Page 111 of One Moment Please
“What?” I cry, a wave of pressure descending as another contraction hits.
Dr. Lizzy smiles sympathetically. “In fact, it’s time to push.”
“Now?” Josh and I both ask.
She nods. “You’re crowning.”
“That doesn’t sound good!” I exclaim, and then Josh grabs my hand and holds on tight as the nurse grabs my other. They sit me up and hold my legs.
“Push!” everyone yells at the same time.
I go completely silent as I follow orders, closing my eyes and bearing down with all my might. After a moment, Dr. Lizzy tells me to stop and breathe, and I sit back, gasping for air.
“You’re doing great, baby,” Josh says, pushing my hair out of my face.
“Oh, I’m so mad at you right now,” I groan, feeling every fucking pain in my lower body right now. “It’s such bullshit that baby deliveries all fall on the woman.”
“I know,” he says, staring down at me with a pained look.
“Fucking science, right?” I bark back. “Science is such a rip-off.”
“Total rip-off,” Josh parrots.
“And, now, I feel like you’re mocking me,” I groan, turning away from him, wishing someone would wipe the sweat off my face because I can’t be looking hot right now.
“I’m not mocking you,” Josh says, magically appearing with a wet towel as he dabs my forehead.
I look up at him sadly. “You’re a doctor, and I just said your profession is a rip-off.”
“It is a rip-off in this instance, which is why I’ll do all the night feedings for as long as you like,” Josh says hurriedly.
My brows lift. “That’s a nice gesture.”
“Anything for you, baby.” He drops a kiss to my forehead.
Then Dr. Lizzy yells at me to push again.
Man, she’s bossy.
My legs are back in position, and I give it all I have this time because I desperately want this to be over. I want this pain and this buildup and this anticipation to all be over.
What a journey the past six months have been. An asshole doctor turned one-night stand turned live-in lover turned baby daddy turned love of my life. All because I decided to sneak into a hospital cafeteria to write. I mean…as far as adorable meet cutes go, I think Josh and I kind of beat Kate and Miles’s tire shop thing, even if I did drop pie on his crotch. Although my story is likely ending with an episiotomy or at the very least, raging hemorrhoids so Kate definitely has one up on me there.
A baby crying has my jaw dropping, and I look down to see Dr. Lizzy plop a really gross creature on top of me. The nurses swarm me, wiping away the gooeyness and making it look a little less alien-like with each aggressive swipe.
“It’s a girl!” Dr. Lizzy exclaims and hands Josh a pair of scissors. “Dad, do you want to cut the umbilical cord?”
Josh looks at me with a big, proud smile while I revel over how much I love hearing him called Dad. His steady hands do a fine job, and they quickly swaddle my baby girl in a blue and pink blanket, placing a pink hat on her dark brown matted head. They lift her to me so I’m holding her, wincing at her battle cries.
Dr. Lizzy smiles from between my legs. “Talk to her, Lynsey. She’ll recognize your voice.”
I take a deep breath and swallow before saying the first thing that comes to mind, “The man fisted the woman’s large—”
“Baby,” Josh interjects with a look of shock. “You’re not quoting smut to our child right now, are you?”
“Um…no!” I exclaim, horrified that I almost did that. “I was just telling her a story about you fisting my big cankles the other night.”
Josh smiles and kisses my sweaty hair, reaching his finger out so our little peanut can grab him. She doesn’t look so creatury at all anymore. She looks like…a baby. Like…our baby.
