“How are you feeling, Charlie?”Dr.Foster asked as she handed Axel the medical bags she brought with her and rushed over to me.
“I—” I stopped for a second as my eyes widened in horror as I looked down, feeling the bed get wet beneath me.“I just peed myself.”
The embarrassment that flushed my cheeks worsened when I noticed the surprised look on Axel’s face.Great, I ruined his bed by peeing on it like some idiot.
Jo opened her bag and pulled out a container, then grabbed what looked like a test strip and pressed it against the wet spot.A few seconds later, she turned it to face Dr.Foster, who narrowed her eyes to look at it, then smiled.
“You didn’t pee yourself.Your water just broke.Looks like this baby girl is on her way.”
Thirty-Four
Axel
Hearing Charlie screamin pain did things to me I couldn’t understand.I had fought the urge to do anything but comfort her as I sat behind her on the bed and held her, letting her squeeze my hands as hard as she needed as she pushed to get the baby out.It was the most surreal thing I had ever experienced, and I would forever be thankful for Charlie allowing me to be there for the birth of her sweet girl.I hadn’t bothered to wipe the tears from my eyes as Dr.Foster delivered the baby and immediately handed her to Charlie.
Charlie’s body relaxed against my chest as I held her and stared at the beautiful baby snuggled against her chest while Jo and Dr.Foster cleaned up.I knew that Charlie was upset about the mess she’d made on my bed, but I couldn’t care about anything other than making sure she and the baby were okay.
“Do you have a name picked out?”Dr.Foster asked Charlie as she sat on the clean edge of the bed and smiled at the baby.
Charlie looked at the beautiful girl in her arms and nodded.
“I’ve been giving it a lot of thought these past few days, and for whatever reason, the name Molly keeps coming back to me.When I was a little girl, I had an imaginary friend named Molly, so maybe that’s why.I guess it just feels right because my imaginary friend was the only friend I had growing up and was always there for me, even when my parents weren’t.”Charlie shrugged, and I could hear the emotion straining her voice.
“Molly is a beautiful name,” Dr.Foster said.“I love it.I think it’s perfect.”
“I’m not going to let myself get jealous of an imaginary friend,” Jo teased with a raised eyebrow.“But just know that I would take down imaginary Molly if she ever hurt you.”
“You never have to worry about that,” Charlie replied with a laugh.“Molly was the best.We celebrated everything together.She made life so much better for me, and I never felt alone when she was there.”
My heart ached as I listened, knowing that Charlie had a rough childhood like mine.She hadn’t shared any of this with me before, but I couldn’t blame her because I’d kept my past a secret for just as long.Some things were hard to talk about, and I would never fault her for not wanting to relive anything that brought her pain.
“I will let you guys get some rest, but I’ll stop by in the morning to check on both of you,” Dr.Foster said as she got up and gently patted Charlie’s shoulder.“You did amazing, Charlie.If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call.I can get here very quickly.”
“Thank you so much for everything,” Charlie replied as she shifted the baby slightly in her arms.
“My pleasure.”
