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I grab her hand, examining all of her to see if she’s okay. Aside from a scratch on her head with dry blood on her skin, her physical self appears okay, but then I fixate on the airbag.
“Da… Dad.” Alexandra lets out a blood-curdling scream. She squeezes my hand tight, hurting me, but I ignore it while instructing her to breathe.
I think back to my medical training on childbirth, trying to calm my racing thoughts so I don’t miss a thing. Alexandra’s contractions are only a minute apart, meaning this baby can come anytime now.
“I need to move you out of the car, okay?”
She nods, reaching out her hand while I do my best to get her out with the airbag obstructing our way. When I finally manage to get her out completely, I remove my suit jacket and place it on the ground for her to lie down on. The floor is covered in dirt and sticks, making it an undesirable place to give birth.
I quickly check her trunk and find two beach towels which will have to do. They’re large enough so one can be on the ground and the other behind her head so she can rest. I swap the jacket for the towel, helping her move since she’s in too much pain.
“The baby is coming,” she wails.
It becomes one giant blur. The sound of Alexandra’s one push to the head coming out almost instantly. I grab her hand, instructing her to push her hips down and give me another push.
“I can’t…”Her voice is strained as she can barely talk while crying. “It hurts.”
“Alexandra, this is it. One more push. I know you can do this, sweetheart.”
Squeezing my hand tight, she grunts while pushing hard until she lets out a loud gasp and the baby’s head and shoulders are out.
With sweat running down my forehead, I reach in and gently pull the baby so it’s able to slide out.
I observe the baby, waiting for the usual wail, but nothing happens. Inside my head, I begin counting in panic, praying to the Lord above someone will keep this baby alive.
Then, the sound becomes music to my ears.
The baby cries.
I release the breath I’d been holding in, glancing down at the baby again.
“My baby,” Alexandra barely manages, throwing her head back in exhaustion, followed by more cries. Charlotte was the exact same after birthing our girls.
As my gaze shifts to the umbilical cord, I instantly notice we have ourselves a little boy. My chest swells knowing it’s another grandson, but this one feels extra special because I was here to witness him coming into the world.
Just like I should have been there when Charlotte gave birth to our son. Despite all the years that have passed, the pain still runs deep knowing I wasn’t there when Charlotte needed me the most.
“Your son,” I tell her while choking up. “You have yourself a son.”
Without any instruments to cut the umbilical cord, I wrap the baby in my suit jacket and place him in Alexandra’s arms.
“Dad,” she whispers. “He’s beautiful. I can’t believe I have a son.”
I place a kiss on her forehead. Then suddenly, we hear the sound of the siren. The first responders are quick to rush down the hill to where we are.
They come prepared with everything, allowing me to sit beside Alexandra while they cut the cord and check on both of them. As a precautionary measure, they want to take her to the hospital for observation given that the baby is premature.
She’s placed on the stretcher while they carry her back up the hill, and I follow behind. When we all reach the top, Will’s car comes around the corner before parking on the side of the road, followed by Noah’s AMG.
Charlotte rushes out of the car and straight toward us.
“Alexa,” she cries. “Baby, are you okay?”
“Mom, I’m okay. So is our little boy.”
Charlotte gazes into the eyes of the baby, admiring him quietly as tears fall down her cheek. I move close to wrap my arm around her and kiss the top of my head.
“Our baby boy,” Charlotte whispers.
