Page 298 of Labor of Love

“How about I walk with you?”

“Perfect. You can also finish my tacos, because we both know that I’m only going to eat two bites.”

I managed to have almost a whole taco. Tyler put the other two in a doggy bag for me, then we made our way down the street.

It was slow. Almost agonizingly slow. I took short steps and waddled awkwardly. Meanwhile, Tyler walked next to me like he was afraid I might tip over at any moment.

We were just outside of the medical center—lucky thing—when the pain hit me.

At first, I thought I’d pissed my pants. Then when the liquid didn’t stop gushing, I realized my water had broken.

“Tyler!”

“Yes?” He had a hand on my elbow, braced and ready for anything like whatever happened next, he needed to be prepared physically. And maybe he would need to be. Maybe he would need to carry me into the clinic.

“My water broke.”

He looked down. “Holy shit. Wow. Okay. Well. We’re right here, so that’s lucky.”

He was remaining way calmer than I expected. Meanwhile, I was freaking out.

My breath came in heavy pants and the pressure in my abdomen grew. “Tyler!” my voice took on a panicked tone, and he swept me into his arms.

“I’ve got you. Let’s get you inside.”

We were already very familiar with the medical center. Tyler and I had helped to determine what needed to go into it years ago when it was built. At the time, I didn’t think about the fact that I’d be giving birth here.

Tyler took me directly to the birthing suite. Dr. Quinn was already there. “Ah, fantastic. I was expecting you.”

“You were?” I said.

He nodded. “After all the jalapenos you ate yesterday? I knew you’d be giving birth soon, so I wanted to be ready.”

I poked Tyler in the ribs. “See?”

Tyler placed me on the bed. “His water broke. So far, he’s had one contraction, I don’t know how far apart they are?—”

Just then another one hit me, and I groaned. I reached for Tyler’s hand.

“Perfect,” Dr. Quinn said. “Let’s call Luca. He is going to be assisting me today. Birth takes time, so we will be here for a while. Go ahead and get comfortable, Theo. The birthing gownyour mother made for you is already here, and she has some incense she wants us to burn.”

“Wait. What do you mean birth takes time? I want this baby out now. He’s been in there for four months. How much more time does he need?”

Dr. Quin raised a brow and looked at Tyler.

“Sweetheart. You know that birth can take several hours, right? It’s not instantaneous. We are going to be here all day.” Tyler spoke gently, his words treading carefully like he was approaching a bomb.

“I know that.” I didn’t. I mean. I knew it, but I guess I never really thought about it. In all my fantasies, I’d fast-forwarded to holding my child.

It was several hours later when the cry of my child finally pierced the air.

Luca stood on one side of me. Throughout the entire process he got more views of me than he ever needed. Lucky dragons got to lay eggs in the privacy of their own home. He had things so easy. Then again, he had three children and I only had the one baby to care for, so perhaps they both had their pros and cons.

Tyler held my hand. He cut the cord as soon as Dr. Quinn gave him permission, then he placed our child—our son—into my arms.

“He’s perfect, Theo. All ten fingers and toes.”

“A boy? A boy for sure?” We didn’t care about gender. I was happy with any child that was mine and Tyler’s. We’d suspected I was carrying a boy. Well, my mom suspected. She had been so sure of it. I guess she was right.

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