Page 67 of Broken Heat
He stopped swimming and hoisted himself, dripping from the pool. “What?”
“I think I felt a contraction.”
He came over to me and cool droplets of pool water dotted my legs and chest and face. He put his hand on my big belly, rubbing softly, feeling.
“The baby is in a good position if that’s what you felt,” he said.
He knelt beside me, wet and beautiful, and when the next contraction came, we experienced it together, his hand on my body.
“That’s about ten minutes, I would say.”
“Do we need to go to the hospital?”
“You have time. Just relax. Close your eyes.”
He massaged my body and took away my stress. I trusted Mykel with my life. He gave me everything. There wasn’t a thing he wouldn’t do for me.
After a while, we went inside. Mykel ran a bath for me. He bathed me gently, with such tenderness I had tears in my eyes.
Afterward, he lay beside me in our bed. I slept a tiny bit, but not much. The contractions were getting bigger, and they convulsed my entire body.
When it was time to go, he got me into the car with everything I needed. He remained calm and soothing and protective.
At the hospital, as I strained and moaned, he fed me ice chips. He massaged my scalp and my shoulders.
“I love you so much, Elon. You’re so beautiful pregnant. And soon we’ll get to see the results.”
I didn’t feel beautiful. I was used to being so well-groomed, perfectly coiffed, powdered, shaved, bleached. Pregnancy made all that nearly impossible. But I let myself believe him.
“I love you, too.” I leaned up to him for another kiss.
Mykel might have started out as my surrogate, even believing he had failed me, but in the end our success story was better than a romance novel. He had given me more than I had ever hoped for.
I strained and pushed and sweated. I moaned and huffed and cursed.
Finally, I heard the OB say, “He’s crowning.”
Mykel moved to watch, which I had given him full permission to do. He said, “You’re doing well, my love. So well.”
“One more push,” the OB instructed.
I looked up at Mykel. He took my hand and said, “One more.”
I used all my strength and felt something release. The pain meds were working, so it didn’t exactly hurt.
“Wonderful!” the OB said, and I saw his hands were full.
Mykel grinned at me. “He’s perfect.”
“Quynn.” I breathed. “Welcome to the world, Quynn.”
After a few minutes, the nurse handed Quynn to Mykel and Mykel brought him to me.
When I held him to my chest, I felt a flutter of pure wonder. Like I was holding the combination of my love and Mykel’s as a warm moving being. That’s what Quynn was. Our love. Made manifest.
The revelation was obvious, but the reality of it didn’t hit me until I looked at Quynn’s face, touched his fingers, breathed his scent.
If not for Omega Island, I would not have had this little soul in my arms. This miracle.
