Page 248 of Sebastian's Baby

“I’m sorry, but we’re well past the point where we could give you an epidural. I’ll send a nurse in to help you, and she’ll be able to get you some gas if you want it.”

“Thanks,” Lita says.

After he leaves the room, I call Lita’s parents to let them know that she’s in labor. They flew to Chicago last week and are staying at the apartment with us, all ready for the birth that’s meant to be happening tomorrow.

“They said to wish you luck,” I tell her after I hang up, and Lita grunts and squeezes my hand tightly as another contraction hits.

“Hi, Lita, I’m Maureen,” a friendly-looking nurse says as she walks into the room. “I’m here to assist you. Eric said that you might want some gas?”

“Yes, please.” Lita is breathing heavily, and she’s only getting a short break in between each contractionnow.

Maureen opens a cupboard and starts pulling out a tube that’s attached to the gas. While she sorts that out, I call my parents and tell them the news, and they pass on their best wishes as well.

Maureen shows Lita how to suck on the end of the tube to get the gas to come out. “You can’t really overdose on it, so use it as you need it.”

At least an hour passes as Lita continues to have contractions, and I hold her hand, allowing her to squeeze mine painfully hard when she has a contraction. I try to encourage her as much as I can. Eventually, she tells the nurse that she has a strong urge to push.

“Let me check and see how you’re doing,” Maureen says when Lita tells her about her desire to push. “Yup, I can feel her there. You’re going to have a baby very soon, Lita. Let me go get Dr. Floyd.”

Maureen rushes out of the room, and Lita looks over at me. She starts to cry and smiles at me.

“I love you, Sebastian Fox.”

“I love you too, princess.”

I lean down and kiss her. A contraction hits her, and she tenses. I try to move away, but Lita places her hand on the back of my head and holds my face to hers. She continues to kiss me for another few seconds before she ends our kiss and moans loudly as the contraction takes hold.

Dr. Floyd appears in the room again, with Maureen behind him. Maureen begins turning on the heated crib that’s at the side of the room as Dr. Floyd checks Lita again. He makes some adjustments to the hospital bed, and it now has some leg rests that hold Lita’s legs open when she places her legs in them.

“All right, Lita. On your next contraction, you’re going to push just as if you’re going to the toilet,” he tells her.

Lita laughs. “There’s no dignity in pregnancy, huh?”

“None at all,” he agrees.

Maureen stands on the opposite side of the bed to me and holds Lita’s other hand as her next contraction hits. Lita squeezes my hand tightly and begins to push as Dr. Floyd has instructed her.

“Great work, Lita. Keep going,” he encourages her when her contraction ends. “Stop pushing in between contractions, then push as hard as you can when your next contraction hits.”

She follows his instructions, and three contractions later, Dr. Floyd tells us that the head is almost out. I look down to see that he’s right, and there’s a head right there. It’s strangely bizarre but also pretty fucking amazing.

“The cord is around her neck; stop pushing for a second,” Dr. Floyd says on the next contraction. As calm as anything, the doctor grabs the umbilical cord and pulls it up and over our baby’s head, then he says, “Okay, you can push again as long as your contraction is still going.”

Two contractions later, Dr. Floyd announces that the head is out, and on the next contraction, he pulls Mirabella out and places her on Lita’s chest. Lita looks down with such a look of pure love on her face that I’m sure my heart will explode.

“My baby,” Lita says as she cries.

I’m terrified because Mirabella isn’t making a sound. Is she even alive?

“We’d like her to make a bit more of a sound,” Dr. Floyd says to her just as Mirabella finally starts to cry. “Good girl,” Dr. Floyd said. “Are you ready to cut the cord, Daddy?”

Daddy.

That’s me. I’m a father. I can barely believe it, and I smile as I wipe the tears away from my eyes and nod at the doctor. Dr. Floyd gets the scissors, and Lita hugs Mirabella to her as we wait for the umbilical cord to stop pulsing before I cut it.

When that is done, Maureen takes Mirabella over to the heated crib to measure and weigh her while Dr. Floyd helps Lita to deliver the placenta. After she’s cleaned up, Mirabella is placed back on Lita’s chest.

After she’s had her first feed, Mirabella is wrapped up in a blanket and handed to me so I can finally hold my baby girl. I can’t help it, and I’m crying again as I take this beautiful gift into my arms.

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