Hi so here is my new story. It's been in my head for along time but I'm just getting it up. Thanks to Rated-R-For-Randomness for betaing this.
Disclaimer:I own nothing except my Oc and the baby…and the general idea.
Please Read,Review, and Enjoy…Let me know what you think about this story
"One can pay back the loan of gold, but one lies forever in debt to those who are kind." - Proverb, Malayan
June 2006...
"Please... let this be over soon."
I groaned, but kept my hand firmly placed palm down over my protruding belly. The gesture did little to quell the distress that seemed to be growing inside of me. It was just a continual reminder that these past few months had truly been real... and that my life was going to soon be changed forever. Whether it was for better or worse had yet to be seen, but at the moment, all I could think about was the constant pain. The reason for all of my physical and mental strife was kicking inside me and wanting to come out.
I was about to become a mother... attheageofeighteen.
With my free hand, I nervously played with the fringed sides of my backpack while looking around the waiting room. Anything to pass the time and get my mind off of what was happening... and whathadhappened. My eyes immediately locked on a young girl clinging to an older woman's hand. She couldn't have been over the age of three and yet her irises held pure terror in their cerulean depths. The towheaded child started tugging on the appendage in her grasp, babbling about something I could not hear. The scene was enough for a wave of nausea to hit, but luckily I knew that there was nothing in my stomach to purge.
My eyes quickly left the child and moved to another couple. The man and woman must have both been in their seventies if not older and seemed very frail, the man hacking every couple of moments into his handkerchief. The woman was pressed against him, whispering into his ear while running a hand over his shoulders. She seemed to be soothing him - comforting him for whatever Hell he was about to face beyond those white doors.
I leaned back into my chair and closed my eyes tight as another contraction hit. My hand dropped from my bag and clenched the leather armrest so hard I knew that there were probably crescent shaped punctures in the material. At that moment, my one wish from the past months came floating back into my mind... IwishIdidn'thavetodothisalone. No matter what ailment had befallen the elderly stranger across from me, at least he had support... and love. Those two things were lacking in my life, and I was unsure as to what that meant for my unborn child.
I took a deep breath very slowly through my nose, as my teeth were clenched in response to the pain. I held the air in my lungs for a moment before letting it out gradually. I didn't have any type of pregnancy or childbirth training. I had no idea what to do or how to prepare. I never went to an OB/GYN aside from the initial visit when I discovered I was pregnant thus I didn't receive any follow-up care. If not for a former co-worker, I wouldn't have received any prenatal care. She was a mother of three and was able to give me a few bottles of prenatal vitamins. The rest was seemingly in God's hands.
As I continually tried to block out the pain of the contraction, I felt a gentle touch on my arm. The contact was enough to startle me and I jumped away slightly. My eyes slowly opened as I tried to calm my body enough to focus on anything other than the pain and the almost born child inside of me. I blearily blinked my eyes at the man squatting in front of my chair. His serene blue eyes pierced through the pain and gave me a sense of comfort. A total stranger was doing more with one look than any friend or family member had done during my nine months of pregnancy.
"Ma'am, are you okay?"
The contraction had subsided and the pain in my abdomen was ebbing away. I sighed and loosened my death grip on the armrest, bringing my hand to rest over its twin on my stomach. I gave the man in front of me a weak smile and nod, unsure of how to respond to his act of kindness. It wasn't something I had been accustomed to during my pregnancy, but I appreciated the small gesture. It was enough to prove to me that there was still some decency left in humanity... no matter what my recent past might have suggested.
Without the pain, I was able to get a better look at the man still crouching in front of me. His open three-quarter length baby blue button down shirt brought out the hue of his steely irises. The white undershirt clung to his strapping form, as well as the dark jeans that hugged every muscle perfectly. He was definitely a welcome distraction from the...
Pain! Another contraction shot through me and the flesh under my hands hardened in response. I cringed, my eyes falling shut once more as my left hand once again sought the comfort of the leather arm. Instead, my flesh came in contact with a warm, comforting hand. I squeezed hard and gritted my teeth as the pain radiated further than it had ever before. I knew for sure that this truly was the day my child would be born. I had already suffered through three false labors and was happy that this was finally it.
My grip on the warm appendage lessened slightly as my breathing helped calm the pain, but I was scared to let go. It had been so long since I had any comfort and was not ready to let this go. I felt his thumb lightly trace circles on my knuckle, as if he had read my mind... as if he was telling me that he wasn't about to break the hold. The pain centered in my lower back and I tensed up once more. I heard the man mumble something before standing, his hand never releasing my own. A moment later, I felt his warmth next to me, his shoulder brushing against mine.
The pain subsided as the contraction ended. I breathed deeply before opening my eyes, while my fingers straightened allowing the man to let go of his grasp. Yet he didn't. He continued tracing patterns with his thumb, doing everything he could to soothe my aching body. I looked over at his now seated form, too tired to be too inquisitive into his motives. I was more thankful than concerned or curious at the moment.
"You're going to be okay, mama," he said gently, his rich baritone voice soothing me almost as much as his tender touch. His lips perked into a small smile, his cheeks slightly dimpling in reaction.
"I'm..." I started weakly, my throat raw and my situation overtaking my emotions. "I'm not so sure about that."
He chuckled and was about to reply, but my death grip on his hand must have stopped him. The sharp pain returned and I fought to keep my eyes open. His eyes were a much better comfort than the darkness of my own eyelids. They fluttered, but never fully shut and I was able to get lost in the ocean of his irises. The duration of the contraction seemed much shorter than the last few, but I was unsure if it was accurate or just because of my companion.
"Christina Chambers?"
I perked up at the sound of my name and looked toward the white double doors leading to the innards of the hospital. For the first time since sitting down, I raised my hand from my swollen stomach and gestured to the nurse. The older, heavyset woman smiled and directed the attendant to my chair. The man rolled a wheelchair in front of me, raising the foot rests so I could fall into the chair easier. After an hour of waiting in this room, I was finally going to be leaving.
I was going to be a mother.
As the attendant continued to fix up the wheelchair, I tried to rise from my seat. It was hard to do in my condition and the slight,constantpain that I was feeling. Luckily, the man next to me noticed my difficulty and rose, using our entwined hands to pull me into a standing position. I smiled at him, reaching down with my free hand for my backpack on the ground.
"Is the bag for the baby or both of you?" the attendant asked, as he helped my kind companion situate me in the wheelchair. My hand slipped free from the blue eyed stranger's grasp and I had to try my best not to frown. Atleast,Ihadsomecomfortforalittlewhile.
I looked down at the ratty, old, sea foam green backpack and slightly blushed. There was no way I could admit the truth of my situation, at least not now... not with him in earshot. I tried my best to smile and turned to the older gentleman.
"It's for both of us," I replied, holding the bag against the bump of my stomach.
The nurse came over and rattled out some information to the man as he began to wheel my chair away. I glanced briefly into those deep blue eyes once more before concentrating on the white door in front of me. My hand subconsciously found its way underneath the bag and settled on the bump of my stomach once more. It was the only comfort I had left.
"Sir, are you coming with her or..."
"Um... excuse me," I spoke up, as the nurse nearby spoke to the blue eyed man behind me. She turned her gaze to mine and I shook my head. "He's not the..."
"Yeah, I'm going."
I stiffened in my chair, my eyes growing wide at the low voice that interrupted my own statement. Holding my hand in the waiting room was above and beyond the duty of being a gentleman. Actually, continuing the kindness... was quite startlingandodd. Yet before I could even think to interject, my body was racked with pain from another intense contraction. I gripped my bag tighter, my knuckles turning white as the pain felt worse than when I was sitting in the other chair.
"I'll catch up with you all later," the blue eyed stranger said as he returned to my side.
Through my half-lidded eyes, I saw that his gaze fell behind me and I figured that he must have had companions with him. I realized that I didn't even know why he was in the hospital in the first place. He didn't seem ill or injured, but it's not like every ailment could be seen with the naked eye. Yet I really didn't know anything about him besides that he seemed to have a good heart.
"Dude, I think you are taking the practice of kissingbabies to an extreme."
His friend's retort was met by a few cackles of laughter, but I was truly oblivious to it. The double doors were pushed open and the attendant wheeled me inside and started me down a long, cold hallway. I saw a few nurses chatting, a doctor with a clipboard walking purposefully to a room... everything felt so sterile and uniform. I didn't feel any presence beside me as the wheelchair continued its journey down the white hallway, but thought maybe he was just lagging behind.
We turned a corner and I was met with the metal doors of an elevator. The pain had receded and I was able to focus once more. My eyes darted from side to side as the attendant hit the "up" button and stepped away from my chair. He made no effort at communication and I was content at that. I focused on the doors in front of me and stared at the slightly distorted reflection.
There were only two figures reflected back and a frown made its way to my lips. Itwastoobigtodreamthathewouldhaveactuallycame,wasn'tit? I shook those thoughts from my mind. After all I had been through, I was not going to become dejected at the fact that astranger was not there to hold my hand. It was ludicrous to even fathom that that emotion could even be felt. His friends had probably convinced him that it was a daft decision and I couldn't blame them in the slightest.
The chime dinged signally the arrival of the elevator compartment. As the doors slid open, the attendant returned to his position behind the chair and wheeled me inside. The compartment was empty and he turned me around so I was facing the doors once more, making it easier for us to exit upon our arrival at the designated floor. He hit the third floor button and the doors slowly slid shut. Yet before the two sheets of metal could converge, an arm shot through the small opening. The doors slowly opened and the edges of my lips perked up.
Pain shot through my abdomen and I let out a small squeal as the pressure was becoming too hard to handle. The man quickly rushed into the compartment and detangled my fingers from the green canvas they were clutching. Fabric was replaced with flesh and I sought his eyes as the elevator began to make its way up the two stories. It was hard to pay attention to the awkward inappropriateness of this situation when my body felt like it was being ripped apart. And truth be told, I wasn't thebest when it came to commonsense in the first place.
The elevator halted, the dinging noise coinciding with the doors opening. Another white hallway that was too cold to be comfortable. I shivered from pain and being chilled as I was wheeled down the hallway and into the Maternity/Pediatrics wing of the hospital. Pushing through the cherry wood doors, we entered another white (but this time tealaccented) hallway. The nurses at the desk smiled and called out a room number and I was quickly wheeled down the hallway.
Room Number 3011 was my final destination and I stared at the white linen bed in fright. I had felt the uneasiness of giving birth many times over the past month. With each false labor, they grew worse and worse. Now, actually being here, my apprehension came back harder than ever. Yet at least I wasn't alone as I had originally planned to be.
"Christina Chambers, right?" a brunette woman asked as she came up alongside my chair. I peered around the massive muscular form beside me and nodded with a small smile. "I'm Isabella and I am going to be the attending nurse for your delivery. We are going to get you all set up and situated so the doctor can take a look at you, but first I need you to get into this."
The nurse held up a standard medical gown and placed it on my lap. She took the bag away from my bump and placed it on a chair nearby. The original attendant flipped down the foot rests allowing my feet access to the floor. With some help, I was able to stand and waddle over to the bed. The nurse pulled the curtain around the area to give me privacy. My last contraction had subsided, but I knew I had likely less than a minute before another one arrived. I quickly peeled off my oversized tee and unlatched my bra.
I looked down at my exposed protruding stomach, knowing that the next time I saw it, it would be much flatter. I ran my fingers lightly over the stretched, hard skin and sighed, thinking about what the future held for the two of us. My current personal philosophy of getting through one day at a time wasn't going to fit with a newborn in tow. The baby was going to need constant care and support, something I was unsure if I could provide.
I pushed those thoughts from my mind as I pulled the gown over my form, leaving the cloth straps untied to have it hang loose. I pulled my black track pants and underwear down simultaneously, groaning slightly at the sight of the pinkish liquid. When I left earlier, there was only a light spotting of blood. With this amount of liquid, the baby must have been close to arriving. I tried my best to hide the soiled clothes as best I could, pushing all of the garments in the plastic bag that was lying on the bed. My outfit was the only non-tattered clothing I owned and I didn't want the staff to take them from me because of a little blood.
"Are you finished in there?"
"Yeah," I sharply exclaimed in response to the nurse, as the pain began once more.
My legs almost gave out, but my companion was quickly there to steady me. The nurse took the bag of clothes from the bed and pulled back the white sheet. I barely registered being laid back on the mattress as the pain was so great. My eyes flickered shut as I felt a clip being placed on my finger. A cuff was also placed on my arm and pumped as the nurse began to take my blood pressure. I felt something push at my lips, opening my eyes slightly to see a disposable thermometer being thrust at me. I parted my lips and let the white piece of plastic situate correctly in my mouth, all the while trying my best to keep the tears from my eyes.
The pressure was becoming far to great and my mind kept fearing the worst. Maybe something was wrong with the pregnancy. From what I did know, teenage pregnancies weren't always the safest... especially someone with really no prenatal care. I didn't smoke or drink, tried to stay away from unhealthy foods, but I still felt as if I had let my child down. But I truly couldn't help the situation I was forced into.
The thermometer was removed from my mouth after the cuff deflated. The clip was removed from my finger as the nurse scribbled down some notes on her clipboard. I sighed as the pain quickly returned to being manageable and I reached up to wipe the few tears that had formed away before they fell. It was then that I noticed the man beside my bed, looking down on me with an expression of concern.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, reaching out to fix the gown that had fallen off my shoulder.
"Tired," I mumbled with a sigh. His fingers glided down my bare arm and a chill went down my spine. No matter how kind he was being, this just didn't seem right. I opened my mouth, but stalled as I saw the nurse was too close by. Yet she quickly smiled and walked out of the room and I knew that it might be the only time I had to ask a certain question that had been lingering in the recesses of my mind. "Who are you?"
He chuckled at the question, his blue eyes twinkling in the light of the room. I had been wanting to ask since the waiting room, but felt no real need. He was just ahelpfulstranger then. Yet now, things were a little more personal. He was going to take part in one of the biggest occasions in a woman's life. I didn't know anything about him besides for his eyes being as captivating as the deepest ocean.
"You can't be tired yet," he replied, dodging my question and returning to the answer of his own. "You still have awhile to go."
For the first time in our whole onehourrelationship, I was irritated at him. I hadn't exactly asked him for help. I was grateful, still a littleskittish, and now aggravated that the one piece of information that I wanted he was withholding. I sighed and glowered up at him.
"I had to walk around four miles to get here with contractions that got worse with every step I took," I grumbled, responding to his joking statement. I figured that if I gave him more information about me, maybe he would open up slightly. I wasn't asking for much... a name was all my brain wanted. "The trip took around six hours and then there was that great long wait I had to endure down in the waiting room."
"You were in no condition to be walking about. Why didn't you just get someone to drive you?" he asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. "Or call a cab or better yet an ambulance?"
I scoffed at his reply with a shake of my head. Ifheonlyknew... I wished that my life was as easy as it once was. I took so many things for granted , but now... I knew what it was like to have almost less than nothing and try to survive.
"I am not about to explain myself to you when I don't even have the slightest clue who you are," I vented, just as another contraction hit.
I screeched and grasped for the metal railing on the bed. Instead of cold metal, my hand found warm flesh and I groaned. No matter how frustrated I was at him, the small sense of support was welcomed. As it had been for some time now, the contractions had become too painful to talk through. I knew that our conversation was likely finished for the rest of the delivery. I shouldn't have been focusing on him to begin with.
Through the pain, I noticed the door open and Isabella returned with another woman in tow. She introduced herself as Dr. Rose and asked a few questions, but I didn't have the ability to talk. Honestly, my brain hadn't even registered what she asked. Every synapse seemed focused on the pain and pressure I was feeling. She turned to the man next to me and asked another question. He shrugged his shoulders.
"You would have to ask her that," he replied with a charming smile. The pain subsided and I sighed, swallowing even though my throat was as dry as the desert.
"What do you need to know?" I asked breathlessly, trying to calm my body down the best I could.
"I see that you answered much of the medical history questions downstairs, but I need to get a few from you personally," the doctor said with a smile, seemingly trying her best to be as soothing as possible.
"Ask quickly," I muttered, knowing that if another contraction came, I would be unable to truly communicate.
"Is this your first pregnancy?" she asked, turning her gaze to the clipboard in her grasp.
"Yes," I mumbled, looking away from the gazes of the three occupants of the room.
"And this is your husband, correct?" she asked, pointing her pen between the two of us.
"Not exactly," I mumbled with a forced smile on my lips. "He's... he's... well, he's..."
"We're engaged," my companion replied quickly. I turned to him in shock, but he continued speaking to the doctor. "Her present condition may have sped up our relationship, but I'm going to be there for her and our child.
"Well, at least you will be making it official then," the doctor replied with a small smile. I looked over at the man next to me and gave him a bewildered expression. I didn't want to lie to the doctor. I didn't feel right about it. Yet here he had gone and told a tall tale that I would never be able to reverse. He shrugged his shoulders with a small boyish grin on his lips before turning his attention back to the doctor. "Has the amniotic membrane ruptured?"
"What, what?" I asked quickly, staring at her as if she had grown another head, while also trying my best to put what had just occurred to the back of my mind.
"Hasyourwaterbrokenyet?" she replied, the smile never leaving her lips as she reiterated her query in laymen's terms.
"Oh, yeah," I replied with a nod. "About two hours ago... I think."
"And you are just being admitted now?" the doctor asked as her eyes slightly narrowed, solely focused on my lying form. "You should have been here at least an hour ago."
"Well, I uh... I had to walk here," I said with a shrug and small sheepish laugh. "I didn't have a ride and..."
"It's my fault," my companion spoke up, stalling my fumbling and stammering. "I was supposed to pick her up, but didn't hear my phone at work."
"You could have called an ambulance," the doctor said.
"I have already had three false labors," I explained with a shrug. "I wasn't sure at first if this was another one or the real thing. By the time my water broke, I was already on my way and didn't have a phone to call for any help."
The doctor's expression slightly softened as she handed the clipboard to the nurse beside her. She nodded her head at the man before turning back toward the bed, playing with some of the metal bars and mechanical switches until she had gotten the bed to her liking.
"I need to check you now to see how far you're dilated," she said, lifting up the sheet and spreading my feet about.
I felt the cold metal of a few of her instruments press against my flesh. The coldness was soon overtaken by pain as another contraction came. My hand was quickly grasped as he tried his best to keep me calm. He had even took up breathing in sync with me, something that helped calm my brain even though my body was beyond alleviation.
"Just as I suspected: you're fully dilated," the doctor replied, even though I could barely hear her through the ringing in my ears. The pain seemed to be affecting every part of my body. "It seems like you have been in transitional labor for the past half hour."
"Should we check the fetal heart ra..."
"We don't have time to get the monitor hooked up," the doctor said, cutting off the nurse's suggestion. "The baby is ready to come out and we have to get her pushing promptly."
"Isn't this a little fast for a first pregnancy?" the nurse asked, as I came down from the agony of the last contraction.
"She has likely been in labor all day," the doctor replied, turning away to prepare for the delivery.
Nowonderthecontractionsweremuchmoresevere... my body was trying to expel my baby into this world. Yet I was afraid that I wasn't sure if myworld was really ready to house him or her yet. I could barely take care of myself, but soon I was going to be the sole caregiver for another life - oneIcreated. As much as I was excited, I was also petrified that things were only going to be going from bad to worse; that I would not only ruin my own life but that of a perfectly innocent child.
I tried my best to push all of those thoughts from my mind. There were much more pressing matters at hand, specifically the growing discomfort that I was feeling in my abdomen. I tried my best to suppress any sound, but a high pitched wail emanated from my throat. My hand was grasped and a low baritone was whispering comforting things in my ear. Not like I could truly make out the words, but just the tone helped my mind relax. My body was beyond relief, but at least I knew that it would be over soon.
During the contraction, Dr. Rose and Isabella got everything set up for the delivery. A table of medical instruments was rolled near the end of the bed by a man that I had yet to meet. I figured he was another nurse or attendant for the procedure. The mattress was raised and situated into a birthing position. Isabella came toward the bed and pushed the wood footboard down, allowing the doctor full access. She grabbed a warm sheet from the new attendant and laid it over my bottom half for modesty as she moved my legs into the correct configuration. As soon as I was in the correct position, I felt the urge to push. It seemed as if my baby didn't want to wait any longer and was ready to come into the world.
"Would you like to help or are you just going to observe?" Isabella asked the man whom was still gently holding my hand.
"I'll do anything Christina allows," he responded with a small grin, gesturing his head to my lying form.
Hearing my name come from his lips startled me. I wasn't surprised he knew it as the nurse had used it earlier, but it sounded so foreign coming from his lips. And it made me feel uneasy that he knew so much about me and I didn't even know his name. He was a stranger and was actually willing to take part in the delivery of my child. It didn't make sense and I wasn't sure that I wanted his help.
"Andy, you can hold her leg and brace her knee on the right side and her fiancé will take the left," Dr. Rose said before I could respond.
I tried to interject, but the male attendant was already showing the man the correct way to support the leg. I sighed and realized I was left with no other choice: he was myfiancé after all. ToobadIdidn'tevenknowhisname.
I felt a strange sensation when the next contraction hit. The doctor was not in position and the attendant was still trying to get "myfiancé" to hold my leg properly. Yet I just had the feeling like I needed to start pushing. It was more pressure than ever before and the pain was heightened in certain in areas. I sat up slightly and started to push.
"Doctor, I think she is ready," Isabella said while I continued to push.
"I'm right here, Christina," the man whispered, reaching out to try and hold my hand. When I stopped pushing to rest, I swatted it away. I continued to pant heavily and stare into his confused blue depths.
"Just do what the nurse told you to do," I murmured through gasps of air. "I don't need any more comforting from you."
"She'll forgive you when your child arrives," Isabella said with a laugh, as she handed a cloth to the doctor who was now between my legs. "She is probably blaming you for all of the pain."
Both he and the nurse shared a chuckle as I shook my head. When I found out I was pregnant months ago, this was not how I pictured this moment. Unknown doctor, unknown hospital... unknownfiancé. I had pictured parents crying and my boyfriend holding my hand, telling me that I was the most beautiful woman in the world and our child was a blessing. Yet my reality was far from my ideal reverie.
For the next few contractions, Dr. Rose instructed me on when and how hard to push. I was trying my best to follow along but most of the times I just went with what I felt. Holding my breath and pushing at the same time was zapping a lot of my strength and the pain was becoming absolutely unbearable. I felt as if I was tearing in two and every push contributed to the rupture.
"Alright, Christina, with that last push, I think you baby is about to crown," Dr. Rose explained. "With the next contraction, I need you to push real hard. You will feel a lot of pressure, but most of the work is almost over.
"I... can't," I whimpered, gasping for air after my last contraction. I shook my head from side to side and my glassy eyes let some of the tears trail down my cheek. "It hurts so bad."
"Can't you give her something for the pain?" my companion asked, concern etched in his tone.
"It's too late," Dr. Rose explained. "She does not have an IV in to administer any medication and besides, the baby is almost out. Just a few more hard pushes should do it. If she had managed to get here sooner, all of the proper precautions could have been taken, but as I explained, she was in labor most of the day. There wasn't much I could do. Besides, the lack of an epidural usually shortens the actual delivery part of labor."
The next contraction hit almost as soon as she had finished speaking. I groaned and quickly put my chin to my chest, pushing with everything I had. The pain needed to end soon. I couldn't take much more. When the contraction subsided, the pressure had alleviated slightly. I panted and rubbed my sweat covered forehead on the mattress, trying to get the hair from my eyes. My companion must have noticed my difficulty, as he reached over and brushed the hair away. He gave me a heartwarming smile, that almost made me forget the fact that he was still a total stranger.
"Almost there," he murmured, wiping a few stray tears from the corner of my eye.
I just nodded my head and looked away from him. The doctor was instructing the nurse to get some instrument as they prepared for the next contraction. From the slight relief of pressure, I hoped that the end was near. For the first time, I had a dire need to see my child. After all I had been through to get to this moment,Ineededmychild.
"I have rotated the shoulders and with the next push..."
My wail of anguish stopped her statement as she quickly turned her attention back to my child. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and began to push once more. I heard the nurse speaking to me, but didn't even try to process the words. I was too lost in my task. The doctor told me I could rest, but I refused, shaking my head from side to side.
"No, still in pain... baby needs to come out," I muttered through gritted teeth. My contraction had yet to subside and I was not going to wait for the next one. The time was now - Icouldfeelit.
I pushed and pushed until black spots appeared before my eyes. With the last bit of my strength gone, I fell back against the mattress. But something felt different. I was still in pain, but the pressure was...
"Waaa!"
The cry pierced the air and all of my pain fled. A small, bluish, bloody mass of flesh was laid on the sheet on my chest. The baby wriggled around and I fought the urge to touch him. I was unsure if it was safe, but my motherly instinct was too great. I brought my finger out to the baby's hand and began to cry when our skin touched. Mychild...
Isabella reached over and picked up my child. I tried to reach out to keep the little bundle with me, but knew that this was all part of the procedure. I closed my eyes and tried to relax, but my motherly impulse was just too strong. I needed my child back in my arms.
"Do you want to cut the cord, Dad?"
I opened my eyes at Dr. Rose's query. I saw the man blush a little before turning to catch my gaze. I shrugged my shoulders, not truly caring at the moment. Anything that would get the child in my arms as quick as possible was fine with me. The man looked away before nodding. Isabella held out the slightly clean child while the doctor handed him the tool and showed him where to cut. It was then I noticed for the first time that my child was a boy.
A boy with beautiful blue eyes.
When the cord was cut, the man returned to my side. My son was taken to the other side of the room as the nurse had him checked out and cleaned up. I kept my eyes focused on my son, until my companion reached for my hand. I turned to him with a small, tired smile on my lips. With my free hand, I crooked my finger his way. He looked at me slightly confused, but complied leaning down close to my own lying form. I leaned up and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek.
"Thank you... for everything," I whispered, before letting my head fall back against the pillow.
There was still so much mystery about the man, but I was sure I would never find out. Most pertinent was his motive for his actions. I wasn't used to finding kindness in strangers yet he went above and beyond anything I could have imagined. Now that the pain was diminishing, I could think a little clearer and knew how much I owed him for his help. I had felt more secure and in control because of his presence. Even though I would never see him again, I knew he would always have a place in my heart because of today.
I turned my attention back to my son at the far end of the room. He was wiped clean and being swaddled in a cloth. A knitted hat was placed on his slight tuft of downy hair. I saw his arm reach out and swat at the nurse and could tell already that he was my son. He had my stubbornness right from the womb. I smiled as Isabella returned to my side with my newly cleaned and bundled son. My arms reached out instantly and he was soon placed within my grasp.
His blue eyes blinked open as he seemed to be taking in the world for the first time. I smiled down at him and mouthed a few words of love. It was amazing how quickly one could feel such an unconditional love for another person. That was what is was though... a love that could never be broken.
"I'm John, by the way. John Cena."
My eyes slowly rose from my son to the man still huddled next to the bed. His eyes held my gaze for a moment before flicking down to the squirming newborn in my arms. His eyes gleamed and he tentatively reached out a strong hand toward my son. He ran a finger along the thin porcelain arm as my gaze alternated between the two. My son was still getting used to being out of the womb and my companion -John - was seemingly in awe of what new life truly looked like: so fragile yet full of energy, so small yet large in heart.