Page 62 of One Sultry Summer

“The contractions occur every four minutes, lasting about a minute, and have been ongoing for an hour.” Wyatt bit his thumbnail and waited for the nurse to examine my cervix. But before she was able to, I felt a gush of water as if I had peed myself. The nurse looked under my covered legs, and her eyes went wide. Very calmly, she said, “I’ll be right back, I’m going to get the doctor.”

“Wyatt, is something wrong?”

“No, honey, the baby’s head is crowning. Wehave a very inpatient kid.”

“Well, we know who they take after.” We both said 'you' at the same time. “Do you think they’ll let Emily in here after I deliver? I want her to see the baby.”

“Don’t worry, she’ll have plenty of time to see the baby. She’s already loving being an older sister to her brother Chase.”

“I feel bad that we kept the baby’s gender to ourselves.”

“She’ll learn the sex in due time.”

The nurse quickly changed the chuck pad beneath me, while other nurses hurriedly entered and began moving things around. My physician came in and greeted both of us. “I hear your baby doesn’t want to wait. Let me take a look for myself.” She had an astonished look on her face. She pulled a gown over her scrubs and gloves. “Valerie, whatever you do, do not push.”

I wanted to laugh but knew the muscles in my stomach would contract and push the babyout. I clenched my teeth and tried to focus on breathing, hoping to stall the inevitable. The room buzzed with urgency, and I could sense tension as the nurses prepared for what was coming. “The baby’s not going to wait,” I said between panting breaths.

“How are you feeling?” Wyatt asked as he held my hand.

“Okay…even though this kid wants to shoot out of my vagina.”

The doctor and nurses were finally ready. “Valerie, I want you to give me one good push.” I nodded, and Wyatt helped me sit up a little. I barely pushed, and the baby was out. They took the baby to clear her airway, and finally, I heard her cry. “Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Woods, it’s a baby girl! She is five pounds, three ounces, and nineteen and a half inches long.”

We spent a lot of time over the last couple of weeks going through a book of baby names. We finally decided to name her Sophie JessicaWoods, because we thought it had a nice ring to it. After they cleaned her up, the nurses brought her over and placed her in my arms.

“Hello, Sophie.” She immediately stopped crying.

Wyatt took hold of her little hand, and she gripped his finger. “Wow, she’s got a pretty good grip.”

Her dark hair is similar to Emily’s, and I can’t wait to see the color of her eyes. Yes, I know they can be one color at birth and change over the next few months. I only wonder if they are brown like Wyatt’s or if she’ll get one of mine.

“Can I get you something, some water maybe?”

“Yes, that would be nice.” He poured me a glass from the bedside table and extended his hand. I took a small sip from the straw. “Would you care to hold your daughter?”

He scooped her into his arms and sat down. “Hello, precious, it’s daddy.” She opened her eyes. It figures he gets to see her eyes first. “Wyatt?”

“Yes, darling.”

“Do you remember when we first met?”

“Of course. You hated me.”

“That’s true. I wanted to throat punch you.”

“And now you love me.” A smirk formed on his clean-shaven face.

“I could still throat punch you at times, but yeah, I love you.”

Eight weeks later, we had everyone over for a barbecue after the baby's christening. It was nice to have family and friends show up. My mom and stepdad Steven, flew in from a vacation where they were spending time in France. Who knew that spark they had meeting here in Skybrook would have led to their happiness.

“Hi mom.” I gave her a kiss on her cheek. “Hey, boss! How was the vacation?”

“It was great! Your mother and I were ready to come home and see our new grand baby.”

“She’s sleeping right now. I’ll bring her out in a little bit, and you can pass her around like a hotpotato.”

“No one is passing her around until I get to hold her first.”

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