"Goodnight sweet boy."
Carrie bent down and kissed her son's forehead.
"Night Mommy." Isaiah smiled. Mike kissed him as well. "Night Daddy."
"Night little brother." Isaiah lifted his hand and put in on Carrie's large stomach. "See you tomorrow."
A smile crossed Carrie's face. "Sleep tight little man. I love you."
Carrie switched the light off and Mike closed the door behind him, leaving it faintly cracked.
"Thanks for cleaning up Mom." Carrie smiled, seeing her mom still in the kitchen.
"Of course." She grinned. Carrie sat down on a barstool and sighed.
"What time do you have to be at the hospital tomorrow?" Carole asked, continuing to clean as Mike came around to help her.
"6:30."
"How are you feeling?"
"Like I'm going to throw up." Carrie chuckled. "I'm freaking out."
"You're going to do great." Carole smiled.
"I'm so ready to get this baby out of me but not ready to actually do that." Carrie laughed. "It's crazy that tonight was the last night we tucked Isaiah in as an only child."
"Yeah, that'll feel weird for a while but eventually it will seem weird to think about what life was ever like with only one child." Carole said, putting the last pan into the cabinet.
Carrie yawned, taking a sip of water.
"I think I'm going to head upstairs. I need to shower and I know you guys probably want to get to bed early or spend some time alone."
"You don't have to do that." Carrie stood up.
"Yeah I do." Carole smiled. "It's your last night before you welcome another child into the world. Enjoy it."
"Thank you for everything." Carrie beamed, hugging her mother as best she could. "We couldn't do this without you."
"Good luck tomorrow. Everything is going to go great and it's going to be over before you know it. Just breathe and know that it's going to be okay." Carole cupped Carrie's cheeks and smiled. "I love you and I am so so proud of you."
"Thank you." Carrie said softly, feeling tears fill her eyes.
"Goodnight sweet boy. I cannot wait to meet you tomorrow." Carole placed her hands on Carrie's large stomach and bent down to kiss it softly.
"Night mom." Carrie grinned. Carole headed upstairs, waving before she disappeared to the second floor.
Carrie felt Mike wrap his arms around her and nuzzle his chin against her neck. "Do you want to go sit out on the porch for a while?"
A smile crossed Carrie's face as she nodded.
Mike kissed her temple. "I'll make some tea."
Carrie grabbed a blanket from the closet and headed outside, taking a seat on their white porch swing. This was one of her favorite places on their property.
She remembered sitting in the same spot outside their old house the night before Isaiah was born, scared out of her mind for what was going to come. Isaiah had been the best thing that had ever happened to them and she couldn't wait to experience it all over again.
Carrie placed her hand on her stomach, feeling her little boy move inside her. She thought about the 3 babies she lost and how her life would be right now if that hadn't happened. So many things would have been different.
"Whatcha thinking about?" Mike interrupted her thoughts, shutting the screen door with his foot as he carried two mugs.
"I'm not ready for this." She swallowed, taking the light blue mug from her husband's hands. She wrapped both hands around it, angling her body towards him as he sat down beside her.
"I'm so scared." Carrie's voice cracked. "I don't know why, but I think I'm more scared than I was last time."
"Talk to me." Mike placed his hand on her thigh. Carrie looked over at him, finally making eye contact. He could see the fear in his eyes. "Tell me everything you're afraid of. Let's break it all down it together."
"I'm scared that something is going to wrong. I'm scared that I'm going to pass out on the table. I'm scared that he isn't going to be healthy, that something is going to be wrong with him. I'm scared that I'm going to freak out when I can't feel my legs again. I'm scared of the recovery. I'm scared of trying to balance two children and our jobs. I'm scared of everything Mike." Carrie began to cry.
"Look at me." Mike turned to face his wife and she did the same. A tear slid down her face. He took both her hands in his and squeezed them. "Those are all completely valid fears and I completely understand them all. They're the same fears you had the night before you had Isaiah, and everything went perfectly, right? Everything is going to go just as perfectly tomorrow too. I just know it."
"No it didn't Mike. I had a damn panic attack in the middle of the surgery because I couldn't feel my legs from the epidural! That was the scariest thing I've ever been though. Just thinking about it makes my heart race. I don't think I can do it again."
"You can. I know you can, you know why? Because you're Carrie Underwood. You've overcome mountains. You've fought your way to the top of the charts and never let hate get to you. You made it through 50 stitches and a shattered wrist. You went through 3 miscarriages, and managed to come out of all of it with a smile and focus on all the blessings you have. You can do anything Carrie. I believe in you."
Tears streamed down Carrie's face as she was overcome with all her emotions all at once. Tears of happiness, excitement, fear, and sadness washed over her and spilled out of her eyes.
"I love you so much." Carrie collapsed into her husband's arms, sobbing as he held her tightly against his chest.
"Everything is going to be okay, I promise. We're going to get through all of this together."
Carrie nodded, snuggling close against him.
"We've been waiting for this for 2 years." Mike ran his fingers through her hair, holding her close. A smile spread across Carrie's face.
"We're finally going to have another baby tomorrow."
