Chapter 4
"And again!" Says Helen as I feel another contraction coming on, so far I haven't screamed once but there have been one or two whimpers and a lot of huffing and puffing.
Caleb keeps wiping my forehead with a cold flannel, keeping me alert and awake for the most part, not that I would be able to sleep in this much agony, and Charlotte keeps whispering how brave I am and how well I'm doing. I grip their hands tighter as I push again, I've been at this for nearly an hour and the baby is... well, the baby is on the way but still slowly; Helen says that we can't push too hard because of the angle a breech birth puts him/her in so the progress is very slow.
"Okay sweetie, another push; bigger this time lets see if we can't get those feet in view" Helen says, patting my leg. I nod in response - although I'm almost certain that she can't see me - I push down, feeling the muscles in the bottom of my back and stomach clench, forcing the baby to move forwards.
"Stop." Helen says abruptly and I stop, felling my legs fall so that I'm laid flat on the hospital bed, losing the strength to move them back.
"I can see the feet!" Helen exclaims and Charlotte squeals in excitement, "not long now, sweetie."
"I need to move," I gasp, sounding ill, "I can't do it laid like this."
Helen looks as though she might argue so I look at Caleb instead, "help me kneel," I beg and he holds out his hands, I reluctantly let go of Charlotte and grasp both of Caleb's hands to hoist myself up; feeling some relief in pressure on my pelvis, at least this way I wasn't adding to the pain. To my surprise, Caleb knelt on the hospital bed, facing me and put his hands on my belly.
"Lean on me, I promise you can punch me if you want," he whispered in my ear and I let out a gasping giggle; followed swiftly by a groan of pain. I feel bad for the midwife who has the business end of the deal as I am knelt, facing Caleb and the head of the hospital bed, ready to begin pushing again; but then she is paid to do this.
"Okay honey, little pushes now whilst we get the feet and legs out," she says, patting my ankle to tell me to push again. I notice that Charlotte has taken a step back, away from us - giving us the room to be a family - and I immediately want her there. I reach out one of my hands to her, letting go of one of Caleb's shoulders and she takes it, stepping back forwards and resuming Caleb's job of wiping my face. I look right into Caleb's eyes and push again, feeling a definite movement.
Helen announces "we have legs!" and Caleb looks down at me grinning like a maniac.
I push again, still small gentle pushes and feel a little more movement, like another inch or so of the baby is out and Helen looks up at Caleb from behind me.
"Do you want to know whether it's a boy or girl?" She asks, smiling.
Caleb looks down at me, raising his eyebrows.
"No, it can't be long now, I want to know when he/she is fully out," I looked up at Caleb, he must think I'm mad but he doesn't question me, he just shakes his head at Helen and she recovers asking me to push again.
"I want you to tell me," I whisper to Caleb and he nods at me, we'd spoken about this part and decided that Caleb would see what sex the baby was and tell me; it was just that little bit more personal than the midwife telling me.
I squeeze Charlotte's hand and Caleb's shoulder as I push, leaning my head on his chest as his arms wrap around my body, rubbing circles into my back.
"One big push now and we'll have a baby!" Helen exclaims, I take in a deep breath and push down into my bottom, feeling the rest of a tiny body slip out of me. It's the strangest feeling I've ever felt and yet the most wonderful as well. I look up at Caleb, ears in my eyes and gasp; tiny, pure cries fill the air and Caleb helps me to turn over so that we can see our baby.
"A boy," he whispers and it's a good job he tells me because I can't see a thing for crying. A boy, the words wheel around inside my head and the reality of it hits me, I have a baby, a real life baby boy who I made and carried and gave birth to, someone who needs me more than anything else in the world!
Helen wraps him up in a little blue blanket and hands him to Caleb who looks down at his son - more than one tear in his eyes - and hands him over to me, still crying and still partially covered in blood and goo but beautiful all the same.
"Hey little kicker, happy birthday!" I whisper to him and he begins to quiet, more used to the world than he was, "I'm your mama, I love you so much." I choke up with tears again and brush the top of his head with my lips before Helen reaches back over for him to clean him up and weigh him.
"Well, we knew he wasn't a big boy but he's even smaller than I expected," Helen says, bringing him back in a fresh blanket, a nappy and a tiny blue hat, "he's 5 IBS 3 OZ but perfectly healthy despite being early, we'll have to keep an eye on him but for now, he's perfect, congratulations!"
"5 IBS 3OZ!" exclaims Charlotte, I had almost forgotten that she was there, I look over to her and see tears in her eyes as well.
"Do you want to hold him?" I ask her and she looks up, seemingly astonished.
"But you and Caleb have barely held him!"
"We get to keep him," I reply, holding out my arms towards her and handing over my son, she takes him with great care and cuddles him close to her.
"Hi baby, I'm your Auntie Charlotte, you're gonna love me!" She tells him and I have to laugh, she always wanted to be the fun auntie who everyone loved.
"I need to go tell Mum," Caleb says, letting go of my hand and brushing a few stray tears away from his cheeks, "she'll be panicking and dying to see him."
"Mmmm," I reply, nodding as I do so and Caleb leaves the room, still wearing the gown the made him wear over his t-shirt and jeans for the delivery. For a minute I look over at Charlotte crooning to my baby boy and I wonder how I would feel if it was her in my place, I don't think I could've coped as well as she has, she's had to put up with me and the rape and the pregnancy and Caleb and everything at the same time as going through the emotion of losing our parents. But then my thoughts are interrupted by Caleb coming back into the room, closely followed by Lynn who's grinning like a Cheshire Cat and crying. Charlotte hands me the baby back and Caleb sits on the bed beside me, rubbing my back again.
"Oooh, my first grandchild!" Lynn exclaims, leaning over me and stroking the baby's face, "Have you decided what you're going to name him?"
Caleb and I look at each other, we have three names picked out for a boy and four for a girl but we haven't actually decided which one we would like to name him.
"Er," Caleb says, "We're still deciding that one, for now he's still our little kicker."
Lynn looks disappointed but perks up almost immediately, "you can see which one fits him the best!"
I look down at the sleeping baby in my arms and think, his hair is dark - as most babies' hair is when they're born - but I can see some lighter brown and chestnut patches beginning to make their way through and his eyes are big and that very dark blue that newborns show so often. Of course, with my blue/green eyes and Caleb's blue eyes he's more than likely to keep the colour blue. His lips are like tiny rise petals, a pale pink colour and he appears to be sucking on his bottom lip in his sleep, making one of his cheeks puff out further than the other. He looks peaceful and happy. I look back at Caleb, smiling to myself and beckon him closer so that I can whisper my choice in his ear, he grins and nods, telling me that he agrees whole-heartedly.
"Toby." Caleb says to Lynn, "We're calling him Toby."
"Tobias James Cobham." I confirm and Caleb looks at me again, his eyes wide and the tears brimming in his eyes.
YOU ARE READING
Him, Me and You
Teen Fiction“I wish I could help you.” He whispered into my hair. “You are” I replied. “Not enough.” One night of horror. That was all it took. But could the love of her soulmate and the needs of a child turn torture into a happily-ever-after?
