Hey guys! Once again, I've been a total jerk and have kept you waiting for so long! I'm so sorry! It's just that finals were this week, and getting through them was torture! But I got through them! I'm done, so now I have all of winter Break to WRITE! Yay! So anyway, we left off at Helga going into labor! Who's excited! I am! Here we go…
Another contraction. I grasped the side of my bed to brace myself, waiting for it to pass. They were now 8 minutes apart, nowhere near the time when I could start pushing.
A memory flashed through my mind-Caressa's birth was painful and long. Not to mention Rob not being there. He was out with his buddies at the pub, and was drunk to point where hallucinations started kicking in. I was so angry at him, but when I found out Caressa was going to be OK I couldn't scream at him. Seeing her gorgeous face calmed me. Caressa was a beautiful newborn, her face not too squishy or her skin not too red. She was perfect.
I was knocked back into reality when another contraction came. I let out a small wail, and clenched my hands into fists. I squeezed my eyes shut, and remained doing so until it surpassed.
After it passed, Arnold flashed into my head. They had called him about an hour ago, and we were waiting for his arrival. The door to the room swung open.
I gave him a weak smile, trying to seem like I was OK. "Speak of the devil," I motioned him with my fingers. "I was just thinking about you." He walked over, giving me his half-lidded look. He sat down next to me and just smiled.
I ran my fingers through his hair, and examined his perfect features. Our lips met, and I was taken away to paradise. He rubbed my stomach and gave it a light kiss. "Just think." He traced a figure on my stomach. "You'll be holding your new son in the next day. That's just amazing." Seeing how excited Arnold was made me forget about what was going on.
I locked eyes with him. "You know, in the next day, you'll be holding your son." He looked almost bashful, and his cheeks began to turn pink. I always loved seeing him blush, it brought a sort of realness to him. He was always so perfect; it was hard to believe he loved me.
He broke the silence. "So how far apart are your contractions?"
"They're getting around 7 minutes apart. I'm getting closer by the minute." I was utterly exhausted. I couldn't understand how people have children naturally. During Caressa's birth, I got the epidural and it saved me from almost dying from pain. After being in labor for so long I would have taken anything to stop the ongoing ache.
Right on cue my stomach clenched with pain. Arnold gave me his hand, and I squeezed it as hard as I could. I tried to not scream, but holding it in was too hard. He rubbed my back, and helped me sit up. I could tell by seeing one glimpse of his face that he was scared. He had no clue what to do. He was so naïve, yet so understanding. Arnold was the best person to be around. Once the contraction stopped, I let go of poor Arnold's hand. I probably crushed his bones.
He rubbed his hands softly. His left hand was bright red from what I could see. I giggled slightly. "I'm sorry, babe. If I could, I would take your place in a heartbeat. Believe me." He laughed along.
Arnold had such a kind, gentle soul. "If I could, I would take your place," he picked up my hand lightly. He squeezed it a little, and then placed the very front of his lips onto the tip of my nose.
The next 4 hours were hell. It was not a happy place in that room. The contractions were getting worse, and becoming more powerful. Arnold stayed by my bedside the whole time. He never once left my side. Even when I awoke from a nap, he was sitting next to me, smiling.
After one more hour, I was 8 centimeters dilated. I was finally allowed to get the epidural. Arnold helped me sit up, and kneeled directly in front of me. He pressed his forehead to mine, and closed his eyes. As the needle went into my spine, I winced. He held my hands, and put his lips to my forehead.
Within 30 minutes of receiving the epidural, the pain started easing. The contractions became less intense, and by one hour my legs were completely numb. I was ready to push.
They handed Arnold a hospital gown and gloves. He slipped them on, and came by my side once again. He held my hand and whispered, "It's going to be OK. I'll stay here, no matter what."
He returned back to normal position and looked intently at what the doctor was doing. It was amazing how Arnold could say something so romantic, so heart-warming, and half a second later, could return back to normal. I don't think he knows the affect his words have on people. They can entrance you.
"Alright Helga, on the count of three, I'm going to need you to breathe in, and push for ten seconds. After ten seconds are over, you can breathe out." The doctor sounded so professional and not fazed by it at all. "One…two…three."
I took a deep breath in, squeezed Arnold's hand, and pushed. The doctor counted slowly to ten, and by the time the last number left his lips, I was so tired. I breathed heavily, and my attention was on what the doctor was saying. "Alright, we're going to go again. One, two, three."
I repeated the process, only this push hurt a little more. After ten, Arnold stroked my hair and kissed the top of my head. His fingers were still intertwined with mine.
Following two more pushes, the pain started to overtake my nerves. "Alright, Helga, just a few more pushes. You can do this." I began tearing up.
"It hurts too much! I can't!" I yelled. "It hurts too much! Please, I can't do it!" Before the doctor could say anything, Arnold chimed in. "Helga, of course you can do this! You're so strong, don't believe otherwise. You can do this." He looked at me with his amazing eyes, and gave me a slight head nod, and smiled.
"Alright Helga, come on. Push." I pushed again, the tenseness in my stomach becoming so great; I thought I was going to explode.
After a few minutes the doctor said, almost too calmly, "I see the head. Just a few more pushes, you can do this Helga. Push the pain away. Alright push again." I pushed as hard as I could, for longer than 10 seconds. After 20 seconds, I heard high-pitched waling and crying. I began tearing up. My son was born. Chance was born.
"It's a boy!" Arnold rushed over to see Chance. His face was beaming.
"Alright, since you're the father, you get to cut the umbilical cord." They handed him scissors, and he quickly snipped off the cord. The nurse wiped off chance, wrapped him in a blanket, and handed him to me.
I gave him a kiss on the head. "I love you Chance." I said between tears. Chance's face was adorable. His eyes shut tightly, his face crumpled up. I rubbed his chest with my finger. He was beautiful in every way. I stroked his soft head, and soothed his crying. Arnold walked over slowly, still astounded by what just happened. Chance stopped crying loudly, and cried softly.
Arnold kept his eyes on Chance's. "Come here," I said to him. He walked over, and kissed me, then smiled at Chance. "Come hold your son."
He held his hands out, palms upright. I handed Chance of lightly, making sure his head was fully supported. Arnold held him, smiling the whole time. "I don't know what to say," he said quietly. "He's adorable Helga. You make some cute babies, you know that?" I giggled a little.
"Why thank you, kind sir." I watched Arnold interacting with Chance. He tickled his belly, brushed his head, and whispered sweet things to him. A few minutes later, a nurse took Chance to the nursery to check on his health.
"So," Arnold said softly. He held my hand. "How ya' feeling?"
"Well, considering I don't have a baby inside me anymore I'm feeling pretty fantastic." He laughed, and then gave me a kiss. "So, Arnold." He raised his eyebrows at me, showing a mysterious smile. "How'd it feel to be called 'the father' by the doctor?" He cocked his head to one side.
"Well, to be perfectly honest…it felt pretty amazing." He blushed slightly.
I couldn't believe how amazing somebody could be. "Well get used to that feeling, because you're going to be called that from now on. No matter what. You made this commitment." I said playfully. He chuckled, and kissed my forehead.
"Arnold," I said with a sigh. "How are you such an amazing, spectacular person? How is it even remotely possible?"
"Well, I learnt it from somebody along the way." He smiled, and then brought his mouth to mine. He brought his lips away, and caressed my face. "I don't know if you realize this Helga, but you're a remarkable person." After a few seconds of silence, Arnold spoke again. "Helga can I ask you something?"
"Anything, my prince." He chuckled softly.
He twiddled his thumbs, and then proceeded. "I can't ask you like this. Could you sit up for one tiny moment? I swear it will only take two seconds."
"Of course. You have to help me up, though." He grasped my elbow, and helped steady me.
"Alright, here goes nothing." His voice began to tremble, and he looked nervous. "Helga," he began. "I love you so much. There is nothing in this world that could make me want to leave your side. I want to be with you through thick and thin. I never want anybody to hurt you ever again. I wanna be called 'daddy' by Chance. I want to have the privilege to be called your husband." My cheeks began to flush, as he knelt down on one knee. "Helga, will you marry me?" He held out his hand, which enclosed a beautiful ring. I was completely speechless.
Tears began to form in my eyes. I was now shaking with joy. I started shaking my head. "Yes. Of course I'll marry you. Yes!" I locked my arms around his neck, and began kissing his neck, then his cheeks, then his lips.
"I love you so much Helga," he said between kisses.
"I love you, too." I ran my fingers through his hair. I pulled away. "You always know the right thing to say." I kissed him again.
"Oh, almost forgot." He picked up the ring that fell on the floor, probably from my impact. He held my hand, and slipped the ring on. It was gorgeous.
He put his hand under my chin, and made it so I was looking into his eyes. He cupped the sides of my neck, and pulled me in for another kiss. Our mouths formed to each other, as I memorized his lips.
My body was screaming in pain, but I ignored it for quite some time. After a while, the pain wasn't lessening. Sadly, I pulled away. "Sorry, Arnold. My stomach hurts too much." I gave him a pout.
He helped me sit back up, and just sat staring at me. "What are you smiling at, Arnold?" He brushed the hair out of my face, and traced my lips with his fingers.
"I'm marrying the most gorgeous woman in the world." He leaned in, and found my lips. I started blushing, my face going hot.
He pulled his face away. "You're going all hot Helga…is Helga G. Pataki nervous around me?" I pulled his shirt collar down to my level. Our faces were a few centimeters away from one another.
I kissed him, the corners of my mouth forming a smile. I released for just a moment. "I'm absolutely frightened."