My one and only Love

chapter 28

“I want my mother!” Maya screamed as the pain ripped through her. She shoved her father away from her as he tried to hold her hand. She’d been in labor since the day before, but had been in the hospital for five hours now. She cried as she curled around her swelled stomach, contractions were more painful than she’d expected. The one person she wanted was the one person she couldn’t have. She sobbed, clinging a pillow.

She screamed for Josh, for her mother, for Riley…for everyone she didn’t have and missed so much. She cried and pushed away everyone that was there for her. But Jules didn’t leave the room when Maya shouted at her to get out. She moved closer to Maya, an arm around her and took her hands. “Squeeze, baby, squeeze as hard as it hurts.” Maya clamped down on her step-mother’s hands as she pushed. Her body was tired, sweaty and in pain.

“I can’t…” She cried as they told her to push again, panting, her small body felt like it was breaking with the pressure of the baby coming out.

“Yes you can.” Jules told her, holding her close. “You can do this, you’re strong, c’mon now, just push with me.”

With two more painful pushes, Maya’s son was born. She fell back against the bed, panting and crying as they wrapped up the tiny baby. When he was laid on her chest she smiled and looked at him with tired eyes. “Hi, little man.” She whispered, holding him to her and closing her eyes once more.

When she woke up she was on her side in a hospital bed, her son in a small plastic basinet at her bedside sleeping as much as she had been. Her body was sore and she winced as she sat up. She looked over at the baby, he was so beautiful that it made her want to cry again. She laid awake for hours just staring at her son. “I love you more than I have ever loved anyone in my entire life.” She whispered to the sleeping child.

Matthew Kallen Hart was born on July 28th, weighing in at 8 lb. 1 oz. and 21 inches long. Maya wondered if he would keep his above average height as he grew and be tall like his father. He was named for his father and her mother. He was born with a head full of dark hair and pure blue eyes. He was a beautiful baby and everyone who saw him would say so.

Over her time in Ohio - this time set to stay - Maya had made more friends at school. Sarah of course had been the first to visit, she’d been waiting in the family lounge when Maya was taken into the delivery room. Her best friend was having a baby and she wasn’t going anywhere. The next day a group of girls and a single gay teenage boy all crowed in Maya’s room at the hospital. They all wanted to hold the baby, to hug Maya and see how she was. They all told her how much they missed her at school and how beautiful Matthew was.

Maya was surrounded by friends and people who cared about her, but she still felt an emptiness inside. She wanted Josh, she wanted him to be there, holding her hand. She wanted him to see his beautiful son. But she knew she couldn’t have him there. She’d taken it too far now, and nothing had changed in her reasoning, he had a life to live and she had one to raise.