“No! Just because you’re in the hospital doesn’t mean you can push wherever you are. Cross your legs or something.”
“I want to push so badly but I’ so scared right now. I just want to be done,” Gina confessed.
“Oh hun, please don’t be scared. Babies are born every day. Nothing is going to happen. I have a feeling we have someone watching over us. Everything’s going to be okay.”
The doctor and nurses came in and so began the pushing, and the cursing and the crying. And it wasn’t just Gina. Labor and delivery lasted over eight hours. To Aiden and I, this was only a short blip in time.
“One more push, Gina, okay? Give me a good one. The baby is crowning. This is it,” her doctor told her.
Gina pushed with all her might. Cheryl held her hand and pushed with her. They were so cute. Aiden and I held hands and watched as the small life we had been watching entered into their world.
“I give you your brand new little girl.”
“It’s a girl! Sydney was right. She said she could feel her. Gina, it’s a girl. Look at our beautiful daughter!” Aiden and I high-fived for my winning the baby bet.
The doctor held the baby up for them to see before the nurses hurried her away to clean up and take her vitals.
Cheryl sighed with relief. She kissed Gina on her forehead. They both had tears streaming down their faces. I could feel every single emotion they did. It was amazing to know what the birth of one’s child felt like.
When the nurses finally brought the baby over to them, they handed her to Gina and left all three to bond.
“Oh my God, Gina. We’ve waited so long to hold her. Hello, baby girl. We’re your mommies.”
“Do you want to say her name first?”
“No, love, you do it. You deserve to after everything you’ve been through to have her.”
“Oh my sweet little girl. I love you so much already and I just met you. We chose to name you after someone who meant the world to us. Without her, you might not be here. Your name is Sydney. I hope you grow up to be as beautiful and amazing as she was. I just know you will.”
I looked to Aiden, with my hand over my heart, and all my emotions rolled over me. Talk about being honored and touched. He smiled at me and I could feel the pride he was feeling.
“Now you tell her what her middle name is,” Gina told Cheryl.
“Sydney, we wanted to honor the man who would have been your uncle, because your Aunt Nini loved him so much, and we wanted to make him part of our family, too. We know it’s unusual, but your middle name is Ayden. We spelled it with a “y” so it was more girlie. So welcome to this world, Sydney Ayden Venice. I know you have two guardian angels that are watching over you. You are so lucky. I wish you could have met them.”
I could tell how Aiden felt at the second honor they had given him that day. He pulled me into a hug and kissed me.
We both leaned over to look at our new “godchild” and she looked back at us. Children that young can sense our presence easily because they come from where we are. She was oblivious to everything around her, except for the four souls who gathered to form a circle of complete love around her at this moment.
A nurse entered the room, saying something about having to take the baby for some tests and that she would return her shortly. Cheryl sat on the bed and put her arm around Gina and broke into tears.
“This is the happiest day of my life, other than the day I married you. I wish that Sydney could be here with us. I’m so sorry to bring us both down, but she was like a sister to me. Fuck that, she was my sister.”
Gina nuzzled into Cheryl’s side. “I loved her, too, babe. So we’ll just have to make sure that our Sydney knows what wonderful a person her Aunt was. We just won’t let her memory ever die with her. I know she’s here with us. I can feel her. Can you?”
“I’ve been feeling her since we came downstairs to leave for the hospital. I feel like she’s been with us the entire time. I’d say it was creeping me out, but it isn’t. It just feels like if I turn around, she’d be standing right there.”
And I was. I put my hand on her arm and gave it a squeeze. Her head whipped around and faced exactly where I was standing.
“Sydney? Are you here with us? I can feel you. I miss you so damn much. Life isn’t the same without you. It’s not bad, just different. I’d do anything to see you one more time. I hated how I never got to say goodbye to you. I hated how you left me. I wish you were here right now.”
“I am always with you. I love you. You are my sister, and so is Gina. We will always be close by to watch over you both and especially that baby.”
“Wow, that’s the strangest thing. I swear I just heard Sydney’s voice in my head,” Cheryl told Gina.
“I don’t think it’s strange. I believe she’s here. I think Aiden’s here, too. I can feel more than just her. What did she say?”
“She said she loved us and that she’s always close by.”
“I was right. Our baby has the two most wonderful guardian angels watching over her. What a blessed child she is. Thank you, Sydney and Aiden. Thank you for coming back to be here with us today.”
I leaned over and kissed Gina on the cheek. Her hand flew up to where I had touched her and a tear rolled down her face.
Aiden took this as a sign to say what he needed to. He leaned between them both and whispered,” Thank you for honoring me in so many ways. You didn’t even know me, and you gave me more than even my real family did. I will hold you dear to me for that sweet gesture. I will watch over your daughter throughout her entire life. Now don’t you worry about Sydney; I’ll take care of her for eternity. Everything is perfect now. Everything is as it should be. I love all three of you.”
Gina and Cheryl smiled when he finished, as if they could hear him.
“We should go now, Sydney,” Aiden said.
“I know. I’m just so happy for them. It’s hard to leave.”
“We can stay longer if you like.”
“No, let’s give them some privacy. I’m ready. Can we check back in with them?”
“We made them a promise to watch over that baby, so whenever your little heart desires, we can pop back in.”
“I’d like that. Are you ready to go home now?”
“Home is wherever you are, love. But yes, I’m ready.”
I smiled at him and he smiled back. He put his arm around me and we moved into the light, together, to love eternally.
About the Author
Christie A.C. Gucker lives in NJ with her husband, two daughters and a menagerie of pets. Being a mother is one of the greatest joys of her life. She has worked in the advertising industry for over 20 years as a degreed artist, but also works in the fine arts, especially sculpting out of stone or snapping photographs. Christie is also a singer and musician, and can be found singing on a few CDs.
After the death of her father, Christie searched for something to fill her desire to make a mark in this world. Her love of the arts and creativity allowed her to search for a new medium, which she found with a pen instead of a brush. Being an avid reader her whole life, and with her family cheering her on, she decided to take her shot, and began writing.
Fascinated by the supernatural and sharks, Christie studies both avidly. You’ll be sure to find something spooky lurking somewhere in her stories. Her greatest joy is sitting on a beach with her family while surf fishing, flying kites or building sandcastles with her girls.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One: Sydney
Chapter Two: Aiden
Chapter Three: Cheryl
Chapter Four: Aiden
Chapter Five: Cheryl
Chapter Six: Aiden
Chapter Seven: Cheryl
Chapter Eight: Aiden
Chapter Nine: Cheryl
Chapter Ten: Aiden
Chapter Eleven: Cheryl
Chapter Twelve: Aiden
Chapter Thirteen: Sydney
Chapte
r Fourteen: Cheryl
Chapter Fifteen: Aiden
Chapter Sixteen: Sydney
Chapter Seventeen: Gina
Chapter Eighteen: Aiden
Chapter Nineteen: Cheryl
Chapter Twenty: Aiden
Chapter Twenty-One: Cheryl
Chapter Twenty-Two: Aiden
Chapter Twenty-Three: Cheryl
Chapter Twenty-Four: Aiden
Chapter Twenty-Five: Sydney
About the Author
The Purple Heart Page 16