The Hard Knock Life

Part 21

"My cousin is in labour, do you not understand that?" Celia spoke to the secretary at the desk.

"She will be seen as soon as you fill out these papers." The lady replied as patiently as possible. "Have a seat please."

She made her way over to us, while Jessica was coaching me on breathing.
"Any news?" She asked, rubbing my back.

Celia sighed in frustration as she took a seat- angrily -in a single couch-like chair. "No," she said. "She just gave us this little package that we have to fill out."

"What's it for?" I asked through concentrated breaths.

"Uuh," Celia scanned the first page, "it is a birth plan thing; like how do you want your birth to be?"

"Natural, obviously."

"Do you want an epidural?" She said, eyes glued to the paper and recording in the required information.

"Sure, why not?"

"What about-"

"How about," I interrupted, "you fill it out for me. I just want this baby out of me."

"Suit yourself," she said.

When she finished, she got up and began to make her way to the lady at the desk, but when a doctor walked into the lobby, she seemed to have changed her mind.

"Alright," I heard him say to himself, "who's next?" He said before my package was shoved into his hands.

Another shot of pain when up my back and I felt like I was going to poo myself.

"Aaahh!! Get this thing out of me!" I cried.

"I guess she is," he said, "bring her this way."

•••

"Alright, Abigail, on the count of three I'm going to need you to push again, alright?"

I had been pushing for what seemed like hours, but turned out to only be thirty minutes. I was getting impatient because it felt like forever and I wanted this baby out of me. I wasn't the only one impatient, though. Celia was in the room, standing beside me, while August was getting antsy outside, complaining to Jessica about why he couldn't just come in. The doctors would only let one person in and I knew from the get-go that August would probably faint in the first five minutes. Celia was strong. She rubbed my back, wiped my head and occasionally gave me some encouragement. One of the things that had been going through my mind was just how grateful I was to have her.

I nodded my head.

"One...two...three!"

"Aaaahh!" I cried out as I pushed.

"Keep going, keep going, I'm seeing something."

"I can't!" I said.

"You can, you can. You can do it, Abigail." The doctor told me.

"Push, push, come on. You're doing great, Abby." Celia said as she stroked back my sweated out hair.

"Aaaaahh!"

"Ok, stop." The doctor said.

I obeyed without question.

"Let's take a breather," he said.

"Can we come in now? Is it out yet?" August asked through the closed door.

"August, go away!" Celia said in frustration, "And it's a girl, not an it."

"Young man," the doctor chimed in, "I'm going to have to ask you to step away from the door please. I don't want to have to tell you again."

I could hear him groan in frustration. Everyone was frustrated. I was frustrated. I just wanted to get this over with. I wanted to hurry up and take her home with me and show her the new room we set up for her but I couldn't do that if she wouldn't...