Lies || Ryan Blaney

2.3 - Complete

Courtney

I couldn't believe that I had refused to get the epidural when asked but I had wanted to have control of my lower half during labor; not to mention I was terrified of the needle and the effect it would have on my back later in life. I had heard the horror stories of back pain for the last few months from some of the lovely mommy's around me, and I took it with a grain of salt until I did some research on it. So that left me feeling every single contraction that worked through my body. The time had far since passed as I was getting close to the pushing stage of labor. 

Amanda had been a champ staying with me all this time. Even after Lisa met us at the hospital, she made a point of keeping her eyes on me and helping whenever she could. I had insisted that she could go home because we all knew I would be here for a while, and, at first, she said no. That was until it hit eleven pm. She apologized profusely, but there was nothing to be sorry for. Lisa had been a blessing to me in the time after she left. Giving me updates when she could on my parents and if she heard anything from Ryan; and to no surprise, we hadn't, much to my dismay. Dave had come into the room at one point but insisted on waiting at the entrance, not comfortable enough with seeing the sight in front of him, to see if or when Ryan was coming in.

"How are we doing, Mrs. Blaney?" One of the nurses that I liked came through the door, going straight to the machine on my left that monitored the babies' vitals.

"Ready for this baby to be out of me." I moaned, feeling the pain coming again. My rubber band was about to snap if I had to feel it for much longer. This stage had come fast and very painful. I couldn't keep up with the amount of time I felt like giving up and changing my whole plan. My hands shook whenever the tightening sensation would come. Tears had fallen and stopped repeatedly whenever my mind would float back to the fact of not having my husband and how in the hell I thought I could push a baby out of my lower region.

"We should have a little more progress now. I'll check to see how much you have dilated in the last hour." She grabbed the curtain, pulling it around the bed to give some privacy. Lisa gave my hand a squeeze, her slim hand releasing my swollen one, seeing the nurse grabbing the roller chair to sit on.

At least she waited for the contraction to pass before traveling south to see how things were going. She probed around for a second before I heard her speak. "Not much longer, you just hit eight centimeters. Passed halfway and getting close to pushing." Her blonde head popped up, a clear smile on her face at the progress I was making. I'm sure mine was filled with dread.  

Before she could pull the curtain around, I heard the sound of feet running, and a couple of voices floating in the air. The moment his strained voice hit my ears, I felt my heart squeeze. He's here. When my eyes finally met his after the curtain was pulled back, I couldn't help the sob that escaped my lips. 

Ryan

Seeing her in the bed, hair curly from sweating and face a mixture of red splotches, was my undoing. I didn't know how, but my feet carried me to her bedside, prepared not to leave for a long while. "I'm so sorry, baby." Her lips quivered a second before the tears came. Out of my peripheral vision, I noticed my mom and dad quietly slipping out of the room to give us some space, or that 'visiting time' was long past over.

Courtney opened her mouth to say something, being stopped by a strangled groan. Immediately I took action, letting her grab onto my hand - having to catch myself from telling her that breaking my hand wouldn't be good for my job- while I tried to get to the spot it hurt to help alleviate some of the pain.

"You didn't get that numbing shot, did you?" My voice wavered a bit, knowing she was coming down from the contraction when the grip she had loosened. I knew she had done the research, but I figured she'd have wanted it anyway. Just shows what a tough woman I married.

Her deep breaths evened out, a look of pure annoyance on her face. "Don't fucking remind me." I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing at her remark. She didn't realize how guilty I felt about missing most of this experience. I had thought we had a few more weeks. Hell, we enlisted the help of another driver from the truck series to be on call if I needed him at Auto Club since it was closer to when we figured our boy would make his arrival. 

When I had the chance between the next contraction, I got the story of how it started and who was with her. Making a mental note to send Amanda the best flowers or gifts that I could. That woman was going to get some serious thanks. 

"My mom should be here by tomorrow afternoon, she couldn't get a late flight so had to go early in the morning." I didn't bother to let her know we were passed midnight by now, no point in pissing her off unnecessarily. Those hormones were heightened way more than I was willing to poke.

Leaning forward in the seat, I softly rubbed Court's knuckle; being mindful of the IVs that were in the top of her right hand. Before I could say anything about if her mom was coming alone, she yanked her hand away and to the rail on the bed; posture shifting to try and sit up. The distressed yelp left her lips, a complete feeling of helplessness overcoming me. 

"Pressure and lots of it." Groans came quickly, her tone going up a few octaves whenever the pressure didn't subside. "I feel like I have to push."

I had only once dreamed of having a son, thinking that I wouldn't find something to create a family with. That was until I met the love of my life. She showed me exactly what life could be like for us. She made everything easy, and stress-free. Looking over at the sleeping figure in the bed, I couldn't imagine what she has went through the last nine months but with my seven-pound baby boy in my arms; I knew that the dream was finally a reality and I was in serious debt to the amazing woman I call my wife. She gave me a perfect family. 

It was well into the morning, barely having any sleep, but I couldn't get enough of the sleeping baby. He was just too perfect.

The blue hat covered most of the dark brown hair that had a faint curl to it, almost exactly like the hair I sported during the off-season. His tiny face was scrunched up as he sucked on his lip, a slit pout to them when he realized it wasn't the good milk he had gotten once already. Looking over his face for the millionth time, I took in the features again. Noticing little things of what was mine and his mother's. 

His little nose was best described as a button nose, obviously, from his mom, and the hair was never a doubt from me. The verdict was technical still out on eye color but I knew that with both his parents having blue eyes that the children would inherit them too.

A light knock on the door pulled my attention away. When I saw who it was, I waved them into the side of the room I was in so they wouldn't wake Court. When my mom had seen the bundle in my arms, I could see she had to fight off tears. My dad looked proud, and I knew he was, seeing me.

"Oh Dave, our little boy now has a son of his own." Mom blubbered, her hand lightly smacking my dad's chest. "That just means you have another grandson to spoil." My feet moved a few steps closer, gesturing with my arms to see if she wanted to hold her newest grandson. 

Oh, Louie and Bodhi we're going to have such a fun time teaching him the tricks of the trade.

"What's his name?" She lifted her head to look at me after a second of looking at the new face; seemingly memorizing his every feature just like I had hours prior. It was a lot to take in all at once.

"This is Rylan James." 

Do I know a licking thing about labor/delivery or birth? ......  Not really. Did I cut it there because I wasn't sure about how to write the next part? Yes, yes I did. Sorry about that, but I hope you enjoyed it! I believe this might be the last chapter with an epilogue to follow. Maybe... I'm not sure, but there will at least be another chapter to look forward to.