Page 44 of Mate Matched: Xavier & Brady
It took me only a minute to get a cloth to wipe us both down, then I settled behind him to relax.
Without realizing it, we must have fallen asleep. I woke to Brady’s cry of pain.
“The baby’s coming!”
I shot from the bed and grabbed the hospital bag, then ran back to his side. “What do you need?”
“Fresh pants and an epidural,” he joked, his face lined with pain.
“Pants, I can help with. The clinic isn’t far.”
The last couple of weeks had been difficult for Brady. He struggled with a lot of his clothes, preferring anything with an elastic waist and wide legs. I’d learned how to help him dress without upsetting my sometimes cranky mate. He was growing a person, he had a decent excuse to get a little mean.
With practiced movements, I got him out of his pants and into a more comfortable pair. We had to stop when a contraction hit, but he handled it amazingly. “So proud of you,” I praised as we made our way to the car.
By the time we got to the birthing center, the same one where Jae had his son, Brady’s contractions were only three minutes apart.
“Oh, this baby is determined.” Our midwife, Trevor, said with a grin. “You’re nearly fully dilated.”
“Epidural?” Brady panted around another contraction.
This time, Trevor winced. “Sorry, it’s far too late for that. You’re going to want to get into position.”
“Oh my god, it hurts!” Brady cried.
All I could do was rub his back and breathe with him through each painful contraction. “It’s almost time, sweetheart. You’re doing so well.”
Only fifteen minutes later, Brady was ready to push. “The baby’s coming!”
He bore down on Trevor’s urging with a feral cry. With each push he looked more and more exhausted than the last. I wanted to do anything to ease things for him. All I could do was hold his hand and encourage him.
“A big push, sweetheart. She’s nearly here.”
“There’s the head. Wait just a second.” Trevor checked on our baby. “Now, last one. Give it everything.”
Brady yelled out all his pain as he pushed our daughter out into the world.
Her cry was the most precious thing in the world.
“Congratulations, Brady and Xavi, you have a daughter!”
Trevor helped me cut her cord and handed her off to Brady. “Look at her, Xavi,” Brady cooed with tears in his eyes. “Our pretty Penny.”
Epilogue
Brady
Jaehadwarnedmethat the first weeks with a newborn weren’t easy. Exhausting, educational, awe-inspiring, full of joy, yes, but he also warned of the endless worry, the nagging doubt, and even sadness that came with being a new parent.
If it hadn’t been for Xavi, I don’t think I would have survived the first month of Penelope’s life. Not only was I bone-deep tired to the point of hallucinating, I also struggled to feed her, adding to my feelings of worthlessness. Without his love, care, and steadfast attention, I would have slipped further into postpartum depression. I was lucky and only needed some additional support and rest, which our parents were all too happy to provide. The team at the birthing center had plenty of resources for me to use if things got worse.
We took Penny, or to give her the government name we’d chosen for her, Penelope Stacy-Anne Cross, home three daysafter her birth. She had needed a little time under the UV lights, having come out a little jaundiced from her slightly premature birth. The delivery had also been rather quick for a first time, something we had to be mindful of if we wanted to give her a sibling down the line.
It was a risk to bond when we did. Xavier and I had discussed it at length before choosing the date. I knew I wanted us to be married and hopefully mated before our daughter arrived. I just didn’t appreciate how strongly the bonding pheromones would hit. Still, I didn’t regret it. Penny was perfectly healthy, and we were officially mated.
When we got home from the center, there was a surprise delivery from Mate Match. Brent and his partner had sent the most adorable gift basket to celebrate our wedding and the birth of our daughter. I had struck up a friendship with Brent over the months after our successful Mate Match, and I knew we were about to be featured in the testimonials like Jae and Marty were.
“Need anything, sweetheart?” Xavi dipped his head to brush a kiss on my temple. He ran a finger over our daughter’s hand as she continued to nurse.
