Page 72 of Already Gone

Thirty-one and a half weeks later

“I hate you.” Scarlett’s face contorts in pain as she grips my hand with a strength I didn’t know she was capable of. “You did this to me.”

“You’re doing great, sweetheart. You’re almost there.”

The pregnancy went relatively smooth. Scarlett had some morning sickness early on, but other than that, she had an uneventful pregnancy. The delivery, on the other hand, hasn’t been quite so easy.

We’re going on eighteen hours of labor, and I’m not sure how much more my girl can take. She looks absolutely exhausted, but I refuse to let her give up. She can yell, curse me, call me every name in the book, and I’ll stay right by her side and get her through this.

“Almost there? I’m trying to push a watermelon out of my vagina!” she yells between the contractions.

“I need another big push from you, Scarlett,” Dr. Halpert says from her spot between my wife’s legs.

I look down and see the top of our baby’s head along with a tuft of black hair, and already, my heart is swollen with so much love I want to burst.

“Baby, I can see her head. She has a thick mop of dark hair.”

“It’s not a sheeeeeeee,” Scarlett moans as the wave on the monitor goes higher and higher. “It’s a he. Oh, God, this hurts. It hurts so bad, Tuck, make it stop. Please, make it stop. I promise I’ll do anything, just get me out of here.”

“We’re not going anywhere without our baby.”

We opted not to find out what we’re having. I said from day one that I think it’s a girl, and Scarlett swears it’s a boy. Chloe doesn’t care what it is.

Dr. Halpert watches the monitor and prepares for the next big contraction. “Here we go, Scarlett. Same thing you’ve been doing for me. Bear down and give me a big push. Now, Scarlett. Push. Push. Push.”

I hold Scarlett’s foot, helping keep her knee raised while my other hand stays clenched in hers.

She grits her teeth, bears down, and a deep growl rips from her chest.

“Yes, baby, yes! Keep going, she’s almost here.”

Scarlett sucks in a quick breath and bears down once more. This time, the head slides out, followed by a slimy body. I do a quick scan.

Ten fingers.

Ten toes.

One penis.

A penis.

My baby has a penis.

“It’s a boy!” I announce, turning to my beautiful wife. “Oh, Scarlett, you gave me the most perfect little boy.”

The doctor hands our sweet boy to Scarlett, and she cradles his tiny body to her chest. He’s screaming, and she’s sobbing, and now I’m crying.

“He’s beautiful.”

“Just like you.” I kiss her sweaty forehead and lean down to get a better look at our son. “He has your nose.”

“And your lips.”

“And your dark hair.”

“He looks just like Chloe!” she says, laughing while crying. “Will you go get Chloe? I want her here with us.”

I nod toward the nurse. She told me earlier that she’d go get Chloe from the waiting room as soon as we gave her the okay. Scarlett offered for Chloe to be in here for the delivery, but she politely declined. “There are just some things I’m not ready to see,” our daughter said.

Another nurse walks up and reaches for the baby. “Scarlett, we’re going to take the baby just for a few minutes, and then we’ll hand him right back, and you can feed him.”

“Okay.”

I stay by Scarlett’s side and watch them clean our little guy up. He finally stops fussing, and I swear he looks at me from across the room. I probably look like a giant blob because his eyesight is shit right now, but all I can do is stare back at him. He’s so—

“He’s perfect,” Chloe croons, stealing the words right out of my head as she rushes into the room. She hugs me and then goes straight for her mom.

If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear that Scarlett is Chloe’s biological mother. She treats her as though she’s her own, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that. It takes a special kind of woman to take on someone else’s child, and Scarlett is the very best kind of extraordinary.

“Have you picked out a name yet?”

Scarlett and I shake our heads.

“We’re torn between two names. I like Daniel, and your dad likes Aaron.”

Chloe walks across the room where our baby boy is lying on the table, fussing. The nurses are doing whatever it is they do, and Chloe sticks an arm through the action and touches her brother’s hand. He instantly grips onto her finger and stops screaming.

“I think he looks like a Lucas.”

“Lucas,” Scarlett breathes, looking up at me. “I like it.”

“Me, too.”

“Let’s do it.”

“Hi, Lucas.” Chloe smiles and rubs a finger over his tiny knuckles. “My name is Chloe, and I’m going to be the best big sister. I’ve always wanted a little brother, and I know I’m a lot older than you, but I promise I’ll always be here for you.”

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