Chapter 4
"It's a girl!" The call rings out just before a tiny wail joins the sigh of relief that goes around the delivery room. After one of the longest delivery's in the hospitals history with many complications along the way Ephram and Amy Brown's daughter was born. Ephram kisses Amy's sweat covered forehead before leaving her side to watch them clean his newborn daughter.
Within minutes the two week early baby is placed in her father's waiting arms for the first time, Ephram stares down at the tiny baby in his arms feeling a rush of love and dedication for his daughter unlike any he had ever felt before.
Cuddling the pink bundle to his chest Ephram walks toward his wife, someone has helped Amy so that she is sitting up when Ephram reaches her. With arms open and welcoming Amy accepts the baby running her fingers over the babies' soft cheek, "happy birthday baby."
"What are you going to name her?" Andy asks peering over the pink blanket to stare down at his first grandchild.
"We decided on my first choice and Ephram's first choice." Amy responds kissing her daughter gently on the forehead.
Delia wrinkles her nose, "but Ephram, your first choice is so weird."
"It's Shakespeare Delia, it's from Hamlet." Amy states.
Delia nods, "and that doesn't make it any less weird."
"Ophelia Hailey?" Nina asks.
Amy wrinkles her nose, like Delia had only moments before, "no we really didn't like Ophelia for a first name."
"Hailey Ophelia?" Sam asks.
Ephram ruffles Sam's hair, "that's right, Hailey Ophelia."
Ephram jolts awake to the sound of something crashing on the floor below him. Pulling the door open and hurrying down stairs Ephram finds Delia emptying glass shards into the trash can.
"What happened?" Ephram questions.
"I just got distracted and dropped my class, that's all, no biggie ." Delia shrugs.
"Oh," Ephram nods.
"So Ephram can we talk?" Delia asks.
"Sure." Ephram responds pouring himself a cup of coffee, "where is everyone else?"
"They wanted to give us time to talk, they went to breakfast ahead of us, we can meet the later if you want." Delia suggests.
"Nah," Ephram waves his hand, "I'm not hungry." With his words the two siblings sit at the table, "so what is it that you need to talk to me about that was so important everyone had to clear the house?"
Delia bites her lip and then lifts her left hands, "I'm engaged."
Ephram stares stunned at the solitaire diamond ring on her left ring finger, "what?" Ephram explodes. "I didn't even know you were dating anyone seriously."
Delia shifts uncomfortably in her seat, staring at the wood grain on the table and Ephram questions, "so who is he?"
"He's really great." Delia states quickly, "I met him at a health club, and we've been seeing each other for 7 months, since I started back at school."
"So? What's his name?" Ephram questions."
"Bright..." Delia mumbles.
"You mean more than one person would actually name their poor child Bright?"
"No, it's Bright Abbot." Delia responds.
Ephram states shocked a this sister for the second time in 2 minutes, "are you insane Delia? You can't marry Bright Abbot. First of all, he's entirely too old for you! He's dumb as a brick and you are way to good for him."
Delia holds her hands up, "Ephram stop it. I love Bright, and he loves me too. And not only that he treat me like a princess and he has a good so he can support both of us while I go to law school. But Ephram, most importantly he makes me happy." Delia's voice is firm through all of this but her tone changes when she takes Ephram's hands, "we don't really want a big wedding. But we are getting married the first weekend in June, and I really want this wedding to be all right with you. But if you must know we are getting married either way. But I want your blessing."
"Delia..." Ephram begins thinking of everything possible to talk his sister out of this engagement.
"Ephram please." Delia pleads.
"There's going to be no talking you out of this will there?" Ephram questions and when Delia shakes her head he adds, "then fine you have my blessing."
"I know this is a lot to take in...but there's one more thing." Delia states returning to biting her lip.
Ephram sighs, "what is it?"
"Bright is coming up from Denver and we are having dinner with the entire Abbot family, meaning Amy will be there."
"I see." Ephram murmurs.
"So I understand if you don't want to go." Delia adds quickly.
Ephram brushes Delia off as he stands up, "don't worry about it. With you and Amy getting married we are bound to run into each other many times n the future so I'll be there."
Delia moves to her feet quickly and she stands in front of her older brother, "thank you so much Ephram."
"For what?"
"For letting this be OK with you, I was so worried that you would take this badly."
"What would I take this badly Delia?" Ephram asks.
Delia shrugs, "I just, I know how things have been...everythign has been so stressed between the Brown's and the Abbot's for a long time now, and I'm just glad you are OK with it."
"I'm OK with it." Ephram states and turns to go back upstairs, but after a step he stops and turns back around. "Dad's not taking it well then?"
Delia blushes, "I never said that."
"You insinuated." Ephram retorts. "What's going on between Dr. Abbot and Dad?"
Delia shrugs, "you know same old same old." And with Delia's words she quickly hurries past Ephram and up the stairs before anything else can be said.
A/N: Did everyone pick up on the Ophelia thing?
"It's a girl!" The call rings out just before a tiny wail joins the sigh of relief that goes around the delivery room. After one of the longest delivery's in the hospitals history with many complications along the way Ephram and Amy Brown's daughter was born. Ephram kisses Amy's sweat covered forehead before leaving her side to watch them clean his newborn daughter.
Within minutes the two week early baby is placed in her father's waiting arms for the first time, Ephram stares down at the tiny baby in his arms feeling a rush of love and dedication for his daughter unlike any he had ever felt before.
Cuddling the pink bundle to his chest Ephram walks toward his wife, someone has helped Amy so that she is sitting up when Ephram reaches her. With arms open and welcoming Amy accepts the baby running her fingers over the babies' soft cheek, "happy birthday baby."
"What are you going to name her?" Andy asks peering over the pink blanket to stare down at his first grandchild.
"We decided on my first choice and Ephram's first choice." Amy responds kissing her daughter gently on the forehead.
Delia wrinkles her nose, "but Ephram, your first choice is so weird."
"It's Shakespeare Delia, it's from Hamlet." Amy states.
Delia nods, "and that doesn't make it any less weird."
"Ophelia Hailey?" Nina asks.
Amy wrinkles her nose, like Delia had only moments before, "no we really didn't like Ophelia for a first name."
"Hailey Ophelia?" Sam asks.
Ephram ruffles Sam's hair, "that's right, Hailey Ophelia."
Ephram jolts awake to the sound of something crashing on the floor below him. Pulling the door open and hurrying down stairs Ephram finds Delia emptying glass shards into the trash can.
"What happened?" Ephram questions.
"I just got distracted and dropped my class, that's all, no biggie ." Delia shrugs.
"Oh," Ephram nods.
"So Ephram can we talk?" Delia asks.
"Sure." Ephram responds pouring himself a cup of coffee, "where is everyone else?"
"They wanted to give us time to talk, they went to breakfast ahead of us, we can meet the later if you want." Delia suggests.
"Nah," Ephram waves his hand, "I'm not hungry." With his words the two siblings sit at the table, "so what is it that you need to talk to me about that was so important everyone had to clear the house?"
Delia bites her lip and then lifts her left hands, "I'm engaged."
Ephram stares stunned at the solitaire diamond ring on her left ring finger, "what?" Ephram explodes. "I didn't even know you were dating anyone seriously."
Delia shifts uncomfortably in her seat, staring at the wood grain on the table and Ephram questions, "so who is he?"
"He's really great." Delia states quickly, "I met him at a health club, and we've been seeing each other for 7 months, since I started back at school."
"So? What's his name?" Ephram questions."
"Bright..." Delia mumbles.
"You mean more than one person would actually name their poor child Bright?"
"No, it's Bright Abbot." Delia responds.
Ephram states shocked a this sister for the second time in 2 minutes, "are you insane Delia? You can't marry Bright Abbot. First of all, he's entirely too old for you! He's dumb as a brick and you are way to good for him."
Delia holds her hands up, "Ephram stop it. I love Bright, and he loves me too. And not only that he treat me like a princess and he has a good so he can support both of us while I go to law school. But Ephram, most importantly he makes me happy." Delia's voice is firm through all of this but her tone changes when she takes Ephram's hands, "we don't really want a big wedding. But we are getting married the first weekend in June, and I really want this wedding to be all right with you. But if you must know we are getting married either way. But I want your blessing."
"Delia..." Ephram begins thinking of everything possible to talk his sister out of this engagement.
"Ephram please." Delia pleads.
"There's going to be no talking you out of this will there?" Ephram questions and when Delia shakes her head he adds, "then fine you have my blessing."
"I know this is a lot to take in...but there's one more thing." Delia states returning to biting her lip.
Ephram sighs, "what is it?"
"Bright is coming up from Denver and we are having dinner with the entire Abbot family, meaning Amy will be there."
"I see." Ephram murmurs.
"So I understand if you don't want to go." Delia adds quickly.
Ephram brushes Delia off as he stands up, "don't worry about it. With you and Amy getting married we are bound to run into each other many times n the future so I'll be there."
Delia moves to her feet quickly and she stands in front of her older brother, "thank you so much Ephram."
"For what?"
"For letting this be OK with you, I was so worried that you would take this badly."
"What would I take this badly Delia?" Ephram asks.
Delia shrugs, "I just, I know how things have been...everythign has been so stressed between the Brown's and the Abbot's for a long time now, and I'm just glad you are OK with it."
"I'm OK with it." Ephram states and turns to go back upstairs, but after a step he stops and turns back around. "Dad's not taking it well then?"
Delia blushes, "I never said that."
"You insinuated." Ephram retorts. "What's going on between Dr. Abbot and Dad?"
Delia shrugs, "you know same old same old." And with Delia's words she quickly hurries past Ephram and up the stairs before anything else can be said.
A/N: Did everyone pick up on the Ophelia thing?