Page 40 of Carter

Four Months Later

I wake up feeling a sharp pain. Glancing at the clock on my bedside table, I see it’s only 4 A.M. As I make my way to the en suite, I feel liquid run down my thigh. My hand automatically goes to check if I peed myself, but I feel a sudden gush of water before I can do that.

Fuck, my water broke!

I swallow hard, panicking a little as I try to calm myself down, as I realize that in just a few hours, I’ll get to meet my baby. I turn on the shower, turning the knob to the perfect temperature as I take my phone off the charger and call my parents. My father answers. I breathe in as a contraction hits me.

“Sweetheart, are you okay?”

“Dad it’s time you're going to be a nonno.” I let my father know. A few minutes later my mother walks in, letting me know she has the hospital bag ready and my change of clothes laid out for me. I finish washing getting out of the shower. As I enter the room, I see my mother has finished cleaning the mess and changed my sheets to fresh ones to prepare my room for when I return with my baby. My mother helps me dress in a men's shirt that fits me like a dress. I slip on my fluffy slippers, ready to go.

“Ready?” My mother looks at me with the biggest smile on her face. I can tell she’s excited to be a nonna. I nod and leave my room with my mother by my side, holding my hand. My father is waiting for us in the living room with his phone in his hand when I suddenly get another contraction. I see my father quickly tap his phone as he approaches me when I notice that he is timing my contractions. I can’t help but stare in awe at my father’s gesture.

We arrive at the hospital, where I get checked in and taken into labor and delivery, all within minutes of arriving. Dressed in a hospital gown with an IV sticking out of my hand I'm ready to pop this sucker out. The pain seems to be getting more intense as the hours go by. The nurse walks in carrying what looks like a fetal heart monitor which I had read about them in my baby books. The nurse straps the monitor around my huge belly and then goes to check how dilated I am.

She pushes her fingers inside me, sliding them out a minute later. As she disposes of the gloves, she turns back to face me with a smile. “Well, sweetie, you’re seven centimeters dilated. I’ll come back in an hour to check on you.” She smiles one last time and walks out the door. Both my parents are in the room, my father is sitting on the couch, timing my contractions, and my mother is by my side feeding me ice cubes.

An hour goes by, and my contractions have gone from being ten minutes apart to now being five minutes apart and lasting a minute between each one. A contraction hits as I grip my father's hand with all the strength I can muster.

Holy shit, this hurts.

The nurse waits for the contraction to pass before she pushes her fingers inside me. She pops her head up and tells the second nurse to call the doctor. I am now fully dilated to 10 cm. Dr.Ferrari walks in dressed in blue scrubs with the biggest grin on his face.

“How’s my favorite patient, huh?” He says as he goes to check on me. “I’m sure you say that to everyone, Doctor,” I say, raising one of my eyebrows. He chuckles.

“Okay, Leandra, I want you to start pushing when you feel the next contraction, okay?”

“Okay.”

When the next contraction hits, I push and continue to push with every contraction that hits me. My father brushes the hair back from my face as my mother records the moment my life will change completely. My parents take turns holding my hands through the next several pushes cleaning the sweat off my face and whispering encouraging words.

“Ohhhh God, this hurts.” I moan out in pain, leaning my head back against the pillows. I’m tired, and it’s getting harder to push. During the next five minutes, a sheen of sweat appears on my forehead my mother goes to wipe it off with the washcloth.

“I know, sweetheart, but you're strong. You’ve got this!.” My mother says.

“Great job, sweetie. You’re doing good.” My father says, taking my hand as I prepare to push again.

Another contraction hits this one stronger and even more painful. I push and I hear Dr. Ferrari tell me he sees the head. “Keep pushing, Leandra.” Dr. Ferrari encourages me, and that's precisely what I do.

I keep on pushing.

I pushed once, twice, and three times when I let out another yell, and that's when the world seemed to have slowed down, and the sound of my heart was loud in my ears because, at that moment, I heard my baby wail.

“It’s a boy,” Dr. Ferrari said as he held my baby, asking my parents to cut the cord. I see my baby boy's tiny fingers open and close. Dr. Ferrari places him on my chest as I look down at my little boy. He opens and closes his eyes a few times. One look and I was in love. He opens his eyes, looking at me, and I see he has his father's eyes—a spitting image of his daddy.

The nurses cleaned him, wrapping him up and placing a blue hat on his head. Dr. Ferrari checks me over delivering the placenta and ensures everything is okay. He then checks on the baby as my eyes follow their every move. Both my parents continue to watch the nurses and doctors like a hawk.

Dr. Ferrari brings my baby boy back. I can’t help but smile when I see his cute adorable little face. My parents look in awe seeing their first grandchild. “He’s beautiful, “ both my parents say simultaneously. My mom asks to hold her nipote, taking him from me. I close my eyes to get some rest.

When I wake up, I see my mother has gone to take a shower and freshen up as my father holds my baby in his arms. I smile at the view in front of me.

The nurse walks in a few minutes later.

“Hello, How are you doing?”

“I’m fine.” She smiles. “That’s good to hear. I wanted to see if we could fill out the birth certificate for this handsome little boy.” I nod.

I fill out the paperwork with my name and my baby’s name. The nurse reviews the information and confirms the baby’s name and spelling.

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