by Dahlia Rose
“Thank you, ma’am.”
She waved his appreciation away. “Don’t thank me, and please call me Denise. Ma’am makes me feel old, and I’m not in a retirement home yet and hopefully won’t be any time in the distant future for that matter.”
They got into her SUV and she pulled away from the curb. Cherish was having the baby at Carolina Medical Hospital and after going through security downstairs, they went up to the third floor where the labor and delivery ward was located. At the nurses’ station, he received a parking slip for soon-to-be dads and a wristband with Cherish’s information on it. The nurse informed him that after the baby was born he would have at least three more on his wrist. She explained that it was a way to protect the babies from being stolen at birth. Each time he or Cherish saw the baby their bands would be scanned and matched to the one on the baby’s ankle. He took the information in, even though it was all swirling around, jumbling up in his head. He was scared, nervous, excited, and a bunch of other emotions all at the same time—something he had never felt before.
If Cherish wanted him to leave would they kick him out? The thought of having that band stripped from his wrist scared him. It would be like saying he wasn’t allowed to be a father. He followed Denise down the hall and felt frozen in place when she opened a door and slipped inside. He took a few deep breaths, and when he had gathered himself, he stepped inside. Cherish looked like a totally different person. For one, she had a huge belly sticking out from under the sheets. Machines were beeping and making fast thumping sounds. Cherish was cursing, then moaning, then cursing again and her hair was disheveled. When she looked up and saw him in his uniform she glowered at him and her mouth became a firm line of unhappiness.
“What’s he doing here? Mom, what did you do?” Cherish demanded to know.
“I didn’t do anything. I found him outside your place,” Denise said.
“Well, he can’t stay. I don’t want him here,” she muttered as she rubbed her belly. “This baby is trying to rip its way out my body like an alien. I have no time for him and whatever crap he’s slinging.”
“It’s my child, too, Cherish. I wanted to be here,” he said quietly and stepped forward.
She gave a sarcastic laugh. “Oh, really? I thought I was a slut who had been sleeping around.”
The nurse came in with a cup of ice chips just as Cherish said those words. She hesitated and then walked over to the bed. “Okay, sweetie, here’s the ice chips. How are you feeling?”
“I feel like something is trying to claw its way out of me and my vagina is about to explode,” Cherish said irritably. “How do you think I’m feeling?”
“Cherish Georgia Walker, do not talk to this nice lady like that,” Denise said in shock.
The nurse laughed. “I’ve heard worse. She’s trying to do this naturally, so no pain meds means grumpy mom.” She patted Cherish’s shoulder. “I’ll have the doctor come in and check you in half an hour. You’re progressing nicely and the baby’s heartbeat is strong.”
“Excuse me, but which one is the baby’s heart beat?” Aidan asked.
“It’s the loud fast thump you’ve been hearing, dear. A baby’s heart beats faster than normal in the womb,” the nurse explained. “Look at that monitor with the tiny heart icon over it. We watch that for any decrease in the speed to know if the baby is in distress.”
“Does that happen a lot? Distress, I mean?” Aidan asked worriedly.
“Not very often. Don’t worry, soldier. Momma and baby are just fine.” The nurse patted his arm as she walked out of the room.
“Way to reassure him,” Cherish said to the nurse’s retreating figure and gave a thumb up. “He’s a real trooper even though he accused me of being the town whore and saying the baby belonged to his best friend.”
“Jose told me the truth, and he is no longer my friend,” Aidan answered and took a step closer to the bed.
“Oh, joy. Your slime ball friend admitted he’s a disgusting liar. Let me get out of bed and dance through the hallway,” she snapped. “Big woop. You could’ve asked me. For three months you avoided me on the premise of a lie. I want you out of here. Let me deliver my baby in peace.”
He tried to take her hand, but Cherish snatched it away. Definitely not going to be easy, he thought and sighed. “I’m so sorry, Cherish. If you read any of my e-mails you would’ve seen how many times I’ve apologized and begged you to answer your phone. It was hell over there thinking you were here alone going through this by yourself. I wanted you to tell me when the baby first moved and kicked, and I asked about doctor appointments. Please, peaches. I’m sorry.”
“It’s been hell for you, huh? Somehow I don’t feel very bad for you since I was the one actually dealing with a pregnancy.” She sighed. “I’m tired. Fine, whatever. Leave, stay, do whatever you want. I don’t care anymore.” She began to pant and gripped the rails of the bed. “Oh, jeez, Louise, here comes another one.”
Aidan rushed to the bed. “Take my hand and breathe through it,” he said. “I’ve been reading up on birth for the last six months.”
Denise came over and beamed up at him. “Did you hear that, Cherish? He’s been reading up on babies.”
“I heard, Mom,” she replied through gritted teeth. “I don’t need his help. I can do this.”
“Jesus, Cherish, don’t be hardheaded. Let me help you through this,” Aidan snapped and then softened his voice. “Let me stay and see my kid come into the world.”
She looked up at him and he saw resignation on her face. “Fine. I won’t deny you that. But after he’s born, we’re taking a paternity test.”
“You don’t have to—”
She raised her hand. “Yes, I do, because I won’t have any doubt in anyone’s mind who is the father of this child. And, again, I don’t want money or anything like that. If you want, you can sign over your paternal rights to me.” Cherish leaned back against the pillows. “Okay,” she let out a long breath, “it’s easing off.”
“Good. The contractions are about five minutes apart. This baby wants to come into the world sooner rather than later. For a first baby, he’s sure in a hurry.” Denise patted her leg cheerily. “You might want to ask for the epidural now. Maybe you can rest a little if you’re not in pain.”
“That last part will never happen,” Aidan added. “I will never give up my kid… Wait, you said he. Is the baby a he?”
He gritted his teeth as emotion surged through him. He would never give up his child. He remembered being a kid and wondering why his mother and father never wanted him. Why did they give him away? By the time he was fifteen, he certainly didn’t care and had an attitude the size of New York.
“Yes, I found out when I was around five months along,” she answered. “His name is going to be Marcus James Walker. Marcus was my dad’s name and James was my twin brother. They both died in a car accident when I was a teenager.”
Aidan felt sad that she had not told him that before.“I know it’s probably going to be a no, but can we add my name in there somewhere? I want him to know he’s part of me too.”
“Why? So you can treat him like you treated me?” she snapped.
“Cherish!” her mother admonished.
“It’s fine, Mrs. Walker. She has every right to be upset,” Aidan said softly. “But if she knew my life and how I grew up, she would know that I would never hurt my son in any way. Give me a chance to be a father, Cherish. Let me have pride in knowing he has my name in some way.”
She was silent for a moment. “If you’re going to be in his life, then we can call him Marcus Aidan James.”
“I’m going to be the best father to him. You won’t ever have to worry about that.” Pride welled up in his chest and he grinned. “Thank you.”
“I’ll just doubt everything else you say. Oh, God, here it goes again,” she moaned and pushed her head back against the pillow. “Natural birth sucks.”
“I told you to get the meds, honey. I had two of you, and in tho
se days there was no epidural,” Denise said.
“Women can do this without meds. It’s healthier that way,” Cherish said, panting through the pain.
“Wait until you actually start pushing him out. Now that’s a doozy,” her mom said. “I remember pushing James out. I thought I would go insane. He had been ten pounds!”
“Mom, be quiet!” Cherish said.
Aidan took her hand and this time she let him hold it. For that, he was pleased. “Look at me and breathe like this,” he ordered and showed her what he had learned from his reading about birth the last six months.
She glowered at him. “I’m doing that. I’m not singing an opera here. You try pushing one of these things out.”
Still, she imitated his actions and from there her labor progressed quickly. When her doctor came in to check her progression, he smiled and said, “Time for a baby!” Then there was a flurry of activity. And excitement took a firm grasp of him. The bottom half of her bed was removed and her feet put in the stirrups. He was put in a gown and a cap and so was Denise. One nurse got the incubator warming and another brought a small table with sterile instruments close by.
“And who is this fine gentleman we have here? I never saw him at your doctor appointments,” Dr. Hollings said to Cherish.
“I’m the baby’s father. I was in Afghanistan. I just came home yesterday,” Aidan said with pride and a big grin.
“Well, this is some welcome home present then.” Dr. Hollings beamed. “I would shake your hand if I wasn’t all gloved up, but thank you for your service to our country.”
“Yes, sir, and thank you for taking such care of Cherish and the baby,” Aidan replied and paid no attention to Cherish rolling her eyes.
“Okay, Dad and Grandma, when she has another contraction, you both lift her legs up to her chest. Mom, you’re going to push really hard when you feel that contraction, okay?” the doctor said cheerily. “Dad, when I tell you, you can look and see your son crowning.”
“He is not looking down there!” Cherish said, panicked.
“I’ve already seen down there.” Aidan’s voice was tinged with humor.
“Not like this you haven’t. You are not going to look at my hootenanny,” she ordered.
“Hootenanny?” everyone else in the room said in unison.
“Blame my mom for that word,” she mumbled and then threw her head back and moaned in pain. “Oh, God, here comes another contraction!”
“Okay, this is it,” Dr. Hollings said. “Cherish, push hard.”
Aidan watched sweat break out across her forehead as she began pushing. She made a sound of pain that broke his heart and he took a damp cloth from the nurse to cool her face. Like most men, he always thought it was pretty easy to have a baby. That just showed how much he knew because he could see the exhaustion claim Cherish with each passing minute. It took half an hour for the baby to crown and by that time she was too tired to even argue with him when he did look down there.
“I can’t do it anymore,” she sobbed. “This was a bad idea. I want to go home.”
“Just one more push,” Dr. Hollings said. “This little guy is helping too. He needs to be out so his mommy and daddy can hold him.”
“I can’t,” she cried out.
Aidan cupped her chin, and her eyes found his. It broke his heart to see her tears. “Come on, peaches. You have it in you. One more push.” He firmed up his tone as if he was talking to a new recruit. “Suck in a deep breath and push. You can do it.”
She grimaced and nodded. This time when she bore down, she gave a guttural moan and it ended on a relieved scream as the baby slipped out of her body.
“Why isn’t he crying? What’s wrong?” Cherish asked in distress when the baby came out silent.
“He’s fine. I’m just cleaning out his nose and mouth,” the doctor said gently.
Aidan watched and waited with bated breath as if it would help his son take his first. Finally, there was a soft cry and then a loud, angry wail. Cherish started crying and laughing at the same time and emotion clogged his own throat. I’m a father. The doctor put the baby on Cherish’s chest while a nurse toweled him off.
“You have a gorgeous little boy,” the doctor beamed. “Care to cut the cord, Daddy?”
“I guess. Sure,” he replied.
Aidan reluctantly took his eyes off the miracle of watching Cherish with their son and took the scissors from the doctor. He cut the placenta and detached his son from the womb that had kept him safe for nine months. He touched the soft, dark hair on the baby’s head and emotion flooded him. Across from him, Denise was smiling through her tears. My baby, my wife. The thought made him happier than he had ever been in his life. Without a doubt, he knew marrying Cherish was the next step. All he had to do was convince her of that. The nurse took the baby over to the table to be weighed and warmed.
“Seven pounds and eleven ounces,” she called out as she wrapped him up in a blanket. She walked back over to bed. “Who gets to hold this little guy first?”
“How about you hand him off to Dad,” Dr. Hollings suggested. “We’ve still got the afterbirth to be expelled.”
Aidan took his son from the nurse carefully and looked down at the quiet baby. His eyes were wide and seemed to be looking straight into Aidan’s face. He had read that babies can’t see for the first few weeks, but he was dead sure his son was focused on him.
“Hey, little guy. I’m your daddy and I’ll protect you for the rest of your life,” he promised.
He felt Cherish staring at them and met her gaze. Her face became a stubborn mask and no emotions showed on her face. “Let me hold him,” she said, and he carefully placed the baby in her arms. He wished he had a camera so he could take a picture of that moment. Pure love and devotion showed on her face as she touched his little fingers and toes. The nurse took the baby to the nursery and while that happened he and Denise sat in the waiting area until the nurse told them which room Cherish was being moved to.
“I can’t lose her, Denise,” he said as they sat side by side.
“Well, you just fight for her and show her you love her no matter what,” Denise said firmly. “I know my daughter, and she is a mule when she gets her mind set on something. Don’t let her push you away. And I’ll run interference the best I can.”
“You are one rocking grandma.” He kissed Denise’s hand.
“That’s right, and don’t forget it.” She laughed.
When he finally had a moment alone with Cherish in her maternity suite, her eyes were still guarded and she showed him no warmth. But she dutifully let him hold the baby and rock in the recliner while she rested. She also made sure that the nurse took swabs for the paternity test she had requested. It seemed Cherish was good at keeping her word, so he knew she would let him see Marcus. He wouldn’t be satisfied, though, until he had her too. He wanted the whole package.
“This won’t change anything, you know.” Her voice came to him quietly from her bed.
“You are supposed to be sleeping.” His voice was deep and even.
“I dozed, but like I said nothing has changed,” Cherish replied. “He’s your son and you can spend as much time with him as you want. But you and I will never happen. You broke my heart, and I won’t give you a chance to do it a second time.”
“Cherish, I…”
But she never let him finish. She closed her eyes and that signaled she was done talking. He could talk to her for hours, but her mind would not change. It was time to take action, and he was always one to take the bull by the horns. He would prove to her that they were meant to be together. One way or another, he would rebuild the bridge he never meant to burn.
Chapter Four
Two weeks later, Cherish’s life was settling into some kind of schedule. Her assistant was running the boutique, and she was working from home on new designs when she could. Marcus kept her busy and she fell more in love with him every day. He still had his sleep schedule all screwed up. During the day he slep
t like a rock and at night he stayed up. He was a bit colicky and when his little tummy hurt at night he cried and cried and it broke her heart. Gas Drop soothed it some, and her mother’s home remedy of a few ounces of mint tea helped. But still, Cherish had the same issue most new mothers deal with and that was no sleep. She was exhausted. Then there was Aidan and trying to sort out what was going on with them. He was true to his word about being a good father. Every minute he was not on base, he was at her place helping with Marcus.
It had to be hard for him driving a few hours each way every trip he made into Charlotte. But he never once complained. He had a few weeks of leave coming up and he was booking a hotel in town so he could be near. He told her he was actually thinking about looking for permanent residence in Charlotte. Well, not just thinking—he had actually already looked at a few condos close by. The truth was, she was happy that he was taking such an active role in being a father. But she was still so unsure about him after what had happened when she told him she was pregnant. A conversation with her mother put the ball squarely in her court. It was right after she came home from the hospital and her mom stayed a few days to help out.
“I don’t see how you just talk and laugh with him like nothing is wrong. You don’t even know him,” Cherish said while she fed the baby in bed.
“Because, dear, I like him, and you didn’t see his face when he showed up outside your condo while you were in labor,” her mother pointed out. “I’m good with instincts and mine tells me he is a wonderful man.”
“Uh-huh. A good man who acted like I was some kind of slut on the phone,” Cherish pointed out. “Mom, he never gave me the benefit of the doubt.”
“Like you are doing now?”
“I didn’t start this, Mom!” she said. “I wanted to be with him. I could see myself building something with him and… Oh, never mind.” Cherish switched the baby to her other breast and got him settled onto the nipple.
“Okay, Cherish, my darling baby girl, I love you but let’s call it like we see it,” her mother said gently as she sat down on the corner of the bed. “You had a one night stand.” Cherish opened her mouth to speak, but her mother held up her hand. “Honey, I’m not innocent. I know what it’s like when a man sets you on fire.”