Sasha was kneeling in front of Payson at the edge of the bed looking at her face. His mind and body went numb when Payson told him her water broke. He looked at her confused before Payson's painful groan pulled him out of his thoughts. "Love are...are you alright?"
Payson lifted up her face and looked into Sasha's panicked light blue eyes. "Does it look like I'm alright here? No It doesn't. If you don't move, I'll go to the hospital my...OOOWWW" Payson stopped her rant when her body was overcome with a contraction. She grabbed the front of Sasha's shirt so tightly her knuckles were white. Sasha had no idea what he was supposed to do. Without thinking he got ready to lift Payson up in his arms when she stopped him.
"No. Don't. We need the bag in the car first." Payson was panting now as she looked at Sasha.
"Where's the bag? I'll get it and put it in the car. Then I'll come back up and get you so we can leave." Sasha was using his coaching voice to try and get her to concentrate.
"You mean you didn't put it together?" Payson was glaring at Sasha as his facial expression went from sane to panicked in seconds.
"Wait, the bag isn't ready? What all goes in the bag? I thought you had it together a couple of weeks ago." Sasha was now scurrying around the room grabbing clothes from the dresser while still looking for the bag.
"The bag is in the closet. The baby stuff goes in there with some of my stuff. Just hurry up Sasha. I don't think we have much time." Payson's breathing was labored again and Sasha noticed. Great job Belov, your wife is in labor and you go and act like a moron. Good job. Idiot.
He went into the closet searching for the bag. A couple of minutes later he emerged with the bag stuffed with Payson's clothes and baby clothes. He sat it on the bed and looked over at Payson. He sighed when she looked relatively calm. "Okay, love. I think the bag is ready. I have your clothes."
Payson looked over her shoulder and shook her head. "I need my toothbrush to Sasha. I..." She was cut off by another contraction. Sasha went into the bathroom and grabbed a toothbrush and a few more things he thought Payson may need. He threw everything in the bag and slung it over his shoulder. He turned towards the door and started downstairs.
He was half way down the stairs when he realized he forgot Payson. He through the bag down the steps and ran back for Payson. She was still on the edge of the bed breathing through another contraction by the time he got back to her.
"Forget something?" Payson's eyes was glazed over with agony as she spoke. Sasha shook his head trying to clear his thoughts before he gathered Payson in his arms and proceeded down the stairs. He looked down at her before he spoke.
"I could never forget you love. You're the most important person to take." Sasha tried to laugh it off, but Payson didn't find it very amusing. As they walked towards the front door Kim was walking out of the kitchen. Sasha walked passed her only saying two words.
"Baby time." Sasha looked at Kim before he went out towards the car.
Forty-five minutes after Sasha pulled out of the drive way Payson was set up in her own room. Sasha glanced around at the paintings on the wall trying to entertain himself. He was pulled out of his observations by a bone crushing grip on his right hand. He looked over to see Payson laying on the bed with her eyes tightly shut, grimacing in pain. He reached over to stroke her cheek, giving her some form of reassurance. He knew from doing this before when they had Alex, that him talking and trying to 'coach' her didn't help much. He just simply had to be there silently encouraging her.
"You don't have to do that you know." Payson opened her eyes to look at Sasha. He looked back with questioning eyes.
"I don't have to do what love?" Sasha stroked the back of her hand.
"Not talk. I want you to talk. I need you to talk. It helps me when you talk to me." Payson closed her eyes again, laying back against the pillows.
Sasha smiled softly, before leaning over and kissing her forehead. "You're doing an amazing job, love. Soon this will all be over and we can take our Annabelle home." Sasha took her small hand in his and squeezed softly. "We're in this together...always."
Payson looked at him before smiling softly back at him. "I love you."
Sasha smiled softly at her before leaning back in the chair next to her bed. The minutes morphed into hours as Sasha kept a close eye on Payson as she slept. However, she wasn't sleeping well. Sasha noticed that every few minutes or so, she would move and try to get comfortable. He sighed as he watched her. He felt somewhat guilty for the situation his wife was in. He was, after all, the one who got her pregnant. Well Belov, it takes two to tango as they say. So it wasn't all your fault. It's not like you forced her into anything. If you remember right she came at you willingly. Very, very willingly. He smirked to himself, but it quickly vanished as Payson moaned in her sleep. He hovered above her to see if she was awake. He saw her dark pain filled blue eyes directed at him.
"I can go get a doctor Payson if you want. If you can get medication, please, get it. I don't want you in pain love." Sasha's eyes gazed at her pain filled expression. "Now isn't the time to be brave."
Payson glared at him before speaking through gritted teeth. " You don't want to feel guilty. You got me in this position. This is your fault."
Sasha sighed before speaking, trying to keep his tone soft. "Payson, you can yell at me all you want, but I'm going to get a doctor for you. I'll be right back. Besides love, it does take two, not one." With that he let go of her hand and made his way out the door.
About ten minutes later Sasha returned with a doctor. The doctor approached Payson while Sasha made his way back to Payson's bedside.
"Well Payson, I'm Doctor Owens. I'll be with you until your regular doctor arrives. She should be here, in the next few hours. I'm just going to check and see how far you've progressed. If your dilated enough I can give you the epidural. I don't want to give it to you, too soon, because when it wears off, I can't give you anymore."
The doctor proceeded to check Payson over, while Sasha held Payson's hand. After a few moments, the doctor looked up at the couple. "Well Payson, you're about five centimeters dilated. If you want any form of pain medication, now would be the time to do it. If you wait much longer, you won't be able to get anything."
Payson closed her eyes as pain overtook her body once again. She opened them only to look into Sasha's anxious gaze. She took a deep breathe before turning towards the doctor.
"Alright, fine. I want the strongest medicine you can give me. I don't like this type of pain. Just give me the medicine...uh..please." Sasha smirked as Payson closed her eyes again, while breathing through another contraction.
Sasha turned to the doctor and glared at the doctor. "Well, you heard her. Go get her the medicine she needs. That's what you're here for." Sasha smirked as the doctor jumped slightly, before hastily exiting the room.
"It's okay, love. The doctor will be back soon with the medicine. You're going to be just fine." Sasha took Payson's hand as she gripped the sheets. He looked to see for the first time, Payson crying from the pain. "It hurts. Please...help me Sasha, please.." She trailed off as another wave of pain hit her.
Sasha stroked the hand he was holding, while he leaned forward so he could whisper in her ear. "Breathe Payson. Just breathe. Relax. In through your nose and out through your mouth" He was demonstrating the breathing exercise when he was stopped by a hand gripping hard at the nape of his neck.
"You try breathing in and out a certain way when your about to give birth to a baby." Payson's eyes flashed with pain and irritation as she looked into Sasha's light blue eyes. "I don't need you to coach me in something you've never done." Her grip on the back of his neck tightened. "This isn't gymnastics." She enunciated the last three words with a small shake, making Sasha's face come closer to hers. Payson let go of his neck when the contraction was over.
He rubbed the back of his neck while trying to hold back a grimace. "Payson, I'm only trying to help. I can't exactly take your pain away here. I can't relate to you in this like I can in gymnastics. I'm sorry for that. The only thing I can do is hold your hand and encourage you. That's all. You have to work your own miracle here. Lord knows I can't do this for you. If I could, so you wouldn't be in pain, I would, but I can't. We can do this Payson. You can do this. Together, like always." He looked to see she had tears in her eyes.
"Are you alright?" Sasha was automatically thinking something was wrong. She just nodded as tears streamed down her face. Sasha took her hand again.
"That was the most beautiful thing you've ever said to me Sasha." She looked at him noticing he was rubbing his neck where she grabbed him. " I'm sorry about your neck. Are you okay?"
Sasha looked at her and nodded. "I've had worse. Besides it isn't nothing I can't handle. I'm feeling better than you probably are right now."
Their conversation was disrupted by Doctor Owens and two nurses entering the room. "Mr. Belov, your going to have to leave while we administer the epidural to your wife. So if you would so kindly step outside. We'll only be a few minutes."
Sasha looked at Payson to give her an encouraging smile before getting up and going to the door. Before he left her turned back towards Payson. "I'll just be outside the door love. I'm not going anywhere."
He stepped outside and took out his phone to check the time. Damn...it's only 2:30. We've been here for five hours. Many more to go Belov. I may as well call Kim to let her know what's going on.
He dialed his mother-in-law's number quickly. After a few seconds it went to voice mail. After leaving an update on Payson for Kim with a promise of calling when Annabelle arrived he hung up the phone and turned towards Payson's door. He was leaning against the wall when one of the nurses came out.
"You can go in now. The doctor is just checking her over before he leaves to see other patients." Not needing to be told twice, Sasha went in to Payson's room and next to her bed without being noticed. He quietly sat next to Payson as the doctor wrote something on a clip board. He looked up noticing Sasha for the first time.
"Sasha good your back. Well, things are moving along quite nicely. You're about seven centimeters dilated so far Payson. I'd give it a couple more hours and see where we are then. It won't be much longer until the fun can start." With that the doctor smiled and walked out of the room.
Sasha looked over at Payson and noticed that she looked somewhat better. "You look better love."
"I feel better. I'm kind of tired though." Sasha nodded while he leaned back in the chair.
"Get some rest love. You're going to need it." Payson closed her eyes after a few moments and soon fell asleep.
The silence let Sasha reflect and think. This time tomorrow you'll have a daughter Belov. She'll have you wrapped around her little finger in no time. Just like her mother. He took out his phone to check the time. He was doing that a lot. He sighed when the display read 3:00. Can't the time go any faster. God, Alex could do cartwheels down the hall and back faster than the time seems to be passing. Sasha sighed and stood up. He couldn't seem to sit still. He knew it was a big part of his nature to always be moving, but a large part was nerves. He looked over at Payson and noted that she was still sleeping. He went over to the window and looked out the window. Sasha couldn't deny that the view was beautiful. He smiled as he surveyed the mountains of Boulder. When he first came here he thought he would come, coach, and leave. He chuckled softly as the thought entered his mind. Thinking back he was naïve to the feelings and dreams that would be provoked and awakened by the woman laying on the bed.
As if sensing her eyes on him, he turned around and walked over towards the bed. "Hey love."
Payson looked at him with tired eyes before speaking. "What are you doing?"
"I'm just enjoying the view sweetheart." Sasha smiled as he leaned in to kiss her forehead. He pulled away in time to hear her sarcastic comment. "Oh yea. Some view I am."
Sasha took a moment to look at his wife. Really look at her. What he saw when looking at Payson took his breath away. He didn't see a sweaty woman about to give birth to a baby. Instead he saw a beautiful flower giving beauty and meaning to the world.
"Yes, some view you are. You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Sasha took her hand and brought it up to his lips. He looked at Payson's facial expression. He noted that she had the look. The same look that brought him to fall in love with her. She had determination and anticipation in her eyes. He also noted that there was a hint of pain gracing her features. Without really knowing how he knew what was happening, he went with his instincts. He let go of her hand and walked out of the room only to return two or three minutes later with Dr. Owens.
Dr. Owens made his way over to the bed. "Payson I just want to check you real quick to see how far we're progressing. It will only take a minute." A moment or two later he got up from his stool and called in the nursing team. "Well Payson, it looks like you're fully dilated. When the nursing team gets here we can get this show on the road."
Sasha looked at Payson to see her reaction. He was relieved when he saw she was calm. See Belov, no need to get nervous. Payson looks fine and she's the one having the baby. So just relax and breath. She'll be fine.
Of course the thought of Payson being fine left his mind and was replaced by a squeamish fear as he held her hand during her contractions. As the doctor sat at the foot of the bed getting prepared for the arrival of Annabelle fear once again gripped Sasha like a vice grip. He looked at Payson and together they braced themselves for the next few hours of work ahead of them.
The doctor finally looked up and said the words that both Sasha and Payson had been waiting months for. "Okay, Payson, on the next contraction I want you to push. Can you do that?"
Payson looked at Sasha before she turned towards the doctor and nodded. A few seconds later Payson was pushing with everything she had. The only thing Sasha could think of to do was stoke her hair and murmur words of encouragement in her ear. After about an hour, Sasha could see the exhaustion creep into Payson.
"Sasha, never again. I will never have any more children. Ever. I...OH GOD." Sasha cringed as Payson, for the first time, yelled. He's heard her yell before, but nothing like this. Her screams brought back memories of Alex's birth. He leaned forward to wipe her sweaty brow.
"Payson, look at me. You've done this before. You can do this, I'm right here." He grimaced as Payson clamped down on his hand again as she pushed through the pain. "That's it love. Push through the pain. You're doing good. You're half way there." Sasha looked at the doctor to see him concentrating.
"Okay Payson. Stop for a second and just breath. The head's almost out." Out of sheer curiosity Sasha bent down to take a quick look. Upon seeing all the blood he wished he hadn't. He straightened back up to meet Payson's dark blue eyes.
"Hey there love. Your doing good. Uh...Annabelle's almost here. Just a few more minutes and she'll be here." Sasha took Payson's hand and squeezed gently. She returned the gentle gesture with a vice grip.
"I...I have to push." The doctor nodded at Payson to continue. After a few more strong pushes and one final scream from Payson, Annabelle Mariana Belov, finally came into the world.
Upon seeing his daughter for the first time, Sasha cried. He wanted to go and hold her right on the spot. He wanted to make sure she was okay. He could feel his instinct to protect her come out at full force. Once Annabelle was cleaned and checked she was laid on Payson's chest. The only thing Sasha could do was stare in awe and amazement at what he just witnessed. His wife, just gave life to the small precious human laying in her arms. He walked over silently as tears still fell from his eyes. He leaned over and stroked his newborn daughters head with gently fingers.
"Hey Annabelle. Daddy's here." He kissed Payson on the forehead before whispering in her ear. "You did beautifully Payson. She's so beautiful." Payson looked up with bright eyes.
"You want to hold her?" Sasha sat down on the edge of the bed and gently took his daughter in his arms for the first time.
They say a woman becomes a mother when she finds out she's pregnant, while a man becomes a father when he holds his baby for the first time. To Sasha that statement hit home. For the first time he was able to actually feel his daughter and hold her. As if sensing the change in the person holding her and the position she was in, Annabelle opened her eyes. Sasha gasped as he looked into his daughter's eyes for the first time. It was like looking in a mirror.
"Payson, look. She has my eyes." Payson looked into the eyes of her daughter and smiled.
"I think she's going to be a daddy's girl. I can feel it." She smiled as she took Annabelle back into her arms.
"Well, as long as she's healthy and happy than I'm okay with that." He leaned over and kissed both is wife and daughter on the forehead.
Sasha looked at his wife and daughter together and was amazed at the picture she presented. As long as his wife and two children were happy and healthy, then he would be okay.