With a gentle turn and push of the knob, Simon entered the office. His once furrowed and troubled brows rose when he saw someone he instantly recognized. She held onto the baby she was excited to deliver. He knew how much she loved her daughter from how she would talk about her belly. She and Emily. She was a nice young girl and Emily liked her a lot. So much so that she continued to talk about her the morning of Jr.’s birth wondering what happened. Her name was on the tip of his tongue. A sweet and endearing name his wife spoke about after their paths had crossed.
On instinct, Cherish gripped onto Jasmine’s small body. She shook her head and kissed over her baby girl’s face, “I love you so, so, so, so much.” She whispered painfully before kissing her again.
Thinking on his toes Simon spoke, “Cherish. There you are. Thanks for waiting for me. I’m ready to go now. Come on, let’s get you home.” He said flicking his gaze between them.
“W-what?” She whispered turning her head. She rubbed the thick gobs of tears from her eyes. Simon caught sight of her dark features, switched Jr. to his other arm, and approached. He set his hand on the highest part of her back. Cherish’s eyes widened as soon as his face came into view. She had met him and his lovely wife two months prior. They were both pregnant, excited, and happy to bring their children in the world. They were getting along rather well until Todd came and dragged Cherish away; something he did often.
Her eyes looked down to the baby tucked in his arms and his beautiful wife was nowhere to be found. Simon. That was his name. Cherish’s heart sank and a seed of emptiness pitted in her stomach. Her lips parted with a hint of confusion. She stared up at Simon’s eyes and saw they were just as bloodshot as hers. Able to figure out what he was doing, she nodded, “T-thank you, Simon.” she whispered under her breath.
Meeting eyes with the security guard standing behind the chief, he made himself clear that he was there for Cherish, “Could you wheel her to the front? We’ll fill out the sheet and be out of your hair.” He said with an air of confidence. One that came from the many cases in court he’d dealt with over the years.
The chief glanced between them, “I’ll be damned.” He whispered to himself. He couldn’t tell her no. Someone had come forth who knew her by name. By law, they had to release her into the world with the satisfaction that the entire situation had been remedied.
Leaving the room, Simon blew out and instantly questioned what he’d done. His stress levels were at an all-time high but in the back of his mind he couldn’t forget Emily’s voice. Cherish was in ruin and Emily wanted to help her before she was forced away. Now, it seemed like the half decent thing to do in Emily’s memory.
He approached the front desk to sign them out. He looked over Cherish’s discharge papers and saw he would have to use his information as her contact info. Hesitating for a moment, Simon wrote it down. Handing the paperwork back, he waited for Cherish with all she needed. Maybe they could find out what to do next but at this point he wasn’t sure. He was simply acting on a whim.
Cherish kept her arms around her little bundle who’d drifted back to sleep. The nurse wheeled her around to the front with Simon; the stranger. She couldn’t help but look around to see if Emily was waiting in the lobby. A part of her hoped her conclusion was wrong but once Simon dotted the I on his name and turned to walk out, it was very clear that her first hunch was correct.
Simon paused and released a painful sigh as he looked towards the door and saw Cherish waiting for him instead. He approached the nurse who followed, and an awkward silence followed. The nurse offered to hold Jr. while he went around to fetch the car. Carefully, he handed his son to her. His feet felt heavy as he stepped off the curb away from the last place that saw Emily alive.
Once Simon was out of earshot, Cherish stared up at the nurse; the same one who helped her over the past three days, “Thank you.” She whispered to her. The nurse nodded as Cherish stretched her neck, “May I see him?” She asked. She tilted her body towards her so she could see his chubby face. Tearing up in her emotional state, Cherish blew out, “He’s beautiful.” She whispered quickly before glancing down at Jasmine and kissing her daughter’s forehead in wait.
Getting to his black BMW, Simon sat in the seat and caught sight of Emily’s white cardigan. His features distorted as he picked it up and stared. She had griped and complained that a cardigan was too hot for the beginning of June. He insisted she bring it along which she stubbornly agreed. The cardigan still smelled like her and he suddenly felt triggered. Would it be like this for every room he cleaned in their house? Every belonging he had to pack away?
Folding her sweater, he set it down on the backseat with a huff. Simon was overwhelmed with dread as he swallowed the lump in his throat. He drove around to the front where Cherish and Jr. waited. The car came to a stop as he got out and took a hold of his son, “Let me get Jr. in and I’ll help you up, Cherish.” He said going
