I drag Jenny upstairs. “Put something comfortable on,” I tell her.
She listens, thank god, but I can tell she’s in a daze. Maybe she’s just tired. It’s been a long day. After she’s dressed, she grabs her bag and waits quietly for me by the door.
Once we’re in the car and headed toward the hospital, I ask her what is going on.
Her head turns, and she stares at the side of my face. “I don’t know if I can do this. I … I don’t know if I can go in. What if it triggers …” She stops, cutting off her sentence.
The way her bottom lip begins to tremble makes me want to break into that prison and kill that motherfucker. In fact, I think I’ll make a few calls and do just that.
“Jenny, we don’t have to be in the room. I’m sure Willow will understand.”
“You could still go in,” she says sadly.
I can hear in her voice how much she wants to be right there with them. “I’m not going without you. Remember, we’re doing this part of life together.”
She stares out her window for a few moments. “Have you ever seen a baby being born?” she asks.
“No.”
“I was so scared when I had Jackson. The only thing that got me through was the thought that you were going to be there the next day to pick him up.”
The feeling I get is not necessarily a good one. She was alone and frightened, and it didn’t have to be that way. I was so close to her. Rachel and I waited in a hotel near the hospital until theadoption agency gave us the word that the mother was ready to release him to us.
But then I tell myself all of that is over. She’s here now, and she’s not alone. “We didn’t get to be together then, but we can be together now. We can be there for Jackson, and Willow, and the little baby who will be here soon.”
She unbuckles and slides across the seat to sit next to me. When she’s buckled in the middle, she lays her head on my shoulder. “I want to do this with you, but could you keep an eye on me? I … I don’t want to add stress to the room.”
“Okay, but you better do the same. I have no clue what I’m getting into here.”
Her head tips back, and she smiles at me. “We’re about to fall in love with a brand-new human soon.”
“I remember the first time I saw Jackson. It was instantaneous. I didn’t know you could fall in love with someone in just one look.”
She smiles, but she remains quiet the rest of the trip.
Once we get to the hospital, everything goes pretty slow. I hate seeing Willow in pain, but it’s amazing how strong she is. The thing I love most about the process is witnessing my son taking care of his wife, encouraging her gently through the contractions.
Jenny does her best to sit still, but I can see it’s taking monumental effort for her not to pace the room. When the nurse announces Willow is completely dilated and she’s going to get the doctor, Jenny pushes all of her insecurities aside.
Willow grabs her hand. “I’m so scared,” she says, trying her best to not cry. “I don’t want the baby to have to go to the NICU.”
Jenny looks at me for an explanation.
“Aspen was born early,” I say quietly.
She immediately turns back to Willow. “Your baby is right on time. You just worry about helping them come into this world.Everything will be okay. I promise.” Jenny brushes Willow’s hair back in a soothing motion.
Soon it’s all elbows and assholes as Grandma Maggie would say, but the room somehow seems peaceful and calm.
Jackson is on one side of Willow, and Jenny is on the other. I’m hovering near the head of the bed, trying not to pass out. This is … this is a lot. How in the hell do women do this?!
When the doctor announces she can see the baby’s head, I take a tiny step back. Jenny notices, and without removing her attention from my daughter-in-law, she reaches for my hand. I take it and she squeezes tight, grounding me.
“Give me one more good push, Willow,” the doctor says.
Willow grunts and pushes with a powerful will and determination that I’ve never experienced before, and suddenly the doctor has a little slimy bundle in her hands. It’s crying and wailing with all of its might.
“Oh, he’s got good and healthy lungs,” Jenny tells Willow. “You did so good.”
