NovelEnglishFrom the moment the doctor announced the baby's arrival, Dorothy's eyes were brimming with tears. Everett gently wiped them away several times before finally warning her that if she didn't stop crying, he'd take her home. That seemed to do the trick, at least for the moment.
Jeffrey and Karen exchanged a flurry of words until the doctor cto check on her. Only then did Jeffrey step away from the bedside, allowing Dorothy to lean in.
"Karen, you're such a trooper! Congratulations, you're officially a tnow." she said.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Yeah... childbirth is brutal, Dorothy... I don't think I can go through this again...” Dorothy offered a wry smile, “Jeffrey just said the sthing." "That's right! Once all this is over, I'm getting a vasectomy!" Jeffrey chimed in, only to receive a sharp look from Karen. There he goes again, speaking his mind with elders around.
Their conversation continued, with Kenneth standing quietly in a corner of the room and watching the family's joyful reunion. Suddenly, he felt someone approaching him.
Looking up, he saw Everett.
"Were you the one with Dorothy when she went into the delivery room?" he asked.
"Yes," Kenneth nodded, his response void of any boastfulness, simply answering Everett's direct question.
"It was quite critical then, wasn't it?" "Dorothy's situation was far more dire." Kenneth's eyes narrowed slightly as he recalled the tense moments, "The doctor had to cout to call the family several times, issuing multiple critical condition notices. I could see the blood on the doctor's clothes. That was Dorothy's blood." The fear he experienced then was indescribable. He wanted to collapse just like Jeffrey did moments ago. But he couldn't afford to. Outside the delivery room, it was just him and Karen. If he faltered, Karen would be utterly helpless.
Just hearing Kenneth's account was enough for Everett to picture those harrowing moments.
What was he doing at that time? After a long silence, Everett asked softly, "Got a cigarette?" "You want to smoke?" Kenneth asked instinctively before immediately realizing the redundancy of his question. He patted his pocket and handed one over.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmEverett took it, then stepped out of the room with Kenneth following.
"They'll be talking for a while longer. I'd just be in the way there." Kenneth explained, uncertain if Everett was listening.
The two of them, one after the other, made their way to the hospital's outdoor corridor. Everett lit the cigarette and then passed it back to Kenneth.
Kenneth noticed something was off with Everett.
"What's wrong? Tell me!" he exclaimed.
"Do you think things would be different now if I had never agreed to the divorce years ago?" Everett took a drag, his eyes downcast, and his voice was slightly hoarse. S In a moment of impulsiveness, he had agreed to the divorce and letz Dorothy go. That decision made him miss the births of his children and left Dorothy to endure hardships alone. Now, by holding onto his pride, he wasn't there to protect her, allowing Quincy to schagainst her.
Though it was due to her elmomentary lapse in judgment,. ultimately, if he had been there Quincy wouldn't have targeted her. He knew that Dorothy's trust in Quincy and her guard down enough to drink what was offered were all because Quincy had once saved him.
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