverie.

“Aye. I was just thinking about the day you were born.” His lips curled at the memory. “I’ve never seen your mother come so close to thumping another woman as she did that bubble-headed nurse.”

Michael laughed at that. “I’d forgotten about that. She messed up the birth certificates, didn’t she?”

“Aye. Your mother and I wanted to name you Ian, after your great-grandfather. But things were chaotic that night, and the overworked lass got the names mixed up. You became Michael Patrick Callaghan, and the woman down the hall took home Ian Constantine Delvecchio. Sure enough, Michael is a fine name,” Jack continued. “But Erin had already claimed it for her firstborn.”

“It did make for some awkward moments during family get-togethers,” Michael grinned.

“Aye, it did at that.”

“Why didn’t you have it changed?”

“Ach. A tangle of red tape. Plus your mother said you didn’t really look much like an Ian anyway,” Jack laughed. He tried to picture Michael as an Ian and it just didn’t work. “She was right about that. So. Why have you sought me out?”

Michael shrugged. “Do I need a reason?”

“No, I suppose not,” Jack said carefully. “But knowing you, you have one.”

“Yeah, okay. I thought you might like to do something today, away from here.”

Jack turned his gaze back to the fields below. He did want to get away. The farm was beautiful and Maggie was bending over backwards to accommodate him and make him feel welcome, but this feeling of being dependent upon others weighed heavily. He hated the post-bypass restriction of not being able to drive for six weeks, and that he couldn’t come and go as he pleased.

“What did you have in mind?”

“I thought I’d leave that up to you.”

Jack didn’t hesitate. “I want to go to the Pub.”

Michael grinned. “Thought you might.”

Good man, Michael.

Before long they were on their way into Pine Ridge proper. When they arrived at the Pub, Michael pulled around and stopped in front of the back door, but made no move to get out of the car.

“You’re not coming?” Jack asked.

“No. I’ve got some stuff to do at the hospital. I’ll be back for you in a few hours. Only once up and down the steps, and slowly. Doctor’s orders. And if that isn’t enough incentive,” Michael smirked, “I’m telling Maggie.”

Jack acknowledged Michael’s gift with a nod. That was the difference between men and women, or at least one of the many. Much of a man’s sense of dignity came from doing things for himself. When he had to depend on others, he felt like less of a man. Kathleen used to say that kind of thinking came from a lingering strand of cavemen DNA, and maybe she was right. He’d been raised by a generation where gender roles were far more rigid than they were today; his parents’, even more so.