Page 62 of Not My Finest Hour

“I’m ready,” I say, breathing through a contraction.

“On my cue, you’re going to push, okay?”

I nod, and when she says to push, I push. We go through this routine for an hour until I hear a loud thud.

“What was that?” I ask, looking around. I’ve been so focused on my pushing, it feels like this is the first time I’m seeing this hospital room. There’s the doctor and a nurse, but Justin’s face is absent from the lineup.

“Don’t worry about that. Dad had a little bit of a stumble. You just keep pushing,” the doctor says.

I sit up and look around. “What do you mean? What happened to him? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine. He passed out, but the nurse is with him now. Sometimes this happens, and everything will be all right.”

The doctor is doing her best to make me feel at ease, but my mind is still worried about Justin. Then I see his face pop up, and the nurse helps him to his feet.

“I’m sorry,” Justin says, holding his head. “I haven’t eaten much today, and I guess it caught up with me.”

The nurse takes him over to the couch where he lies down and props his feet up. He’s given some cookies, a soda, and an ice pack for his head.

“You can do it, honey,” he says, sounding half asleep. “Keep pushing.”

“Focus on me, okay?” the doctor says, pulling my attention back to her. “Let’s push.”

Another half hour and one final push, and our baby is finally delivered. Sharp, shrill cries fill the air, but it’s the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard. Tears fall from my eyes, and Justin, who is now back at my side, dabs them from my cheeks.

“You did it,” he says, looking proud of me.

“And you passed out,” I say with a grin.

“What’s his name?” the doctor asks.

“Hudson James Alder,” I say. We chose Hudson because we liked it, but we settled on James for his middle name to honor Justin’s late father whose first name was James.

Our bundle of joy is placed in my arms, and Hudson looks up at me with such an inquisitive expression on his face. It’s too soon to tell which one of us he looks like, but I’d say he looks precious and perfect.

Later that night, after the doctor and nurse have left the room, and after we’ve done all the necessary phone calls and video chats, it’s finally just the three of us. It’s quiet in here, and Hudson is sleeping in my arms.

“He’s perfect, isn’t he?” I ask Justin. Ever since Hudson was born, I haven’t been able to take my eyes off of him. I can’t believe we created something so amazing and beautiful. My drunken one-night stand might not have been the finest hour of my life, but I would do it again in a heartbeat since it led me to Justin, and ultimately to this precious being.

Justin gets up off the couch and comes over to the hospital bed. “I didn’t think it was possible to love something more than I love you. I’m sorry, baby, but Hudson has stolen my heart.”

I smile because I feel the same way. “It’s okay. He’s stolen mine too.”

“I’m hoping that he hasn’t completely stolen you away from me because there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.” Justin drops down to one knee beside my hospital bed.

“Oh, my God. Are you all right? Did you pass out again?”

“I’m fine,” he says with a smile. He takes my hand in his. “Dahlia, even though we’re forever connected with this gorgeous baby of ours and I wouldn’t have it any other way, there is something that would make things more complete for me. I’d love to be able to call you my wife. Will you marry me?”

My vision goes hazy with the tears that are welling up, and once they fall down my cheeks, I don’t bother wiping them away. “Are you trying to make this the best day ever for me?”

“What do you mean?”

“Having a baby and getting proposed to all on the same day? That’s gotta be one for the record books, right?”

“So your answer is…”

“Yes! Of course I’ll marry you.”

---