Caleb was finally keeping up. His grades were good, and he got a raise at work. The shop closed early one night because of a plumbing issue, and Sabrina was at Isabella's house, so he decided to surprise her. He went to the store where Sabrina had picked a bunch of things for the baby. He ordered the crib to be delivered and bought a bunch of clothes. He then rushed home and began painting "Lexia Nicole Johnson" in bold, cursive letters above where Sabrina said she wanted the crib.
The crib showed up about 2 hours after he got home, so he put it together and put the clothes away. He called Sabrina "Hey, baby. I got off work early. Are you eating at Isabella's?" Sabrina started giggling "No, I'm not. I missed you so much! I'm on my way home so I can see you, papi." Caleb knew Isabella's house was at least a 20 minute walk, so he ran down the block and grabbed some pizza and pop. He had just set the pizza down when Sabrina came in the door. She ran and hugged him "Papi!" Caleb chuckled "Hey, beautiful. How was your day?" She shrugged "So so. I missed you." Caleb kissed her softly "I missed you too, baby. Hey, come look what I did today."
Caleb led Sabrina into the baby's room where he had set everything up. Sabrina saw the beautiful art on the wall and began to cry. "Papi, I love it!" She rubbed her swollen belly "I can't wait for her to be here!" Caleb smiled as he hugged Sabrina from behind and put his hands over hers "Me either, baby."
The seasons changed, and seeing Sabrina's body change as their baby grew made Caleb the happiest he'd ever been. This is what he needed. The others in his head had gone quiet, they didn't yell. There was peace.
Sabrina had been anxious because at her last appointment, the baby was about 9 lbs. The doctor said if nothing happened in a week, she would have Sabrina induced. Caleb had been pulling overtime at work and getting a few extra jobs for Chris since he had planned to take a few weeks off after to help take care of Sabrina and the baby.
On January 9, Caleb had just locked up the sub shop for the night. It was snowing really hard and the city was in a state of emergency. There was already 18 inches of snow on the ground and it had only been falling for a few hours. His phone started ringing, it was Sabrina.
"Hey baby, I'm on my way home. Are you okay?" Sabrina was crying "P-Papi.." Sabrina let out a loud scream and started crying "I'm on my way home, are your contractions getting worse?" Sabrina had been having Braxton Hicks contractions for about a month now, and the doctor said if the pain gets worse, then it is more than likely actual labor. Sabrina sighed "Yes... please, hurry home." Caleb threw the keys to the shop in his bag and ran home as fast as he could.
The streets were empty, he knew there was no way anyone was getting to their house so Sabrina could get to the hospital. He called Lydia "Sis, I need you. Sabrina's in labor and-" "Caleb, I'm stuck at work. I can call when I get free moments, but I'm not sure how often that will be. She called me and told me already. You're gonna need warm towels for the baby, so put them in the dryer. You're also gonna need some kind of string and scissors for the cord. I wish I could be there. We are slammed, there are a lot of wrecks. I can text, so I will check on you in a bit. I love you little brother." Lydia hung up.
Caleb got to the front door and started digging through his bag for the house key. He could hear Sabrina in their room and he began to cry. He felt awful she was in so much pain. He got the door open and ran straight to her. "Papi, I'm scared. It hurts so bad." Caleb kneeled in front of her "I know, mi vida. I'm here, ok? Your sister said she will call when she can. There's no way anyone will be able to get you to the hospital, though. I'm gonna do my best, can you promise me the same?" Sabrina nodded "I guess. What if something bad happens?" Caleb smiled at her and wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs "Nothing bad will happen. Promise."The next 19 hours felt like an eternity. Sabrina had almost passed out from exhaustion at this point, so Caleb laid next to her and rubbed her back. Sabrina gasped "Papi, I- I- Owwwwwww!" Sabrina put her hand between her legs "Papiii! Help me!" Caleb sat up and looked, the baby's head was right there. Caleb's mind went blank 'Shit, what is she supposed to do? I am so stupid, I know this. Damn....' Caleb began to frantically look around when Sabrina pulled his shirt "Babe, just catch her." She smiled faintly.
Caleb's phone started ringing, it was Lydia. "Hey, bro. Everything ok?" Caleb put Lydia on speaker and set the phone down "Her head's right here. I can see it." "Ok, Caleb. You got the towels?" "Uh, yea." Sabrina's screams snapped Caleb back into reality. "Ok, baby. Next contraction, you gotta push." Sabrina nodded and tried to push with her contractions "It hurts and I'm tired papi, I can't." Caleb looked up at Sabrina and kissed her cheek. "Yes, you can. It's almost over. I am so proud of you mi vida."
45 minutes later, their daughter was born. "Sis, she's out. Uh, where do I tie the cord?" The baby began to cry and Sabrina held her arms out "Here, papi. I'll hold her." Lydia giggled "You guys did it. Geez, 2 teenagers did better than most adults would in this situation. I'm leaving work. I will be there in 15, just leave the cord."
Caleb looked at Sabrina and smiled as she held their daughter "You are both so perfect."
YOU ARE READING
Growing Up
Fiksi RemajaIn a world that seems to have nothing constant but uncertainty, 15 year old Caleb must try to make his way in a place that seems to want him dead. Haunted by the terror he has faced in his short life, he has to try to be something he isn't: Average.
