Four years later
I nod against her head rubbing the both of them together. After seven miscarriages and two stillbirths here we are, we're hoping that this one doesn't end like the last two. But things aren't looking good for us, the others had no complications and we lost the baby. This ones had too many complications to count, not to mention she went into labour a month early. "I'm here," I nod while she prepares to push. I stand next to her trying not to distract her too much, my hand slips into hers and I press a soft kiss against her knee. "There you go," I smile while the nurses start counting, from one to ten. We've gone through this so many times already. "You're doing great." I touch her back gently and she reaches back to move my hand.
"I can't, I really can't," she shifts uncomfortable unable to sit still any longer. I kiss her head softly. "Baby it hurts." My heart melts at her every word, I would tell her not to if it weren't something like this, I would stop or get someone to do something. But I can see the baby's head, and I know she feels it, right there. We kept off on knowing the gender and we have two different jumpers prepared for whether it's a boy or girl.
"I know it hurts, I know princess and I would do it for you if I could." I hum making the nurses laugh while they try and force her to push. "But it'll be ten more minutes of pain, for a lifetime of love, and happiness." I've never in my life felt such a desperate need for her to go through all of this pain.
"Ok," she nods breathing out and squeezing my hand with all she can trying to get it all over with in one push. "I-I'm so tired Shawn," She sniffs when they get to ten.
"Come on baby girl, I believe in you," I kiss her temple. "If it takes you more than two, I will give you whatever you want in the end of this." I mumble but she's not terribly convinced. "I will fly you and your friends on your dream vacation for a week, and I will keep the kids." It's an awful deal to make, I'm screwing myself over. But for the sake of my wife and our baby I will, I'll learn.
"That's the head," the nurses eyes go wide. "Now the shoulders." She pushes again while they try helping the baby slide out, she screams in pain when baby's shoulders slowly slide out. "Congratulations," The nurse smiles. "It's a beautiful baby boy." They hand him to her.
"Look at him," I stare at the boy, he was born with Down's syndrome, he's nothing short of the happiest baby I've seen though. We smiled at him in bulges sounds and he smiles back, he's just cuddling his mama with his life right now. His cries didn't last long but they were soothing. "Look at him." I've seen parents after parents tell us about how ugly, or challenging, or how horrible this disease is. I can't see anything other than a beautiful boy. He's here, he's sleeping but he's here. And I know he's happy, he may not be smiling but I know he is.
"He looks just like you," She smiles grabbing my hand. "Just like his beautiful daddy."
"And Skylar is the spitting image of her beautiful mama," the nurses put her legs back the bed and once blood has mainly stopped they bring her onto another bed a cleaner one.
"Do you want to hold him?" She looks up at me while the little one wakes, his eyes open and his tongue hanging from his mouth, I mock his expression earning myself a challenging look in replace.
"Hello sweet boy." I smile kissing his tender cheek. His mama was at work when he decided he was ready to meet us. "He's gone be the gentlest of the two, I can tell." Our family is complete, our two beautiful babies, one for her, one for me.
"Touch his soft little fingers," she smiles at me bubbling with joy. I don't even think she knows what I said. "Aren't his hands soft?" She looks up and I nod at her making her smile. She wasn't this bubbly with Skylar, but I think it's different now. We knew Skylar was gonna be a girl, and she was our first born, everything was much slower. She wasn't granted this time to be excited, we thought both of their lives would be taken.
"The softest," I chuckle holding him against my shoulder.
"He's also naked, let me get him dressed." She holds her arms out and I chuckle.
"I want him back after," I nod at she points laying him down and putting a diaper on the boy.
"I don't wanna give him back." She sniffs a little putting his little blue jumper on. "It's so big," she chuckles touching his little cheek.
"You're so small," I chuckle kissing his head, he's tiny and adorable and there's nothing that I would've preferred.
"Isn't he cute?" She smiles kissing his little hands.
"I'm cute too," I pout making her chuckle while I kneel next to her. "What do I get for being cute?"
"My continuous love." She smiles kissing my temple but focusing back on the baby. I guess I'm just going to have to face the fact that this time she's allowed to hold the baby. And I don't get a six week time slot to bond, I get whatever time is left. "Thank you," She smiles squeezing my shoulder. "I wouldn't have gotten my beautiful baby without you,"
"Anytime,"
...
Just have a drink and you'll feel better, they're always lying. I've had to many drinks to still be feeling the pain that I am. Just bring her home, you'll feel better. I don't have anyone to bring home, not yet anyways, my boy needs some more medical attention and my baby girl can't even process leaving him in the hospital for twenty minutes to say hello to me, or our daughter. She's started feeling neglected as have I. We're sticking together though, we have been her whole pregnancy. She didn't pay attention to us then either. "This shirt is so big on you." I giggle at my baby and lift her up.
"I know, but I like it." She smiles cuddling into me.
"Are you ready for bed," I lay myself down next to her and bring her into my chest.
"Yeah," I flick off the lamp closest to me which is the last of the light in the room. It doesn't take her long to doze off.
"Sweet dreams," I smile laying letting my eyes shut as well. I just want to sleep, I wish I could. Cameron keeps stressing me out.
"Thank you," I can hear her voice when she enters the house. I didn't know she'd be home tonight, which means Noah is with her. "You didn't think to answer one of my calls!?" She growls entering the room throwing her bag and flicking on the lights I'd shut off.
"Night, night mama." Skylar yawns jumping off of me and hopping out of our room as fast as she can in fear of her mother's disapproval.
"Why aren't you in bed already?" She shakes her head. "Tomorrow I think we should paint her room for Noah, we'll move her upstairs."
"She's afraid of sleeping upstairs alone, you know that." I pull her in and shut the door.
"Well the baby needs to be close, we need to think about the baby."
