“What is your name? We don’t know each other well enough for me to call you ‘daddy’?” I smile at him to break the tension.
“Not my particular kink, anyway.” He laughs. “Garrett Havlin. Everyone calls me Ephraim.” He reaches out a hand to shake, though his dark eyes never stray from the tiny human being in the case. “And…um.” I watch him swallow hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I guess I’m his abba now, my brother, my twin, Gage, died about 6 months ago. He was actually his…” He removes his baseball cap with one hand, running the other through his short dark red hair.
I step closer, on instinct, and wrap him up in a hug. His body stiffens for a moment, then melts into my smaller frame. “I’m sorry for your loss—”
“Every loss has a gain. You may not know of its existence, but there is always a balance, I just had to wait several months to be shown all that I have gained.” He squeezes me tight to him, then releases me to walk closer to Aiden.
“Has someone named him?” He asks, quietly, mesmerized by his nephew.
“His mother referred to him as Aiden a few times, the nurses stated, but she left without filling out any of the paperwork.”
“Yes. I was informed that all that tied him to my brother was his road name.”
“Road name?” I ask.
He glances at me briefly. “We belong to a motorcycle club, Golem Guerillas, we each use a road name, mine is Ephraim, Gage’s was Manasseh. I understand that all she knew of my brother was his road name. I don’t suppose they took the time to well acquaint themselves before getting to know each other in the biblical sense.”
I nod my head in understanding, but don’t offer any words. I’m not sure what to say. He lost his brother, his twin brother, then months later learns he has a nephew who is fighting for his life.
“Could you…could you explain what his medical condition is? Why he is required to be in the NICU, why his heart stopped?” He poorly attempts to stifle his sob.
I place my hand on his thick shoulder, guiding him to the chair I was sitting in. “I can get his nurse if you’d like. I’m currently off duty, so she should probably explain it to you and what to expect from this point on.” I make a move towards the pod entrance, but he grabs my wrist, halting my movement.
“Please.” God, he sounds so broken. “I’d rather you explain it…” He trails off and I realize I haven’t introduced myself.
“I’m so sorry. My name is Priscilla Pipilini. I am a pediatric and neonatal ICU nurse. I apologize if you think my actions inappropriate, I just haven’t been able to shake the little guy from my thoughts since he was brought in.”
He shakes his head, “No, don’t apologize for giving him comfort. All we ever really need in life is to know we aren’t alone, even from birth we cry out for touch, a tether to this world we are so unfamiliar with.”
“His mother did not receive any prenatal care, so she was unaware that she was Rh-, while his father would have been RH+.”
“Is that like B+ or O-?”
“Yes. Typically, when this situation presents itself, doctors will provide a medication to take that can prevent any harm to the baby or mother during the pregnancy. Especially during delivery, blood can transfer, and the baby’s body will see the mother’s blood as foreign, activating an immune response to fight. He has what’s known as HDN, Hemolytic Disease of Newborn. Aiden has been given transfusions. He is improving; however, he was born with an enlarged liver and spleen, severe anemia and some swelling. He was also born three weeks early.”
“Will he recover?”
“Yes. He is already proving to be remarkably strong. It will take some time, though, and maybe that might be helpful to you, so that you can ease your way fatherhood.”
Garrett meets my eyes, the dark brown burning me from the inside out. “Thank you, b’shert.”
Choosing to overlook the term I am unfamiliar with and the emotion emanating from this man, I decide it’s best I take my leave. “If you have any questions, any of the nurses or doctors will be happy to help you.”
“Are you leaving? When will you be back?” His voice borders on desperate.
“I will be back tomorrow at 7 a.m.”
“I look forward to it.” His smile is magnificent, even as I can tell he doesn’t use it nearly often enough.
I leave without a word, because frankly I don’t know what to say. Abby breaks me out of my thoughts, “Priss, are you finally going home?”
I nod, “Yes, I was just talking to Aiden’s uncle. He will have some questions, as they always do, but I did explain the basics of what’s going on.”
“Alright, be careful, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I wave my hand in the air above my head, and head to the locker room. I have a strong urge to call my mom, and my uncle Wesley to teach me some Hebrew.
Garrett "Ephraim” Havlin 2.
“Hey, little man. I’m your uncle Garrett.” I gently lay my hand on the outside of his case, watching his tiny chest move up and down. I find myself getting lost in the seconds between, watching, waiting for the next rise.
“Your abba was my brother and my best friend. Even though he was older by 2 minutes and 37 seconds he was always carefree and lived life with no regrets. I imagine” I break off to swallow a sob. “I imagine not meeting you would be his only one. I promise, he didn’t know you existed, because if he had he wouldn’t have missed a moment of your journey to get here. He may not have
