by K E Osborn
“CJ… how is she?” Mom asks, barging her way through.
“In a lot of pain. Sorry to make a rush of things, but can we take her to the hospital now?”
“Yeah, of course. Girls, go into the living room and set up. Your father and I will take you both,” Mom offers.
My sisters kiss me on the cheek as they walk past in a flurry.
“Girls, make yourselves at home, eat anything and watch anything, just try not to give Ethan too much junk, okay? And no swear words,” I call out to the girls as they walk down the hall to the living room.
“Yeah, yeah,” Skye calls back.
I know they’ll give him heaps of junk, they always do, but I have a more significant issue to worry about right now.
“Right, where is she?” Dad asks. Obviously seeing my concern, I point to the bedroom.
We all walk in, and Sarah’s off the bed and pacing the floor, holding on to her back.
“Okay, you ready to go?” I ask, and she nods, smiling at Mom.
“Hi, sweetheart, how you are doing?” Mom asks.
Sarah nods as she works through her breathing. I step over and wrap my arm around her as Dad gathers her bags, and we help her walk out to the car.
Fuck, I hate seeing her in pain like this.
If I could take it away, I would. In a heartbeat.
We arrive at the hospital a short time later, and everything’s happening so quickly.
Sarah is out of the car and into a wheelchair before I can catch my breath.
We say goodbye to Mom and Dad as they take us through to the birthing suite.
The room is cozy, and luckily, we’re on our own. We know how feisty Sarah can get, so sharing with another person is never going to be a good thing. I help her get changed into a gown and onto the bed.
My heart hasn’t stopped racing since this all started. For some reason, I thought this would be less scary than Ethan’s birth, but it’s just as fucking terrifying.
I sit next to Sarah’s bed and hold her hand as the midwife does her tests.
“Has your water broken yet, hon?” she asks.
Sarah shakes her head.
I’m surprised at how quiet she’s being. I thought, in a typical Sarah style, she would let everyone know she’s here, but all she’s doing is concentrating on her breathing and moaning a hell of a lot.
“Okay, I’m about to check how dilated you are,” the midwife says, as she moves to the end of the bed.
After the test, the midwife says reassuringly, “Okay, hon, we’ve got a long way to go. Try to rest as much as you can and reserve your strength for the birth.”
Sarah simply nods.
Looks like we’re in for a long night.
We’ve been here for what seems like a damn eternity. Sarah’s contractions are getting worse, and she’s beginning to become more vocal. So far, I’ve been called every name under the sun. I know she doesn’t mean it, and I can’t help but laugh when she goes off, which only makes her angrier.
I love her feistiness, always have.
That’s how we ended up together at the party when we met. She was smoking hot, still is.
I wanted to dance with her.
She said no and told me to fuck off.
I wouldn’t take no for an answer.
So, I pulled her in for a dance, whether she wanted to or not.
I think we both fell in love at that moment. I spent the rest of that night kissing Sarah passionately while Jeni played on her phone.
Looking back, that wasn’t very thoughtful of us.
“Did you not hear me?” Sarah snaps, bringing me back into reality.
“No, babe, what do you need?”
“Were you daydreaming while I’m trying to force your child out of my pussy?” she asks.
Damn, this girl’s hilarious!
And I can’t help but laugh.
Sarah screws her face up and pulls her hand from mine.
“No, well, yes… I was remembering how we met.”.
She looks back at me and smiles. “At that nimrod’s party.”
“Yeah, you were so beautiful that night,” I say and hold Sarah’s hand to which she quickly snaps it away again.
“That night? So, what? I’m not beautiful now? That’s right! Knock me up and then tell me I’m ugly while I am pushing a watermelon out of my twat. Nice one, Chris! Remind me to divorce you when this is all over, won’t you?”
I shake my head, but she starts to cry.
“Hey, don’t cry.” I smooth her hair back. “I love you, and you’re beautiful. You are simply stunning, especially when you’re pushing out a watermelon.” I chuckle at the end of my sentence.
She looks up at me, and her bottom lip quivers. “I love you, Chris. I’m so sorry. I don’t want a divorce. It’s the pain, it is making me crazy,” she exclaims.
I lean down to kiss her forehead. “It’s not the pain making you crazy, that’s all you,” I joke, and she huffs and turns away from me.
“Fuck you, you fucking jerk,” she mumbles.
“Don’t worry… I love it when you’re crazy,” I mumble back to her.
Sarah turns her face to mine and she half-smiles. Then suddenly, she’s groaning in pain as she hunches over on the bed. I take her hand, and she holds on to me so fucking tight I hardly have any feeling left in my hand—it has turned white.
“You’re doing well, Sarah, just work through it,” I encourage as I rub her back with my free hand.
“Don’t touch me,” she yells.
Instantly, I take my hand from her back—the last thing I want to do is hurt her.
“No! Dammit! Keep rubbing my back, but don’t touch me. You’re the ass fucker who did this to me in the first place.”
Great! Now she’s not making any sense when her crazy comes out.
I so should be recording this!
“Okay, I’m not touching you, but I am rubbing your back,” I inform her while she groans and nods.
Right. Good. At least that’s settled!
Her contraction eases, and her panting slows as the midwife steps in. “Okay, I’m just going to check how far along you are? It should be getting closer—”
“Thank fuck! Get this spawn of Satan out of me. Now!” she blasts as her head rolls to the side.
“No, seriously, Chris… you are the fucking Devil to do this to me again,” she snaps.
“Remember, you were the one who wanted another child,” I retort.
Shit! Big mistake!
“Shut the fuck up, you fucking asshole! Who asked you anyway?”
I hold back my laugh. It’s not worth antagonizing Sarah any more than I already have.
“Okay, Sarah, you’re at ten centimeters. We’re ready to push. We might need to break your water seeing as it won’t break on its own,” she informs us, and Sarah suddenly looks panicked.
“Hey, I’m here. I know you can do this,” I tell Sarah while I watch a tear form in her eye.
I caress her cheek as the obstetrician steps in. “Sarah, it’s go time. We’re just going to break your water and then we can start to push. How does that sound?”
“Sounds fucking awful, and to be honest, I don’t really want to do it,” she admits.
“Well, my dear, you don’t have much of a choice,” the obstetrician replies with a smirk.
Fuck, this is really happening!
I feel like I’m about to lose my shit.
My heart races in my chest, and I am nervous as hell.
I’m concentrating on Sarah’s face because she looks terrified. I fucking hate seeing her like this—my strong, feisty girl looks scared.
Another contraction hits right as the obstetrician’s about to break her water.
“I hate you right now, Chris,” she yells.
I feel helpless like there’s nothing I can do to help her.
“I know, babe. I hate me, too,” I mumble.
“Oh, shut up, you pussy… stop feeling sorry for yourself. Man, I need to wee,�
�� she blurts out, and then a gush of liquid sprays out, and it’s like the freaking exorcist just went off in here.
“That was your water breaking. Looks like I won’t need to do it after all. So, Sarah… you ready to push?” he questions.
Sarah nods her head as I inadvertently shake mine.
I’m so not ready for this.
“Okay, deep breath and push,” the doctor instructs.
“Keep going, you’re doing so well,” I whisper in her ear.
“Aaand relax,” the doctor says when she stops pushing and exhales loudly. “Well done, Sarah.”
She lies back on the bed and closes her eyes.
I fucking hate this!
It’s such a long waiting game—I’m beyond tired, and Sarah looks about ready to give up.
This is ridiculous!
“I can’t… I can’t do this anymore,” Sarah cries and then starts to sob uncontrollably flopping back on the bed. She is shaking her head from side to side, she’s beyond exhausted.
“Babe, just a little more, that’s all we need,” I try to reassure her, but it doesn’t work.
“No, I can’t. Just cut it out of me. I can’t do this anymore. Please! I just want to sleep,” she begs.
“I’m sorry, Sarah, the baby is in position, and it’s too late for a Caesarian. You’re going to have to push, and the longer you wait, the worse it is for your baby,” the obstetrician states.
“I can’t, Chris… I can’t,” she sobs.
I take both my hands and place them either side of her face and look her straight in her beautiful eyes. “Sarah, I know… I know you’re exhausted, but you have to keep going for the sake of our baby. It needs to come out so we can meet him or her. Plus, the quicker you get this done, the quicker it will be over. I love you, Sarah, and I know you can do this,” I tell her.
She sniffles and nods her head.
“Okay, we ready to go?” the obstetrician asks. We both nod. “Right, Sarah, push,” he instructs.
I fucking love my wife.
“Okay, I can see your baby’s head, Sarah, keep going,” the doctor orders.
It’s like all my tiredness and fear dissipates, and excitement starts to take over.
Our baby’s nearly here!
I keep hold of her hand but move down a little so I can see what’s going on.
Fucking hell! What the hell is that! Damn, I should never have looked!
That’s disgusting, and yet somehow, I can’t seem to look away. It’s a train wreck down there.
Then all of a sudden, I see our baby’s head.
A sudden wave of emotion hits me, and for some pathetic reason, I’m crying. I wipe the tears from my cheeks with the back of my free hand and look down at Sarah. I am in awe of her bringing our baby into this world. I don’t think I could love her any more than I do right now.
“Sarah, one more push. A really big one. Okay? Let’s meet your baby,” the obstetrician announces.
I hold her hand tightly, and she groans, then pushes.
Our baby slides out, and my heart floods with undeniable love at first sight.
At a quick glance—ten fingers, ten toes.
My heart thuds, and I’m breathing so quickly as I take in the sight of the perfect little thing as they do what they need to do. I look down at Sarah, who’s laying back on the bed exhausted. I lean over and kiss her.
“It’s a girl,” the doctor announces.
Sarah smiles through her tears.
I kiss her again, then run my hand through her hair. “I’m so proud of you. We made a girl,” I beam, and I can’t help the tears that fall from my eyes.
I’m so happy that Sarah got the girl she always wanted.
“She’s a girl,” Sarah reiterates like she doesn’t believe it.
“Dad… you want to cut the cord?” the obstetrician asks.
Smiling, I can’t help but look at Sarah with so much love and admiration. When she nods, I snap out of it and walk to the end of the bed and see my girl fully for the first time. An undeniable, unconditional feeling of love and adoration wash over me. She is stunning. The obstetrician hands me the scissors and shows me where to cut, and then our little girl is taken to Sarah and placed on her chest. Sarah starts crying again, and I move my free hand to our baby’s face and caress it.
“She’s so tiny,” I whisper in awe.
“She’s perfect,” Sarah chimes as she runs her finger along our baby’s pink cheek.
“She looks just like you.”
“I think we should call her Ella… after your grandmother,” Sarah says.
Grandma Ella taught me how to cook. Naming our baby girl Ella means so much to me. Fresh tears fill my eyes, and I nod as I can’t say anything. I’m too choked up.
“Ella it is,” Sarah confirms, leaning down and kissing our little Ella on the forehead.
I spent a couple of hours with Sarah and Ella before I head out of her room and into the waiting area to see Mom and Dad.
Mom’s asleep on Dad’s shoulder while he rests his head on hers. I realize they must have had a horrible night waiting for news. Trish is here too and Sarah’s Dad.
I walk over to them, and Dad wakes.
“Hey, CJ… Sarah okay?” Dad asks, waking everyone else.
“She’s great. Tired. Exhausted beyond belief. But she’s fine.” I throw my hands in the air. “It’s a girl,” I exclaim.
They all rush me for a group hug, excitement washing over us all.
“We finally have a granddaughter,” Mom chimes.
“We’ve named her Ella, Mom.”
Mom’s eyes mist up as she holds me tightly. “That makes me so happy. It’s a shame Mom’s not here to see it for herself,” Mom cries, and Dad holds on to her tightly.
“C’mon, I’ll take you through to see my girls,” I say.
Mom and Trish lead the way.
My sisters brought Ethan in to meet his baby sister—he wasn’t impressed at all. He wanted to play with the iPad instead. Can’t blame him, You Tube is pretty addictive. But by the end of the visit, he was up on the bed with Sarah, and he even kissed Ella on the forehead which made Sarah cry. Freaking nearly made me cry as well.
Aiden and Jeni walk in, and my sisters all go gooey over Aiden as usual.
“Hi, Aiden,” Skye coos and rushes over to hug him.
He laughs as does Jeni. They’re so used to my sister being infatuated with Aiden. Skye even has a boyfriend, but she still lusts after my best friend. It’s so fucking gross.
“Hi, Skye,” Aiden drones, hugging her back.
Jeni shakes her head as does the rest of the room.
“Okay, everyone, out! Let’s give Aiden and Jeni some time with them,” Dad orders.
“So, Ella, let’s have a look at you, little one.” Jeni walks over to Sarah to take a look at Ella. I can’t help but notice Aiden’s eyeing Jeni’s ass as she bends over.
“Congrats, man,” Aiden says, slapping me on the back. “How’s it feel?”
“Tiring but absolutely amazing. You and Jeni need to have another one!”
Jeni looks back at me and smiles. “Well, there’s something we need to tell you,” Jeni explains.
“Yeah?” Sarah asks, looking right at Jeni.
“We’re pregnant again,” Jeni admits.
I smile brightly as my eyes widen at Aiden, who’s oozing happiness. “Well, congrats to you, too, dude,” I say and slap him on the back.
“Yeah, we’re baby-making machines, you and me.” Aiden chuckles, and both the girls scoff while I laugh.
“Yeah, we’re the sperminators,” I joke, and Aiden laughs, knocking his knuckles into mine.
“Man, will they ever grow up?” Jeni asks.
Sarah shakes her head. “Nope, but that’s why we love them.”
“Right now, give me a couple of months, and I’ll be back planning Callie and Mike’s wedding. It’s in a year, so I really have to start confirming things,” Sarah announces.
I shake my hea
d.
My woman’s only just given birth, and she’s already in party-planning mode.
But, hey, that’s my wife.
And it’s why I love her.
A Year Later
Aiden’s having trouble being a CEO, a father of a three-year-old, two newborns, and being a husband. My best friend is struggling, and I think the best thing I could give him is a night off. I pick up my phone to call Aiden because I have a brilliant idea.
“Hello?” Aiden answers, and I hear screaming babies in the background.
“Hey, man, everything okay there?”
“Yeah, Kassie has colic and won’t go to sleep. Because Kassie wakes up all the time, she’s disturbing Katie, who then screams, which causes a cascading effect on Brody, who throws a tantrum because his sisters won’t quiet down. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids, but sometimes I just want a night off from the crazy,” Aiden admits with a long sigh.
I feel for him, I really do. Ella and Ethan both had colic, and I was a mess for a while until they finally got through it. Now, luckily for me, the worst thing I have to deal with is Ella’s nappy rash.
“That’s why I’m calling… I think you need a night off,” I tell him.
“I dunno, man, it’s so hard to organize anything. I’m not up for anything big. I don’t want to leave Jeni with all three kids on her own. It’s too hard, especially with two babies,” Aiden replies.
“Okay, nothing big. But what I’m thinking is Mike and Callie’s wedding is only a few weeks away. I think we should throw Mike a bachelor party. He’s never had one, and we can have it at your house, so we can all be there to help Jeni with the kids if needed. I’m sure Sarah and Bree will help as well. We can go to the man cave with Mike to celebrate, and the girls can have the rest of the house. We can all stay at your place. With the kids around, everyone can pitch in. So, basically nothing big, just something for us to celebrate with Mike. What do you think?”
There’s a long pause. “It’s a great idea. I know Mike said he doesn’t need one, but maybe we can make it a surprise? I think he’d love it. No strippers, though, seeing as there will be kids in the house,” Aiden jokes, and I laugh.