A House Divided Read Online Free PDF

him to be a good father.
    One of the NICU nurses walked over to Charlotte, the one who looked to be no more than in her late twenties. Still, she seemed extremely knowledgeable. “He really is the cutest little thing we’ve seen in a while. We all just love him.”
    “Thank you,” Charlotte said. “And, of course, I agree with you.”
    All three nurses laughed, as did Charlotte and Neil.
    “We’re very happy for you, Dr. Anderson,” one of the other nurses said. “We’re happy for your entire family.”
    “That’s very kind of you, Donna. How nice of you to say such wonderful things and take such great care of little MJ.”
    Donna stood next to Charlotte. “You can touch him if you want.”
    “You sure?” Charlotte asked, and also looked at Neil.
    “It’s fine,” the nurse said.
    Neil smiled. “Of course. Go ahead.”
    Charlotte’s stomach fluttered. She didn’t know why she was so nervous and excited, but maybe it was because she hadn’t felt this overjoyed since the day Matthew was born and then the day when, well…Marissa had come into the world. Charlotte remembered how elated she’d been as soon as she’d laid eyes on her new baby girl. Her daughter’s birth hadn’t happened without controversy, what with Curtis questioning whether Marissa was actually his daughter and then Charlotte having to work as fast as she could to figure out a way to pay off a DNA technician so the results could be falsified. But once all that had been taken care of, she and Curtis had welcomed their new child and loved her with all their hearts. Even Matthew had loved his baby sister from the beginning, and life had been good.
    Charlotte smiled at her latest thoughts, but then sadness overcame her. She always tried to forget about all the ugliness, particularly the fact that Marissa had been a bad seed with serious mental issues and that as she’d gotten older, she’d shown signs of deception. She’d purposely done cruel, evil things on the sly and with a smile on her face. For some reason, Marissa had loved Curtis, but whenever Curtis left for out-of-town speaking engagements, Marissa had always treated Matthew and Charlotte like they were hated enemies. But Charlotte knew she couldn’t help herself, and that her actions were a result of her heredity. Aaron, Marissa’s biological father, the man Charlotte’s first affair had been with, had been diagnosed with serious mental issues and had been institutionalized before Marissa was born. Sadly, though, Marissa had eventually fallen to her death, and ever since then, Charlotte had longed to have another baby. She’d mentioned it to Curtis a few times, only to learn that he didn’t think it was a good idea because of all the marital problems they’d been having over the last few years, but even when she didn’t talk about it, her desire to have a child never waned. It was the reason she desperately needed to be around her grandson.
    “Go ahead,” Neil told her again. “It really is okay.”
    Charlotte looked at the purple latex gloves she’d slipped on before entering the nursery, took a deep breath, and reached her hand through the round opening. She grabbed little MJ’s hand and admired each of his tiny fingers. Oh, how she loved this little baby with her entire being. She knew she hadn’t given birth to him, but her feelings for him were no different than if she had. She would protect him at all costs and would give her life for him if she had to. He was only a day old, but he was everything to her.
    “He’s so absolutely beautiful,” she said, her voice shaking and eyes watering. “He’s just perfect.”
    “He certainly is,” Neil said, standing next to her and admiring his little grandson. “I never expected to be a grandfather so soon, but I wouldn’t trade him for anything.”
    “Same here,” Charlotte said, caressing the baby’s fingers while watching him stretch his tiny little neck and arms and move his legs. He never opened his eyes,