Hollywood What If Chapter 592
On the first day of July, 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios started with a bang.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs was released. The movie was well-received by both kids and adults. They liked the movie so much that it grossed over $1 billion. This was the first time Blue Sky Studios performed so well at the box office that they were congratulated by Rupert Murdoch himself. It was a great achievement.
20th Century Fox realized that they might stand equal against Walt Disney if they kept their performance strong. Especially with next year's release of Wall-E. This animated movie was written by Kazir Grey and directed by Christopher Nolan. It would further enhance Blue Sky Studios' reputation.
On the same day, July 1, Public Enemies was released. It was a drama movie distributed by Universal Pictures. Starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, the movie grossed over $266 million.
On July 10, a comedy movie titled Brüno was released and grossed $151 million. Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, this mockumentary comedy was distributed by Universal Pictures.
On July 15, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released. Obviously, Warner Brothers was confident in this franchise. After all, Harry Potter would remain one of the biggest movie franchises in the world, despite many fans hating J.K. Rowling. Just as Warner Brothers and many others expected, Harry Potter performed. Half-Blood Prince grossed over $1.1 billion. This is proof that Harry Potter will stay relevant for a long time.
On July 24, G-Force was released. This movie was about talking guinea pigs trying to save the world. Distributed by Walt Disney, it grossed $357 million.
On the same day, The Ugly Truth was released. This romantic comedy starred Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler. Distributed by Sony-Colombia, the movie grossed over $245 million.
These were the movies that performed well at the box office this month. Out of all of them, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince dominated the month of July.
Kazir didn't do much in July. He spent most of his time at home with Scarlett. The couple was just waiting for the days to pass in leisure. Then August arrived, and Scarlett's delivery was getting close. The couple agreed that they would go to the hospital three days before the due date just to be safe.
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...
The fluorescent lights of the hospital hallway hummed softly, but Kazir barely registered the sound.
His legs bounced restlessly. His fingers interlocked, then unclasped, then interlocked again. He was sweating despite the cold atmosphere. He glanced at the wall clock, reading the time. He had done this so many times in just an hour.
Every tick-tock of the wall clock felt like an eternity. The white walls of the maternity ward felt suffocating. Kazir was deeply nervous.
"She's been in there for almost two hours…" Kazir muttered. His voice was low and barely audible.
Beside him, his father, Victor Grey, sat silently. His arms were crossed, trying to keep himself calm.
Despite the distance, Kazir's family flew from New York to Los Angeles just to show support. They knew that today was important to Kazir. In fact, Victor had a camera ready to take pictures of this important event. He had done the same thing for the birth of Aaron's children.
The elder Grey might not have been blessed in love, but he was blessed with two sons. They were now successful and could stand on their own. And now, his youngest son would have little lives to take care of, a sign that Kazir had taken another step in the stages of life: fatherhood.
Kazir's older brother, Aaron, leaned forward and glanced at the doors of the delivery room.
"It's normal, right? Twins take time. They told us it could take longer, remember?" he said.
Kazir gave a stiff nod, but his eyes remained locked on the red sign above the doors.
DELIVERY IN PROGRESS.
His eyes moved back and forth between the clock and the doors.
In the hallway, Scarlett's relatives whispered among themselves. They were also waiting for the results.
They weren't loud, but Kazir could feel their presence. Every time they looked his way, he felt more pressure to stay calm. But it was impossible.
He now realized why men were on the edge of their seats whenever their partners gave birth. This was suffocating.
"She's going to be fine," Aaron said again, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder.
Kazir exhaled shakily.
"I know. I know that. But knowing it doesn't stop me from—"
The doors clicked open. A nurse stepped out, visibly exhausted.
"Is Scarlett okay?!" Kazir jumped to his feet.
The nurse gave a warm smile behind her mask and removed her gloves.
"Mr. Grey… everything went smoothly. Congratulations. You're the father of two healthy babies—a boy and a girl... Also, can I get an autograph and pictures? I'm a fan. Can I also get an autograph on my cleavage? I want to make a tattoo out of it, if that's fine with you, of course."
Kazir didn't register what the nurse said in the latter part.
"Uh... Okay."
For a second, Kazir just blinked. The words hit him like a wave. Indeed, boy, girl... He was now a father.
"She… is Scarlett okay?" he asked again, needing to hear it.
"She's resting. A bit exhausted, which is natural, but she's doing great. You can see her in a few minutes."
Kazir exhaled. All of his stress disappeared. His father stood up and steadied Kazir with a firm hand on his shoulder.
Aaron grinned wide. "You did it, bro."
Kazir looked around.
His family, Scarlett's relatives, and the nurse were all smiling.
He felt his heart swelling. For the first time tonight, he didn't feel fear, or stress, or pressure. Just pure, raw gratitude.
"They're really here," he whispered.
"I'm… a dad."
He wiped his eyes quickly, but he didn't care if they noticed the tears.
When the nurse finally gave the go-ahead after hearing the promised autograph (except the cleavage one), Kazir walked toward the delivery room like a man stepping into a new world.
Behind those doors waited his partner, his future, and the two little lives they created together.
And as the doors closed behind him, the hallway erupted in gentle applause and laughter. A new chapter had begun.