“You go in that room bouncing around the way you are, they’re liable to think you’re on something.” Mikey nudged me with his shoulder and I smiled. I couldn’t control the adrenaline rush; it had overtaken me, consumed me, and all I wanted was to see AJ.
The second the light of the fifth floor lit up above, I moved forward bracing my hand on the side near the doors and waited with very little patience for the doors to slide open. The sound of Mikey chuckling as I practically leaped out of the elevator did nothing to faze me. One day he’d understand.
I rounded the corner and practically collided with my father as he paced the waiting area. “Where is she?”
“Slow down, son.” He cupped my shoulder and offered a reassuring squeeze. “Your mom and sister are with her. They’re getting her settled in room five.” I looked toward the big double doors to my left, and suddenly I felt lightheaded and a little unsteady on my feet. “You need to have a seat.”
“No,” I shook it off, “I need to get in there.”
Mikey joined us, and I could hear him and my father talking, my head still hazy and unclear.
“Damn.” Mikey reached out to steady me, and I allowed him to lead me toward a chair only a few feet away. It was either that or fall flat on my ass in the center of the waiting area. “Have a seat, brother.”
I braced myself on either side of the chair and stared at the floor before me. “You won’t be much help to your girl if you’re flat on your ass,” my dad chuckled this time. It would seem the two of them were just loving the show.
“I’m good. I think I’ve just been on a high since the moment you called that I haven’t taken the time to actually breathe.” I took in one calming breath followed by another and slowly began to feel a little less unsettled. I’m gonna be a father,” I whispered again, then another deep breath as I looked to my left to find my dad watching me with a grin.
“You are,” he nodded. “And I have no doubt in my mind that you’re gonna kick ass at the job.”
I couldn’t understand why I’d felt so damned emotional.
“You ready to go see your girl?” I nodded. “Then let’s get you in there where you belong.”
***
AJ
I closed my eyes tight, concentrating on my breathing as my stomach tightened, indicating yet another contraction. Rhett’s hand pushed back the hair from my face, and he whispered his love in my ear over and over.
Things were happening so fast, the doctor was positioned before me coaching me along, a nurse near him, and a second one at my side. I bore down and gave it everything I had.
“You’ve got this,” Rhett told me.
I rested back against the mattress behind me, panting to regain my strength. I knew it would be no time at all before I was pushing once again. Looking to my right, I saw Rhett staring down at me, almost in awe. “You’re so amazing.”
“I feel like hell.”
“You look beautiful,” he confessed.
“You’ve gone and lost your mind,” I laughed. Before I could say more, or he could argue, that intense tightening in my stomach returned and the doctor began to coach me along once more.
“Give me a good push, AJ.” I fisted Rhett’s hand and the nurse’s on the opposite side and gave it everything I had. “Okay, we’ve got a full head of dark hair here.”
I looked to Rhett and could see the excitement in his eyes.
“On your next contraction, I need a good hard push, AJ.” I nodded at the doctor and watched the monitor for indication. “Here we go.”
With one big breath, I rose up and bore down, a loud groan escaping me, and at that point, I was surprised at the noise that ripped through me.
“One more.” I looked at the doctor and felt the exhaustion threatening to take over. “We just need one more good push, and that’s all.”
“You can do this,” Rhett assured me, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
“Here we go, AJ,” my doctor encouraged, “one, two and—”
His words faded as I moved forward, giving every ounce of strength I had left inside of me to this final push. My head throbbed, my hands ached from the force of my grip, and then I collapsed back onto the bed. Suddenly the sound of one pissed off baby filled the air around me, and I was alert once again.
“Would you like to cut the cord, Daddy?”
I looked at Rhett to find him staring down at the doctor, no words escaping him, only a simple nod. He moved cautiously, and when he reached out to take the tool from the nurse, his hands shook.
Rhett seemed torn looking between our son and me, almost as if he wasn’t sure where to go or what to do. His eyes glistened with tears that broke me, as my own began to fall.
A full-grown man, so confident and sure had been brought to his knees in a matter of minutes. I had never in my life witnessed anything more beautiful. “I can’t,” he paused, and I nodded, because I knew what he was feeling. “He’s…” again the words faded as he watched the nurses clean and position our son in a blue blanket with a little blue hat.
Once he was ready and cleared he was placed upon my chest and Rhett moved in quickly
