“I was just thinking the same thing.”
After the epidural, Cameron was able to get some much-needed rest before her labor reached the next stage two hours later. Suddenly, everything seemed to happen much more quickly.
“Would you mind asking your mom to come in?” Cameron asked, looking at Will with eyes gone wild now that the big moment had arrived.
“I’ll get her.” Will fetched his mother from the waiting room. In the one minute he’d been gone, Cameron’s legs had been hoisted onto some contraption, and the energy in the room had changed considerably. Suddenly, he couldn’t move or breathe or cope with the wave of fear that threatened to drag him under.
If anything happened to her, he would die. It was that simple.
“Will.”
His mother’s voice reached him through the panic.
She took hold of his arm and looked up at him. “Breathe.”
He forced air past the panic. Cameron needed him. This was no time for a meltdown. The doctors had told them it was perfectly safe for her to have a baby. He needed to have faith in their expertise.
“Will.” Cameron reached out to him again as if she knew what he was thinking. She probably did. Her family history had weighed heavily on both their minds throughout her pregnancy.
Will went to her. “How can I help?”
“Get behind her and support her back and shoulders,” the doctor said.
He was a stranger to them, which was another source of stress. All their careful planning was for naught, because she was about to give birth hours from the hospital they’d chosen and the doctor who’d followed her pregnancy. However, this doctor had consulted with that doctor, was up to speed on Cam’s family history and was going to deliver their baby whether that had been the plan or not.
Over the next hour, he tried to stay calm while Cameron fought an epic battle to deliver their baby.
“Talk to me,” she said on a break from pushing.
“I’m here, love, and you’re doing so great. Does it hurt?”
“No, just a lot of pressure.”
“You’re getting so close, Cam,” Molly said as she ran a cool cloth over Cameron’s face.
“Thanks for coming in,” Cameron said. “You’re the closest thing to a mother I’ve ever had.”
Visibly moved by Cameron’s statement, Molly said, “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
“How’d you do this ten times?” Cameron asked.
“Ten times?” the doctors and nurses said as a chorus.
Even Will laughed at their reactions. “I’m number two of ten, including two sets of twins.”
“Wow,” Dana said. “That’s amazing.”
“The last five fell out,” Molly said, making them laugh again. “It’s the first five that were a real bitch.”
Soon it was time to push again, and Will lost track of time as he stayed completely focused on Cameron. Like fathers everywhere, he felt like an incompetent wimp in the midst of her heroic effort.
At three forty-six in the morning, a lusty wail alerted them to the arrival of their baby.
“You have a son,” the doctor said. “And he’s beautiful.” The doctor wrapped his red little body in a blanket and handed him over to his sobbing parents and grandmother.
“Oh, look at him,” Molly said. “He’s perfect.”
Will couldn’t stop staring at his scrunched-up little face, the smattering of dark hair on his head, the little pink lips and the tiny tongue that quivered when he cried. He was the most miraculous thing Will had ever seen.
“Hi, little man,” Cameron cooed to him.
He immediately stopped crying.
“He knows your voice,” Dana said. “Keep talking to him.”
“This is your daddy. Say hi, Daddy.”
Will wiped tears from his face. “Hey, buddy. It sure is nice to meet you.” He reached around Cameron to free the baby’s arms so he could shake hands with his son. He had a son!
“Do you guys mind if I get the grandfathers?” Molly asked. “Patrick must be beside himself by now.”
“Please do get them,” Cam said.
“Before I go, does he have a name?”
Cameron looked back at Will, and he nodded.
“His name,” Cameron said, “is Chase Murphy Abbott. Chase was my mother’s maiden name.”
“Oh, I like that. It’s a beautiful tribute to your mother, and you’ve made it so all our baby grandchildren have C names.”
“We thought of that,” Will said, “and we didn’t want to break the streak.”
“And Will said he had to chase me, so the name is fitting.”
“She led me on a merry chase from the second she crashed into Fred.” It was starting to register with him that Cameron had given birth to their baby, and only something wonderful had happened. They had a son, and she was just fine. Thank you, Jesus.
“Let me get the grandfathers and Mary,” Molly said, heading for the door.
“He’s perfect, isn’t he?” Cam asked.
“He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen other than his mother.”
“We have a son named Chase.”
“Yes, we do. Thank you so much for our son. You were incredible, Cam.”
“Couldn’t have done it without you.”
“That’s not true. Except for the very beginning, you did all the work.”
Cameron laughed, and it was the best sound ever because she’d given birth and survived it. Only now could Will admit to himself that he’d been sure, for all this time, that something would happen to take her from him. He’d been preparing himself for disaster, and the realization that it wasn’t going to happen freed him from the crushing anxiety he’d been trying to cope with for months.
Molly returned with Linc, Elmer, Patrick and Mary in tow. As they circled Cam’s bed, Will noticed how undone Patrick seemed. He couldn’t blame the guy for being terrified of history repeating itself.
“Come in closer, Dad,” Molly said to Elmer. “Get a good look at your newest great-grandbaby.”
“He’s a fine-looking fellow,” Elmer said. “Just like his daddy—and his mama.”
“You want to hold him?” Cameron asked Elmer.
“Let your dad go first,” Elmer said, deferring to Patrick. “He’s the rookie among us.”
Cameron handed the baby over to her dad, who was standing on the right side of the bed with Mary.
“Hey there,” Patrick said, gazing down at the baby with tears in his eyes. “I’m your Grandpa Patrick. Welcome to the family.”
“What’s his name?” Mary asked.
“Your turn,” Cam said, smiling up at Will.
“Meet Chase Murphy Abbott.”
“I love that,” Mary said. “It’s perfect.”
“Your mom would be thrilled,” Patrick said to Cameron. “Chase was Ali’s maiden name,” he said for Mary, Linc and Elmer’s benefit.
“I love that,” Linc said.
“And it makes for three baby grandchildren with C names,” Molly added. “And two with S names—Savannah and Stella.”