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Seeing his wife experiencing so much pain tore at Mac's gut more than he ever thought it would. He knew it wasn't bravado on his wife's behalf that she was trying her best to avoid getting an Epidural, but besides having fear of the procedure, but because she had heard of plenty of occasions where after the discomfort of the process, it didn't take, or the numbing medication only took on one side and the mother was left in agony. Hope did not want to take a chance on going through this. She was going to find the strength to cope with natural childbirth.
Somehow.
"There. good job, love," Mac whispered to his wife, wiping her brow and face with a cool clothe after the contraction ceased. "You're doing great."
"Don't go," she whimpered, gripping his hand. "I need you here."
Deep down Hope knew that Mac would never leave her but at the moment she needed to hear him reaffirm it.
"Sweetheart, I'm not going anywhere," Mac whispered to her, stroking her cheek and softly kissing her lips. "You couldn't get me to leave."
As her birth partner, Mac had made sure he memorized as many tips to help his wife as possible.
"Want to go walk for a little bit? We'll go as slow you want," Mac suggested.
Hope shook her head "no." At this moment she felt her legs would give out from under her if she stood, even if Mac was there to catch her.
Lindsay had told him this tip. Walking did squat for speeding up labor or relieving the pain, she had told him, but it did provide mental distraction. In fact, Danny and Lindsay were in the waiting room, ready to give any extra support—for either or both parents.
The expectant parents had arrived at the hospital at five a.m., three hours ago now, The Messers had arrived just thirty minutes ago.
And had settled in for the long haul.
Lindsay had dropped in the labor room to reassure Hope-as someone who had been in the same position, that she would be all right and she would get through this.
"I know it doesn't feel like it right now," Lindsay said, squeezing her friend's hand, looking her in the eye. "But you will."
Danny had noticed his boss and friend starting to unravel. Danny took him for a walk in the hall while his wife stayed with the laboring mom, helping her breathe through the contractions.
"It's bad, Danny," Mac said to his friend as soon as the two men were in the hall and out of earshot of the women. His voice was nearly quivering. Despite his military medic training, police training and then the prenatal classes he and his wife, seeing his wife in labor was a million times harder than Mac Taylor had ever expected. Danny told him he knew what he meant but there was going to be an end to this, a wonderful one even though it was going to be rough getting there.
Nine hours and counting. Lindsay glanced at the clock on the waiting room wall. Danny had gone home to their daughter. Hope was still coping without pain medication, even if it was just moment to moment. That was the only way to cope with labor, unless mom was medicated Lindsay thought. She would leave and go home to her family momentarily. her fingers crossed Mac would call soon after.
In the birthing room Hope whimpered, tiny tears gathered on her cheeks. Mac wrapped the mixture tears and sweat from her face and moved her hair back.
"You're doing so good," he whispered.
The doctor told them not to worry, everything was going fine. Hope was progressing and the baby was doing fine.
"It's not going to be much longer," she assured them.
But Mac knew that "not much longer" in the doctor's language meant hours. A long time for a patient in labor. Finally after twelve and a half hours of labor, the last thirty minutes of Hope being the phase of what was referred to as "transition," the doctor announced that Hope was fully dilated and ready to push. Mac was already in a set of hospital-issued green scrubs for when delivery time came. Right now he was positioned near the bottom of the bed supporting her left leg, counting,encouraging and praising her as she pushed with all her might.
"Excellent, honey. You're going great! C'mon, keep it up!" He told her, his voice full of emotion. Mac had no concept of time now. Forty-five minutes later he blinked back tears of elation at the first sight of his son, the tiniest glimpse of the crown of the baby's head. He put on medical gloves and sat on a stool at the foot of the bed. In minutes, the newest chapter of their lives would begin...
Read New Journey chapter in my Hope Leads to Happiness Again story for the rest of Jesse's arrival! I've added a poll to my profile page, Please vote!