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Her husband’s jovial words did nothing to alleviate her dark thoughts; now she was imagining pinching him.
“Chris…” the doctor said, warningly. The man probably didn’t want Chris getting her hopes up in case he was wrong.
God, I hope he’s right. How can women do this for twenty hours?!
The pain built once more and Kelly planted her feet on the hospital bed. Holding tight to Chris’s hand once more, she pushed, her mouth opening wide as she released a cry that would have sent a chill down Dracula’s spine.
“Great job, Kelly. We’re almost there. I can see the baby’s head. Just one more hard push and we’ll be done.”
Even with the doctor’s reassurance, Kelly still wasn’t convinced. Her whole body ached and sweat covered her skin like a layer of slime. She was bone tired and wished she could just curl up into a ball.
“I don’t know if I can,” she whispered.
Chris held her hand tight until she met his gaze. “Yes, you can,” Chris said firmly. “You remember on our honeymoon, when I rolled down that hill in Scotland and sprained my ankle?” Chris smiled tenderly, his blue eyes far away as he reminded her, “You carried me on your back all the way to where the bus was parked. You are the strongest woman I know.”
Kelly wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. “I never realized you were so heavy until I had to give you a piggyback ride.”
He leaned over and kissed her forehead, his voice soft and low. “I want you to think of that, the feeling of pushing through the pain. I know this is hard, but I am right here with you. I love you.”
Kelly took several deep breaths and as the pain climbed again, she hollered, “I know!”
Kelly’s eyes filled with tears as pain ripped through her followed by the heavenly wash of relief.
And then the sweetest sound in the world filled the room.
“Congratulations, mama, you did it,” the doctor said.
The high-pitched wail that had alerted her to her child’s birth subsided, and she lifted her head, her gaze following the nurse hungrily as she carried the child around to their side.
“Would you like to cut the cord, daddy?”
Kelly met Chris’s tear-filled blue eyes. “Yes, I would.”
While Chris separated her from their child, she laughed breathlessly. “I did it.”
Chris smiled tenderly at her as the nurse took the baby across the room. “Yeah, you did.” He picked up a washcloth from the side table by her bed and wiped her sweaty brow. “I am so proud of you.”
“Are you ready to meet your son?” the nurse asked, holding out a blanket-wrapped bundle to Kelly.
Kelly and Chris had agreed to be surprised, choosing a name for a girl and a name for a boy just in case. As the nurse placed the baby in Kelly’s arms, Chris wrapped his own around both Kelly and their boy.
“We have a son,” Kelly whispered.
“Hey, guy.” Chris kissed her temple. “He’s perfect.”
“Do you have a name yet?” the doctor asked.
Kelly thought back to that cool December night. It was almost Christmas and they were just decorating the tree when the baby kicked her. She’d grabbed Chris’s hand and put it over her stomach, right as a hard jab had pushed against her skin.
“He’s a fighter,” Chris said.
“Yeah, he is.”
To her surprise, Chris had stopped stroking her abdomen and told her about his dreams of Ray. That he’d had them infrequently after he’d died, but just before they got together he was having them every time they were intimate. He told her about the last one, how they stood inside a castle, looking out over the ocean. At first, Kelly had laughed, never imagining Ray in a kilt.
And then Chris said, “He made one last request. He suggested we tell our child all about their Uncle Ray.”
Kelly wasn’t sure if she had really believed it was Ray visiting him, but she’d taken Chris’s hand and squeezed. “I’ve got a better idea.”
