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"They move fast," I said. Bonnie was already in a bed. She was in so much pain that I couldn’t bear it. I kept wanting to make it better, yet I knew I couldn't.
"Babe, I’m right here with you," I said, going next to her bed. "Just squeeze my hand."
She did just that, squeezing my fingers tightly. The nurses had already put an IV in her vein.
"This isn't my specialty, but I'm going to stick around, okay? I want to be the one to check the girl’s vitals after she's born," Sam said proudly.
Bonnie grimaced as her contraction ended, breathing in deeply. My woman was a champ.
"But the nurses said this might take a while."
"It doesn't matter," my brother said. "I'm going to be here for you."
"Thank you, Sam. This is very reassuring."
"Anything for the family. Now, I suggest you two make yourselves as comfortable as possible. Sometimes these things take time. Do you need anything to drink?"
"The nurses already asked,” Bonnie said. She didn't seem to want to let go of my hand, and I wasn't going anywhere. I was right here next to my wife.
My brother nodded at me. There was nothing to do but wait.
***
Rose Maxwell was bornat one o'clock in the morning. Bonnie was a champion. I was shaking. Watching the woman I loved birthing our daughter was an experience unlike any other. I felt humbled and beyond grateful that I got to witness it. I finally understood why they called it a miracle. It truly was.
As promised, Sam checked Rose's vitals, and Bonnie apprehensively looked toward him. Her hair was plastered all over her face. She was sweaty, and her cheeks were still red, but her smile was huge. She’d never been more beautiful to me.
"You did it, babe. I'm so proud of you," I said. "You are so brave." Honestly, brave didn't even begin to cover it. I had simply no idea how women went through it.
Sam brought Rose back to us. "She's perfectly healthy. Congratulations."
"Oh, thank you," Bonnie said. "I'll believe you because I'm biased as well. I think she's the cutest baby ever."
I helped her place Rose on her chest. I thought she might feed, but the baby simply fell asleep.
"She'll feed when she wants to," Sam said. "Don't worry."
After the staff left, Bonnie fell asleep immediately, and Rose was sleeping peacefully in the bassinet right next to the bed as well. I didn't want to let my two girls out of my sight, but I had too much adrenaline. I knew I'd wake them up if I stayed in the room, so I went out in the corridor.
Sam was there, taking a swig of water. He had another bottle and handed it to me as I sat down in the chair next to him. "You should drink. You were on your feet for hours, and you didn't hydrate."
I laughed. "You're such a doctor."
"Yeah, I am."
I uncapped the bottle and took a swig. Damn, he was right. I was thirsty.
"Thank you for everything you did today. It meant a lot to me."
"I'm glad I got to do it," Sam said. "See, maybe there was a reason for me to come back to Chicago after all, even if it's not the one I thought it would be."
He sounded bitter, but I couldn't fault him. His mystery woman, as Bonnie called her, turned out to be a cheater. She wasn't interested in anything but a long-distance relationship because she had another one going on right here in Chicago. It was a tough pill to swallow for my brother, and frankly, I was afraid we might lose him to Doctors Without Borders again.
"So, what are you going to do now?" I asked. This was a fairly recent development. He'd only found out two weeks ago.
"I'm looking for a place to live. Which reminds me..." He opened the Facebook app on his phone. It had been so long since I used it that the interface wasn't even familiar to me anymore.
He went to a group page. Some faces in the cover picture were familiar. It was his high school crowd.
