Spark

Chapter 19: Welcome Home, Preston Theodore Anderson

I was playing with the dogs when it happened. My water broke. I told Eric he can work and he went to the office.  Luckily my mother has been here. "Mom, Mom my water broke!" My mother ran to the backyard. "Yep, it broke I'll call the ambulance stay right there. I'll get your overnight bag and I'll call Eric. I can't believe  you let him go into the office." "Mom, I'm pregnant I don't need bitch mode."

The contractions were unbearable. I was in screaming agony and all I really wanted was Eric. The ambulance came and I screaming for Eric. "He's coming I just called. Granted I had to cuss the lady out at the front desk to let me talk to him. I don't understand why he doesn't carry his phone in with him, especially now." "I don't care as long as he's coming."

I screamed and I took deep breaths as best I could. When I got to the hospital they put me in a wheelchair and all I can think about was searching for Eric. "I don't want this baby to come out of me until Eric gets here." I tell my mom. "Honey, I know, but it doesn't work that way. When he's ready to come he comes."

The contractions were making turn into a monster. "Listen here, Francesca Celine, I want my husband and I want him. Now!" "I'll call to see where he is." My mother was about to text him when he came bursting through the door. "I'm here, my love." He kisses my head and I crushed his hand. "I want the epidural." "We don't even know how far along the contractions are."

"I can help with that." It was our doctor, Dr. Rhodes. I started screaming. "Okay, the contractions are five minutes apart, but there's a problem. We have to do an emergency c-section because the umbilical cord is wrapped around your baby's neck." "I can't even move her to an operating room, get me the instruments and an epidural. Now!"

I was scared if they moved, what if he died. I couldn't live with myself if that happened. "Don't worry, my love everything will be all right." "Odd time to ask I know, but do you want him to be circumcized?" Eric and I both nodded our heads. The nurses came back with a cart, tools, and a very long needle. "Eric, what is that?" "Now," the nurse came with the needle. "This is the epidural I need you to arch your back. We can't put you on your side in risk of choking your baby even more."

I hated needles. "Look at me, love." I arched my back and I wanted to scream. "It's all right. Everything is fine. You're going to get through this and soom our son will be here." "Eric, I want him now." I couldn't really tell if the medicine was working. I guess it was because I couldn't feel anything. "I love you." "You just keep making me the happiest most luckiest man in the world." "You could've had anyone." "But my heart only beats for you." "He's going to look just like his daddy." "He's going to be a gentleman. I promise." "Oh, I know. His daddy's a gentleman so of course he's going to be a gentleman."

Soon, we hear a cry. And I smile. They clean him up. And the doctor brings him over. I hold him and I smile. "The circumcision will be scheduled in two days. We usually always wait the first forty-eight hours after the baby's born. Congratulations. He's nine pounds six ounces." The doctor walks out and I look at him. "He's perfect. Hi, Preston Theodore." "Welcome to the world, little guy." "He's beautiful. Here, hold him." I give Preston to Eric and soon I heard loud footsteps of heels and the voice of my mother talking to someone on the phone.

The nurse comes in and asks for the baby's information. My mom looked impatient. We gave the information and the nurse types it in. "I'll give you a copy, I have to register it to the state where they'll mail you a copy of the birth certificate." We thanked her and my mother comes in. "Your father is on his way here. Honey, he's gorgeous! Hi, handsome." "Preston, say hi...." I stopped. We never got around to talking about what he should call my parents.

"Oh, your father and I were having the discussion last night. Gigi and Pop-Pop." "I can see him wanting to be called Pop-Pop, he's been trying to get me to call him that instead of dad for years." Eric holds out Preston for my mom to hold. "Hi, Preston it's Gigi. I'm so happy to meet you. You're so handsome." She looked at mostly Eric when asking this question. "Are you circumcising him?" "Yes, in forty-eight hours he will be circumcized." "Good, because no girl—" "Okay, Mom thank you."

She was talking about how she can already see that he's going to look like Eric. "Are you kidding me. He's going to look like his good old Pop-Pop." "Bullshit." "Mom!" "Oh, he's just an hour old he's not going to understand what I'm saying right away." "Let me hold him."

Reluctantly my mother hands Preston over to my father. "Oh, are you going to be my golfing buddy? You can be my caddie." "He's not going to golf. He's going to be a baker. He'll help me with all of the baking." "Can I have my son."

"Can we hold him next?" I turned and saw Zoe and Justin, Chloe I'm surprised came. She had a miscarriage and hadn't been talking to anyone. It's sad that she lost the baby, but it's also an eerie blessing in disguise. She'll find the right one that will give her a baby that both parents will love. "No, I'm holding him next. Do you know how much money I won betting that it was a little guy coming into the world?"

It was so overwhelming, but I did let them hold him. I was getting tired and I'm pretty sure he's hungry. "All right, everyone. I need to feed him. I don't even know if he'll latch." "All right, all right. Give her the baby and then we'll leave. Wait until you see your house." Eric and I were cautious. "Francesca, what did you do to our house?" "You'll see in a few days time. Let's go crew." Everyone waved and left and I tried to get Preston to latch. And he did. "You know I read online that you can pump the breast milk and feed it to your baby through the bottle." "Why would you want to do that?" "It feels weird. And I know this may sound weird with him right here, but I don't want him sucking on them when you've done so many times." Eric kisses my head. "Yes, I have done it numerous times, but it's natural for a baby. It's how they become close to their mother. Don't get weirded out by it."

I guess Preston was done because he went back to sleep. Four days later with the circumcision surgery being a success we were able to take our little guy home. We dressed him in a navy blue beanie that had his name on it, a white long-sleeve onesie that said "hello world" with an arrow and navy blue pants. I was being pushed in a wheelchair holding my baby. My mom had driven him here to take us home and had went to get the car. Eric sat in the back with the car seat in the middle. He sat on the left while I sat on the right.

"Now, Eric should I tell her or should we wait." "For Christ's sake, Francesca do you ever keep your mouth shut." "I guess that means wait." "What's going on?" "Nothing, my love. Just you wait." Waiting was torture, but we finally got home and I gasped. There was a banner that said "WELCOME HOME, PRESTON!" In navy blue and white letters, and the dogs and my friends and dad standing there waiting. "I'll help you out." Somebody had to because my mom got out of the car and ran straight for the door.

Eric helped me down and I grabbed the car seat. "Wait untill you see inside!" Chloe says. Everyone ushered me into my own house where I saw nothing but gifts and toys for Preston." "Oh, wow." "My love, do you remember when I said not to go into the one bedroom for a while?" I nodded. "What's wrong with it?" He takes me upstairs and took me to the room next to ours." On the door it had a letter 'P' in a lighter blue color.

I opened the door and I gasped. "You cheeseball, you made the theme of his nursery The Lion King?" "You always said that if you had a boy that you'd design it after your favorite Disney movie." I kissed his cheek. "The fact that you remembered that." "When it comes to you I remember everything."

Everything was perfect. His clothes were in a wardrobe hung up. He had some onesies in drawers, diapers were stacked next to the changing table. "You knew the whole time didn't you?" "You think I would just let your mother just barge into our house?" I laughed. I put the car seat down and take Preston out of it. "This room is all yours, my little lion." I kissed his head.

I sat in the blue chair in the corner of the room with him and wrapped him in a blanket. He really is looking so much like his father. I felt his little hand wrapped around my finger. "See, he has you wrapped around his little fingers." I looked up at Eric. "And he's wrapped around mine. You both are."