AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I clenched my jaw to kill the sob in my throat, teardrops streaming down my cheeks with relief now that he was here.
“Daddy.” Tears blinded my eyes and choked off my words.
His tone was calm, gaze steady, but his hoarse whisper broke when he asked, “What happened, sweet girl? Tell me what hurts.” My chest squeezed, seeing how worried he was.
“My foot slipped on the straw and I fell,” I explained before a scorching ache volleyed through me again, stealing my breath. All I could manage was a primitive grunt before I curled up in agony.
Riley’s voice broke through the haze of misery, his words my life raft as he spoke into his cell phone. “We need someone here at once,” he said to the dispatcher, but his grip on my hand never loosened. I felt his fear, even if he wouldn’t show it. “It’s going to be okay,” he breathed when he hung up. “You and our baby will be just fine.”
I did the deep breathing exercises we’d learned in our birthing classes to keep my head above the flood of pain that crashed against me each time a contraction wracked my body.
It didn’t help.
Nothing helped.
I reflected on our babymoon trip. How one moment we were planning a celebration of our future and the next we were here—Daddy calling 911 while I sprawled on a dirty hay floor giving birth to our child amidst bleating goats and chickens clucking around us.
Perfect.
Just perfect.
His expression hardened, and he called a second number, determination in his voice. “I can’t move her,” he announced, struggling to retain his composure. “We need to prepare—bring clean sheets, a ton of towels…” my mind faded as he recited a long list, “…and a warm blanket. Got it?”
My torso tensed as agony seized me, and I gritted my teeth against the sheer force of it, knuckles turning white as I gripped Riley’s hand. “Oh my gawwwwwwwwwwd.” The sound that broke from my throat was one I’d never produced before, reminding me of a heifer lowing for her calf.
The contractions grew more intense and came faster each time, and when Duke finally arrived, his arms were full of supplies—I felt not the tiniest ray of hope. He stood in the barn’s doorway, panting from his sprint from the house.
My Daddy soothed, “Sweetheart, Duke’s here. He brought what we need in case you decide to have her before the ambulance arrives.”
“Clover’s on her way,” Duke reassured me. “She’s almost here.”
I watched as Riley quickly put on sterile gloves, taking charge of the situation. “Why are you doing that? Is the baby coming?” My voice sounded frantic to my own ears.
Before he answered, one more contraction hit. My body shuddered, and I clung to him for support.
Clover burst through the door with a loud cry of dismay at seeing me in distress. She composed herself, clapped her hands together, then said, “Let’s do this!”
Before being silenced by another swell of agony, I said sarcastically, “I hope you’re all enjoying the show. I’ve been rehearsing for almost nine months.”
My sister lowered herself and grabbed my hand, letting me squeeze it through each labor pain while my husband provided ground support from between my legs.
The hurt swept through my abdomen same as the Eel River after a rainstorm, and I bit down hard on my lip to stop from screaming.
The wave of torture crested, taking my breath away. The effort of pushing caused my body to tremble and sweat trickled down my brow. The cramping lasted forever, but finally eased off and I sucked air in short, shallow breaths.
“Mother fuck, that was a doozie. Will it get worse? Where is that cunt-licking ambulance,for fuck’s sake?” I snarled.
“Looks like she takes after her mama, no good at waiting around,” Riley said, his voice firm with reassurance. “Don’t worry. I’m all scrubbed up and ready, and this isn’t my first rodeo. Let’s take you out of those clothes.”
I barely had time to undress before pushing our daughter into this world. Her family delivered her with no medical complications before the paramedics came. Riley quickly cleared her airway and stimulated her breathing by tickling her feet and then he placed her on my chest, snuggled in a warm blanket Clover had prepared.
We posed, frozen, staring at her in amazement. Her tiny eyes opened, then closed in a squint, as if the light of the world was too much for her to take in right away.
Riley’s gaze was glued to the little bundle in my arms, his fingers tracing the delicate features of our newborn daughter. His voice shook, reverent as he murmured, “She’s perfect, every inch of her. Same as her mommy.”
My heart threatened to burst with emotion as her tiny hand grasped tightly at my finger. She was here, our tiny miracle, born in a barn, and more precious than anything I’d ever seen.
Clover’s eyes shone with tears as she leaned over to inspect her niece. “Congratulations, Faith. She’s beautiful. And you…” she turned to Riley, giving him a gentle nudge, “you’re a daddy.”
