Page 119 of Rebel Heart
Several hours passed, Jules experiencing more and more discomfort as her labor progressed. Every minute that I watched her throughout the process, I was in awe of her. Of her strength and determination.
She labored long and hard—though not as long asmany first-time moms, according to the labor and delivery nurses—and before I knew it, it was time for her to push. Contraction after contraction, Jules endured the pain and pushed past the exhaustion to see it all through.
And then, it happened.
“One more push, Jules, and your baby is going to be here.”
She took a deep breath and pushed.
“It’s a boy!”
The doctor immediately placed my son on my wife’s chest, and it was easily the best moment of my whole life. Jules and I were both in tears, and it didn’t take long for our son to start wailing.
“This little guy has got a great set of lungs,” one of the medical professionals said. I didn’t know who it was because I didn’t dare to look up, to look away.
I brushed the hair back from Jules’ face and kissed her forehead. “I’m so proud of you. You did it, my angel. He’s here.”
“Dad, do you want to cut the cord?”
That word.
That word did it.
Dad.
I was a dad.
I looked down at the doctor and nodded. “Yes.”
I cut the cord connecting my son to my wife, feeling like that was also pretty high up on my list of unforgettable moments.
“We’re going to take him over there to get himcleaned up and checked out for you, Mom. He’ll be right back.”
I watched as they carried him away, and Jules said, “Go with him.”
She wasn’t going to accept any argument from me, so I kissed her again and followed my son to the other side of the room, where the nurses weighed him, listened to his heart and lungs, and cleaned him off.
My chest felt like it had expanded beyond what my body could hold. Was it possible to love him too much? Because I did. I loved him more than I thought was possible.
Finally, he got swaddled, and the nurse said, “It’s your turn, Dad.”
Then I was holding him.
I was holding my son in my arms, and it was better than I ever thought it could be.
To think I had intended to live my whole life without experiencing this. It would have been such a shame.
I looked over to see Jules watching me. “You’re a dad.”
Carrying him over to her, I placed him in her arms. “And you’re a mom.”
She looked down at him, the back of her finger stroking lightly over his soft cheek. “He’s perfect, Beau. He’s the most beautiful baby in the whole world.”
“Well, what do you expect when his mom looks the way you do?”
Tipping her head back, she smiled and sighed. “He needs a name.”
“He does.”
