His Perfect Wife Strikes Back

192 The Birth Of The Baby

"Do you have to go to the inauguration?" Frade asked as he peeled the apple. "The doctor told me your due date is coming up."

The skin he cut off with a knife was attached to the flesh of the apple, and less than two-thirds of the whole apple was left in his hand. I stared at the silver knife in his hand and asked, "Do you have a problem with apples?"

"I hope this knife didn't cut apples, but..."

"Stop," I reminded him. "Watch your mouth."

"I don't want you to go to a crowded place," Frade said, handing me a peeled apple. "In that case, all eyes are on the new president. If you're not feeling well or..."

"Ian will have a nurse with me," I said. "Besides, I only promised to be at the inauguration, and as soon as it's over, I'll be home."

"I'm going with you," Frade said, "Or I won't trust you."

"Sure," I readily agreed. "I'll tell Ian and get him to set you up."

"All I have to do is stand next to you." Frade walked to the bed and brushed my cheek, then put a hand on my belly.

"She's moving!" Frade said excitedly. "She can sense me."

"Looks like this baby likes to interact with her daddy," I said, looking down at the baby. "You want daddy to stay with you, too, don't you?"

A week ago, the doctor asked if we needed to know the sex of the baby in advance, so Frade and I agreed. After knowing that the baby was a girl, Frade was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night. Liv and Mark sent over pink baby clothes and cute hats, and they were all looking forward to the new girl. But I didn't tell Mickle, because he wouldn't care.

On the morning of the inauguration, Ian arranged for a makeup artist and a nurse to come into my room, and several people gathered around me to help me comb my hair and put on my makeup. After about an hour, I was ready to go.

Frade and I were driven to the Capitol by a Lincoln limousine. Security guards stood on both sides of the road, and crowds gathered to watch. As soon as we got out of the car, a man in a black suit with a badge led us into the building.

Mickle's wife was said to be too sick to attend the inauguration, so Ian arranged for me to stand to Mickle's left. Today he looks radiant, wearing a dark suit and red tie, and smiles as he accepts congratulations and compliments.

"Congratulations, daddy." Considering today was his big day, and there was a 360-degree live stream. In order to cooperate with him as much as possible, I kept smiling.

"Thank you." Mickle kissed me on the cheek for the first time. Before that, we barely even hugged.

"I wish you would always be by my side." Mickle's eyes swept over my belly, "You two."

"We will," I said against my will.

At 10 a.m., the inauguration officially began. Mickle began the swearing-in. Everyone was quiet. Everyone listened carefully to the new president. This was a sacred moment for everyone. It was an emotional moment.

With one hand on the Bible and his mouth on the microphone, he began to swear, "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States..."

Mickle's voice was loud and majestic, and I stood next to him and was struck by something powerful about him. It quickly sent chills down my spine, and the sun was shining on my head, making my head spin.

My lower abdomen was in a dull pain. I tried to endure it, but this dull pain was more and more frequent. Oh my God, it's a contraction.

A stream of warmth poured down between my legs, and I looked back in horror at Frade. "She's coming."

"Oh, my God," Frade shouted as he rushed toward me from the crowd, holding my collapsing body. "Help her!"

The nurse rushed from the other side. She checked me out and shouted to her assistant, "The baby is coming. Call an ambulance."

"Eva, what's going on?" Mickle asked, bending over his words.

I looked at him in pain, unable to answer. God, she picked the right time!

There was chaos and I was soon put into an ambulance. Frade followed the ambulance to a nearby hospital, where the paramedics wheeled me into the delivery room on a moving bed. I grabbed Frade's hand and said, with all my might, "Please stay with me, honey."

"I will," Frade whispered in my ear. "I will always be there for you."

The doctor had to let go of my hand when he pushed me to the door of the delivery room. I watched his face disappear into my eyes and saw the blinding white light of the delivery room.

"The baby is coming," the midwife said to me in an encouraging tone. "I need you to work with me. When I say push, you push. But when I say breathe in and relax, you do."

"Yes!"

"Now, take a deep breath," the midwife said.

I took a deep breath at her command, and then she said, "Exhale hard."

I exhaled a long breath, and I could feel something slipping out of me.

"One more time! This time I need you to push harder than the last time," the midwife insisted. "Do it as hard as you can. You can do it!"

"Okay." I was exhausted.

"Take a deep breath!"

"Exhale hard!"

I pushed down as hard as I could, and suddenly I heard a loud baby cry. The midwife said cheerfully, "You did it! It's a girl."

My baby girl was finally born. I was so relieved. I had exhausted all my energy trying to have her. As the midwife carried the newborn baby to me, I saw her pink face and little clenched fists.

"She's as pretty as you," the midwife said with a smile.

"She looks like an angel." Tears ran down my eyes. My baby, the child I had lost, was back. She's with me, thank God!

The nurse took me back to the room, and she handed the baby to Frade. When he took the baby, his face was full of excitement. He had been holding the baby in his arms and always refused to let go, and the baby was surprisingly quiet in his arms.

"My baby girl!" Frade whispered to the baby in her arms, "I am your daddy, and I will give you the best in the world."

"First you have to learn how to change diapers," I told him with a smile. "That's the first thing you learn as a daddy."

"You think I can't change diapers?" Frade said with pride in her eyes. "I took parenting lessons while you were pregnant. I'm sure I can do better than you."

"Looking forward to your performance." I gave him a look of encouragement.

The door was pushed open and Ian walked in. He was still in his formal suit from the inauguration this morning, and I was a bit surprised by his appearance.

"Congratulations, Eva," Ian said politely. "Mr Blanton wants to see you and your baby."

"Now?" I asked.

"He'll be at the hospital in 20 minutes."

"And?" I looked at him suspiciously, not believing that Mickle had simply come to see me and my baby.

"We need to take some pictures," Ian said. "It won't take long."

"No!" Said Frade unhappily. "I'm not going to let my baby be a propaganda tool for you."

Ian looked at me helplessly, waiting for a clear response from me.