by Mj Fields
Her sing songy little voice was worse than nails on a chalkboard.
“I have my phone, we just need to download the songs, not the end of the world huh Baby?”
“No Jase it’s--.” She sat up and folded in half and held her damn breath again.
“Breathe Baby. Come on, you promised.” I sat up and rubbed her back.
“Okay, let’s give her room to do that shall we?” Wendy said in a condescending ass tone.
Oh hell no. Carly looked back at me, her baby blues talking to me when she couldn’t. They said I’m in pain and they pleaded for me to keep my mouth shut.
I leaned down and kissed her head, she breathed and cried out, “That’s better.”
“Okay now,” Wendy sat at the foot of the bed, “Are you still considering a water birth?”
She looked over at me, “I’d love to get into the tub.”
So we did.
It was against everything I was to allow that freak to take care of my wife, but she wouldn’t have it any other way and surprisingly, I manned the fuck up and dealt with it, for Carly.
Wendy tried her best to be the one to soothe Carly, but I wasn’t having it and Carly, was too damn busy forgetting to breathe.
“I’m going to set up the room, turn down the lights,” she turned to me. “Get some music ready and get things all set up for the birth of your little boy.”
“Thank you,” Carly whimpered.
Another contraction came and she leaned forward resting on her hands. Now she was on all fours trying not to breathe as I rubbed her back.
“Jase?”
“What is it Baby?”
“I’m doing good right?”
“Perfect. Two hours of hell and no drugs. That’s pretty damn impressive, I wouldn’t have lasted half an hour.”
She hung her head so she was facing down and whispered, “I’m tired.”
“Let’s get you out,” I grabbed the towel, helped her out of the tub, wrapped her up and carried her out.
The lights were low, a little Kenny was blowing through the air and my wife was fucking exhausted.
Chapter 3
Carly
I felt like someone was stomping on my tailbone at the same time as I was experiencing non-stop cramping. I’m not even sure they were stopping. It felt like they were rolling right into one another.
“Breathe Baby,” Jase was squeezing my hips together and for some reason it felt good.
“Again.”
“This?” He squeezed again.
“Yes.”
“I can do that,” Wendy offered.
I didn’t know what Jase’s response was because another pain shot through me.
“Breathe.” He was bending over me kissing the back of my neck as he squeezed my hips again.
“Carly do you think you could lay down so I can check you again?”
“Her back hurts, she can’t--.”
“I can.”
I sat back on my heels and stopped, I was exhausted.
“Come on Carly, you’re stronger than this. Remember your plan and do not deviate.”
“Wendy--.”
“No Jase, I can do this.”
I lay down and she checked my progress.
“Okay still eight and a half. It may take a while.”
I closed my eyes and finally tears began to fall.
“Okay Carly, this can’t happen. Keep it together, focus on the music.”
“Three hours and she’s not any further along than she was? I want a real doctor in here.”
“That’s not in her birthing plan.”
“I don’t give a damn what’s in her birthing plan. I’m sure this shit wasn’t planned either.”
“Maybe you should step outside and take a time out.”
Oh god what was she doing?
“Carly breathe!”
“Jase, I am asking you to take a moment to collect yourself.”
This wasn’t okay.
“I’ll fucking step outside.”
I looked up as he did.
“Jase.” I had meant to yell but I couldn’t breathe.
I couldn’t breathe and he wasn’t here to tell me to.
“Carly you’re going to hyperventilate.”
“He.” I gasped and I tried to take in a breath, “He.”
“Some people can’t handle the stress. Just give him a minute to calm down. Focus on your core.”
“My core hurts!”
I began gasping for air and she tried talking me down.
The door opened and Jase walked in with Dr. Loy, my obstetrician.
“Hi Carly.”
I was trying to catch my breath.
“This isn’t part of her plan.”
“I’ve dealt with this for three and a half fucking hours.” Jase told Dr. Loy.
I started crying. Pain, exhaustion, and then I couldn’t catch my breath no matter how many times he told me to.
I was gasping for air when the doctor and nurses laid me back and put an oxygen mask on me.
I looked up at Jase who was nodding his head to whatever the doctor was saying. He looked like he did when he was at Steel, very serious and focused, and they were whispering.
Then he turned to me, “Baby, we need you to try to calm down. I know it hurts. You need to allow them to give you something to help.”
“I don’t want--.”
“You’re going to Baby. I told you when you couldn’t take care of you anymore I got it. If you won’t take something you’ll end up in the OR having a cesarean.”
I took a deep breath through the oxygen mask and he wiped my tears.
“That’s it baby. Keep doing that and this is gonna go so damn smooth okay? The nurse is gonna put a little something in your IV. If you don’t want it, I’m gonna take it.”
“I suck at this.”
“No, but birthing plans suck, they don’t make room for human conditions and other shit Baby.”
“Sorry.”
“Never be sorry about this.” He kissed me. “Be sorry about wacky Wendy though.”
The medication burned as it entered my vein. But that was nothing compared to what I had been dealing with. I was immediately feeling the effects of the drugs. I lay on my side and Jase lay behind me rubbing my back and squeezing my hips. I was high. Like really high.
“Jase,” I whispered. “It still hurts but I don’t give a damn, cause I am high, high, high.” And apparently I wasn’t really whispering because my OB and the nurses laughed right along with Jase.
“Okay,” he smiled and his dimple winked (yes it did), everything was all better so I closed my eyes.
I woke in horrible pain and looked up at Jase’s worried face as he held my hand to his face and he held me through the worst of it.
“How long was I asleep?”
“About four minutes,” he pushed my hair away from my face.
“That’s it?”
“Yeah. Dr. Loy needs to check you, see if we’ve made any progress.”
And she did, I was still only eight and a half centimeters dilated.
I looked over at Jase and he closed his eyes. “I’m sorry. I wanted to be good at this. I wanted--.”
“Baby you’re kicking ass. Your body just doesn’t wanna cooperate. I know you didn’t want an epidural but Dr. Loy thinks we should put one in.”
I looked over at Wendy and she shook her head and looked down.
“It’s not up to her and if it helps, it’s not up to you either. My call, it happens. Five hours is enough.”
An hour later and I felt it, that feeling of needing to push. My doctor checked me and told me no, I still wasn’t dilated enough and I really began to panic. The pain was excruciating and I was now fighting against my body.
Around me things seemed to be happening but I couldn’t hear them. I heard Jase telling me to breathe and I couldn’t, I just couldn’t.
Then everything went black.
Chapter 4
Jase
> The minute they took her into the OR was the moment I felt I couldn’t breathe. I walked out into the hall and felt helpless and scared as hell. They had to knock her out because she was panicking and they would be delivering my boy cesarean section because she wasn’t progressing.
Top all of that with the fact that my little guy was having issues too. His heart rate dropped. Because it was an emergency, I couldn’t go in. So yeah, this was a fucking mess.
I sent Momma Joe a text telling her to hold off on bringing Little Bell, I didn’t know what was gonna happen and I sure as hell didn’t want Bella here. When I received a message back that my brothers and Abe were in the waiting room, I wasn’t surprised.
I asked the nurse when I could see Carly and she smiled and rubbed my back, “It’s only been three minutes. I think you should go grab a cup of coffee Mr. Steel it will be at least twenty minutes.”
“I’m going to step out to the waiting room for a few minutes, if anything happens--.”
“I will get you. But don’t worry. Dr. Loy is a great doctor, she’ll take care of your wife and child.”
I nodded and walked away.
When I walked into the waiting room they all just stared at me. “Momma sent a message?”
“Yeah,” Cyrus stood up and gave me a hug, “She’s gonna be fine man.”
“She better be because I can’t fucking lose her, too.”
Zandor and Xavier walked up and gave me a pat on the back. “She’s not Charlee. Lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same spot, Jase. Carly gonna be fine.”
Abe looked like a wreck. He’d been going through some shit lately and now this. Carly and he are tight.
“She wasn’t progressing. She was in a fuck of a lot of pain, and to top that all off she forgot to breathe. Well she held her breath and started to hyperventilate and then began to panic. My boy’s heart beat was slowing and well--.” Then tears fell. Son-of-a-bitch, I didn’t cry.
Abe and I stood there hugging like a couple bitches when Tara, Bekah, and Taelyn walked in with food and drinks.
I stepped back, wiped my face and tried to hide it from them. I wasn’t a fucking pussy and two of them were pregnant. I certainly didn’t wanna freak them out.
Tara came up and hugged me, “I can’t wait for our babies to play together. Carly will be fine Jase, everything will be fine.”
“Thanks Tara.” I looked around, “I’m going back in.”
“Mr. Steel,” I looked up and wacky Wendy was standing in the doorway.
“Is she okay?”
“She is asleep still but she’s great.”
“I can go in, right? See my boy?”
She laughed, “Well, you won’t see a boy--.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Jase, Carly and you have a beautiful baby girl.”
What the hell! Okay do this right, Jase, for fucks sake.
“Healthy?”
She nodded, “Ten toes, ten fingers, two big blue eyes like her mommy and dark hair like you.”
“And a vagina,” Zandor laughed.
Wendy looked at him disapprovingly and then at me.
“You’re one hundred percent sure?”
“Of course I am. Now if you would like, you can come and meet her.”
“Of course, of course,” I started laughing and looked at Cyrus, “Get Little Bell and Momma here. Tell them,” I looked at Wendy, “How long before she wakes up?”
“I’m sure she’ll want some time alone with the baby before she’s bombarded--.”
“Listen Wendy, I’ve been pretty fucking chill with you for Carly. But you don’t know her. Your new age bullshit could have caused hell to open up and swallow you whole. My wife loves these people and they love her. We’re a family.”
“Forever Steel,” my brothers cheered.
“Hell yes, forever Steel. Now come on wacky Wendy and let’s go pretend we’re buddies.” I threw my arm around her and we walked down the hall.
“I think you’re a Neanderthal.”
I looked down and laughed. “Really, cause I was thinking you were. Pretty sure I was the one wanting my wife to try not killing herself. Wendy, you turned me into a pussy in that room today, you can share that at your next feminist meeting.” She rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh. “I’m a pretty funny man.”
“I’m sure some people would agree with you.”
“Ah, Wendy you do have a sense of humor.”
When I opened the door Carly was lying there fighting to wake up as the nurse was holding our baby to her chest.
She smiled when I walked in and then she walked over and handed me my girl.
“Could you give us a few minutes?” I asked as I stared into her eyes and she looked up at me, okay it was the light she was looking at, but she was seeing me.
When they left, I sat next to my wife, holding our daughter, “Happy Birthday little one.” I couldn’t say much more because I was getting all choked up.
“Can I hold him?” Carly whispered and tried to sit up.
“Hold on Baby,” I pushed the button to call the nurse back and she came, with Wendy.
“Wendy’s alive still?” Carly whispered when I bent down to kiss her.
“Of course and it’s all because I love you Baby.” The nurses adjusted her and I sat next to her and handed her our child.
Carly smiled and then started crying, just like I knew she would.
“He’s beautiful. Pretty actually.”
I laughed out loud, “She, Baby. She is beautiful.”
“What?”
“Yeah, we have another little Princess, Baby. Look at her, nothing masculine about that little face. Beautiful just like her Momma.”
“We had two sonograms though, Wendy you even looked, how did this happen?” She covered her mouth and looked at our daughter, like she may have offended her. “Hey there, I love you so much. I do, more than I could have imagined beautiful girl, I just don’t understand how they made that mistake twice.”
“Well her hand could have been down there,” wacky Wendy rubbed Carly’s back. “There are studies that say babies masturbate in--.”
“Oh hell no,” I stood up. “Wendy, we had a moment but you just ruined that.”
“Jase I read it, too.”
“Oh for fuck sake.”
Carly and Wendy both started laughing. “Ouch, ouch, ouch.”
“You okay, Baby?”
“No, it hurts.”
“You deserved that one, you know.”
She smiled and looked back at our girl, “Hey sweet girl, you have a lot of tan clothing. I guess we are going to have to accessorize. Pink bows.”
The way she looked at our daughter was probably the most loving thing I had ever seen. And our daughter looked at her too. Was I mad? Hell no, jealous, yeah maybe a little. That was a bonding moment. A mother and daughter bonding moment.
Carly leaned back and Wendy helped get our daughter ‘latched’ on. It took a few tries and I guess I chuckled, which upset Carly.
“It’s not funny Jase.”
“Sorry Baby, I was just thinking if she was a boy that would be a non-issue.”
“Really Jase, this isn’t a sexual act. Besides, what makes you think our daughter isn’t going to be a sexual human being?”
“Don’t get upset Baby, I was just saying.”
“Yeah, well I think she’s part of you and part of me so she’ll be--.”
“Please don’t finish that sentence.”
“She was master--.”
“Okay, enough. Feed my girl and shut it down.”
Carly smiled and adjusted her. Within minutes she was chowing down. I swear to God, I thought that breast feeding would bother me, but it didn’t, not one bit.
After our daughter was fed, she fell asleep in Carly’s arms and Carly dosed off too.
“Let me put her in the bassinet,” Wendy whispered.
“She’s fine.”
“Co-sleeping is dangerou
s.”
“Wendy, I’m right here and although you think I’m a Neanderthal, I’m not. I’m a man in love with his wife and will do everything in my power to make her happy and safe. This little girl is part of this family so do you really think I’m gonna let something happen to her?”
“Make sure you don’t fall asleep too.”
She packed up her little bag and started walking out the door.
“Hey,” She stopped and looked back. “Thanks.”
I didn’t know what I was thanking her for because I was pissed about her involvement to begin with, but it was the right thing to do, so I did. Yeah, this is me grown up.
“She loves you.”
“I know.”
As she was walking out Momma and Bella were walking in.
“I have a sister?” she whispered.
“Yeah, you do,” I smiled when she tiptoed up to me.
I pulled her up on my lap and watched her looking at her sister. Her eyes were full of wonder, love and yes, I was a bit emotional. I swear to fuck all the estrogen in the room was fucking with me bad.
“Jase she’s beautiful,” Momma kissed my cheeks. “Carly had a rough time huh?”
“She didn’t have it easy that’s for sure. But she was so strong.”
“What’s her name gonna be Daddy?”
“That’s a great question.”
“I like Elsa, that’s a pretty name.”
“Yeah, I’m not feeling that one.”
“Daddy, we can’t call her Jonathan.”
“We could.”
“Uh uh,” she giggled.
“I think we should wait till Carly wakes up. What do you say?”
“Okay.”
Carly slept for an hour and she woke to a room full of people.
“Hi,” she smiled and looked a bit panicked as she looked around.
“I got Jonathon,” Cyrus walked up holding our daughter and handed her to Carly.
“Did you tell them?” Carly was a little dazed and hadn’t caught on that he was busting her ass.
“Morning,” I kissed her cheek.
“What time is it?”
“Eleven. You hungry, they brought in food right after you fell asleep. It looked like shit so we sent it away. Momma went and got you some real food.”