Page 103 of Wish You Would

“I’m going to get the doctor on call. His name is Doctor Waterman. You can go ahead and change out of your clothes and put on the hospital gown that’s on the bed.”

“Okay.” Briar stands as the woman slips out of the room, closing the door behind her. I throw her bag on the nearest chair and then help Briar change and get onto the bed under the blue-and-white striped blanket. There’s a knock at the door a moment later.

“Hi Briar, I’m Carina, your nurse. I’m going to hook you up to a few machines while we wait for Dr. Waterman. We’re going to see what’s going on. Sound good?”

“Sounds good. Thank you,” Briar replies before her face is contorted in pain. Her hand grips the blanket.

Carina works busily to strap a wide band around Briar’s stomach with a monitor that will track the contractions and monitor the baby’s heart rate. I pull a chair closer to the bed, scooping Briar’s hand into mine and giving it a squeeze.

“You are in active labor, Briar. Your contractions arethree minutes apart. You will most likely have this baby by tonight. If not, it will be tomorrow.”

“Isn’t it too soon?” The fear in Briar’s eyes is like a punch to my gut. “I’m not due for two more weeks.”

“Delivering a baby two weeks early is considered near-term. Perfectly normal. I don’t want you to worry,” Carina says. “The baby’s heart rate is 130, which is exactly what we want to see. I want you to push the red button by your bed if you need anything or if the pain gets too much. I’ll be back with some ice water. I won’t be gone for too long.”

As Carina leaves the room, a strong contraction slices through Briar’s abdomen. “Holden, it hurts so bad.”

Briar squeezes my hand and grits her teeth until the wave of pain subsides and she can breathe again. “You’re doing so good, pretty girl. I’m so damn proud of you.”

I brush her hair from her face, stand up and press a kiss to her forehead, noticing the tears slipping down her rosy cheeks. “I’m scared, Holden. What if something goes wrong?”

I bring her hand to my mouth, whispering against her knuckles. “It’s going to be okay. His heartbeat is strong.”

I try to reassure Briar, but truthfully, I’m just as scared as she is. I’ve read the pregnancy books. I know the risks of a baby being born early. There is still so much that could go wrong.

Another contraction slams through her body, then another three minutes later and another after that. They keep coming. Briar breathes through them like she practised in prenatal classes while I rub her shoulders.

When Carina returns, she has Doctor Waterman with her; he’s dressed in light-blue scrubs with a matching cap covering his graying hair.

“I hear we’re having a baby tonight.” He reaches for apair of latex gloves on the metal tray next to the foot of the bed and sits on the stool next to it. “I’m going to check to see how you’re progressing, Briar. This will only take a few minutes.”

A wave of panic washes over Briar’s face as she waits to hear what the doctor has to say. We’ve been waiting here for hours for a glimpse of the man. Now that he’s here, we’re both on pins and needles waiting for his report.

“Baby is in position. He or she is almost here.”

“He.” Briar says. “It’s a boy.”

The doctor smiles, noticing the panic in Briar’s voice. “Your baby boy is looking good. Heart rate is perfect and you’re eight centimetres dilated. He’s going to be here in the next couple of hours. I’ll be back soon when it’s time to push.”

Our son is almost here. We’re going to meet our baby boy.

The next two hours move slowly. Briar is in agony and exhausted but breathing through every contraction that steamrolls through her body. Just after 10:30 p.m., Doctor Waterman returns and after a brief exam, he tells Briar it’s time for her to push.

“This is it, baby. Our little Slugger is almost here. You’re almost there,” I say into her hair, my lips on her temple.

“I don’t know if I can do it, Holden.” She squeezes her eyes shut and breathes through a whopper of a contraction. It hurts and I’m so tired.”

“You’ve got this, baby. I know it. There’s no one as strong as you. You’re almost there.”

The doctor is talking to Carina on the far side of the room as machines beep and monitors flash next to Briar’s bed. She turns her gaze to me, tired emerald eyes locking with mine, and I lean in and kiss her before anothercontraction interrupts the moment. “I love you. I love you so fucking much.”

“I love you too.”

“You can do this,” I tell her, running my hand over her damp hair. “I’ve got you, Bee, and I’m so damn proud of you.”

Her eyes search mine, until another contraction rips through her, bringing tears that slip down her cheeks. My heart is sliced wide open seeing her in so much pain. She’s squeezing my hand; her jaw is clenched tight. When the contraction finally subsides, she collapses against the bed.

“I’m only doing this once,” she groans. “No more babies.”

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