Page 102 of A Lifetime of Afters
Several hard pains gripped me on the way to the hospital and it was only twelve minutes away. Within minutes, the nursing staff transferred me to a room.
Hawkley leaned over me in the bed, his eyes locked on mine as he coached me through the longest pain yet.
Friggity-frack that hurt! “Mothertrucker!”
“You can say the whole thing,” he murmured, his hand smoothing my hair off my sweaty forehead. “I won’t tell.”
Grunting, I began to bear down as another pain, a different kind, picked up steam. “I don’t want the first word baby Bennett hears from me to be motherfucker,” I explained.
“The head is out, Noelle. Don’t push.”
I gasped. “Ears, too?”
The doctor chuckled. “Yup.”
“Friggity-frack,” I breathed. I said ‘motherfucker’ in front of my baby. I was off to a brilliant start.
Hands moved between my thighs, a gentle tugging. “Okay. Nice and easy, Noelle. You ready? With the next pain, I want a long, slow push.”
Looking into Hawkley’s wildly stormy eyes, I nodded and smiled.
Hawkley looked at me intently. “You can do anything, my strong, beautiful, girl.”
A blur of activity, laughter, a wet, squirmy, lovely, perfectly round-headed baby on my naked torso. Hawkley with tears streaming down his face, his teeth a broad flash of white in his beard.
His lips on my forehead. One hand on top of my head, the other on our baby’s rump.
I sighed.
It was fast but it was beautiful.
And so was my husband. No matter how tired he looked, he had the look of a man in love two times over as he gazed down at our baby.
He swung his gaze up to mine. His face utterly serious, he murmured, “Thank you, Noelle.”
“For what, Hawk?”
“For love, baby. So much love. You’ve filled my entire life with it.”
Leaning over, his lips touched mine reverently.
A soft knock at the door broke us apart.
“You’ve got visitors,” the nurse announced with a smile. “Lots of them.”
I grinned. “Send them in.”
She shook her head. “Five minutes only, then it’s only a few at a time.”
The room filled. Harley rushed in first, her eyes darting between the three of us. Seeming to get what she needed, her shoulders relaxed and she grinned at me. “Good job, babe.”
Max, right behind her shook his head and laughed when he caught me grinning at Harley.
Dad, Lou, and Dan entered more sedately. Smiles all around.
My dad headed straight for me. His hand trembling, he cupped my head and bent to press a kiss to my forehead. “You okay, Christmas?”
“I’m great, dad,” I whispered back.
