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Epilogue Two
Five Years Later
Scott
“Lacy, I need you to breathe.” The doctor keeps her voice calm and even, despite my beautiful wife turning into a member of the band Gwar right here on the delivery room table.
“Get this fucking kid out of me.” She grips my beard in her hand, pulling my face closer to hers. It hurts like a motherfucker, but I’m not going to complain considering what she’s going through right now. “Why didn’t I get drugs? Did you talk me out of the drugs?”
“What? No, I told you to get the drugs. You said you wanted to do this naturally. You wanted to start off being a mom on the right foot, do it all different than your parents from the start.” I knew this whole natural childbirth thing was going to be a challenge for her, but I’m really starting to worry here.
“That doesn’t sound like me.” She turns to the nurse on the other side of the bed. “I’m more of the pre-scheduled c-section and lipo combo. Or I used to be. But then this asshole made me a better person.”
Lacy grips the backs of her thighs and pulls back as another contraction hits, and she starts pushing through it.
“That’s it, baby. You can do it.”
The doctor starts counting down, and I swear Lacy growls. “Everyone shut the fuck up and let me concentraaaaaaate.”
We do as she asks and shut up. After a few seconds, the contraction ebbs away and Lacy rocks her head back and forth on the table. “It’s too quiet. Why is it so fucking quiet in here? Where is my birth playlist? We spent days picking out those songs.”
She told us an hour ago to turn it off because it was annoying her. But I’m not going to be the one to tell her that.
For a while, we weren’t sure we wanted kids. The first five years of our marriage consisted of touring, building up Lacy’s nonprofit to help girls who have been rescued from trafficking operations, traveling, and just enjoying each other. We talked about kids here and there, but Lacy was afraid she wouldn’t be a good parent considering everything she’d been through with her dad. I didn’t want to pressure her, but I had a deep desire to see her pregnant with our kid.
Then fate took over, and while we were touring in Europe last year, she ran out of birth control and couldn’t get a prescription filled overseas. On a whim, we decided to let what would happen, happen. Nine months later, here we are.
“Oh Jesus, another one already?” Pain is etched across Lacy’s delicate features, and it makes me want to slay dragons in her name.
But I can’t protect her from this. I can only hold her hand and help her breathe through it. And hope to god she doesn’t break my fingers in the process.
“So, help me, you bastard, we are done after this.” She screeches through clenched teeth. She grunts and starts turning a startling shade of red as she pushes while the doctor counts.Once the contraction passes, she starts in on me again. “I’m serious, Scott. I don’t care how cute this kid is, we are done. I’m never doing this again.”
“Got it. I am on board with that.” We’ll see.
“Okay folks, I think one more push, and we’re going to have a baby.”
All too fast, another contraction starts. I swear, Lacy becomes a warrior right before my eyes. Determination set on her face like a battle mask.
“There’s the head.” The doctor says those words like they are routine when they are the most amazingly miraculous thing ever. “Don’t push for a second, Lacy.”
I lean over Lacy’s leg to take in the scrunched-up face of my son or daughter sticking out of my wife. Okay, that’s weird.
A tiny fist starts punching my arm, and I bolt back up to look at my wife’s frantic face. “I told you not to look! You can never unsee that. I didn’t poop, did I? Having a human hanging half out of you is weird.”
The nurses try to hide their chuckles, but I hear them anyway. Thankfully, Lacy is so focused on not pushing until the doctor gives the go-ahead that she doesn’t notice.
“Okay, last one Lacy.”
“You said the last one was the last one. You are a lying liar who lies.” Once she’s done with her little rant, Lacy bears down, swallowing the pain I know she must be feeling, and gives it everything she has. Before I know it, the doctor is standing up and laying the most perfect, screaming creature I’ve ever seen on Lacy’s naked chest. When did they take her gown off?
“You have a beautiful baby girl.” The doctor proclaims before she gets back to work doing whatever she has to do between my wife’s legs. Which I try hard not to think about.
Lacy is sobbing, tears pouring from her eyes. I see the instincts kick in right away. She pulls the baby closer. Around us,nurses are swooping in and cleaning the baby off but letting her lay on Lacy. I realize I’m crying, too, as I brush a hand over my daughter’s delicate head.
My daughter. Fuck. Those words nearly bring me to my knees.
“I think I know her name.”
