Well, nothing was going to happen by him just leaning on a patch of wall freaking out. He hurried down the hall and stopped when he reached the nurses station. The men and women behind the desk were making notes on papers, tapping on computer keyboards. Why weren’t they rushing around? Where was the urgency? His baby was about to be born, dammit. Shouldn’t they be worried about that?
“Hello?” He raised his voice but that didn’t seem to get anyone’s attention. “Excuse me?”
The nurse closest to him raised a finger. He shuffled his feet, flipped his wrist over to check the time, and shuffled his feet some more. What was so all-fire important that they couldn’t be interrupted?
“I just need to ask where—”
“Michael…” Lucas rushed up to Michael, his suit in much better shape than Michael’s disheveled state. Behind him, Sarah, Joey, Sawyer, Rachel… heck, the entire wedding party was hanging out in the hall near the nurses station.
“What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at your reception right now.”
“You’re here and Maggie’s here, so this is where we are. This is where we’re supposed to be. We brought the reception with us.”
Michael looked behind Lucas again to see Ma directing people carrying bags and containers. Right behind them three men carted layers of cake. His eyes filled with tears. “I can’t believe you moved your reception here.”
Lucas threw his arm around Michael’s shoulder. “This is what family does. Now that you’re back in town, you better get used to it. How’s Maggie?”
“She’s hanging in there. She’s had some rough contractions, and the doctor said the baby might crown in the next couple of hours. In the meantime, Maggie has decided she wants to get married.”
A huge smile broke out on Lucas’s face and he smacked Michael on the back. “Congrats, man, I’m happy for you. Best decision I’ve ever made.” The smile on Lucas’s face fell. “You don’t look happy.”
“I am. But she’s decided that she wants to get married now. Before the baby’s born. We don’t have a license or anything. I was trying to get the nurses here to direct me to the chapel. I thought maybe they would have a chaplain or something who could go through the motions. Or, wait, do you think you could call Reverend Dalton and see if he’d be willing to come in?”
“Come with me.” Lucas dragged Michael down the hall until they reached the waiting room. The sound of raised voices filled the room as his family and their close friends ate and laughed. Lucas gestured across the room. “He came with everyone else.”
Lucas waved to the preacher and the three of them stepped into the hall. Michael greeted the older gentleman. “Reverend Dalton, I have a huge favor to ask you. Maggie has, well, she wants to get married.”
A huge smile grew on the pastor’s face. “Absolutely. Just call my office and we’ll check the calendar.”
“I don’t think you’re understanding. She wants to get married now. She knows it won’t be official or anything, but she just needs to hear the words. I was hoping maybe you could hold a simple ceremony for us. We’ll have an official one later.”
“Really? Oh, okay. I’ve never done anything like that before, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.”
Lucas stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled. “Listen up, everybody. In an attempt to steal the spotlight from my most wonderful wife…” He paused. “God, I love saying that. My wife. Anyway, Michael here is not only having a baby today, but he’s getting married!”
The entire room erupted in applause. Ma and Dad broke away from their conversations and rushed to his side with Joey and Rachel right behind them. Ma hugged him. “Oh, Michael, I’m so happy for you.”
“Congratulations, son.” His dad extended his hand but instead of shaking Michael’s, he pulled him into a hug.
Joey clapped his hands together. “If we’re gonna do this, let’s get to it.”
Michael wasn’t sure a complete family affair was what Maggie intended, considering she was wearing a hospital gown, sweaty, cursing, and in labor, but his parents and all of his siblings and significant others hurried down the hall with him.
He burst into the room, with his family and the nurses hot on his heels, just as Maggie was panting her way through another contraction. “Where the hell have you been?”
He rushed to her side. Damn, he shouldn’t have been gone so long. He’d never felt so helpless in his life. At least he had some good news for her. “I’m here now. You’re doing great. Looks like this one is almost over.”
Maggie flopped back on the bed, sweat pouring down her rosy cheeks. And she’d never been more beautiful to him than she was right then.
“Maggie, I found a preacher. Lucas’s officiant, actually. They brought the entire wedding reception to the hospital. Everyone’s in the waiting room anxious for word of the baby. Well, except for my family.”
Ma stepped up beside him. “We won’t stay long, dear, but we just had to see you and Michael get married.”
“Well, you better make it quick, because I feel another contraction coming on.” Maggie gripped the sheet, her knuckles white as she squeezed and gritted her teeth.
“Go ahead and yell all you want, Maggie.” He shuffled up beside her and stroked her arm as she panted and screamed through another contraction. By the time the pressure had subsided and Maggie had collapsed onto the bed, his family had circled the two of them. As the Reverend flipped his Bible open, Michael’s eyes landed on Joey, who had his arms around Brittany. He crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue.
Rachel reached up and smacked Joey across the shoulder. “Won’t you ever grow up?”
Joey tousled Rachel’s hair. “Not in this lifetime. Won’t be long before both of my big brothers will be married. So let’s get on with it.”
Michael’s gaze landed on Sawyer, who had wrapped his arm around Rachel and spoke quietly to her. On the other side of the bed, Sarah was bent over in her white lace wedding gown whispering something in Maggie’s ear. Maggie gripped Michael’s hand tighter but when he turned to her, she had a huge smile on her face.
He couldn’t stop the tears from pooling in his eyes. This was his family, for good or for bad. They stuck up for each other, loved each other, and were there for each other. He couldn’t have picked a more perfect way to marry Maggie.
“Okay. I’ve found it. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here—”
Maggie squeezed Michael’s hand harder and he interrupted. “Might wanna move it along, Reverend.”
After that, the Reverend’s words faded out. It was just him and Maggie, a gentle smile on her face as she lay uncomfortably in the bed. All of a sudden, the Reverend’s words broke through the blissful fog. “Do we have a ring?”
Michael patted his pockets and withdrew Maggie’s engagement ring. “We haven’t picked out wedding bands yet.”
“Here,” Lucas said as he twisted off his brand new wedding band and placed it beside Maggie’s ring in Michael’s hand. “You need this more than me right now.”
Michael forced a smile and handed the rings to the Reverend, who quickly blessed them and returned them to Michael and Maggie. As the preacher said the words, Michael slid Maggie’s engagement ring on her finger, at least as far as her second knuckle. It didn’t fit over her swollen fingers. He followed it with a kiss. Sarah helped Maggie sit up so she could slide Lucas’s ring onto Michael’s finger.
He held out his hand and admired the ring for a moment. Finally, married to the woman he loved. And with a baby on the way…literally.
With a bit of humor and a proper amount of decorum, the preacher finished. “And I now declare you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Maggie smiled up at him as he lowered his head. But just before his eyes fluttered closed, she grimaced and grabbed her belly. “Oh, God, my water just broke.”
“That’s our cue, ladies and gents. Michael, Doc, congrats.” Joey hustled the rest of the family out amid congratulations and
more than a few tears.
Michael turned to the nurse just in time to see her swipe tears from beneath her eyes. “That was the most romantic wedding I’ve ever been to.”
“Well, now that that’s over with, I’m having a baby here,” Maggie yelled. He grabbed her hand and screamed with her as she wailed through her contraction. “Oh, God, I feel like I need to push.”
Those must have been the magic words. The nurse hurried to the wall, pressed a few buttons, and spoke into the speaker. Another nurse rushed into the room carrying a yellow gown. “Here ya go, Dad. Let’s get you suited up.”
He slid the gown on but kept his eyes fixed on Maggie. “You’ve got this, honey. I’m right here. You’re doing great. Every contraction is that much closer to meeting our daughter.”
“Shut. Up.” She gritted her teeth and spit the words at him.
What had he said?
The nurse patted his hand and spoke in a low, hushed voice. “Don’t worry, Dad. Women are often that way during transitional phase. As soon as the doctor gets here, she’ll check your wife and see how her labor’s progressed.”
His wife. He liked the sound of that. He stared for a moment at the gold ring on his finger and then his gaze shifted to her left hand, clutched in the sheet, her diamond sparkling in the light. But her screams drew his focus back to her face. He held her hand, wiped her brow, and panted with her until the contraction passed.
Where was Dr. Alexander?
As if conjured by his wish, the door opened and the doctor strode in like she didn’t have a care in the world. “I hear you guys had some excitement? I’m sorry I missed the wedding. I had another delivery come in. But now that I’m here… congratulations.”
“Thanks, doctor, but Maggie’s in a lot of pain and her water broke.”
“Let’s take a look and see how she’s doing.”
Dr. Alexander lifted the drape over Maggie’s waist and settled her feet into the stirrups. After a quick check, she spoke to the nurse. “Yep, membranes have definitely broken and she’s at a nine. Sydney, let’s get Bonnie in here and we’ll get our patient ready to push.”
Michael leaned closer to Maggie. “Did you hear that, honey? It’s almost time for our daughter to be born.”
She didn’t even open her eyes. “I heard her. I’m not deaf. I don’t think I can do this any longer.”
“Oh, sweetie, yes you can. You’re the strongest person I know. And just remember what we have to look forward to when it’s all over.”
A weak smile crossed her lips. “Our daughter.”
He couldn’t resist the urge to kiss her. He was taking his life in his hands, but he lowered his lips and brushed them gently across hers. She rewarded him with a sigh.
The nurses bustled around his and Maggie’s little cocoon of happiness after that. They flipped some latches, and the entire end of the bed was pulled out and set to the side. Maggie was positioned at the foot of her bed with her feet in the stirrups. How anyone maintained their dignity after giving birth was beyond him. When this was all done, he was buying Ma a gift for going through this four times.
“Dad, you’re gonna be right behind her. You’ll sit her up and she’ll lean on you when she pushes. Just keep cheering her on like you’ve been doing.”
The nurse helped him climb on the bed and then washed her hands. The doctor and both nurses donned yellow gowns like his. Once the doctor was in place at the foot of the bed, she spoke softly, her hand on Maggie’s knee. “Okay, Maggie, on this next contraction, you’re going to bear down and push as hard as you can. Think you can do that for me?”
Maggie nodded. When she turned to him, fear filled her eyes. “What if something’s wrong with the baby?”
They’d been monitoring her this entire time. The doctor would have told them if something was wrong, right? Maggie was just scared. “The baby is going to be perfect. We made it through bedrest—no, you made it through bedrest and all the way to thirty-seven weeks. This baby is really anxious to meet her mama, that’s all.”
“Okay, Maggie, whenever you’re ready, push!
Maggie sat up and Michael supported her back. She clenched her jaw and screamed and pushed. Tears ran down her red-splotched face.
He held his breath the entire time.
“That was great, Maggie. You can relax. Your baby will be here before you know it.”
His head started swimming and he let out the breath that burned his lungs.
They kept up that rhythm, pushing and resting, pushing and resting, for what felt like forever. Finally, Dr. Alexander’s words broke through his fog. “I see a head. She’s got red peach fuzz.”
All of a sudden, Michael felt moisture on his cheeks. He swiped at them and whispered over Maggie’s shoulder. “I told you she was going to be beautiful, just like her Ma.”
Maggie didn’t respond.
“This time, Maggie, push even harder.” The doctor’s calm voice echoed from somewhere at the foot of the bed while he kept his eyes locked on the woman he loved.
She sagged against him. “I can’t. I’m so tired.”
“I know you can, baby. You’re almost done. You’re doing great.”
Just then, Maggie screamed and sat up again. He panted with her as she pushed.
“Her head’s out. Relax a sec before you push again.”
Maggie blew out a breath and then tensed her shoulders. One final huge push and … “It’s a girl!” Dr. Alexander declared just as Maggie collapsed back against him.
This time, he didn’t brush away the tears that streamed down his cheeks. The doctor held up his daughter, her mouth wide open with the most wonderful cry coming out as she protested the sudden change in her surroundings.
He rested his head on Maggie’s shoulder. “Look at her, Maggie. She’s beautiful. You did it.”
The doctor settled the baby on Maggie’s chest and she stretched her hand out and stroked the baby’s cheek. Michael wrapped his arms around both of them… his family.
“What’s her name?” the doctor asked.
“Delilah Marie Bennett.” Maggie smiled at him as she announced their daughter’s name. Until today, she had insisted that the baby was going to have her name—James. But to hear his daughter’s name, with the last name Bennett, broke his heart in two and then put it back together.
“I love you, Maggie.” He kissed her and then rested his lips on his baby’s head. Everything about her was perfect.
Dr. Alexander cleared her throat. “I hate to interrupt this wonderful moment, but there’s a waiting room full of people who want to meet this little one. How about we get both of you cleaned up and then we’ll let some of them in?”
A nurse helped Maggie clean up, change her gown, and get resettled on the bed while the other bathed Delilah. He held his daughter’s hand the entire time and she looked up at him with wide, searching eyes. “Welcome to the world, Delilah Marie. I’m so happy to meet you. Your Mommy and I love you so much, it makes my heart hurt.”
The nurse finished washing Delilah and wrapped her in a blanket. Then she turned to hand the baby to him. “Are you ready, Dad?”
All of a sudden, his stomach jumped. He’d never held a baby before. Certainly not one as tiny as Delilah. “I, uh…”
“You’ll be great. Here.” The nurse turned his daughter around and settled her in the crook of his elbow. Her body was warm in his arms and she stared up at him. She felt just right.
He carried Delilah over to the bed and slid in beside Maggie. She was stroking the baby’s head and cooing when the door burst open and in rushed his family, all of them in their wonderful boisterousness. Ma was quick to shush them, but he didn’t blame them. If he could, he’d go and scream his excitement for everyone to hear.
Lucas was first to approach the bed. He slapped Michael on the back and shoved a candy cigar in his mouth. “Congrats, Dad.”
Michael looked to see that everyone had pink candy cigars in their mouth. A quick wink from Joey was all he needed to
know.
“So what’d ya name her?” Dad asked.
“Everyone, I’d like you to meet Delilah Marie Bennett.”
Tears streamed down Ma’s face. Dad’s hand snaked around her shoulder and leaned her into him. Tears pooled in Rachel’s eyes and even Joey appeared to be choked up. Michael couldn’t have been happier, with his daughter in his arms, married to the woman he loved, and surrounded by his family.
A few minutes later, Ma shuffled everyone out of the door with promises to visit tomorrow. Finally, they were alone. Just the three of them. His family.
Maggie had grown quiet, her eyes fixed on their daughter.
“Tell me what you’re feeling?” He searched her face.
“So many things… I can’t even begin to put them all in words. I never expected to find myself here, married and with a daughter, and now in this short time, I can’t imagine anything else.
Are you happy?” he asked as he hugged Maggie and Delilah to him.
“So happy.”
Epilogue
“I NOW PRONOUNCE you husband and wife.”
Maggie didn’t waste another moment. She stretched up and gave her husband the kiss she’d wanted to the first time they’d said their vows. Today, it was legal, but as far as she was concerned, she’d been married to Michael since she’d gritted her teeth through her original vows on Delilah’s birthday.
In response, Michael swept her into his arms and deepened the kiss for far too long, considering the company. He finally settled her on her feet again amid the hoots and hollers of his family and friends who had joined them for this small ceremony at the courthouse. He had told her they could have any wedding she wanted. This was what she chose. Lucas’s wedding had been beautiful, but she’d realized that it wasn’t about the wedding but the marriage.
Maggie looked over to Michael’s mother who was smiling down at Delilah. The past seven weeks since her birth had been a whirlwind of sleepless nights, pacing the floor, and more dirty diapers and changes of clothes than Maggie cared to count. But for all of her fears, she’d tackled each new challenge.
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