Page 128 of Fighting For Light
“He’s a perfect baby boy,” he says, bringing him over to Cordi to lay him on her chest. “We will get him measured and weighed, but first, he needs to be skin-to-skin with you for a bit.”
I watch her take our son and hold him to her breast. My heart is about to explode at the sight.
“He’s beautiful, gem,” I say in awe, trying to swallow the emotion building in my chest. A sob breaks through her lips, and she keeps looking between me and him. I lean over, wiping her tears and pushing her hair back out of her face. “You did it. I’m so proud of you, baby, I’m so proud of you.”
She cries and looks down at him. He’s not crying, he’s just lying there breathing against his mother’s chest. You can tell the moment the doctor laid him on her chest, he relaxed. This kid might be a mama’s boy, not that I could blame him.
“What name did we decide on?” Cordi asks. I admire our son, trying to decide what feels like a fitting name for him.
“He looks like a Theodore.”
She looks down at him, gently rubbing her thumb on his tiny back. “I think he looks like one, too. Theodore Kai Coldwell.”
My mouth drops open.
“You want his middle name to be…really?” I ask in total disbelief.
She grabs my hand while her other holds our son. “You are his father in every single way that counts, Kai. Your name is on that birth certificate. He is your son, so Theodore Kai Coldwell makes a whole lot of sense to me.”
I pin my lips together, getting choked up, and she smiles softly up at me.
“I love you so much,” I rasp as a tear escapes my eye. “I love you both.”
“We love you, too, Daddy,” she says.
“Alright, Cordelia, let’s finish getting you cleaned up. But first, what name do we put on the birth certificate?” Doctor House asks.
“Theodore Kai Coldwell,” I rasp.
He writes it down on a piece of paper and hands it to the nurse.
“Wonderful. Mom, if you want to hand Theodore over to Lola, she will get him weighed and measured. Then we’ll hand him off to Dad and get you in clean sheets.”
She nods, but I hesitate. I’ve never held a baby, let alone a thirty-minute-old one. I glance between Theo and the doctor. Lola comes around and takes him. I watch her carefully rest him on the baby scale and then measure him. She walks back over to us, and I open my arms, not sure what to do.
“Hey, I get it. The first time is the scariest. Let’s have you take your shirt off so he can be on your skin. I need you to hold your arms like this, almost as if you’re hugging yourself.” She smiles and gestures towards the chair. “Go ahead and sit down.”
I whip off my t-shirt and sit in the chair. She comes up to me and leans forward, gently putting my son in his little diaper, socks, and hat onto my bare chest. His warmth instantly transfers to my body as I hold him to me.
“There you go. Make sure you’re supporting his neck here,” she says, gently tapping my hand up. I move it to his little head and neck. Then she taps my hand to rest around his bottom and lower back. My hands are so big compared to him. They almost cover his tiny body completely.
I stare at him in utter awe as he rests his tiny fists on my chest. His little lips purse and move like he’s about to cry, but his eyes remain closed. Cordelia makes a sound, and I lift my head to find her looking at us, tears falling down her face.
“Are you okay?” I ask her.
She nods and rests her hands on her stomach.
“When you’re ready, we will swaddle him so Mom can feed him.” Eventually, Lola and the rest of the team leave. Cordelia takes long, deep breaths like she’s still in labor, and I frown.
“It’s okay, it’s normal,” she says. I nod and look back down at Theo, at a loss for words.
“I wish I had my camera,” Cordi whispers.
“We should probably call my mom and brothers in. Your dad is on his way.”
“Okay, but…not right now. I want this to be just us.”
I smile at her and look back down at our baby. “Okay, Mama.”
