“Shit. Yes.” I run back inside and grab the bag.
Then Carla calls out, “Lock the door.”
I stop on the stairs, and turning around, I lock the door while taking a deep breath.
Get your shit together, Noah. Stay calm.
When I get in the car, Carla asks, “Should we even be going to the hospital now? The contractions haven’t started.”
I keep my eyes on the road as I drive away from our house.
“Noah, did you hear me? Shouldn’t we wait?” she asks.
“I… I can’t remember,” I mutter, unable to recall anything I’ve learned about labor. “My mind’s gone blank.”
Carla begins to laugh, and it has me glancing at her. “Why are you laughing. What’s wrong? Are you okay?” I ramble.
“My going into labor has you totally rattled. I’ve never seen you like this,” she explains.
I glance at her again. “Aren’t you nervous?”
“Nope.” She let’s the fucking ‘P’ pop. “You have that part all covered.”
When we get to the hospital, I begin to breathe a little easier, knowing help is inside. Getting out, I grab the bag, then rush around the front to get Carla.
“Calm down.” She takes a deep breath, showing for me to do the same. “We have time.”
“I’ll calm down when you’re inside. Let’s go,” I mutter as I wrap my arm around her shoulders.
Once we have Carla settled in the private room, I slump down on the couch and take a deep breath.
Carla shakes her head at me. “I’ll probably have to keep you calm while giving birth.”
“Sorry,” I say as I get up. I walk to the bed and sit down next to her. “I’ll be calm.”
Miss Sebastian comes into the room. “I heard my grand-god-baby is coming.”
“How?” I shake my head. “We’ve only been here ten minutes.”
“My bedazzled ass knows everything.” She places her hand on Carla’s shoulder. “How do you feel?”
“Excited,” Carla replies, a wide smile on her face.
“No contractions yet?” Miss Sebastian asks.
Carla rubs over her stomach as she answers, “Not that I know of. I told Noah we should’ve waited before coming in.”
“You’re here now. Make yourself comfortable. It might take a while,” Miss Sebastian says, then she walks to the door. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“You’ll probably know before we do,” I mutter, but she’s already out the door.
Carla started having contractions four hours ago, and they’re beginning to grow with intensity.
Carla just sits with her eyes closed as if she’s meditating while the contraction passes. When her eyes open, I murmur, “I love you. Thank you for doing this.”
“Love you, too.” She gives me a smile before reaching for her ice water, then she begins to scoot off the bed. “I need to move around.”
I quickly dart to my feet and hover behind her as she begins to pace, then Carla stops and glances at me from over her shoulder. “You can sit.”
“Okay.” I keep standing, though. It’s as if my body is wired to respond to everything Carla does.
She’s just about to walk by me when her hand darts out, and she grabs hold of my arm. “Shit.”
I move closer and rub my hand over her lower back, wishing there was more I could do.
Carla begins to whimper, and it fucking breaks my heart.
“I’m going to throw up,” she groans. I dart for the pan. “Hurry, hurry.” I make it just in time as Carla loses all the fluids I managed to get into her.
When she’s done, I go empty it in the toilet before rinsing the pan with some mouthwash I got from the hospital’s drug store.
I set the pan back in its place for when she needs it again. “Are you okay?”
She nods as she slowly walks to the bathroom to rinse out her mouth.
Time crawls by as the contractions come faster.
Miss Sebastian comes into the room. “Are you okay with me assisting with the birth?”
“Hell yeah,” I answer before Carla can respond.
“Please,” Carla breathes through another contraction.
“Great, let's see how far you’re dilated.”
I help Carla back on the bed, and when Miss Sebastian is done checking, she grins at us. “We’re good to go. Let’s start doing some practice pushes. Okay?”
Carla nods, and my heart begins to beat faster.
Miss Sebastian helps Carla into position, and then she says, “Take a deep breath, and then you push as hard as you can for ten seconds.”
Carla sucks in a deep breath of air, and then she begins to push while Miss Sebastian counts to ten.
Seeing the strain Carla is under makes me feel helpless as fuck. Not knowing what else to do, I say, “You’re doing great.”
Carla lets out the breath she’s been holding with a cry.
“Let’s do another,” Miss Sebastian orders.
Carla shakes her head. “No. Wait. I need a minute.”
I wet a cloth in icy water, and after squeezing the excess fluid out, I pat it over Carla’s forehead. “The back of my neck, ” she murmurs. I’ve just placed the cloth there when she groans, “I’m going to be sick. Quick.”
I grab the pan wondering where the hell all this fluid is coming from, seeing as she hasn’t had anything else.
It feels as if everything is on repeat for the next hour, and then finally, Dr. Wells is called.
“Okay, Mommy, it’s time to push as hard as you can,” Dr. Wells says as she sits down in front of Carla.
Not knowing what to do with myself, I link my fingers behind my neck as I watch Carla push with everything she has.
Miss Sebastian grabs hold of my arm and yanks me to the foot of the bed, and then my mouth drops open as a sensation strips me bare. It’s a mixture of amazement, pride, and the most intense love I’ve ever felt.
My eyes keep darting between Carla’s face and Haley’s head.
Carla lets out a cry as she gives one last push, and then everything blurs as tears flood my eyes. I dart back to Carla’s side, and framing her face, I press a kiss to her parted lips. Pulling back, I don’t care that she’s seeing me cry as I say, “I love you so much. I’m so proud of you.”
Carla catches her breath as she looks down, and then she begins to cry as her gaze locks on Haley.
“You have a healthy baby girl. Congrats,” Dr. Wells says while Miss Sebastian cleans Haley. She wraps her in a blanket then comes to lay her in Carla’s arms.
Seeing the woman I love holding my baby girl is unbelievable. For a moment, I can only stare before I lean over them. I press a kiss to Carla’s forehead then murmur, “She’s beautiful. Just like her Mom.”
Carla smiles up at me, and then she says, “Hold your daughter, Daddy.”
My stomach begins to churn with nerves as Carla places Haley in my arms. “Hey, my Haleybug,” I murmur. I try to memorize every inch of my baby girl while my heart splits in two – one half belonging to Carla and the other to Haley.
CARLA