“Okay, thank you.”
Ian sat my bag on the bed and turned to face me. “I’ll just step out so you can get changed. Let me know when you’re ready.”
“Ian, you don’t have to—” my words were cut off by a small contraction that barely lasted ten seconds. “You don’t have to stay.”
He stood before me, looking more dominating than I could ever recall him being, like an immovable wall. “Do you have someone coming?”
I looked away because, no, I didn’t have anyone coming. I didn’t really have anyone, and I figured, like any job, I could crush this on my own with the nurse’s help. I’d read as many books as I could get my hands on, preparing for this very moment. My aunts had offered, but I’d turned them down, not wanting to be overwhelmed by the four of them. Aunt Virginia had let me know that if I ever changed my mind, she’d be there for me, but I was confident I could do it on my own. I was Carina Russo, I prepared and conquered, not needing anyone’s help.
I didn’t have to say anything for Ian to read my answer from my reaction. “I’m staying.”
“Ian,” I breathed his name, my shoulders dropping. I didn’t want him doing something he really didn’t want to, but I was already too tired to fight him.
“You don’t get to argue with me on this…I mean, you can, but I really want to be here for you. Please.”
I looked him over. This solid man, standing before me like a wet dream in a suit, offering to hold my hand while I rode the struggle bus. Who was I to stop him?
“Okay.”
“Good.” He gave a victorious smile that almost had me taking it back, just to argue, but he was already on his way out the door before I could. “Holler when you’re ready.”
Shaking my head, I smiled at his retreating back and quickly changed. When I called Ian back in, he brought the doctor with him.
“Hello, Carina. I’m Dr. Abrahms,” he greeted me as he looked over my chart. “I’ll be with you for a few more hours, but then Dr. Sawyer will be in later.” He set the clipboard aside and gave me a quick smile. “So, how far apart are your contractions?”
I leaned back with Ian by my head and got in position. “Umm…They’re pretty erratic, but always less than twenty minutes apart. Sometimes as little as seven minutes apart.”
He hummed and checked me out quickly. Looking up to Ian, I almost laughed at the scowl he delivered to the doctor between my legs. “You’re almost to four centimeters. We’ll get you all hooked up and keep an eye on everything. For now, we just wait.” He checked some more boxes on the chart. “Are we getting an epidural.”
“God, yes.” He laughed and checked another box. “I’d like to wait a while before I get one, but don’t want to miss my window to get it either.”
“We can do our best to make that happen.”
With one last smile, he left, and I was alone with Ian.
“So, what does one do when waiting for a baby to appear from their vagina?”
“Oh, my god, Ian.” Despite my nerves, he made me laugh, and I realized maybe he was a better asset to have by my side than I originally thought.
We made it a little over two hours before I broke down and asked for the epidural. In that time, we played card games with the deck Ian ran down to the gift store to buy. He’d rubbed my back through the harder contractions and winced like a baby when I squeezed his hand.
“Damn, woman,” he said as the anesthesiologist left. “That needle was huge.”
“Thanks, Ian,” I deadpanned.
“But I wasn’t worried.” He winked and slid his hand over mine. “You’ve taken much bigger than that.”
I snatched my hand away and smacked his arm, laughing hard. “You are disgusting.”
He grabbed my hand back and sat in the chair he’d moved close to my bed. “Why don’t I turn out the lights and you get some rest. The nurse said you should get some sleep if you can, now that you’ve had the epidural.”
“Okay,” I agreed readily. The pain was minimal now, and the beep of the baby’s heartbeat was soothing me to sleep. It may have also been the drugs but hearing Peanut’s heartbeat helped. “Why don’t you get something to eat.”
“Nah. If you don’t get to eat, then neither do I. Solidarity and all that.”
“Okay, but when this is all over, bring us both cheeseburgers.”
“Deal.”
He dimmed the lights, and I was soon passed out. I wasn’t sure for how long, but I woke up when a contraction wracked my body. It wasn’t as painful as before I got my epidural, but I was still very aware of it.
“Good, you’re awake,” a new nurse said. “I’m Angie. I’ll be taking Mary’s place. And I might be the nurse to help deliver your baby. Your contractions are pretty close. I’m going to examine you and see how far along you are.”
Scanning the room, I found Ian passed out on the tiny chair, his head falling forward over his arms, crossed on his chest. He looked ridiculously uncomfortable.
But I would have given anything to be uncomfortable like that a few hours later when I was hunched over my bent legs, pushing for all I was worth.
“You’re doing great,” Ian kept saying. He had one arm over my shoulders and a hand in mine, cringing when I squeezed. “You’re a goddess, Carina. Isn’t she a goddess?” he asked the doctors and nurses in the room.
They all eagerly nodded, half mooning over the sexy Ian Bergamo. I didn’t blame them. I was a sweaty mess, my makeup all gone, and hair in a messy bun, while he looked devastating in his white button-up with the tie gone and the sleeves rolled up.
I went to go push again, the nurse counting down for me. When she said one, I fell back on the bed, breathing hard.
Ian took a cold washcloth and wiped my forehead. I’d only been pushing for a little while, but it’d been a long day, and I was so tired.
“Come on, Carina. You can push harder than that,” he joked.
“I will murder you,” I growled out through clenched teeth.
“Totally kidding. That was sufficient pushing.” When I continued to glare, he rushed to correct again. “It was the best pushing I’ve ever seen. You’re the pushing queen.”
The nurse told me it was time to push again, and the doctor announced the baby was crowning. Only a few more pushes. In the middle of a push, I saw Ian trying to look past my legs, and I released a hand to slap it over his eyes.
“Don’t you dare look down there,” I almost shouted.
His eyes shot to the ceiling, but a smile stretched his lips, distracting me from the pain. The epidural dulled the pain but didn’t make it magically disappear.
After one more push—Ian’s head pressed to mine, both our eyes squeezed shut—the most beautiful sound in the world filled the room.
Our baby’s first cry.
“It’s a girl!” Dr. Sawyer proudly announced.
A sob broke free, and I relaxed back against the pillows.
“You did it. Damn, woman. You fucking did it.” Ian brushed my hair back and kissed my forehead.
He stood tall when Angie stepped forward with our baby girl, laying her to rest on my chest. She screamed for all she was worth, and I shushed her and held her close, taking in her scrunched up tiny nose, and tiny mouth stretched wide.