and help him by watching the clock on the wall to see how far apart they were.
"Are you kidding me, Tom? A baby is about to come out of my body, and you want me to remember how to tell time?"
I was about to offer, but Tom shook his head. "Never mind, crybaby. Gidget is crowning. I can already see her head. Alpha, take Charlie's hands and help him push. Darcy, grab a clean tablecloth and get ready to take her." Tom talked Charlie through pushing as the next contraction hit. "Okay, good. Relax for as long as you can. I only have half of her head. On the next one, I need you to bear down with everything you've got and push like you haven't pooped in a week. Remember when we got punished and ate nothing but Brussels sprouts for two weeks? And how stopped up we were? Then you can understand the kind of pushing action I want to see."
This time, Charlie actually growled. "Tom, I love you with all my heart, and I appreciate you being here for me. But if you compare my daughter's birth to pooping one more time, I won't be responsible for what I do when this is over. My payback will be slow and stealthy, and it will be filmed. Zero regrets. I will put it on TikTok for the entire world to enjoy."
"Got it, sweets. Babies aren't poop. You're going to destroy my life if I compare them again, blah blah blah. I see your stomach tightening, so here comes the contraction. Push, Charlie. Remember the Brussels sprouts!"
The door swung open, and Dave and Tina came in while Charlie pushed through the mother of all contractions, screaming in pain while somehow managing to laugh hysterically. I couldn't see what was happening under the tablecloth, so I kept my eyes on Charlie's red face. The door opened and closed again, but I couldn't be bothered to check. Not when my whole world was here on this counter. Charlie fell back against my arm, clutching my hand and panting with relief as a sharp cry filled the air.
Tom stood and looked around. "Alpha, it seems like Charlie needs you. Did you want me to go ahead and cut the cord?"
Shaking his head, Charlie answered before I could. "My parents are here. I want my dad to do it. He didn't get to cut mine. Maybe this will make up for it in some small way."
Dave had tears rolling down his cheeks as he came over with an extended claw. "Thank you, son. I know we stumbled in on this by accident, but I'm honored to be part of such an important moment." He gathered himself enough to cut the cord, then turned to pull a sobbing Tina into his arms. Tom passed our daughter to Darcy before muttering something about afterbirth and ducking back under the tablecloth.
"Not so fast." Charlie reached out. "Let me hold her, Darcy. I don't care how mucky she is. She is my little girl. If I learned anything from my own history, it's the importance of being able to imprint her face in my mind from the very start." As soon as he brought her close, he looked toward his parents with shining eyes. “She has our birthmark, Dad! Right here, it’s the cutest little strawberry over her right eyebrow. Or, where her eyebrow will be since she doesn’t seem to have any just yet.”
“They’re there, sweetheart. They’re just more fuzz than hair at this stage.” Tina smiled through happy tears, clearly as thrilled as we all were.
Charlie looked back at me. “Okay, it’s time to do your part, charming.”
It took me a moment to realize what he meant. Damned if I didn’t have to blink a few times through blurry eyes before I could scratch an X over her itty-bitty heart with the claw I extended.
After we were done and ready to pass her back, Darcy held his hands up and stepped back. "I'm going to let your mom take it from here, Charlie. I'm sure she knows a lot more about cleaning a baby after birth than I do, and it'll mean so much more to her."
Bless Darcy for offering exactly what Charlie preferred since his parents were here and he could include them. Darcy had been up to bat originally because there was no other option. Not only was it the right thing to do—it was Charlie's way of closing the circle. Goddess, but