The Drug Dealers Handbook

Chapter Twenty

Morgan's POV

The next afternoon I went to the hospital to see Mariah. The lady at the front desk directed me to their room, but when I got there, a nurse was just walking out and said with a smile, "Give them a minute, they need some time alone," I nodded and slid down the wall across from their room and waited. 

Weston showed up a few minutes later and gave me a questioning look. 

"They needed some 'alone time'," I explained, then patted the ground next to me, signaling him to sit. 

"I bet Ben is scared shitless," he said with a laugh. 

"I bet he actually turned on the waterworks," 

"Are you brave enough to take that bet, Morgan?" Weston asked with a cocked eyebrow. 

Smiling, I nodded and we shook on it, just as Ben opened the door -eyes wide and face pale- and told us we could come in. 

"He was totally crying," I muttered to Weston, smirking. He nodded in agreement and passed me a ten. 

Mariah was lying in the hospital bed, looking exhausted and smiling at one of the tiniest creatures I had ever seen that was resting in her arms. "Oh, my god," I exclaimed, running my fingers over the babies cheek. 

"Morgan, Weston, this is Grace," she told us, though she seemed completely consumed by her daughter. 

"She's so tiny." Weston said in disbelief. "How is she so small?" 

Mariah and I laughed a little bit, but Ben was still standing stick straight, staring at Grace as if she were an alien. 

"Come on now, Ben," I started, "I want to see you hold her,"

"Yeah, show us those skills you learned in parenting class," Weston piped in. In response to our words, Mariah looked up at Ben and busted up laughing. 

He glared at her and clenched his fists. "Shut up, 'Riah." 

"He's worried that if he holds her, he'll break her," she explained. "He's hardly touched her at all," 

"Definitely scared shitless," Weston whispered in my ear, but to everyone else he announced, "Ben, you're going to have to hold her sometime," 

He was still glaring at us as Mariah passed him Grace and instructed him how to hold her to unsure her head was supported. But as soon as he looked at his daughter, his expression softened. He even smiled a little. 

"This is a candid moment if I ever saw one," Weston joked. 

"I'm thinking a caption that says something along the lines of: 'Father finally gets over fear of holding child,'" I added. 

Only Weston laughed, and Ben took to glaring at us again. "You guys are assholes," 

"We know," Weston responded for the both of us. 

The three of us watched Ben rock Grace back and forth, and with every moment that passed, the fear began to ebb off of his face. It was quite beautiful really, seeing a boy who no one expected to be able to handle fatherhood, turn into a man who was able to bare the burden of a child. 

At least until Grace began first with a small whine, which soon turned into a loud, uncontrollable wail. Then the panic lines returned to Ben's face, and he handed his daughter back to Mariah. 

"It was precious while it lasted," I teased. 

Mariah laughed along and adjusted Grace into a position so that she could feed her. "Care to give me some privacy?" she said to the boys, but made clear that she wanted me to stay.