Page 52 of The Only Road Back

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She pushes.

Again.

And again.

The world narrows to her, the doctor’s voice, the rhythmic beep of the monitor.

Then—”Jack, are you okay?”

The room tilts. My knees buckle. The last thing I hear is the doctor saying something about the baby’s head.

Everything goes dark.

I wake to crying—a new, thin wail cutting through the haze.

Not Beth’s.

A baby’s.

Our baby.

Head pounding, I push up from the floor. A nurse tries to help me, but my eyes are on Beth.

She’s propped up in bed, hair damp with sweat, face pale but shining. In her arms, a baby. Swaddled in blue. Our baby.

I stagger over, still dizzy. Beth looks up, eyes bright. “You fainted,” she says, gentle and amused.

I let out a shaky breath, embarrassed and awed. “Guess I did.”

“Tough ex-Marine, taken down by childbirth.” She grins, tired but triumphant.

I don’t try to argue. My focus is on the baby—tiny, perfect, impossibly real.

“He’s ours?” My voice cracks.

Beth nods, tears bright in her eyes. “Yeah, Jack. We have a son.”

It hits me all at once—hope, fear, pride, love.

I sit beside her, hands trembling. “Can I hold him?”

She nods and carefully passes him over. The weight in my arms makes my world stop.

He’s so small, with dark hair like mine but Beth’s delicate features.

I brush my thumb over his tiny fist. He grabs hold, strong and determined, and my heart nearly bursts.

“He’s perfect,” I whisper.

Beth wipes at her eyes, smiling. “He really is.”

I look at my son. “Hey, buddy. I’m your dad.” The words taste new and sacred.

The baby sighs, face scrunching before he relaxes again.

Beth laughs. “I think he likes you.”

I can’t stop staring, can’t believe he’s real. “Good. Because I already love him more than I thought possible.”

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