Page 79 of Jake and Conner
"Once more," he said, and I gave it everything I got, even though that wasn't the first time he said that. "The baby's crowning," he announced with a look of intense focus on his face. "Just a little more now."
Just a little… hadn’t he said the same thing a minute ago? If I hadn’t been in so much pain, I might have scoffed at him. As it was, though, I was willing to do whatever he needed me to do for this to be over.
"Stop pushing for a moment. I need to suction her mouth and nose."
Stop? That was a new one. I breathed heavily, not sure if I wanted this break or if I wanted toget this over.I stared at Jake. Could he really see the baby's mouth and nose? I tried following the movements of his hands as he fiddled with a sort of bulb syringe, but I couldn't really see anything.
"All right," he said then with a note of relief in his voice. "Give me another push."
I did as I was told, gathering all my strength for a push, and then another one, until I could hear the wailing of a newborn.
"I was right!" Jake announced with a sense of wonder.
For a second or two, I had no idea what he was talking about. There was a big grin on his face and a baby in his arms. Our baby. He was wrapping it in a blanket. No, not 'it.' Her. That was what he'd meant, wasn't it? "She's a girl?"
"Yeah, she is. The most beautiful girl I've ever seen. We did good, Conner. We did really good." He laid the baby on my belly so I could see her. The umbilical cord was still attached. "I'll cut it in a moment," he said when he saw me glance at it.
It was then that I realized how lucky I was.
How many omegas got totrulyshare the experience of birth with their partners?
We'd gone through this together. As a team.
And we'd come out of it with a baby that was absolutely the cutest thing in the world. I studied her tiny face and couldn't help but smile, the pain my body had endured already feeling like a distant memory. "She's perfect," I said in a near whisper.
"She is. Ten fingers and ten toes. I counted." While Jake spoke, he clamped the umbilical cord, but I hardly paid any attention to that. Let Jake do whatever needed to be done. I was in love with watching my baby, who was looking around the room with big blue eyes as if she couldn't quite believe where she was.
I chuckled.
"You weren't exactly supposed to be born in this cabin," I said, stroking her warm cheek with one finger.
Jake laughed. "My parents are going to flip when we tell them."
"Oh right," I said absent-mindedly. "We need to tell everyone."
"In a little while. We can call them when we're at the hospital."
I nodded, too tired to care about the details of what was going to happen next. "What are we naming her?"
Jake shot me a devilish grin. "Connie."
I looked at him. "Are you being serious?"
"Why do you think I wanted a girl?" he asked, still with that grin. "It can be short for whatever you want, but I'm forever calling her Connie. Try and stop me."
I sighed, even though I wasn'treallyannoyed. It was kind of sweet, really. "Fine," I said, pretending to give in. "Have it your way. You were the first person she ever saw, so I guess it's only fair that you get to name her."
"Thank you." Jake sat on the bed and kissed me. "I'm glad I was the first person she saw."
"I'm glad too." I would never have chosen to have the birth out here, with only Jake and me present, but in the end it had turned out to be perfect. Where better to welcome our child, the physical proof of our love, into the world than here in this cabin where we used to hide away together and really get to know each other for the first time? "Her middle name is going to be Jacklin," I decided.
"Really?" Jake asked with a short laugh.
"Yes, because she's both of us."
"I hope she's got more of you than me."
"Funny, I was just thinking the same thing.
