Your reward for my inability to sleep. Enjoy.

Chapter Twelve

Confession #12: We men need to acknowledge that women truly are the stronger sex. Lord knows I don't and never will have the pain threshold that they do.

April Fool's Day arrived with a thick layer of dense fog. The cool mist covered the valley for most of the morning before it slowly began to dissipate in the early afternoon.

I watched Bella as she sat cross-legged on her yoga mat, breathing in the still-damp air. She was in a quiet zone, unconsciously rubbing the bean. Her chest rose with each deep inhale and her shoulders sagged on the exhaling breath.

Though she was overjoyed for our son's pending appearance, I could tell she was just over being pregnant. I didn't blame her; growing a human was hard work for a woman, and my coffee girl was no exception. I was still hoping the little guy would manage to stay inside his mama until the next day.

Bella hadn't been very hungry the last few days either. I thought maybe she would be up for some fruit and yogurt or some soup once she finished her meditation. I went into the kitchen where I started to take things out, wanting to entice her with something we had here, but if she wanted me to go out for something I would be glad to. I just had to stay close by until she was done so I could help her back up off the ground.

I sat out the muffins my mother had made and dropped off the day before, a bowl of mixed fruit, and opened a can of her favorite Campbell's Alphabet Soup. She'd never been a fan of the classic chicken noodle, even when she was sick.

"Eddie! Come help me, please." I chuckled at her bellowing.

"Coming, dear!" I teased.

She held her arms up and I squatted behind her and lifted her up.

"You're so not funny." Coffee girl was smiling, so I knew she wasn't serious.

I laughed again. "Come on, my little penguin. Let's feed the bean."

Even though her stomach growled, Bella groaned. "There's no more room in there for food. This—" she grasped her heavily protruding stomach "—baby of ours needs to make his way out if I'm ever going to be able to enjoy a full meal again."

I glanced at the clock. "Just wait eleven more hours for me, please. Besides, I made you some soup and that won't take up too much space."

"Nope, it won't. It'll just make me pee every ten minutes." She paused her walk into the kitchen. "Did you get my favorite crackers too?"

I nodded. "Yep. I'll grab the oyster crackers out of the pantry before I serve you."

Bella sighed with a gentle smile on her face. "You're the best husband and Daddy-to-be. I love you so much."

She made heart flutter with her sincere words. "I love you, too."

Now our little guy just had to keep baking for a bit longer.

~o~o~o~

At just after eight that same evening, Bella let out a moan that sent the hairs on my arms straight up and my back on edge. She wiggled up off the couch and went and bent over the back of it, swaying her hips as she continued to breathe through the pain.

When whatever she was experiencing subsided, she looked at me and said, "I think you should start timing them. That's the strongest contraction I've felt all day."

What the hell did she just say? All day?

"What do you mean all day?" I was clueless, apparently.

"I thought I was experiencing those Braxton Hicks contractions, and so I didn't say anything. But this one was different. It hurt more. We need to time them so we know when to place our calls to Corin and Tia."

With a nod, I went to get my phone so I could do as she asked. By the time I'd gotten back to the living room, Bella had already sat back down on the couch. She was so calm while inside, I was a mess. I was trying unsuccessfully to remember everything the books had told me. As someone whose job it was to memorize lines, I felt pretty pathetic for not being able to recall the things I'd re-read up on just last week.

Instead, I just sat down next to her and gawked, watching and waiting for the show to begin. I could tell I was already driving her nuts with my attention.

"Relax, Eddie. You'll know when something is happening without looking at me like the baby is about to claw its way out of my stomach." She snorted at her own joke.

Fifteen minutes later she was moaning again. I quickly timed the contraction as she breathed through the pain. Forty-five seconds later it was over, and Bella jotted down the numbers on an envelope we had lying on the coffee table.

"When they're twelve minutes apart, call the girls," Bella explained. "I'm just going to try to get some sleep before the real show truly begins."

"Well how am I supposed to time them if you're asleep?" It seemed like a good question.

She laughed. "You'll either notice a change in my breathing or I'll be more vocal. Trust me, you'll know."

"Okay." What else could I say?

She appeared to be the more relaxed of the two of us at that point, which was fine because she had way more work to do later than I did. Although her calm state made me want to shake her and ask how she could be so blasé about the pending arrival of our bean, I did remember Corin saying that the main thing I had to do was keep coffee girl calm, but she was doing that all on her own. I was the nervous wreck.

I knew before the night was over, I was going to hate the word calm...if I hadn't pulled all of my hair out before then.

~o~o~o~

Just before eleven o'clock, the contractions closed the gap from fifteen minutes to ten. Bella had been correct when she said I would notice when she had them. Corin and Tia had been called since the pain had been consistently coming for three hours. I also began to mellow out a bit because the likelihood that our bean would arrive before midnight had dwindled. I was happy about that, but I would have gotten over it if he had been born on the first of April either way.

While we were waiting, I was so tempted to call my parents, even though Bella and I had agreed to hold off until we arrived at the hospital because there was a possibility that the paparazzi were not just outside our house, but theirs as well. We wanted to be able to sneak out without an unwelcome entourage.

I breathed a relieved breath when the call to open the gate came in. One or maybe both of the girls were here, and hopefully they could clue me in on where Bella was in the labor process since she was so fucking calm.

I had been too worked up to rest with Bella when she did, so I knew I'd be able to chill out now that our backup support team was here. Once I let Corin in, she informed me that Tia was only ten minutes behind her. She asked me to brew coffee girl some of the peppermint tea she'd taken a liking to during the early stages of the pregnancy, so I did.

I didn't mind being bossed around; it was better than the aimless wandering I'd been doing. I worked best with direction...like always.

Corin had taken Bella upstairs when Tia arrived, so I led her to our room. Coffee girl was settled into a warm bath and there was soothing music playing quietly in the background.

Bella's pains had gotten closer together and she was slightly more vocal through them. Tia had donned a pair of gloves and was kneeling against the side of the tub, waiting for the contraction to end. When it did, she carefully checked to see how far coffee girl had dilated.

"Well done, darling. You're already halfway there." Tia's English lilt bubbled with pride for my coffee girl.

It was at that moment I knew it was really happening. Our baby was coming. I would finally be able to see and hold him. Life as we knew it would never be the same.

I couldn't wait.

~o~o~o~

When Tia checked Bella again three hours later, she was seven centimeters. It was go time and, as planned, we were headed to the hospital.

Bags in the car...check. Car seat in...check. Extra pillows...check. We were ready.

Well, I was still nervous and Bella was still calm. I wondered if it would stay that way.

Once Bella was dressed, I helped her down to the car and off we went.

A twenty-minute drive and five contractions later, we arrived. Fifteen minutes after that, Bella was settled into her room and checked. Nine centimeters. Dr. Dora was already on her way. Everything had picked up so fast.

It was surreal. My heart was pounding as Corin and I helped Bella breathe through the contractions. I was so proud that she had managed to get so far without any pain medication. I wouldn't have faulted her for needing something, but she was determined to continue naturally. I could see that she was hurting, that it definitely didn't feel good and the meditative breathing wasn't working as well, but she didn't curse or bemoan me for knocking her up. I was extremely glad about that.

The moment she needed to push, she became vocal.

"Oh God. I need to push." She continued to moan and breathe through everything as the nurse readied the bed for pushing.

I tried my damnedest to be encouraging and supportive as Dr. Dora gave Bella instruction on how and when to push. I wanted her to know I was there, not just as Daddy-to-be, but as her coach and partner through everything. Every contraction made for three ten-count pushes, and she did it.

She pushed for almost forty-five minutes before his head was out. It was honest to God both equal parts amazing because the bean was coming and horrifying because of all the blood.

Coffee girl was a trooper through it all, focused and determined to meet our baby, our bean.

"Okay, Bella, the head's out. I need you to stop pushing and pant," the doctor instructed.

She did as she was told, and I wiped her forehead with a cool, damp washcloth.

"You're doing it, love. He's almost here." Her chocolate-hued eyes were tired but excited as well.

"Now, Bella. Little pushes so we can get his shoulders out…that's it…keep going. Okay, here he is!"

His cry was music to our ears as they laid him on Bella's chest. Even covered in the amniotic gook he was beautiful. His dark hair plastered to his little cone head, his eyes the usual newborn blue and wide as he took in his new environment.

I am man enough to admit I cried too.

"Thank you," I choked out. "Thank you for him and your love."

"You're welcome, but I should thank you as well. I definitely didn't make him on my own."

We laughed through tears of happiness at her joke.

I cut the cord and then began taking pictures when the nurse took our little guy over to get cleaned up while Dr. Dora continued working on Bella, delivering the afterbirth and such. They weighed and measured him and then diapered him and placed a hospital issued t-shirt on before wrapping him up tightly in a receiving blanket.

Bella was able to shower while I held our sleeping little one. The bed had been remade while I was in my own little world, just staring at my boy. His lips pursed in his sleep, eyes fluttering which made me wonder what he might already be dreaming of.

He was simply adorable.

When coffee girl was back in bed, I handed him over. I knew she needed to bond with him as well as possibly feed him if he was hungry, but he carried on sleeping. I guess he was exhausted too.

As the sun slowly began rising and the sky began to lighten, I sent out a massive picture message to everyone waiting for the news:

He's here and Bella was amazing, but don't tell anyone else until after we get home! We'd like to make it home without the paparazzi finding out.

Caleb Anthony Cullen

7 Pounds 9 Ounces, 21 Inches

April 2, 2018 4:47am

The bean is finally here! I hope you all enjoyed this. Thanks as always to Brie and kitch for betaing. Next week will be the last update until the new year…We've got lots of holiday stuff going on until then. Leave me your thoughts if you so desire. Love you all! xx Dee