Can You Imagine The Stories We'll Tell This Kid?
Kim's eyes shot open, a stunned gasp leaving her. She blindly touched the wet spot on her pajama pants. Her water had broken. She rolled over against the large pillow she'd splurged on that supported her giant belly, registering Adam's grip on her fingers. Despite the throbbing pain she could now feel with startling intensity, she smiled a little. Before the baby had become so big that she couldn't even see her own damn feet, she and Adam used to fall asleep cuddling. But ever since the baby had shut that down, she woke up every day with their fingers wrapped around each other.
Extracting her fingers from his, she took a couple of minutes to calm herself. She got up and changed into clean clothes, double checking her hospital bag to make sure she had packed everything she would need, and then decided it was time to wake Adam up. She walked back to their bedroom, nudging him awake.
"Adam. Hey, Adam," she whispered.
"Huh? What? Kim? What—what are you doing up?" he asked in a rough gravelly voice. His eyes were still sleep-addled. She waited for a beat. When the sleep cleared a bit more, he shot right up, almost knocking into her head. She jerked back, laughing a little.
"Kim! What's wrong? You alright?" his voice was more alert now.
"Well, my water broke, so there's that. Could you wake Mak up and call Kev to see if he can take her?"
"Your… your water broke," he repeated, as if he were in a daze.
"Adam. I need you to wake up, okay? We need to make a move," she ordered.
"A move. Yeah. Totally. I hear you. Moving," he repeated. If she wasn't starting to panic herself, she would have laughed. His hair was sticking up in all directions, and he looked as if the wind had been knocked out of him.
"Adam. Babe. Water broke, contractions, I'm going to be pushing out a human out of my vagina. Your human. So, chop chop, let's go," she said.
That seemed to break him out of his stupor.
Your baby. Those words swam around in Adam's mind as he blindly put on the first clothes his hands found. He couldn't think much past those two words. Your baby. My baby. Their baby. He went to the nightstand and yanked his phone out of the charger, dialing Kev.
"This better be good, Ruz," he heard Kev rumble on the line.
"Trust me, it is. Kim's water broke, we're headed to the hospital. Can you come over and stay with Mak?"
"For real? That's amazing. Okay, I'm on my way, man. You just worry about Kim," his best friend reassured him.
"Thanks, bro," Adam replied. He went out and checked in on Mak, smiling a little when he found her fast asleep, her little snores filling the room. He then made his way downstairs, finding Kim in the kitchen holding the hospital bag.
"Baby, what have I told you?" he asked, walking over to her in three strides and grabbing the bag.
"Adam, it's not that heavy! Plus I wanted a snack. I'm getting hungry," she said, looking through the cabinets, and then the pantry.
"Aha! I knew I'd hidden them somewhere," she exclaimed, holding a bag of Oreos in one hand. "I'd hidden them from Mak because she has a way of tracking down cookies," Kim explained.
"Just like her mom, then," he replied, getting an eye roll in return. All of a sudden it dawned on him that they should've been preparing to leave for the hospital.
"Alright, let's get going then," he said. He grabbed the car keys and the hospital bag, following Kim outside. Just as they stepped out, Kev pulled in, getting out quickly and rushing toward them.
"Hey, how you feeling?" he asked Kim, who smiled at him.
"Actually, not too bad," she replied.
"She'll want to come to the hospital once she's up. Just give her breakfast and bring her over there, I'm sure we'll be there for a long time," Kim told him. They said their goodbyes after giving him instructions on Makayla's morning routine.
It turns out Kim had spoken too soon, because ten minutes into the ride, Kim was almost doubled over in pain. Adam drove with his left hand, letting Kim hold on to the other one. He was completely helpless, and the only thing he could do was count how far apart the contractions were coming. It's a miracle they actually made it to the hospital considering he'd driven with his eyes focused mainly on his wife. He parked as close to the entrance as possible, and then went to help Kim out of the car.
Once they made it inside, the nurses were quick to get her in a wheelchair before taking them to her room. Thankful for the professionals who took over, Adam just stood by her, her hand still clutching his tightly. He hadn't even realized it, but he'd been pressing kisses to her knuckles, wanting to take her pain away and having no idea how to. This was a very familiar feeling for him, he realized grimly. The only thing that was different this time was that they were in the hospital not because one of them was hurt… but to welcome their baby into the world. Keeping that in mind, he focused on Kim and what the doctor was saying.
"You're doing really well, Kim. Your contractions were seven minutes apart, correct?" he looked from Kim to Adam for confirmation. Adam nodded, having made sure to count as carefully as he could've while driving them here.
"Okay. That's good. You're still not fully dilated, so I'll come back to check in in another fifteen minutes or so. In the meantime, I remember your request for an epidural, so I'm going to have the nurse prep for that. We'll administer it in a few minutes, okay?" he said, before leaving the room.
Kim lay still on the bed, eyes closed. The only sign of being awake she gave were the occasional squeezes to his hand. This was, he soon realized, her having contractions, and he marveled for the millionth time how strong she was. Without moving the hand in which he held hers, he brushed some of the hair away from her eyes and tucked it behind her eyes, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.
"I love you," he whispered. She didn't open her eyes, but a smile spread across her face. Seeing her in a hospital gown was honestly a bit triggering for him, but he kept reminding himself that they were under different circumstances. In a few hours, they'd be meeting their baby. Their baby. His heart stuttered, and then started galloping in his chest. The thought of meeting their baby was just… he couldn't even put words to the feeling.
Feeling another one of Kim's squeezes to his hand, he brought his focus back to her.
"Can I do anything, darlin'?" he asked her, wanting to be more useful than just a human stress ball.
"Hmmm. I'm getting pretty thirsty… maybe you can bring me some ice chips?" she asked.
"Of course," he replied, turning to go but stopping when he realized her grip on his hand hadn't loosened.
"Baby, I'll be right back," he told her, but her hand stayed put.
"Hurry, I don't want to be alone," she said. He kissed her palm, then pressed a quick kiss to her lips.
"I'll be back in less than a minute," he promised. He dashed out into the hallway, thanking the heavens when he found their nurse just outside their room.
"Hey, my wife is getting pretty thirsty. She asked for ice chips…do you know where I can find some?" he asked.
"Oh, why don't you go back inside and I'll bring them for her?" she replied, giving him a smile and already walking away.
"Thank you so much," he said, relieved he wouldn't have to break his promise to Kim. He rushed back inside to her side, letting her grab his hand again.
"The nurse is bringing the ice chips in, okay? How you feeling?" he asked, looking her over before settling on her face. There was a sheen of sweat on her face and neck, and she was frowning, but otherwise she looked the same. He looked down at her swollen belly, that same euphoric feeling rushing through him when Kim had started showing for the first time. That was when it had really hit him—that she was pregnant. With his baby. He stroked a hand over it now, careful to keep his touches light. Sometimes his baby responded back with some pretty strong kicks for such a tiny little thing, but right now it seemed to be sleeping. Bending down, he pressed a kiss to her belly.
"Hey, little guy… are you ready to come out? We can't wait to see you," he whispered against her womb. He felt Kim stroking his head, and he looked up to see her smiling down at him. Just then, the door to their room opened and the doctor walked in with the nurse.
"How's Mom doing?" the doctor asked, as the nurse walked around to Kim's side and passed the cup of ice chips to Adam, who held one out to Kim's mouth.
"They're getting more and more frequent. And the pain…" Kim trailed off, looking uneasy. Adam's heart clenched, the way it did every time Kim was hurting. He stepped closer to her, looking at the doctor.
"Can you do something about the pain?" he asked. The doctor nodded, looking at the nurse.
"Prep her for the epidural, and I'm going to look down here to see how far dilated we are," he replied. The nurse got to work, while the doctor instructed Kim to get her feet up so they could take a look. A few minutes pass by, and the nurse is injecting the epidural into Kim's spine. The doctor confirms that Kim is almost ready, and instructs the nurse to have everything ready for the birth.
"Alright, looks like we can start preparing to push very soon. Dad, are you going to stay here or wait outside?" the doctor asked Adam.
"In here," was Adam's immediate reply. He realized they hadn't actually discussed this, but Adam couldn't imagine standing in the waiting room while Kim pushed their baby out into the world. He wanted to be there with her every step of the way. He looked down at Kim to make sure she was okay with this, and found her tearing up.
"Hey, shhh. What's wrong, baby?" he asked, worried the pain had gotten worse.
"Nothing it's just… we're going to have a baby soon," she whispered, a few tears leaking down her cheeks. His heart thumped unevenly again, and he smiled slowly, happiness spreading through him.
"We are. We're gonna have a baby, darlin'," he said. The doctor turned back to them, announcing that everything was set, and that Kim would have to start pushing now.
"You got this, Kim," he told her. She nodded determinedly, focusing on the doctor's words.
"Alright, Mom. Start pushing now. Stop when I tell you to stop," he instructed.
This went on for what felt like hours, and Adam realized he really had no idea what this would be like. He'd read all the books he could stand reading, and had paid attention during the horrifying videos he'd sat through with Kim… but nothing had prepared him for the real deal. Adam hated Kim's groans and shouts because they were laced with pain, but he admired his wife for pushing through despite it. For all his protectiveness, he was helpless here in this room as his wife continued to bring their child into the world.
All of a sudden, the beeping from the monitors started going crazy, and the doctor glanced up, a concerned expression on his face. The nurse immediately started speaking words to the doctor, words Adam couldn't hear because his heart was thundering all throughout his body and brain. He looked down at Kim, who's eyes had fallen shut.
"What the hell is happening?" he yelled out, looking to the doctor. When he didn't get any response, he turned to the nurse.
"Is nobody going to answer me? What the hell is happening to my wife?" he demanded.
"Sir, you're going to have to leave the room. The doctor needs to work on your wife, but you need to leave," she told him, already moving toward him.
"Leave? You're out of your damn mind if you think I'm leaving Kim's side. Tell me what's happening," he demanded once more.
"The doctor needs to figure it out, you need to give him space so he can see what's wrong. You being in the room is going to distract him. Please, for your wife. You need to come with me outside. I'll come back once I have an update for you," she said. She all but pushed him outside. He managed to look back at the last second, the only thing he saw was Kim's face, her eyes closed as the door shut.
Adam had walked the entire hallway so many times he'd lost count. He hadn't had an update for what seemed like hours. The only distraction came when he suddenly heard noises around him, and he whirled around to see his daughter with Kev. So it had been hours. He looked at Mak, who was smiling and asking him questions excitedly. He focused on her, and could make between her non stop chatter that she wanted to know if her sibling had been born or not.
"Not yet, kiddo," he replied. When Mak looked up at him with concern instead of the smile she'd been sporting this whole time, he cursed inwardly and forced himself to make more of an effort to pretend, knowing how astute she was of his and Kim's emotions.
"Is Mom okay?" she asked him. He tried to smile down at her, ruffling her hair.
"Of course she's okay," he replied, not knowing what else to say because he really didn't know if she was or wasn't.
"Well, why aren't you with her, then?" she asked. He stalled for a second, because as little as she was, Mak was one of the smartest little people he knew. She picked up on things he wasn't sure skilled police officers sometimes picked up on at work.
"So I could be here with you of course, silly," he replied back, having to think fast. She giggled in response, so he figured he'd done a better job pretending than before. He could feel Kev's gaze on him, and he looked helplessly at his friend, trying to convey as much as he could without saying the words. Kev seemed to understand the gist of judging from the tightening of his eyes and hardening of his jaw. He brought his phone out and seemed to text someone before sliding his phone back in. He then convinced Mak to sit in the chairs and successfully distracted her with some of the toys he'd packed in her backpack.
Adam nodded at him in gratitude, and went a little ways away and leaned against the wall, his head resting back. He willed his thoughts away from the worse case scenarios, but it was hard considering he hadn't had any updates in hours. He felt a hand on his shoulder and opened his eyes to find Kev looking at him with a worried expression. Adam instinctively looked back toward Mak, finding her lost in one of her coloring books, a look of utmost concentration on her face.
"She's fine, she seems to be clueless," Kev assured him Sighing and dragging a hand down his face, Adam explained whatever he knew to Kev.
"So something happened to Kim and they basically threw you out of the room and you haven't heard anything since then?" Kev summed up. Adam nodded, not finding his voice to verbally respond back. Just as he was beginning to lose his mind, his patience, everything, the nurse came rushing out of the delivery room. Adam jerked forward, walking toward her.
"How is she? What's happening? What the hell took so long?" he demanded, but in a low voice so as to not worry Mak, who was sitting further down the hallway, still immersed in her toys.
"I'm sorry…it took a while for things to settle down, but she's okay. Both Mom and baby are doing okay, alright?" the nurse reassured him.
An energy buzzed through Adam, as if he'd had caffeine injected into his bloodstream. The nurses' words echoed through his mind.
"She's okay?" he croaked, his voice rough with emotion. Oh my god. It felt like he'd lost a decade of his life.
"She's fine, and she's asking for you. C'mon, let's go," she ordered. Not wanting to waste even a second more than he had to without Kim in his sight, he followed the nurse, knowing Kev had Mak. His heart was still roaring in his chest, but he ignored it, wanting to focus. He entered the room, his eyes finding Kim immediately, as if they both were magnets. His heart slowed a teensy bit when he saw that she really did seem okay. It was then that he realized she was smiling… smiling at a little bundle she held in her arms. When she sensed him walk in, she looked up at him , her smile growing impossibly bigger. He beelined towards them, sinking into the seat right next to the bed. He addressed Kim first, stroking her hair, her neck, her back, any part he could reach to make sure she really was okay.
"I'm okay," she whispered. "Adam, I'm okay." He felt himself nodding. It was then he realized that he was crying.
"Shhh, babe. It's okay. We're okay," Kim soothed him. He also realized what a massive idiot he was being. Here was his wife, having gone through god knows how many hours of unimaginably painful labor, holding their baby in her arms, and he was crying. He gave himself one second before pulling his shit together. And then he allowed himself to gaze down at the little bundle that Kim held.
His son. Adam's heart burst with joy. It felt as if some part of him had been locked away, and it had now found a reason to be open. Unlocked. And unending joy burst through, flowing from the deepest part of him to the outermost part, his fingers tingling and ears ringing.
"He's perfect," he whispered in awe, staring at his tiny face. His little eyes were screwed shut, and his arms were tucked into his body, his little hands drawn into little fists. He was wrapped up in a blanket, so Adam couldn't see the rest of him, but he knew it was perfect. He was perfect.
"Do you wanna hold him?" asked Kim. He looked at her. She was smiling at him, already holding their son toward him. Slowly, Adam reached out, holding his arms out. She put his baby in his arms, adjusting his grip so his left arm was holding up his son's head. He remembered the way he was supposed to hold the baby and then adjusted himself, before allowing himself to register the fact that he was actually holding his son in his arms.
The weight was the gentlest of pressures, practically non-existent to Adam. He noticed more details, like his little nose. The tuft of light brown—almost blond-ish hair peeking from beneath the little baby hat. His little body wiggled around in his sleep, and his little sock covered feet gently kicked the air.
"That's supposed to be normal," Kim answered the question that had been running through his head. "The doctor said babies are quite active even in their sleep," she said, chuckling a little bit.
Adam wasn't aware of actually doing it, but he could feel the smile on his face. Everything around him felt like a dream… something he wasn't sure he was really experiencing, but the little weight he held in his arms felt as real as anything. It could've been hours, days, months… and Adam wouldn't have realized. Nothing existed but this. Them. His family. After a while, he noticed Kim's exhaustion set in, so he told her to sleep too. He moved to the couch on the far side of the room. Just as he'd sat down, the door opened, and his daughter peeked her head into the room. Adam immediately made a shushing noise, not wanting his son or his wife to wake up. Mak understood and tiptoed toward him. She gingerly sat beside him, her gazed focused on her little brother. Mak made no move to touch him, she seemed content just to stare at him.
"That's your little brother, kiddo," Adam whispered to her. She grinned at him, her gaze never leaving her baby brother.
"He's quite cute. My friend Amanda had said when her baby sister had been born that she looked really weird. But I think he looks really cute," Mak said. Adam laughed softly.
"Yeah, he's quite cute. How could he not be?" Adam agreed. He felt, and then heard the click of a camera go off, and glanced up to find Kim aiming her phone at them.
"Perfect," she said, a beautiful smile on her face. Adam smiled back at her, wondering how he'd gotten so lucky to have found them all. His family.