by Shaw Hart
“Are you still hungry? I can try to find a vending machine or something.”
“No, that was enough. Thanks.”
We stare at each other in the dim light.
“Are you ok?”
“I was so scared.” She says as more tears slip from her eyes.
“I know. I was too.” I crawl onto the bed next to her and wrap her in my arms.
“You’re going to be ok. We’re going to be ok. We’ll follow the doctor’s orders to the T and everything will be fine. I love you, Regan.”
“I love you too, Haiden.”
She lays her head on my chest and we drift back to sleep.
Chapter Nine
Regan
Six Months Later…
“That’s it, Regan. One more big push.”
I’ve been pushing for hours! I want to snap. I’ve been in labor for close to 24 hours and I’m ready for it to be over. I’m tired, and hungry, and I’ve been laying in a bed for the past six months and I’m ready to get up and move. I bear down and push, hard, one last time. I scream as it feels like my vagina is tearing and then finally, finally, a little scream fills the room.
I collapse back onto the bed as the doctor and nurses check him over and clean him up. I look over to Haiden who is staring in awe at me. The doctor brings the baby over and hands him to me. I stare down into my son’s chubby little face and instantly, I’m in love. He’s wailing and shaking his tiny little fists but he’s still the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. Haiden crawls up onto the bed next to me and we both stare down into his tiny face.
“He’s perfect.” Haiden whispers. “You’re incredible, Regan.”
He leans over and kisses the top of my head.
“I think he’s hungry.” I say.
The nurse comes over and shows me how to get him to latch on and soon he’s suckling away, completely content. We watch him as he nurses and soon, he’s asleep. I let Haiden hold him while I tie my hospital gown closed and Haiden cradles our son in his arms as the doctor helps me deliver the placenta and afterbirth.
Then, it’s just the three of us. I watch as Haiden rocks back and forth as he stares down at our perfect son.
“Mom and dad will be here soon. We should probably pick out a name before then.” He says.
He’s right. We hadn’t picked out a name. I was too nervous that if we planned that far ahead that it would jinx it and something bad would happen. We decorated his room, well, Haiden and his parents did while I directed them from a chair. Turns out it was a good thing that we got so many things early cause I was barely allowed to leave my bed or chair.
That did have a plus side though. Mom and Dad came over a lot and I got to really got to know them. They insisted that I call them Mom and Dad too since we’re family now. It’s nice knowing that I’ll have this support and bond with them.
Haiden cut back on work, wanting to be around if I needed anything and, in the end, he ended up just doing most of his work from home. He would still have to leave to go to court but then he came right home.
The other plus side is that I was able to start my online classes. I’ve already got one term done and I’m signed up for more classes starting in a couple of weeks. I never thought that I would have this. A baby and a family, one who loves me and supports me.
“How about we name him Miles? Miles Philip Luck.” I say and I watch as emotion crosses his face when I suggest his dad’s name as the middle name.
“I love it, and I love you.”
Right on cue, his parents come racing into the room. Mom beelines for the little hospital crib and our son is in her arms before I can blink. Dad isn’t far behind her. They both coo at him, telling him how excited they are that he’s finally here and how much Grandma and Grandpa love him.
“What’s his name?”
“Miles Philip Luck.” Haiden tells them proudly.
His dad grins at that and they share a meaningful look before they go back to cuddling the baby. I laugh as Dad is finally able to pry him from his wife’s hands. He rocks him back and forth as he tells him all of the things that he’s going to teach him when he gets older.
Haiden clears his throat and we all look over to him. He pulls something from his pocket and then crouches next to the hospital bed.
“Regan, I’ve been carrying this around for a while but I wanted to wait until I was sure that you were settled and ready for this. I love you and I know that you love me. You make my family whole just by yourself and now you’ve given me the greatest gift, our son. I know our relationship started as a mix up but it was the best mistake of my life because it led me to you. So, Regan Anne Day, Will you marry me?”
He holds a sparkling solitaire diamond ring out to me and I stare at him with my mouth hanging open. Tears slide down my cheeks as I wordlessly shake my head. He smiles at me as he slides the ring on my finger and then kisses me. I beam at him as his parents rush in to offer us congratulations. His mom is already throwing out ideas for where the wedding could be and color schemes. I laugh as I look around the room and wonder how I got to be so lucky.
Chapter Ten
Haiden
Five Years Later…
I wrap my arm around my wife as we watch our son wave one last time before he runs into his classroom. This is his first day of school and I already know that it’s going to be a rough day for my wife. I’m hoping that since this is her first day of work, that she’ll be distracted.
“He’ll be fine.” I whisper as I lead her two doors down to her own classroom.
Regan finished college a couple of months ago and was lucky to find her dream job as a kindergartner teacher at the elementary school right down the road. It’s also the school that Miles will be at and she’ll be right down the hall from him this year. I know that knowing she’ll be just two doors down if he needs anything is a relief for both of us.
Regan and I got married on the beach about a month after our son was born. The ceremony was small, with just my parents and our son but it was still perfect. We had it at sunset and watching my girl walk barefoot across the sand was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.
We waited to have our honeymoon until Miles was a little older. Well, a lot older. He was four, but I know that Regan was anxious about leaving him for more than a night and I would do anything to make Regan happy. We went to the Bahamas for a week and when we came home, our son promptly told us that he wanted to go on a trip too. We ended up taking a family cruise to the Caribbean and Miles had a blast exploring the boat and then the islands.
My parents came with us. We do a lot of stuff with them. Miles loves them and they love him but also, they’re the parents that Regan should have had but never did. They adore her and I know she loves them too. She even calls them Mom and Dad now without any hesitation. They used to come over most days and watch Miles so that Regan could keep taking her classes and spending so much time together really made everyone comfortable with each other.
Regan finished college with a degree in early childhood education and immediately started applying for jobs. I’m so proud of her and I know that she’s happy, that she finally is going to fulfill her dream.
We talked about having another baby but the first pregnancy was so rough that we decided against it. I couldn’t imagine what I would become if I lost Regan and I know it would destroy us both if we lost a baby. Besides, we’re happy as a family of three.
As for me? I’ve cut back a lot at work so that I could spend more time with my family and now I only take a couple of cases a month. I look back and laugh now when I remember how obsessed I was with building my law firm, when I used to think that the only important thing in life was work. One mix up and my beautiful Regan landed in my lap. Her and Miles are my life now. They are my priority and my new obsession.
I can’t believe that I was upset when I first learned about the lab mixing up and giving my sperm to some girl. It was the best mistake of my life. My baby mama led me to my happiness and I c
I drop Regan off at her classroom. I helped her decorate it with Miles a couple of weeks ago and I look around to make sure that everything is as we left it. She hops over to her desk, putting her bag in one of the drawers. Her own class is starting to trickle in and I know I’ll have to leave in a minute.
I make my way across the room and wrap her up in my arms, squeezing her tight.
“I’m so proud of you, Regan.” I say as I kiss her forehead.
“I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Yes, you could have, but I’m happy to help.”
“I love you, Haiden.”
“I love you too, Regan.”
I kiss her once more before I walk out of the room. I’ll be back at three to pick them both up. I look back at the school and smile as I think about picking them up and hearing all about their first days. I can’t wait.
The End.
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