Day 2
2:00 AM – 12:00 PM
2:00 AM
Alex was jolted awake by the sound of his cellphone ringing. He stretched his back out in hopes to find some relief after sleeping on the small couch in his office. He blindly reached for his phone and answered it without looking at his caller ID.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Alex?" Alex immediately woke up when he heard who was on the other side of the call
"Maria, is everything okay?"
"Um, yeah, it's just that I'm all alone, James didn't come with. I don't have any sisters or anything." Maria started to cry over the phone
"Hey, hey, hey, it's gonna be okay. Alright? I'll be there soon. We'll do this together."
"Thank you Alex. It's just I'm really scared."
"It's okay to be scared, I'll be there soon okay?"
"Okay, bye Alex."
"Bye." Alex sighed as he quickly threw on some sweats and grabbed his car keys. He quietly left the room and made his room the bedroom he used to share with Eliza. He opened the door and made his way to the bed. He gently shook Eliza
"Eliza," Alex whispered and she stirred, he smiled mentally she was always such a light sleeper.
"Hey, um Maria's in labor so I'm going to go."
"I don't know why you're telling me Alex. Just go." Eliza turned her back to him.
"I love you." He was met with silence and he quickly and quietly left the room.
Alex made it to the hospital in record time. Luckily for him, it was the same hospital his other children were born in. He rushed inside and was met with a few stares but he ignored him. He went up to the receptionist, quickly signed in, and was on to see Maria.
When Alex got off the elevator on to the Maternity floor, he walked up the front desk and he was met with a few familiar faces
"Mr. Hamilton? What are you doing here? I haven't seen Mrs. Hamilton around lately" Nurse Jackson joked
"I'm actually here for a friend, Maria Reynolds." Nurse Jackson looked at him with wide eyes before regaining her composure.
"She's in room 6704." Nurse Jackson responded without the same enthusiasm from before. Nurse Jackson waited until he walked away before she turned to the other nurses.
"I can't believe he really did that shit."
Alex finally reached room number 6704 he opened the door and poked his head through.
"Maria?"
"Alex, is that you?" Alex walked into the room and approached Maria's bed.
"Hey, how you feel?" Alex kissed Maria's forehead.
"I'm sweaty."
"I don't care." Maria looked at up Alex with sad eyes.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know that he was going to—"
"Shh, it's not your fault. I just wish you told me about the baby. I had to find out when the world did."
"I thought it was his' but when he found out he was sterile,"
"You figured it out."
"Yeah, I'm really scared Alex. He kicked me out, I've been staying at a homeless shelter. I don't know what I'm doing, this is my first baby."
"We'll figure it out."
"Okay." Maria shifted uncomfortably as she felt another contraction coming. Alex instantly grabbed her hand
"You can squeeze my hand." Maria groaned out in pain as she tightened her grip on Alex's hand.
"It's okay, I'm here for you." Maria let out a breath and fell back against the bed.
"See, you made it through." Their moment was cut short when a nurse and Dr. Ibe walked through the doors.
"Oh, Mr. Hamilton, you're here for Mrs. Reynolds?"
"Yes, I'm the father," Alex mumbled
"Alright, well let's see how far we are." The nurses placed gloves on Dr. Ibe as she sat in front of Maria.
"Alright, this is going to hurt, but it's alright Mama ok?" Maria nodded her head, too nervous to say anything.
"Here we go." Maria gasped and Alex was rubbing her shoulders through the process.
"Breathe Mama, breathe. You got this. We're almost done."
Maria relaxed
"Alright, we have a long road ahead of us. We're gonna be here all night. Try to get some rest while the contractions aren't that strong." Dr. Ibe and the nurse left the room.
"How do you know that doctor?"
"She delivered my other children."
"You've got to be fucking kidding me?"
"Don't worry about that, get some rest."
6:00 AM
Eliza woke up to the sound of her phone going off. She wiped her eyes and grabbed her phone off the charger. She rolled her eyes at the endless emails and missed phone calls from talk show hosts and news outlets. Amongst the hoard of messages she saw a text message from Angie that she boarded her flight, that was around 4:15 this morning. She got out of bed and started her usual check on her kids. She first went to AJ's room, he was fast asleep as always, he was a late riser, unlike her and Alex. She then went to Angelica's room, she opened the door and wasn't surprised to find her daughter awake reading a book.
"Good morning Angie."
"Morning Mom, how are you?"
"I'm okay," Eliza walked into her daughter's room and sat on her bed. "how are you?"
"Fine, I guess. It's hard not looking at social media."
"I know it is sweetie, I'm so sorry. I know I didn't help with my outburst yesterday."
"It's okay mom, really. I don't blame you. I blame Dad."
"Angelica," Eliza warned
"No Mom, I don't know how he can do this to you, to us. Where is he anyway? I usually hear him snoring in his office."
"He went to the hospital, she's having the baby." Angelica rolled her eyes
"Hey, I know what your father did was wrong but do not blame that baby. She didn't ask to be born."
"Whatever, she's not my sister."
"But she's going to be, whether you like it or not. She's going to be your sister. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Alright, I'm going to make some breakfast and then we can go get your things from school."
"Yes, mom." Eliza pulled her daughter in for a hug
"We'll get through this sweetie."
"Thanks, Mom." Eliza kissed Angie's cheek before standing up.
"Mom?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
"Love you too." Eliza left Angelica's room and then walked down the hall to Phillip's room. She knocked on the door and waited for a response.
"Come in!" Eliza opened the door and saw her oldest busy away with schoolwork, so much like his father when they were in college.
"Aren't you supposed to be on break Pip?"
"I can't take a break mom, if I want to graduate early, I need to be ahead of the game." Eliza smiled softly at her son.
"Don't work too hard Pip."
"I won't Mom."
"I'm about to go make breakfast."
"Is Angie helping you?"
"No, but it's okay. I've cooked by myself before." Phillip stops typing away at his laptop and turned around in his chair so he can face his mom.
"I can help you, Mom."
"It's okay Phillip, really."
"Nah, it'll be like the good old days before the other two were born." Eliza giggled as her son got up and engulfed her in a hug.
"The other two?"
"Yep, I had all of your attention. We had a good thing going and then they came and messed it all up." Eliza laughed
"Thanks, Pip, I needed that."
"Anytime Mom."
"Hmm, Mama's baby." Eliza cooed playfully
"Ugh, come on Mom." Phillip started to make his way downstairs.
"You know you love it, Pippy." Eliza teased
"Mom!"
8:30 AM
Alex had been up all night with Maria, it was very uncomfortable for her to get some rest. Before the contractions became too much, they went on walks around the floor, Maria bounced on a Yoga ball, she even took advantage of the jacuzzi tub the hospital had. Right now, Alex was consoling Maria through a tough contraction.
"It's alright, just breathe Maria." After the contraction Maria let a few tears fall.
"Do you want me to call Dr. Ibe?" Maria nodded her head
"I need to push, go get her now," Maria whispered, Alex, hurried out of the room and luckily, Dr. Ibe was walking toward the room.
"Mr. Hamilton? Is everything okay?"
"Um, she says she needs to push." Dr. Ibe rushed into the room and with Alex following behind
"Hey Mama, I hear you want to push." By this point, Maria was breathing heavily
"Yes, I need my little girl out of me. Now."
"Let's have a feel."
"Can I push? I really need to push." Maria gritted
"Okay Mama, I need you not to push, I can feel your baby's face. We need to do a Crash-C now." Dr. Ibe pressed the nurse call button
"What?"
"Why can't I push?"
"Mama, your baby has face presentation, and the cord is around her neck. We need to get you to surgery now." Before Maria or Alex could ask any questions a team of nurses entered the room.
"Prep an OR now!"
"Right away doctor."
"Wait, I don't want surgery."
"That's not an option."
"Can't you just rotate the baby?"
"I can but it's risky."
"But—"
"I've delivered countless babies and I'm telling you, Mama, we can do a vaginal delivery but it could hyperextend its neck, which can be fatal, or we can do the section and Mama and baby girl will be safe."
"Okay."
"Alright, and we're rolling."
"Alex?"
"I'm here Maria. It's gonna be okay."
9:00 AM
Maria was hooked up and ready for the C-section to begin. She was darting her eyes from Dr. Ibe, the nurses, and then to Alex.
"Mama are you ready?"
"Um, no, no I'm not."
"Hey," Maria looked up at Alex with worried filled eyes
"Alex, she can't come out yet. I'm not ready. I don't know how to do this, this is my first baby. What if, what if I'm awful at it, or w-w-w-what if she hates me."
"You're going to be amazing Maria because I'll help you. We're going to raise her together."
"What about your wife?"
"You don't have to worry about that right now. Right now, it's about you and our baby. Okay?"
"Okay, okay."
"Alright Mama, are you ready?
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"Here we go."
"Alex?"
"Yeah?"
"I don't know what last name to give her and I wanted to ask you."
"Hamilton is fine."
"But, what about—"
"She's my daughter and she's a Hamilton." Maria nodded her head
"Mama, can you feel anything?"
"Nope."
"Alrighty." A few more minutes went by and the sound of surgical tools hitting the plate and Maria and the baby's heart monitor was the only thing that could be heard. Alex was holding Maria's hand the whole time and he could tell that by the look on Maria's face she was terrified.
"The baby is out." Maria and Alex waited for the baby's cry but when they didn't hear one, it made her freak out.
"Is she okay?" Maria watched as they whisked her baby off to the side
"She's fine, relax Mama." A nurse said
"She's not crying. Oh my God, she's not breathing." After a few more seconds they heard that fateful cry. Alex let out a breath.
"Here she is. Your new baby." The nurse placed the newborn on Maria's chest and she started to cry.
"I can't believe she's real."
"She's beautiful," Alex said
"Do you want to hold her Dad?"
"Of course." Alex grabbed the baby from the nurse and as soon as he looked at her he was in love.
"Beautiful."
"Dad, we have to get Mama and baby back upstairs, we'll give her back. We promise." Alex gave his daughter back to the nurse and he leaned over to kiss Maria.
"You did great."
"Thanks. I'm glad you were here."
10:00 AM
Alex was sitting in the hospital room staring down at his new bundle of joy. He had convinced Maria to get some much-needed rest. He was so enamored with his daughter, he noticed that some of her facial features reminded him of his mother. The nurses came into the room
"Hey, I just wanted to get this cutie's name down."
"Her name's Rachel Sara Hamilton-Lewis."
"Beautiful, I'll be back to check on Mama. Congrats Dad."
"Thank you."
"Hey beautiful, you definitely weren't planned but I'm glad you're here. We're gonna this mess fixed for you. I promise."
12:00 PM
Eliza couldn't turn on the TV without hearing anything about Alex, Maria, or the baby. She settled on having it off and working. Eliza's in charge of a HeadStart in Brooklyn and she absolutely loves her job. Making a change in the lives of the families she works with is so rewarding. She was pulled out of her thoughts when her doorbell rang. She made her way to the front door and when she opened it she was met with her sister. The two didn't say anything they just hugged each other. After a while, Eliza couldn't hold it in any longer and just cried.
"I'm so happy you're here Angie."
"Me too. Now," Angie pulled away from the hug and wiped away Eliza's tears. "where the hell is he?"