supported her as she began pushing. “It's okay, Serena, it's okay …”
“Oh, Teddy, the baby …”
“I know.” He lay her back on the pillows when it was over, and looked between the draped towels on her legs, and then suddenly, as she began to push through another pain, he gave a shout of excitement. “Serena, I can see it… come on … keep pushing … that's it …” She groaned and fell back on her pillows but only for a moment. She was panting and breathless and he held her hand as he watched, but there was nothing for him to do now except watch as the baby crowned and then he reached down gently and turned it, wiping the tiny face gently with a soft towel, and then suddenly as though it objected to having its face washed, the baby gave a gurgle and then began crying, and Teddy looked up into Serena's face and they began crying too. Her face was wet with tears as she heard the baby.
“It is all right?”
“It's just beautiful.” Teddy was laughing and crying and when another pain came, he freed the shoulders, and a minute later Serena gave a shout first of pain and then of exultation and the baby lay in her uncle's hands and he held her up to show her mother. “It's a girl, Serena! A girl!”
“Oh, Teddy.” Serena lay on her pillows with her eyes streaming, and she reached out to touch a tiny hand and at the same moment they heard the doorbell.
Teddy began to laugh as he set the baby down on the bed beside Serena. “It must be the doctor.”
“Tell him we already have one.” She smiled at him and reached for his hand before he could leave her. “Teddy … how can I ever thank you? I would have died without you.”
“No, you wouldn't.”
“You're terrific.” And then, remembering what she had heard him say earlier. “I love you too. Don't ever forget that.”
“How could I?” He kissed her gently on the forehead and went to answer the doorbell. It was indeed the doctor, and the ambulance arrived just as Teddy pulled open the door. Dr. Anderson hastened upstairs and marveled at the baby and Serena, congratulated Teddy on a fine job on his first delivery, soundly knotted the cord, and directed the ambulance drivers to put mother and child carefully on the stretcher. The cord would be cut at the hospital, and both of them would be carefully checked out. But it looked to the doctor as though everything had gone very smoothly. He looked at his patient with a grin and checked his watch.
“Just how long were you in labor, young lady?”
“What time is it?” She smiled at him. She was tired, but she had never been so happy.
“It is exactly two fifteen.” He glanced at Teddy. “What time did the baby come?”
“Two oh three.”
Serena chuckled. “It started at one thirty.”
“Thirty-three minutes on a first labor? Young lady, next time we're going to park you in the hospital lobby for the last two weeks.” The three of them laughed, and the men carried mother and daughter out on the stretcher, and Teddy looked at the room for a moment before he left it. He would never forget sharing this moment with her, and he was suddenly glad that they had been alone.
When Brad got back from maneuvers that evening, he found his brother sitting nonchalantly in the kitchen, eating a sandwich. “Hi, kid. Where's Serena?”
“Out.”
“Where?”
“Having dinner with your daughter.” It took a moment for it to sink in, as the younger brother grinned.
“What the hell does that mean?” Brad felt his heart begin to race. And then suddenly he understood. “Did she … did … today?” He looked stunned.
“Yup.” His brother answered coolly. “She did. And you have a beautiful baby girl.”
“Have you seen Serena? How is she?” He was instantly flustered and even looked a little afraid.
“She's fine. And so is the baby.”
“Did it take very long?”
Teddy grinned. “Thirty-three minutes.”
“Ase you kidding?” Brad looked shocked. “How the hell did you get her to the hospital in time?”
“I didn't.”
“What?”
Teddy laughed, and gave his brother a warm hug, but there was suddenly something more grown up about him, even Brad had noticed it when he came in. It was as though in a single afternoon there was something different about Teddy, as though in some subtle way he had changed. “Brad, I delivered the baby.”
“What? Are you crazy?” And then he grinned. “Crazy kid.