Chapter 49
Finally at 1:01am on the 12th of July little Riley Jordan Hoyt came into the world already screaming his head off even before the doctor had a chance to give him the traditional tap on his bottom.
Jordan was so exhausted by that point she didn't even want to look at the screaming creature that had caused her so much pain. That was until she looked up and saw Woody standing next to her with the tiny blue wrapped bundle. As she saw him smile down at the baby that wasn't his with a loving smile, then gently place him in her arms, the truth finally hit her and she blurted out, "I love you."
Woody's grin grew wider and he said, "Do you hear that Riley? Your mother loves you."
Jordan rolled her eyes, between the pain she had just been through and the exhaustion she was feeling, she really wasn't in the 'hearts and flowers' mood that she should have been for an announcement like this, so she just declared, "No, you big lug! I love YOU!"
It was truly a good thing Woody had already placed the baby in Jordan's arms because of what she was saying hit him. "You DO?!" he questioned incredulously.
"Yeah, but you don't have to make a big deal of it," she tried to downplay her declaration, unsure of how he would react to it.
Meanwhile, the doctor and nurse in the room were taking this all in with open mouthed surprise. It wasn't until they had to deliver the afterbirth and the other things necessary after a birth that they started to move again.
Woody smiled from ear to ear and smoothed a stray hair back from her face as he told her, "Jordan, your love is the biggest deal in the world to me! And if you hadn't just given birth I would sweep you up in my arms and twirl you around the room!"
As one of the nurses came to take the baby to be weighed, measured, and cleaned up, she softly told Woody, "I wouldn't recommend that."
Both new parents laughed even if Jordan's was on the weak side. Woody leaned over and kissed her forehead saying, "Why don't you get some sleep while I go and give everyone the good news?"
Jordan looked at him in confusion, "That I love you?" she questioned.
"No, silly," he laughed. "That Riley arrived and is whole and healthy."
"Oh, yeah that," she smiled and was asleep in the next moment.
As Woody was about to leave the room, the nurse that had taken Riley told him that he would be in the nursery in a few moments if the family wanted to see him.
Riley's first viewing was met with 'oooh's" and 'aww's all around. He had weighed in at a very respectable 7lbs 10ozs, measured 20.5 inches long, and had a loudly proven set of healthy lungs. When the baby quieted down and fell asleep everyone that had been awaiting his arrival realized that they were just as tired as Riley was. Max offered to make breakfast for anyone that wanted to come to the bar, but it seemed the consensus was home and bed sounded better.
As everyone said their good-bye's Woody told his mother he would take her back to the apartment and then return to be with Jordan when she woke up. Evelyn assured her son that he could easily catch a few hours of sleep in his own bed before coming back. Jordan would sleep for hours after giving birth.
He needed this assurance repeated a couple of times before he felt sure enough to agree to taking a nap when the two of them got back to the apartment. However, once he was convinced it was true he was out as soon as his head hit the pillow. With all the emotional as well as physical effort that had gone into the evening there really wasn't anything that could have kept him awake after he let himself relax.
Woody's dreams were filled with Jordan telling him that she loved him. But then again most of the dreams he'd had since their first meeting were the same. That was why when he awoke to the alarm he had set he was sure that part of the night before had been a dream instead of reality just like all his other dreams had been since he'd known her.
To be continued…
