Page 93 of Down the Aisle
I barely caught a glimpse of her rolling eyes as I passed her again. "Babies come when babies come, and our little girl herewants to come now!" she strained out, wincing and whimpering with her stomach cradled.
The faint sound of metal clinking together nearly drowned out Asher's call for me. "Dada." Stopping in my tracks, I let out a huge sigh of relief when I saw him holding up my keychain with a rather stoned expression as if he were the calm adult and I was the child.
Snatching him up in my arms, I thanked him with a kiss on the cheek before setting him down on the couch. "Aunty Hailee and Adelaide are gonna come to hang out with you for a little bit, okay, bud? Dada and Mama gotta go get your baby sister." Don't know if he fully processed it all with the blank look he gave me, but he didn't budge from the couch when I left him to go open the door for my sister and niece.
"I am so sorry, but dinner's in the kitchen if you want any. I gotta go right now—"
Hailee didn't let me get another word out; she spun me around with a long sigh and shoved me toward Eliza. "If she has that baby in the car because your head is in space, then I'm gonna kick your ass for her when you get back."
Not wasting another second, I helped Eliza into the car and sped to the hospital, breaking probably too many traffic laws on the way.
Thankfully, we made it to the hospital fine and in record time. It wasn't long after our arrival that we were situated in a room. Eliza got all changed into a hospital gown and hooked up to machines in a matter of seconds the moment we got up to the room.
Fuck, it's really happening. Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck.
Being next to Eliza in the damn hospital really drilled it into me that this was reality, that our child would be here soon. Okay, maybe that needed some correction because being next to Elizawasn't the wake-up call for me. The real kick in the ass was the pain inflicted on me by Eliza squeezing the life out of my hand!
Fucking hell, it hurt like a bitch! I didn't think Eliza had this kind of strength in her to break my hand!
Of course, I had no time to think about my phalanges because I was too focused on my poor darling, who cried out in pain with every contraction. God, every whimper and sob gutted me, and I only wished that I could take away her pain.
"I'm so sorry." I kissed every inch of her tear-stained face as I held her tightly. "I am so sorry for putting you through this."
Surprisingly, she had enough in her to crack a joke, "It takes two to make a baby, so I'm as much at fault as you." But that little bit of sweetness disappeared with her next contraction. "Motherfucker I'm going to stab you in your ball for this!" she hissed through a tightly clenched jaw, slamming our hands against the railing of the bed. "God, I hate you. I swear, if this baby doesn't come out easy, I will fucking kill you."
I took not an ounce of offense at her words because, no doubt, it was the pain and hormones talking. Not another word left me for the next hour after Eliza told me to shut it when I tried to whisper sweet nothings to her. All she wanted from me were cuddles and kisses, which I gave her in full and then some.
After the first hour flew by, a second quickly followed before our little girl decided to make her grand debut into the world. As overjoyed as I was about being able to hold both our baby and Eliza in my arms finally, I couldn't help but feel an underlying guilt for the suffering that Eliza had to go through just now. The pregnancy was a breeze for Eliza, according to her every time I asked, but witnessing her going through labor and giving birth felt like Death ripped my soul out of my body inch by inch.
I hated how useless I was throughout the whole thing. All I could do was give her water, kiss her, hold her, and comfort her however she needed and wanted, but there was nothing I coulddo about alleviating her pain. What's more shocking was how fine she seemed afterward.
The moment our Rosie came out, Eliza kind of did one-eighty of sorts. Honestly, seeing her exhausted but blissful face right now made the whole labor process seem like some bad acid trip. No way did this woman of mine suffer the worst pain in the universe moments ago with how happy she was. It was like someone hit a reset button in her or something. There wasn't a grimace or cry in place as she cooed and gushed over our daughter.
"Bub? You okay? You're kinda looking a little pale." It took me a second to realize those concerned words were directed at me.
Blinking my fumbling thoughts away, I quickly smeared my smile back on my face. "Y-yeah, just… Overjoyed…" My mouth hung open as my thoughts refused to leave my mind.
"And overwhelmed?" Eliza finished for me with a sympathetic smile.
All I could do was nod in response before kissing her. "It all just happened so fast, and in a way, it almost didn't feel real. I feel like I blinked a few times, and we flashed around to this point in time." That was the best way I could put it. "And I just… I feel so horrible about how you had to go through all that pain, but also, I have this newfound admiration for you."
Holding them both tightly, I leaned my head against Eliza's in a quiet sob. "Just… Thank you. Thank you so much for all you do for me and our family. Thank you for blessing me with another child for me to spoil and love."
And like babies, my tears came when they did, and I didn't care. "Thank you, Eliza darling," I whispered against her lips with a cracked voice. "I love you so much, and I always will until the end of time."
Epilogue: Eliza
~1.5 years later~
Never in my life did I think I'd be doing this again. Hell, I remember swearing to myself that I'd never put on a fancy white gown ever again unless it was for my funeral.
Yet, here I stood, at the end of a fancy, sandy aisle, obscured by some fancy umbrellas so Adam wouldn't see me quite yet. I knew that jitters on your wedding day were normal, and I had them the first time around with James. But, the butterflies in my stomach this time around were something else altogether.
Thinking back now, my first wedding was probably just anxiety and sheer panic because, honestly, I loved James, but it wasn't true love like with Adam. Back then, I got married for the sake of getting married. I basically settled for James because Ididn't think anyone out there would find me worthy, and James did. Obviously, I have more self-respect now after Adam showed me my worth to the world.
This time around, it truly felt like how I always imagined it to be. I was excited and nervous as fuck to the point where I wanted to throw up, but it was all the good kind. It wasn't dreadful; it was enthralling and wonderful beyond my imagination. The sparks, fireworks, stars of amazement, the one and only feeling that everyone talks about, I was finally feeling it all for the first time ever.
"Alright, Mr. Santini, if you could turn your body a little and look over your shoulder for me, kind of like you're gazing into the distance." I heard our photographer instruct Adam, which meant my time was now.
