Turning A New Leaf

Seventy-One

Atira had been admitted to Labor & Delivery after a few hours of monitoring. Her contractions had gotten closer together, averaging closer to two minutes apart.

Despite her growing discomfort, Atira was insistent on absolutely no drugs, rotating between soaking in the bathtub and walking the halls with Krist.

"Ugh, I need to turn this fuckin' phone off," Krist muttered after yet another text notification went off. As soon as people had learned Atira was in the hospital, both of their phones had begun blowing up. "We shouldn't have told anyone we were here."

Atira rubbed the small of her back, "It's really not a big deal, everyone is just excited for the baby."

"You're a lot less negative than I am," Krist told her as they walked the hall.

"Makes things a lot less stressful," she gave him a radiant smile.

"How are you still so pretty even in all kinds of agony?" He wondered aloud.

She clicked her tongue on the back of her teeth, "Shush."

"I'm being for real," Krist told her as he slid an arm around her shoulder, "I love you, Atira."

As they approached Atira's hospital room, a nurse poked her head out, "I was just looking for you guys, you've got a visitor."

Linda was seated on the sofa, a large duffel bag next to her, "I ran to Target and bought you everything you had on your list," she told them, "And a few things I thought you might need that weren't listed."

Atira sat on the bed, her legs dangling over the edge, "Oh my gosh, thank you! So, so much!"

"How's everything going?"

Atira sighed, "Good! So far anyway. They checked me about an hour ago and said I was at a five."

"What were you at when they admitted you?"

"A two?" She looked at Krist who nodded.

"Sounds like everything is progressing pretty well then," Linda replied.

Atira rubbed her belly, "They said to anticipate him having to stay in the NICU for a few days after he's here, so that's a bummer."

"It is but it's to be expected since you're only thirty-four weeks, everything must look okay with him since they have you up and walking though!"

"His heart rate has been good, he's been pretty active still."

Linda looked at her youngest son, "How are you holding up over there?"

Krist sat his phone on the counter, "I'm fine, just anxious about it all."

Anxious was putting it mildly, he was absolutely terrified about Atira going through childbirth and scared for his unborn son. He was also scared to tell Atira that he was feeling uncertain, she still had a positive attitude about the whole thing even knowing that their son was going to arrive six weeks early.

His mind kept replaying the moment he had walked into the room after Nina had given birth, it was the same hospital and only three doors down from Atira's room.

He's been so freaking high that his brain wasn't registering the fact their baby was dead and that Nina had to vaginally deliver him still. None of that shit had made sense until he entered the room.

There was Nina, lying in a bed exactly like the one his wife was in. She was wearing the same ugly olive green gown, her thick brown hair pulled into a messy bun, face wet with tears.

In her arms was a tiny bundle wrapped in a receiving blanket. Their son, born at twenty weeks gestation. Krist Antonio, his name picked out by Nina, had been perfectly formed. He obviously wasn't as developed-looking as a full-term baby but everything was there. His face was perfect, his eyes, nose, and mouth. He had all his fingers and toes.