Anything for You (Blue Heron #5)(89)

“I know. But listen to me, Colleen,” he said firmly. “This is a great day. Your daughter will be born today.” His eyes stung abruptly. “And you’re gonna do great, sister mine.”

There was a screech of brakes outside the restaurant, and Lucas burst in, thank all the saints in heaven. Connor stepped aside, and Lucas took his wife in his arms. Said something low and reassuring, smiled at her and kissed her quickly. “Turn your backs, boys,” he said. “I’m gonna take a look.”

Connor obeyed, and fast. So did Rafe, who nonetheless held his phone over his shoulder for a picture. A dull, pounding ache rolled through Connor’s back.

His poor sister.

“Call 911,” Lucas said. “Mia, you don’t mess around. I can see the head.”

* * *

CONNOR’S NIECE WAS born half a block from O’Rourke’s. The ambulance had arrived in time to pack Colleen up, though she begged them not to touch her and practically bit Gerard when he got her onto the gurney. Ten yards down the street, the ambulance stopped.

Isabelle Grace Campbell was helped into the world by her father, as well as Jeremy Lyon, who would now drink for free for the rest of his life; Jer had heard the call over the scanner and raced in from his office; and Gerard Chartier, who admitted that he’d always wanted to see Colleen’s girl parts.

“You can come in now, Uncle Connor,” Lucas said, smiling broadly from the doorway of Colleen’s hospital room. “You okay?”

“Just much, much older than I was this morning,” he said. “Has my hair turned white yet?” He shook Lucas’s hand, then hugged him. “Congratulations, brother.”

Then he went inside and saw his sister holding a little pink burrito, and his eyes filled up with tears.

“Connor, meet your niece and goddaughter,” Colleen said, and her whole face was shining. “The most beautiful baby the world has ever seen.”

She was, too. A thatch of black hair, fat little cheeks, a tiny rosebud mouth. Her eyes were closed.

“Can I touch her?” he asked.

“You can hold her.” She handed the baby over to him, and before he could protest, his niece was in his arms. “Hey,” he breathed. The baby pursed her lips and opened her eyes, then, apparently unimpressed, closed them again.

His sister’s daughter. His niece. Another female to protect. And he would. She had tiny, perfect eyebrows and the cutest nose ever, and she was so tiny, it was just incredible.

Isabelle Grace. His little sweetheart.

“You did great, Colleen,” he said, and his voice was husky.

“It was an exciting twenty minutes,” she said, then laughed softly. “Oh, your face. I wish I’d had a camera. Lucas, we should’ve filmed Connor.”

“We were a little busy. Connor, can I have my daughter?” Lucas took the baby, kissed her head and stared down at her, enraptured.

Connor’s arms felt empty without her, his niece. Though he’d known it was a girl, the word filled his chest with a warm pressure. His twin sister’s baby. “You feeling okay, Coll?”

“Kind of like a superhero, actually. You want to hear how many stitches I have?”

“I’ll pay you not to tell me.”

Just then, their parents came in. “Oh, Colleen!” Mom said, bursting into tears. “She’s beautiful!”

Pete went to Colleen’s side and kissed her forehead. “Thank you for the granddaughter, sweetheart. Oh, gosh, she’s just perfect.” His eyes were wet, and he glanced at Connor. “Heard you did great, son.”

“He was moderately okay,” Colleen murmured. “He didn’t faint, I’ll give him that.”

“Our grandbaby, Pete,” Jeanette said, and Lucas turned a little so Pete could see. “What’s her name?”

“Isabelle Grace,” Lucas said. “Your daughter picked it.”

“Isabelle was Lucas’s mother’s name,” Colleen said. “And Grace because but for the grace of God, she wasn’t born in a restaurant kitchen. Connor, it was quite sloppy. What you saw was just the start. There was blood, there was—”

“Stop torturing your brother,” Lucas said. “Tell them instead how incredible you are. She was incredible,” he said to his in-laws. “Two pushes, and the baby was out.”

Pete put his arm around Mom. “She looks just like Colleen, doesn’t she?”

“She does. So much like her.” She gave him a watery smile. “Savannah’s going to go crazy, I bet. An aunt at age ten.”

Pete smiled. “I’ll pick her up from school and bring her right here, if that’s okay, Colleen.”

Strange, to have his parents getting along. And nice that Dad hadn’t brought Gail along, or that Mom hadn’t brought Ronnie. For the moment, it was just the biological grandparents. Maybe, though, it was a little nice, given that Lucas’s parents were dead, that this baby would have step-grandparents.

Grandparents. Gail was a step-grandmother. The thought made Connor smile.

“All right,” he said, “I have a kitchen to sterilize in bleach. I’ll come back later, okay?” He went to his sister and bent down to kiss her head. “Nice work, Dog-Face. I’m proud of you.” He shook Lucas’s hand again. “Congratulations, grandparents,” he said to his parents.