Shelter in the Jungle (COMPLETED)

Chapter 18: Hours

The hours slowly crawled by as Amy waited. She was worried; which she figured she should be because the person that should be worried wasn't there. She wanted to be in the delivery room with Laura, because Mike wasn't there to be with his wife; he still hadn't made it home.  Amy dozed off a few times and paged through some outdated magazines with half their pages missing. Nothing was helping the time go by any easier.
    Just then Jeff showed up. He was carrying her canvas tote bag and a large paper cup.
"I bring books and a chocolate milkshake; just for you. I took the liberty of the house key and grabbed some books from your room." He said cheerfully.
"You're a lifesaver!"  She said, as he half-hugged her, weighed down by his load. They sat down next to each other and Amy pulled out her battered, dog-eared copy of To Kill a Mockingbird.
"Just how often do you read?" Jeff asked her.
"Any time I can; I go to the library almost every other week."
"What's the best book you ever read?"
"Toss-up between The Diary of Anne Frank and this. Poetry-wise I like Khalil Gibran and The Little Prince."
They talked for a long time, about what they had in common. Eventually, Jeff brought up a sensitive subject.
"What happened to your parents?" he asked.
"I hardly even remember them. All I know is that they were alcoholics and drug users.  They would disappear for days at a time, never caring. It was Mike who took care of me; cooking food, laying out clothes, giving me baths. He was more like a father than a brother, and he never picked on me. One time, our parents didn't come home for almost a week and a half. Mike used a stash of money in the house to buy food, but people started to talk. Eventually, some people from school called CPS, and we ended up in foster care. I don't think we heard from our parents; it's like they disappeared off the face of the earth. Mike and I stayed together all those years. He was my hero....and he still is."

It was just moments later that Mike arrived. Amy almost cried when she saw him. She ran into his arms, and he hugged her for the longest time, realizing that she had gotten a little taller while he was gone.
"I'm happy you're home." She said.
"I'm glad you've helped out so much." He said, kissing her on the top of the head. "I've got someone I want you to meet." He gestured, and a nurse carried Yoon in.
"This is Yoon. She's going to be part of our family, too."
Amy looked at the little girl's big brown eyes and her black hair.
"She looks like the geisha dolls you gave me when I was little."
Remembering   who was watching them, Amy said "This is Jeff, he's my boyfriend."
Mike felt a pang of sadness then, knowing that his little sister was growing up fast, and he had missed so much of it. A nurse came into the waiting room, and ushered Mike, Amy, and Yoon into Laura's room.
Laura hugged her husband and sobbed, her breathing heavy from prolonged labor. 
"Our baby's on the way and you made it in time." She said through heavy tears.

And after one more hour, 7 pounds 2 ounces, 18 inches Jaqueline Diana came into the world, making the family from four, to five.
Jeff watched them all from the hallway, a happy family that he was glad to know.