finished, my back-up surgeon has just arrived. I’m twenty minutes away.” He pauses. “Put Ash on.”
“Hello.”
“Hey, Bloss,” he says gently.
I smile down the phone; just hearing his voice makes me teary.
“You all right, baby?”
I nod though my tears.
“Yep,” is all I can push out.
“Hold on, sweetheart, I’m coming.”
I nod and scrunch my eyes shut as another contraction comes. My doctor walks into the room. “The doctor is here.”
“Put him on,” Cameron asks.
I hand the phone to the doctor. “It’s Cameron.”
He frowns and takes the phone. “Hello?” He listens for a moment. “Why? Where are you?” he asks. “Just a minute. “He puts the phone down and gives me an internal and then gets back on the phone. “She’s nearly ready to push. I’ll do my best. It’s progressing very fast.” He hands the phone back to me.
“Hey, Bloss. I’m coming, babe.”
I nod as tears start to roll down my face. He’s not going to make it. I know he’s not.
“I love you,” I whisper.
“I love you, too. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He hangs up.
I start to cry, blubbering-mess-crying, and I just want Cameron here. Why, oh, why today of all days?
My eyes widen, and then I scrunch them shut.
“What is it?” Adrian frowns.
“I need to push.”
Cameron
I tear off my gloves and run out of the operating room. I bang the elevator button three times.
“Come on, come on.” I watch in slow motion, my foot tapping fast. “Please, please let me make it,” I whisper under my breath. The door opens, and I run in and bang the close-door button.
Level four: Maternity.
The ride up to level four is the slowest I’ve ever seen. It finally opens onto the floor and I run down the hall to the delivery suite and burst through the doors.
“Where is she?” I cry.
“Birthing suite two, on the left.”
I run down and run into the room in time to see my beautiful Ashley in bed, her face screwed up in pain as she tries to hold off. “I’m here, Ash!” I cry.
She looks up at me through her tears; her hair is wet with perspiration and she’s panting. I’ve never seen someone so beautiful.
“Oh, baby,” I whisper as I rush to her and brush her hair back from her forehead.
I smile as I kiss her lips, and she clings to me as if her life depends on it.
“Next contraction, Ashley, I want you to push,” the doctor directs.
I kiss her softly. “You can do this.”
She nods as she screws her face up.
I hold her leg back as I brace myself. “Get ready, Bloss.”
“I’m going to go,” Adrian murmurs.
“Don’t you dare go anywhere!” Ashley screams.
“Really?” he whispers. He goes to the back wall and stands silently, as if scared to move.
With a nurse holding one of her legs and me holding the other the contraction comes, and she pushes as hard as she can. My eyes widen as I see the head. The contraction stops and the baby’s head pops back in.
“You can do this, Ash, come on,” I urge.
She nods as she psyches herself up again. The contraction comes and she pushes as hard as she can. Her face turns bright red and she cries out in pain.
“I can see it, so close,” I whisper. “Come on, Bloss, come on.”
She gives a big push and the head is out.
She pants, and I smile broadly. “One more, one more,” I chant as she grips my hand with white-knuckle force.
She pushes again and screams as the baby slides out.
Blood and mucus and… silence.
I hold my breath; the nurse picks up the baby and rubs it with a towel, and finally it begins to scream.
“Oh, thank God!” Ashley cries.
“It’s a girl,” the doctor announces.
I cut the umbilical cord and the doctor goes to pass her to Ash.
“Pass her to her father first, please,” Ashley says.
My eyes search hers as my heart freefalls from my chest.
The doctor passes her to me, and I stare at her.
Shocked. Shocked that I nearly didn’t make it. Shocked that I did.
Shocked that we made this beautiful little person.
She’s so perfect, and she looks up at me as she tries to focus her eyes.
I blink so I can see her through the tears, and I take her to Ash and bend down and kiss my beautiful wife. We hold each other over our little girl.