Eight weeks of Lester's deployment became twenty. Lester was gone much longer than anticipated. Dad looked into the mission and couldn't tell me anything besides saying it got extended by a subsequent operative. Whatever Lester was doing was important. I wondered what nastiness they encountered when collecting intel on whichever crime lord the Army deemed necessary to watch. It was likely a matter of national defence or stopping drugs from infiltrating the states.
I missed my husband. He missed the ultrasound to check our son's development. Mama was right. Lester and I were having a boy.
"Hector," I called from the upstairs washroom.
My neck tingled, indicating my husband had returned. "Oh my God, Beautiful. Is it time?" Lester asked, helping me from the shower. He tugged the long sleep shirt over my body, covering my baby bump and at least four inches past my crotch.
"It feels like it is. I didn't know I was in labour before showering," I replied. "Call Celia."
"Why?" Lester wondered, raising a brow. He helped me walk down the stairs.
"She's my midwife. I'm Celia's clinical study," I replied. Celia and I became friends during my prenatal visits. She shared stories about Carlos and Lester.
"Where are you having the baby?" Lester asked.
"The clinic in Bordentown." It wasn't too far from our house. We could drive there in fifteen minutes. Celia was staying with her boyfriend for a few weeks. He lived in Trenton close to the black seven-story building I hoped would get listed for sale.
Lester climbed into the backseat of our car, leaving Hector to drive. Hector had my hospital bag in the trunk for the past few weeks. "I'm glad I made it home for his birth. We are having a boy, right?"
"Yes, sexy. We are having Mateo Frank Santos," I replied. My breath hitched from the contraction. "Thank goodness my water already broke."
"Beautiful?"
"It's why I called for Hector," I groaned. "Shit. Already? Time?"
"Two minutes and lasting for thirty seconds," Hector replied, resetting the timer.
"I guess Mateo is going to be a natural birth. Our little guy is impatient. Shit. I don't want to go through this again," I groaned as another intense contraction ripped through my abdomen.
"Who do I call?" Lester asked.
"Hector?" I asked, deferring the question to him.
"Frank knows. He passed the message to the others. Helen said to call after Mateo's birth. She thinks you need this time with your husband to enjoy the wonder of childbirth. The family can wait until you have Mateo," Hector explained. "Helen will handle the remaining notifications."
"Am I missing something?" Lester asked.
My giggle turned into a groan as another contraction hit. "Breathe, hermana," Hector ordered. He directed Lester, who helped me concentrate on providing much-needed oxygen to Mateo.
I stared at my husband. His face looked much thinner than five months earlier. Dark circles enhanced his green eyes. "What happened?" I asked.
Lester grimaced. "We uncovered something we had to stop," Lester replied. "I can't give you the details. Ranger and Bobby compromised their morals to infiltrate the group."
"Did you?" I panted as another contraction hit. Goodness, Lester would have to deliver his son if we didn't get to the clinic soon.
"Never," Lester replied. "One woman showed interest, but Vince stepped in. He knew I wouldn't betray our vows. Beautiful, I have another nineteen months left on my contract. I'm not going to sign for another term. I want to be with you."
"Can you break it?" I wondered how much it would cost.
"No. The terms were clear. I have to finish my time," Lester replied. "I'll be home as much as possible. The sooner I get through the required weeks, the earlier I can be home for you and our son."
"Lester, please stay with your team. Mateo and I will be okay until you come home. I need to know Ranger, Bobby, Tank, and Vince are watching your back," I groaned.
We arrived at the hospital when I felt the urge to push. The pressure building in my pelvis spiked, making me scream, "Now."
Celia rushed toward me and got Lester to carry me to the examination room where I would have Mateo. She tried to get me into the rubber pool for delivery, but I refused. "Okay. Lester, put her on the table," Celia ordered.
Lester got me situated, placing my feet in the stirrups. I didn't realize my feet were bare. Hector shook his head, then quickly covered my feet with the socks he shoved into his pocket. "Why? Socks?" I asked as the mother of all contractions hit.
"So you don't get cold feet," Hector joked. Hector kissed my forehead, then left the room.
Celia had her teacher, an obstetrician from Newark Medical Center, observe and offer assistance while I delivered my son. Dr. Hanna Carter watched and praised Celia for a perfect delivery. "Not every delivery goes this smoothly," Dr. Carter warned.
"I know," Celia replied. Celia told me about some precarious deliveries her classmates experienced. I was glad everything about mine was textbook. Though, next time, I want an epidural.
"Next time, Beautiful? Are we giving Mateo a brother or sister?" Lester asked, commenting on the thought I wasn't aware was vocal.
"I don't want him to be an only child," I replied.
Lester cried as Celia placed Mateo in his arms. I focused on my husband and son as Celia gave me the injection for releasing the afterbirth. The squelch of flesh hitting the discard dish made me sick. Lester barely moved out of the way before I threw up where he stood with our son.
"Okay, I guess that's a new one," Celia joked. "Nobody else had their patient get sick after delivery. It usually happened before. I thought I'd get spared."
"Are you moving Steph to the hospital?" Lester asked.
"No," Dr. Carter replied. "We have beds on the second floor. Stephanie will need to stay here for at least twenty-four hours."
"Some of my friends will guard her room," Lester announced. Dr. Carter raised a brow in question.
"My husband is a soldier," I explained.
Dr. Carter smiled at Lester. "Thank you for your service. It shouldn't be a problem. I'll notify the clinic director," Carter said. She left the room to speak to the director and get a crew to clean the mess.
Celia carefully washed me, then moved me to a clean bed.
I wanted to hold my son. Lester placed him in my arms. He covered us with the warm blanket, then pushed the bed from the room, bypassing the vomit on the floor. Celia waved me away when I attempted to apologize for getting sick.
"Room 204," Dr. Carter said as we walked past her with the cleaning crew.
We used the elevator to get to the second floor. The men waited outside the elevator door for our arrival. It was a bit overwhelming but not unpleasant or unexpected.
Everyone waited for me to settle in my room before asking to hold Mateo. It showed the men were more like family than friends. I grinned when Carlos placed Mateo into Tank's arms. Tank could almost hold my eight-pound baby in one hand. Mateo got swallowed up in Tank's muscles and bulkiness. Lester used his phone to take pictures of the momentous occasion.
Celia came to my room to visit. She brought Mom, Dad, Valerie and the girls with her. Mom cried as she held Mateo. "He's gorgeous," Mom whispered. She reluctantly passed her grandson to Frank.
"Hi, Mateo. I'm your Nonno," Frank said. Mateo stared at Dad. I could picture them going fishing when Mateo got older.
"I have to weigh him," Celia said, entering the room with a portable counter with the baby scale. Frank reluctantly gave Mateo to Celia, then got everyone to leave to give Celia privacy to tend to the infant.
Celia removed Mateo's blanket and diaper. He whimpered from the coldness of the surface but cooperated without squirming. "Eight pounds and two ounces," she announced. Celia fixed the diaper back in place before he could pee on her.
She used a paper measuring tape, then tore where it reached his crown. "How long is he?" Bobby asked.
"Twenty-one and a half inches," Celia replied.
"I can't believe he fit inside me," I said. My son was a good weight and length. I couldn't wait to get him home.
"Stephanie, Lucinda is here with Lester's sister, aunts and cousins," Helen said, returning to the room after Celia left to update the chart for Mateo.
"Send them in, Mom," I replied.
"I'll give you time with Lester's family." Mom hugged me and whispered, "I'm so proud of you, Stephanie." I was shocked. Mom has surprised me lately. She was supportive of my marriage to Lester. But nothing surprised me more when she accepted Cal as Valerie's boyfriend.
The tattoo never phased Mom. She asked why he got it. After hearing his story and shedding a few tears, Mom hugged him. Oh! I forgot to mention that Cal returned from his mission a few weeks before the others. He got to know Dad and Mom and shared stories of his childhood. I was happy for Valerie. Her boyfriend was one of the good ones.
Before my extended family entered the room, I asked Lester, "Why did it take two weeks longer for your team to return?"
"We only needed the SEALs to help sneak us to the next area. They had another mission to complete. I guess they returned before us," Lester replied. He shouldn't have shared that much despite not knowing where they got deployed.
Lucinda hugged Lester and me before holding her first grandchild. I smiled as she spoke to him in Spanish. He stared at his grandmother before yawning. Javier, Lester's dad, entered the room behind his sons. "You have given me a grandson," Javier announced. "I can't wait to take him fishing."
"You'll have to take a trip with my dad when Mateo is old enough to hold a fishing rod," I joked.
"Sounds like a plan," Javier replied. He kissed my forehead, then hugged Lester before searching for my dad outside the room.
"You realize what you've done, right?" Lucinda asked. "Frank and Javi are planning fishing trips for Mateo's second birthday." I laughed, not realizing Lucinda was serious.
Lester sat on the bed to hug me. I wanted him to crawl beneath the blanket to cuddle. He was gone too long, and I really missed him. It was going to be a long, sexually frustrating six weeks. Celia explained the restrictions during our last appointment.
"I want to kick everyone out and make love to you, but I have to wait until you heal," Lester whispered, proving he understood my medical restrictions. My body needed to recover after giving birth.
"Visiting hours are over," Celia announced from the doorway. "Lester, we have a spare bed if you want to stay with Stephanie."
Lucinda placed Mateo in his warming bed. She kissed his blue hat-covered head before hugging Lester and me. As I hoped, Lester climbed into the bed. I rested my head on his shoulder while staring at the bed, holding our son. Mateo and Lester were my world. I couldn't survive without them.
Paul, Christian and Piper didn't hold the baby. They promised to visit when we got settled at home with Mateo. All loved my little guy. Hopefully, Mateo doesn't become a spoiled rotten child.
A few days later, I got discharged from the clinic. I hoped to spend only one day, but Dr. Carter said I had to poop before leaving. Who knew having babies would make you afraid to take a shit? It was one of those things a mother never talks about with their daughters.
I giggled when Lester escorted me from the clinic. He was carrying our son in the car seat, leaving Hector to push the wheelchair. "What's so funny?" Lester asked.
Hector explained why I was giggling. Lester shook his head, not finding the humour in the groaner of a joke. It wasn't worth repeating.
I wasn't surprised to find the others waiting for us at home.
Carlos wanted to discuss Rangeman. They had two months before their next deployment. It was the perfect time to get everything situated in Atlanta, our first branch.
Grandpa came through with renovating the apartments. I was shocked he completed the "command room" on the fifth floor. We had a few businesses remaining on the first floor. Renovation began on the second through fourth floors. We could launch Rangeman Securities within weeks.
"Why don't we travel to Atlanta to set up everything with the clients?" I asked.
"Really?" Lester asked. "You'd do that for us?"
"Yes, Lester. I invested in Rangeman too. It's in our best interests to launch this sooner than later. When the remaining floors in Atlanta are ready, you guys will be on your next deployment. I don't mind relocating for a few months to ensure the grand opening runs smoothly," I explained.
Carlos, Lester, Bobby and Tank had a silent conversation. I patiently waited for whatever ESP thing they were doing to get resolved. "Divide and conquer?" Lester asked.
"HUA," the others replied, which sounded like "hooah" to me.
"Heard, Understood, Acknowledged," Lester whispered.
"Okay. I have a request," I said. Carlos nodded, permitting me to speak. "Hector, Silvio, Rodriguez and Vince come with us. Vince is great with children. He can babysit while I help schmooze the clients into signing with Rangeman for all their security needs."
"What am I doing?" Vince asked, grabbing Mateo from my arms. With trying to get Rangeman running, I decided not to nurse Mateo. He finished eating the two ounces of formula. Vince put a thin blanket over his shoulder to burp my son.
"That," I replied, pointing to Mateo. "You're helping me with Mattie while I help the guys build our clientele. We also must conduct second interviews with the men on the shortlist. Building a client base is not practical if we don't have men to secure them."