It is month 8 1/2.

I was casually my fifth fix of frozen yogurt while watching Investigate Discovery. Brandon was at work and I only have two more weeks until the baby's due.

I just can't wait until I have my little bundle of joy here in my arms.

Then I started to feel woozy. Not just slightly dizzy. Like a room-is-spinning dizzy.

I tried to stand up to get my medication but my legs were weak and non-supportive.

Fright started to flood my bloodstream.

It's nothing, Nikki, I thought.

"Oh!" I cry in pain. It was a sharp jab in my lower area. Contractions.

No, I thought to myself. It can't be. Not this early.

My mind pushed aside the thought that this baby will come today and tried to continue my program. Not long after that, the acute pain came back, making me groan.

Something's not right at all.

"Oww, oh!" Tears fill my eyes from the pain.

Sweat beaded my forehead and I begin to feel hot and uneasy. Then liquid started to drip down my legs.

Oh my good god, my water just broke.

I started to hyperventilate. Sweat was pooling everywhere. The staff was

pushing me down the hall. The worst imaginable pain was taking over my body. The air felt so thick and condensed. Brandon was frantically keeping up with them.

"Sir, you have to stay back. You are not allowed to be in the OR without proper medical attire," the doctor explained.

"I need to be with my wife," he shouts.

"Oh my god!" I screamed out loud. It was hurting so bad.

"Nikki! I'll be with you. Just wait, honey," he soothes as they start to push him away, "I love you."

"I love you too." I manage to say until they lead me into a room.

"Give me 20 mL of candrophyll," the doctor says (the medication and amount is totally made up) "We will need to perform a cesarean section."

As I was put on the table, I prayed to God in my head, begging him that Macy will be okay and that Brandon will be here.

My vision becomes blurry and all I see if my husband's figure there telling me over and over again to hold on.

"You're doing great, Nikki. Just breathe, okay? You're gonna be alright."

It's almost like I could feel the blade cut the through my skin. But I didn't feel anything. I was so numb that I couldn't feel my face.

Oh my god, oh my god. This is happening," my frightened voice says. Please god, please. My baby is two weeks early. Let her be okay.

The entire 10 minutes or so it seemed, I chant to myself in my head.

Dear God from above,

Let this child leave my womb healthy and happy to see me and her father.

Please God. I want my baby to live.

Help me hold on.

Give strength to both me and my daughter.

I repeat that in my head countless times until a distant sound reaches my ears.

A wail.

A sob.

A cry.

And from there my eyes water and flow non stop.

"You have a perfectly healthy baby girl," the nurse whispers happily as she hands me a special little someone in a soft pink blanket.

"Macy, you're here. Hi, baby," I look at a sweet red little face, crying.

"Shh, shh, shh. It's me, your mommy," I turn to look at Brandon, whose eyes fill with love as he smiles at Macy.

He kissed me on the forehead. No words could compare his love for his daughter.

"Can I hold her?" He asks.

"Of course. Hey, baby. Wanna see Daddy?"

I pass my little sweetheart into his arms and just eye the way Brandon falls immediately in love with the girl he will carry in her sleep, watch her take her first steps, her first words, her first day of school, her homecoming, her prom, her graduation, her wedding.

Thank you so much, God.

And finally, she opens her eyes.

"Look, Nikki. She has your eyes. They're a beautiful seafoam green," Brandon hands me back Macy and I see her wide green eyes staring back into mine.

And she has so much soft brown hair on her head.

Almost like a little mouse.

I croon to my baby as she falls to sleep and I close my eyes.

The perfect family I hoped for. And MacKenzie isn't here to screw that up.

And I vow to protect Macy from anyone like her always.

Soon, the room fills with all our relatives and friends.

To share this moment with them is just breathtaking.

These nine months (well eight and a half) were hectic and filled with cravings, pain, and sweat but it was worth every second.

Now I get to spend all the time in the world with my sweet and happy little baby.

Life couldn't be any better.

/

AHHH! It's the end! Wow, you guys have been waiting for this and probably didn't expect it. Now that it's completed, I want to change the cover to something more honorable. If you guys want to make the book a cover, just PM me and I'll send you an email address for you to send it to. Hope you guys are happy with the end. I know I am.

-Ciara