Chapter 3:
Jacob William Black
And it begins~
He was three days overdue, and the labor was torture, but he's finally here and Sarah can't believe it.
The delivery doctor snips the umbilical cord on her screaming baby boy, after Billy politely declines. He promised her he wouldn't get sick for this birth after what happened with the twins, but by the looks of the greenish tint painting his skin, she knows that promise is undoubtedly broken. It doesn't bother her when he quickly exits the room. He managed not to get sick during the birth when she needed him. It's all that really matters anyway.
"Eight pounds, and five ounces. A good weight." The doctor assures her, as he gently lowers her beautiful baby into her arms. When she looks at him, its as if she's seeing an extension of herself. He has the prominent slope of her nose, and his dark russet skin is akin to her mothers. His little face is exactly like her own when she was little. He's perfect in every conceivable way, and Sarah couldn't be happier.
He sinks into her side, and she hugs the swaddled bundle closer to her chest. It feels so good to finally hold him. Finally see him. The twists and turns he made in her belly are absolutely nothing compared to the feeling of his warmth on her skin, and the little twitches he makes in her arms.
The doctor scribbles information down on the clipboard hanging from the edge of her bed. He glances up at her, as he pulls the latex gloves off of his fingers and throws them into the trashcan near the door. "His name?"
Sarah glances down at the suckling boy in her lap. They hadn't exactly chosen a name yet. Sure, they had ideas and the middle, but they had hoped that once they laid eyes on him, the name would come. She realizes now, how big of a mistake that was. It's no clearer than it was before he was here.
"He can't leave the hospital until you've decided on a name. We need to write the birth certificate. It's required." The doctor speaks with a lit that Sarah recognizes as disdain. She ignores the expectant tap of his foot, and the scowl that leaves his mouth in a rush of obnoxious air as the minutes pass, and she doesn't reply. He turns sharp on his cleanly scrubbed heal, and stalks out of the room to check on other patients. Sarah just shakes her head, at his less than professional behavior. She's too joyful to feel any sort of anger just yet.
Billy returns as soon as he leaves, giving Sarah a look that can only be described as mock horror. Three little girls are in tow behind him. Two taller ones stand in front of the littler one. They are bickering about whom the new baby belongs to and even though Sarah explained over and over again that their new baby brother is a boy, they still refuse to acknowledge it. She is afraid they'll be calling him a girl forever.
Rachel sits on the bed beside her and pokes Jacob square in the chest. He fidgets and begins to cry again, just when he had started to calm down. "Rachel…nice touches," She whispers as she tries to quiet the frantic baby in her arms. She sings a song she sang to him while he was in her womb, and she is pleased when he hushes instantly.
Bella is holding a book tightly to her chest. She scrambles up to Sarah's side, and sets it on the nightstand. "I brough hims a booky," She mumbles as she examines his little face. A smile alights her face, and touches his hair gently. "Yous' can read it to hims."
Sarah glances at the book, Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang, it reads. "Jacob William Black," She whispers to herself, immediately liking the way the words roll off of her tongue. She looks at his face.
It suits him.
"His name is Jacob William Black." She pipes up once she is sure of it. The girls groan in displeasure. They wanted to name him Dil Pickles from Rugrats. Bella just smiles and nods in agreement. It isn't surprising as Bella agrees with everything she says. But Billy…grins.
He loves it.
As soon as the disgruntled doctor returns to chew them out, Sarah tells him Jacob's name. The look on his face makes Sarah smirk. Quickly, he writes it down, and the birth certificate is printed later that day. Sarah reads it over on the car ride home the next afternoon.
"He was 21.3 inches long when he was born…he's going to be tall Billy."
Billy just nods in agreement with her. She's said it at least 50 times now. He knows she's just proud, but it's getting on his nerves.
"And he weighed eight pounds and five ounces. Now he's eight pounds and six ounces. He's growing well, the doctors said."
A nod.
Even though she knows he doesn't want to hear it, she continues on. She likes to hear it; "He suckles well too. Not like the girls. He's easier. It doesn't hurt at all." She laughs, "It hurt so badly with the girls. Thank god he doesn't. I don't know how I'd be able to do it!"
"Yes dear." He mumbles, as she continues to talk on about anything and everything. His hands curl more tightly over the steering wheel. The girls are babbling in the back about some kind of investigation, and Sarah keeps reading the birth certificate over and over. The volume in the car is nearing intolerable levels.
"January 14th 1990 …I hope he'll like his birthday. I d-" She cuts herself off suddenly. "Look at them," She murmurs to Billy. Her left hand wraps around his forearm, demanding his attention. Sarah keeps turning around in her seat with a sweet smile on her face. He glances in the rearview mirror.
Jacob's eyes are open for the first time since the hospital, and he's staring at Bella. He looks at her with wonder and she stares back at him. Her little fingers stroke the bare skin of his cheek, and even though Rachel and Rebecca are yelling for her, she doesn't seem to notice anything going on around her. The connection between them is so evident that it makes Billy's stomach constrict. It's something he was always afraid of, but the innocent enough moment is worrying him even more. He tears his eyes from the scene before him, and focuses on the road instead. It's a cold January day, but it was warm the day before; perfect conditions to make the road atrociously slippery.
It's a good enough excuse to explain why he just can't bear to look at them any longer.
