Eli's POV
Clare looked beautiful. She always looked beautiful, of course, but today there was something else about her. A different sense, a glow. Maybe it was the bulge pushing out her stomach, or her swollen wrists or ankles. I don't know. I wrapped my arms around her waist. Or should I say that I tried to, and kissed her. She smiled up at me and murmured "Today's the day." I grinned. The due date. May 17th. It had finally arrived.
"It better be, if you hold that kid in there any longer you're going to explode."
"Eli! The baby isn't fat! It's just big-boned that's all. I feel bad for the baby, stuck in that tight hot space with no place to go. Poor baby." She pouted, looking down at her stomach and rubbing her belly affectionately.
I smiled. The baby wasn't even born yet, and she was already being overprotective. We didn't know the sex of the baby, Clare didn't want to know until the little guy or girl got here. The doctor's had scared us to death by talking about all the things that could go wrong.
I leaned over and kissed her strawberry lips again. "Clare, baby, it's going to be fine. Besides, the kid will have plenty of breathing room when it gets here."
"Elijah Goldsworthy, do not call our child an it. Besides, we haven't even discussed names."
Names. Why was it always about names? Clare smirked suddenly. "If it's a boy, his name is going to be EJ. Elijah Junior."
Oh, hell no. Not my kid. I shook my head. "Uh-uh, baby. It's going to be named Marcus, we talked about this."
Clare opened her mouth to talk and then was suddenly gasping for air. "Eli!" she cried out. My arms were still wrapped around her, so whenever her knees gave out I caught her. "What's wrong baby?" I asked, my voice dripping panic. "'Baby." She hissed, trying to breathe through clenched teeth. "I'm here, what's wrong?" I asked, confused. "The baby!" Clare yelled as she held her stomach.
*Three hours later*
"Push, Clare!" I urged her. My wife was screaming in agony. "Eli, it hurts!"
"I know, baby, I know! C'mon, just a few more and this will all be over!" I was sweating, Clare was too. Her eyes were wide in pain and panic.
"Hey." I murmured gently, looking into those big ocean eyes. "Everything's going to be okay." Clare nodded, and gasping, she pushed again. She screamed.
"The baby's crowning." The doctor said in a monotone voice. "One more push like that one and you'll have a baby." The doctor said. Clare pushed again, and a wet, beautiful baby slipped into the doctor's hands. The doctor smiled, and motioned for me to cut the cord as he proudly announced "It's a…!"