Page 59 of The Homewrecker's Fate

“Nope. I’m telling you; this little bundle is on her waaaaaaaayy!” I grunted through the last word because another contraction hit me so hard I couldn’t stop the noise. “I really feel like I should be pushing her out now,” I cried.

“Oh no. Just hang in a few more minutes, Avi. No pushing. Once we were inside a room, the nurse hit the brakes on the wheelchair I was in and ran around in front of me. “At least you’re wearing a dress. That makes this easier. I’m just going to move your panties out of the way, so I can take a peek,” Melinda insisted as she pulled my soggy underwear down my legs. The nurse looked up at Brax and pointed toward the bed. “Go to the bed, see the red button hanging on the side there?” She asked.

He ran over there and picked up what looked like a remote control for the television. It had a giant red button at the top. “This?” Brax asked as he pointed at it.

“Yes, push that and tell them we are delivering a baby in room 312 right now and Melinda could use some help.”

Brax did exactly as he had been instructed. Within seconds, bodies started flying into action immediately. I was picked up and put on the bed. No time to change into a hospital gown. Instead, my dress was hiked up above my belly and my feet were pushed back so my legs bent at the knee. Everything seemed to happen in an absolute rush after that. One nurse attempted to fit me with straps around my belly that were supposed to measure my contractions and the other the baby’s heartbeat. There was no need to measure the contractions, they were coming quickly, and the baby’s head was already crowning.

“Brax!” I called for my boyfriend.

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

“I need you to not go anywhere.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said as he leaned in and kissed the top of my head. It was probably gross since I’d started sweating at some point, but he didn’t complain.

“All right, Ms. Acker, it looks like we’re ready to bring your baby girl into the world!” Dr. Martinez made that chipper announcement as he came strolling into the room a minute later, but not a moment too soon.

“Need. To. Push.” It was a demand and there was no holding back for the sake of a nurse or doctor’s command anymore. I couldn’t fight the urge any longer.

“Okay, Aviva, do what your body is telling you to. Let’s go, don’t forget to breathe through it. That’s it,” Dr. Martinez coached as he took a seat on the stool between my legs. “This is going to be a quick one,” he stated.

“That’s good,” I whimpered.

“Okay, relax for a minute. Breathe. Here we go,” he insisted as the urge to push hit me again.

Twenty minutes later, Melinda leaned in and placed my baby girl on my chest after Brax and another nurse helped to remove my dress. There was absolutely no modesty in that room. I didn’t care if they opened the doors and let every Tom, Dick, and Harry in to sightsee… That wasn’t true. Still, I was too blissed out and focused on my beautiful little Janine to care about what the medical professionals were seeing.

“She’s perfect.”

“Just like her mom,” Braxton added and when I glanced over at him, he had tears in his eyes. “You did so well, Avi. I love you.”

“Do you want to hold her?” He nodded his head and Melinda helped transfer Janine from my arms to his.

“While he has baby girl, let’s get a gown on you, so you can have a little modesty.”

“Thanks, Melinda.”

“Someone needs to call Mel and my mom.”

“Do you want me to call Rich?” Brax asked.

“I guess now that she’s here, I have to.”

“Rich?” Melinda asked. Her brows pinched together as she said his name.

“I’m going to be Janine’s dad, no matter what, but Rich is her biological father.”

Braxton gave my daughter over to the other nurse who took her to a little station where she weighed her, measured her length, and did whatever else they were doing over there. “Five-minute Apgar is a 9,” the woman called out.

Mel smiled down on me, but it felt a little forced. “That’s a good number,” she explained. “Your name is Aviva Acker?” She asked.

“That’s correct.”

My name seemed to puzzle Melinda, but she brushed off whatever she’d been about to say and continued to help the doctor as he delivered my placenta and popped a couple stitches in where I’d torn a little bit as Janine came out. “Normally, most doctors would have tried to give you a little cut to help, but she came to fast. You were lucky because the tear was relatively straight.”

“No offense doc, but I don’t think any woman counts herself lucky when her vagina has been ripped open and in need of stitches.”

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