Page 49 of His to Love
Chapter Twenty-Three
Patton
Seventeen hours—that’s how long Alexa was in labor. Grueling, and at times torturous, the pain seemed to take her over completely at the end. But still, she refused any type of pain medication.
She is the strongest woman I’ve ever known.
For the last few hours, she’d been sleeping peacefully. She’d finally allowed them to give her something for the pain, once the baby was outside of her body. She wasn’t about to let anything harm the baby in any way. But once she didn’t have the baby to worry about anymore, she wanted something—anything—to get rid of the pain. The Vicodin took her under almost immediately. I was immensely glad for it as I watched them stitch her up and hook her up to a bag of Pitocin to keep her uterus contracting to help stop the bleeding.
She’d lost a lot of blood, so they wanted to stop the bleeding as soon as they possibly could. The doctor even said they might have to give her a pint or two of blood to help make up for the loss.
Alexa was pale, her lips were colorless. I’d never seen her look so weak. But I knew she would recover from this with some tender loving care. And I intended to care for her the way I had since the beginning. I would make sure she got back to a hundred percent—sooner, rather than later.
The baby began moving around as he lay in the little, clear bassinet at the foot of the bed. Getting up, I went to see to him. He weighed five pounds and ten ounces. Still a tiny baby, but not as tiny as some premature babies. Plus, he’d shown good lung function, the thing that had concerned the pediatrician the most. Patty had come out screaming at the top of his little lungs, which they said was a good thing. It meant he was breathing on his own.
Making little grunts, he moved his head back and forth. The nurse had left a pacifier for him, should he want to suckle while Alexa was still sleeping. Gently, I picked him up, cradling him in one arm as I picked up the pacifier and put it to his lips. He pulled it into his mouth right away. I thought that was a sign he’d take to breastfeeding no problem.
Alexa had already set her mind on breastfeeding. I hoped Patty would go along with her on that and not make things too tough on her. She’d had it rough for such a long time already. It was time things began to ease up for her.
With the birth of the baby and everything I’d watched Alexa go through, I knew I couldn’t hold off on talking to Luci about my feelings for his sister any longer. I hadn’t thought I could love her more, but watching her give birth—toourbaby—had set my heart on fire.
My plan was to get Luci’s blessing then let Alexa know how I felt. And I had high hopes that she would let me know that she felt the same way. We could focus on being a real couple—a real family. There’d be no more talk of a divorce.
Sitting down in the rocking chair next to the bed, I couldn’t pull my eyes off the little bundle in my arms. He had on a beanie with blue and white stripes and was wrapped in a baby blue blanket. Even with puffy eyes and a wrinkled forehead, he was the most precious thing I’d ever seen in my life. “You know what, Patty? Daddy loves you very, very much, and always will.”
It was impossible not to fall in love with him. Just as impossible as it had been not to fall in love with his mother. Those two had done me in. They’d captured my heart in ways I hadn’t known possible. And I loved every bit about it.
Looking at his little hospital bracelet, I saw my name there.Father—Patton Nash.
My heart felt heavier than it ever had—but in the best way. It was so full that it would just have to get used to the added weight of love this little boy filled it with. Looking at Alexa, I smiled. “You did good, babe. You did real good.”
She was still out like a light and didn’t even stir at the sound of my voice. I watched her for a moment, her chest rising and falling slowly. Labor and delivery had worn her out completely.
I had no idea how women did it. It made no sense at all to think that men were the stronger sex. There was no way I could see me or any other man going through the absolute hell Alexa had. I honestly thought I would die during that process had our roles been reversed. It seemed to be more than what a human body could endure.
Being with Alexa had changed me for the better. She hadn’t meant to or even tried to, but her presence rubbed off on me, made me nicer, more caring—and not nearly as cynical as I had been.
Gazing at the first and only newborn I’d ever held in my life, I knew our son would make an even bigger difference in the man I’d been. Not that I had ever thought about it before, but I wanted to teach our son how to throw and catch a ball. I wanted to teach him how to ride a bike. I wanted to teach him how to swim, play golf, and climb trees. I wanted to be with him for as many firsts as I could. Not a minute would be wasted with him.
Looking at the still sleeping Alexa, I thought something seemed off about her. I watched her for a moment then it hit me.Her breathing has slowed.
The quiet, steady beat of the heart monitor suddenly turned into one long sound. I stood with the baby still in my arms. “Alexa? Honey?”
A stampede of people clad in different colored scrubs careened into the room. “Code blue. Repeat, code blue maternity two, zero, two,” blasted over the intercom.
Her heart’s not beating.“Alexa! Alexa, wake up!” I held the baby close to me as more and more people came into the room, converging on his mother.
One of the female nurses climbed onto the bed, straddling her, and then put her fists together before pounding them on Alexa’s unmoving chest. “Come on, girl!” she shouted. “You’ve got lots to live for!”
“AED, one minute out,” one of the male nurses shouted.
I wasn’t sure what that meant, but guessed it meant the machine they use to fix a troubled heart. “Alexa! Come on, baby! Stay with me! Stay with us!”
More pounding on her chest followed, as the nurses took turns trying to get Alexa’s heart back to normal. Then a large male nurse who was built like a linebacker took his turn. His deep voice rattled the room as he pulled his mighty fists up high. “You’re going to make it, ma’am.”
BAM! Her eyes flew open as the heart monitor made a beat and then another.
“Alexa!” I shouted. “Stay with us!”
