60. Wisps of Gold

"You know, it was so painful seeing him," she said, as his thumb caressed her back. "I thought I had been over it and it all came back the moment I laid eyes on him. Isn't that crazy?"

"I'd say it's pretty normal," Percy said. Some emotions are so strong they follow you for years especially if you don't feel like you got the closure you wanted."

"Okay, Dr. Phil, thank you for your wise words," Thalia smiled. She pressed her face into the crook of his neck and inhaled his scent. She was going to greatly miss this.

"I think this is exactly what you needed," Percy said. "It's hard to explain, but you seem lighter now. Like a great weight was lifted off your shoulders." Thalia thought about his words and the more she thought about it, the more she realized he was right. Things were starting to get better, even if it was painful at times. No one said growth was easy, but it was absolutely worth it. She would be meeting her baby sibling soon, she had finally been able to forgive her mother, and even though she would be losing her first love, she couldn't have imagined continuing life without him stopping by. They watched the sunset from the rooftop as bright orange rays painted the darkening sky.

"I should be heading home now," she said after a length of absolutely comfortable silence.

"Of course," Percy responded. They went back inside where she grabbed her things and headed out. Percy watched her as she walked over to her own building and went inside. As she stepped into the apartment, the smell of buttered popcorn hit her.

"Oh, just in time! I was just about to watch a movie. Do you want to join?" Thalia's mother called out from the kitchen. Thalia walked in to see her mother holding a bag of hot popcorn by the corner, three snicker bars, a jar of pickles and peanut butter, plus two sodas.

"Um… that depends on the movie," Thalia said as her mother struggled to carry things, using her bulging stomach to help her. Her mother shrugged with the stuff in her arms.

"As you can see, I'm having a hard time deciding on anything," she responded.

"Okay, well, why don't we play the very first thing that pops up on Net –" Thalia began, but she stopped abruptly as her mother dropped everything in her arms onto the floor. Thalia dropped her bag and ran over.

"Mom! What's wrong?" Thalia asked frantically looking her over for any clues.

"Thalia…" she said, slowly turning to her, her eyes wide.

"No," Thalia said as it started to dawn on her. "I'm not ready, no!"

"You're not ready? I'M NOT READY," her mother yelled back. Thalia's heart started beating fast as she helped her mother out of the junk food mess on the floor and into the living room. Her mother started hyperventilating. Thalia grabbed her arms.

"Okay, relax, breathe," Thalia said. "It's gonna be fine. Everything is going to be fine, okay? Let's not freak out."

"We never practiced!" Her mother yelled.

"I know! I know! But we got this!" Thalia responded. "I'm gonna go get your robe and we're just gonna go to the hospital, all right?" Thalia ran into her mother's room and rummaged around for a robe or light coat to put over her pajamas. As she searched, she called Percy.

"Hey baby –"

"Not right now, I got a baby alert. Is your mom home? I have no idea what to do!" Thalia rambled. She didn't even hear Percy respond before Sally was on the phone.

"Thalia dear, what's going on?"

"Baby! What do I do?!"

"Stop panicking for one," Sally responded calmly. "It can take hours before anything happens, although the contractions are painful. Just get to the hospital. Would you like a ride?"

"Yes please," Thalia squeaked. There was a lot she could handle, but what does one do when a human being was about to pop out of another human being? It wasn't long before Sally and Percy were knocking on her door. Lilah was on the couch trying to be calm. Sally walked over to her while Percy stayed with Thalia at the door, who was furiously googling stuff about births and babies. She kept putting it off, coming up with a new excuse every time, and now she regretted every minute of it. What did she expect was going to happen? That her mom would just be pregnant until Thalia was ready for it? Indefinitely?

"Hey," Percy said. He put his hand over her phone and lifted her chin up with his other hand. He smiled at her and his green eyes twinkled. His eyes usually looked like a violent sea one must tread carefully, but now it was calm and it washed over her.

"It's all right," he said. He held her hands. "We got this." Thalia smiled back as her panic began to subside although there were still dangers ahead. She couldn't relax completely. The ride to the hospital was silent besides Lilah occasionally grunting due to the contractions. Once at the hospital, she was taken away for initial care until they allowed Thalia into the room. Lilah immediately reached out for her hand. Thalia took it.

"Would you stay in the delivery room with me?" Lilah asked quietly. "I'm scared," she whispered. Thalia tightened her grip. Her mother was sweating and in clear distress. She hadn't realized it until now that besides Thalia, her mother was completely alone. Thalia, herself, wasn't that much different. All they had was each other. Her mother didn't have someone to share in baby kicks or gender reveals, or even picking out a name. All she had was Thalia.

Thalia choked up a little. Her father leaving had left them both hurting and instead of turning to each other for comfort, they turned away. Two people, both alone and both heartbroken, living in the same space. In hindsight, it seems so silly now.

"Of course, I'll stay," Thalia said. Her mother closed her eyes in gratitude. Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long before her baby sibling was ready to make their grand debut. When the crying filled the room, Thalia's heart flooded with joy she didn't think possible. Something that she had absolutely dreaded was now bringing tears to her eyes. Eventually, the nurses brought the baby over and Thalia stared in disbelief. It was a baby boy with little wisps of golden hair and blue eyes. She suddenly felt a wave of familiarity and comfort hold her in a warm embrace but she couldn't place why. Everything in the world felt right like someone had whispered, everything is going to be okay, Thalia.

"He's beautiful. Does he have a name?" one of the nurses asked with a smile. Lilah stayed quiet for a moment. Thalia realized they had never even talked about names and was about to deflect the nurse's question when her mother responded.

"Jason."