Page 42 of Summer With You

“Smiling, and excited for the arrival of her new sibling.” He grinned, a slither of relief in his eyes. “Amber got her and Charlie ice cream, so the kids are just fine. Now, I can be here with you for the birth of our third baby.” He gently squeezed my hand. “How far apart are the contractions?”

“Five minutes. It’s going to be here soon.”

Two hours later, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy that was instantly ripped from my arms and rushed into the NICU because of prematurity. Jessie Danvers was born weighing exactly five pounds, the smallest of my three kids. Dr. Nicole let me hold my screaming son for a few seconds before taking him away.

I cried at the instant detachment. I knew Ace was just as torn, but he held me, whispering soothing words to me to help calm me down. Worry and fear consumed me until I saw Dr. Nicole again in my recovery room, where she explained his condition to me.

“You only completed thirty-two weeks, which means he isn’t fully developed, and we’re unable to transition him to an outside environment like a full-term baby. He can’t control his body temperature yet and can have excessive weight loss if not monitored.” Tears washed in my eyes as Ace grabbed my hand in his and pressed his lips to my forehead. “He’s currently in an incubator, which is to provide heat and mimic the same environment as the womb. You can come see him with your husband once you feel comfortable enough to move around, but you will need to be in scrubs as it is crucial that no germs enter this environment.”

I sat up in my bed, gripping Ace’s hand for support.

“Will he be okay?” I whispered in a hoarse voice.

“It’s hard to say right now.” I whimpered. “He should be, but anything can happen when the baby hasn’t had enough time to develop in the womb. You won’t be able to breastfeed him just yet as his sucking muscles are weak and underdeveloped. He will be tube-fed for a few weeks until he is strong enough to suckle.” She paused to gauge our reaction.

I stiffened. He might not make it. This was all my fault. It was my job to keep him safe in my womb, but I hadn’t listened to anyone and had stress-induced labor.

“Don’t do this, Princess,” Ace whispered, wrapping me up in his arms.

“I don’t want you to blame yourself, Celine. He wanted to come out with or without your stress,” she tried assuring me. “We’re going to do our best to make sure he can leave within a few weeks, possibly days if we can give him breastmilk to speed up his growth and development. I highly suggest you consider it.” She smiled at me. “Now, let me get you a wheelchair, and we can visit your baby.”

She quickly exited the room, leaving me speechless. I hadn’t been expecting this. I’d almost killed my baby.

Amber came into the room, excitement lighting up her features. “Where’s the baby?” She glanced around the room. “Oh, no, what happened?” She took in our features and paused, worry tightening her own.

“He’s in the NICU because of underdevelopment,” Ace answered, squeezing my hand. “We’re going to see him now.”

“It’s a boy?” she asked, and I nodded silently. “How big is he?” She stepped further into the room, a hand on her giant belly.

“He’s five pounds, Ames, and his name is Jessie.” I swallowed the lump in my throat.

My little boy would survive this. He had to.

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