Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88889 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88889 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
I lean down and give her a kiss. “You’ve never looked more beautiful.”
She lets out a chuckle. “Liar.”
“Be right back,” I say before I go to the restroom to get a washcloth. I wet it beneath cold water and squeeze the excess out, then head back to Kelcie and gently wipe her face and behind her neck.
When I’m done, I grab one of the chairs by the table and set it beside the bed. I sit down and rest my hands on either side of Kelcie’s hips.
Locking eyes with my wife, I say, “I know I fought you on having a child, and this whole process started rocky, but thank you for wanting to have our baby.”
When she first brought up the subject, I wasn’t keen at all because crying babies give me anxiety. But seeing how much she wanted children had me agreeing. I still can’t refuse her anything.
Over the past nine months, things have changed, and I’ve found myself getting excited to meet our baby. I now know with Kelcie by my side, I can face anything.
She places her palm on my jaw, but before she can reply, another contraction starts, and she grabs hold of my arm, her nails digging into me.
Amanda comes back with Dr. Carnick. Our nurse places the ice chips on the bedside stand, then seeing the washcloth, she says, “I’ll get a bowl of cold water so you can keep rinsing it.”
“How’re my favorite parents-to-be doing today?” Dr. Carnick asks. “Ready to meet your baby?”
Kelcie nods while breathing through the pain, and I reply, “As ready as we’ll ever be.”
As soon as the contraction fades, Dr. Carnick says, “Lie down so we can see how far along you are, Kelcie.”
I help my wife move onto her back and stay near her head when Dr. Carnick pushes her hospital gown out of the way.
Just like every other time he’s been down there, I keep my eyes locked on Kelcie’s face, trying not to lose my shit because another man is touching her.
That’s been the hardest part about this whole process. I still can’t stand it if anyone else touches my wife.
You can’t do his job, so just suck it up.
“What time did the contractions begin?” he asks.
I check my wristwatch. “At eight forty-three, her water broke, and she had the first one about ten minutes later.”
He glances at me from between her knees. “How far apart are the contractions now?”
“Five to seven minutes.”
Just then, a contraction starts, and my attention is torn between Kelcie and Dr. Carnick, who is adjusting the gown around her before stepping away from the bed.
“Your baby is coming sooner than I expected and should be here in, give or take, four hours,” he says. “I’m going to do my rounds, then I’ll be back. Amanda will take care of you until then.”
“Thanks, Doc,” I say, then I focus on my wife, holding her hand and wishing I could take the pain on her behalf.
For the next few hours, we fall into a routine, and Kelcie dozes off as she grows tired from all the contractions. Jordan and his family arrived two hours ago and have made themselves comfortable in the waiting room.
When Dr. Carnick returns, things get really rough, and there are quite a few times I regret agreeing to having a baby. Seeing Kelcie in so much pain just doesn’t seem worth it to me.
I remain by her side, and my hand loses all feeling at some point from how hard she’s gripping it.
“Almost there,” Dr. Carnick says. “Just one more push, Kelcie.”
Already feeling overemotional, I keep quiet and wipe the cool washcloth over Kelcie’s forehead and neck. Her face is torn with agony as she gives it her all while letting out a feral growl.
My eyes are locked on my wife when Dr. Carnick says, “You’re the proud parents of a baby girl.”
The next moment, I hear a cry, and my head snaps to where Amanda is tending to our baby. I have zero brain activity as I watch the nurse come toward us.