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So fast that there’s some guy here to give her an epidural. In the meantime, her mom still hasn’t come back. I even sent her a text from Adeline’s phone.
“You’re used to holding things still, right? Cradling that football into the end zone?” The anesthesiologist’s humor isn’t really hitting tonight. “She has to stay still. Do you hear me, Adeline? You must stay still no matter what.”
She nods and looks at me with her lips pursed. She’s sitting on the side of the bed with her legs dangling between us.
Jesus, women go through a lot for a baby. I’d never admit it to anyone, but I’m happy it’s not us guys who have to deal with all this stuff.
I hold her, her forearms gripping my upper arms, her head cradled in my neck. It’s the first time I’ve seen her really afraid of anything.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you,” I whisper, and I’m not sure I even knew how much I meant that until right now. We’re in this crazy situation, but I would never leave her to deal with this by herself.
The anesthesiologist pulls out the needle he’s about to put in her back and I swallow as hard as I can.
“What? It’s big, right?” Adeline says, pushing her forehead into my neck a little more.
“No. It’s fine.” I mean, it’s not the needle that scares me as much as the fact the anesthesiologist looks as if he’s about twelve.
“Okay, Adeline, I’m going to be putting the needle in,” he says.
“Okay.”
“Don’t move,” he repeats.
“She’s got it. Can we just do it?” I ask with a bite to my tone.
“Distract me,” she asks softly.
“Okay, um… your tits look great in that hospital gown.”
“What?”
“Just kidding.”
“The needle is in. Give me another minute, then you can lie back down,” he says.
“You scared me,” Adeline says.
“I couldn’t make you laugh, and you gave me no time to think of anything to say. And hey, it would be nice to give the anesthesiologist a glimpse of his first breast.”
She laughs and shakes her head.
I thought after the epidural, things would speed along, but no, they slow down again. Until five o’clock in the morning, when it’s time to start pushing.
“You’re doing great, Adeline. Keep going. Another push.”
Dr. Griffin, some nurses, and, thank God, her mom are here. I have one hand, and her mom has the other one.
“Daddy and Grandma, pull the legs,” Dr. Griffin says.
“Legs?” I ask.
Her mom takes Adeline’s leg and pulls it back toward Adeline’s head. If I move her other leg, I’m going to see what’s going on between her legs.
I copy her mom and divert all my attention away from the lower region.
“Count down from ten. Ready?” Dr. Griffin leads. “Ten… nine… eight… seven…”
Damn, Adeline’s strong. Not once has she said she was done or too exhausted to finish. She’s done everything Dr. Griffin said without argument, and I can see how much this is taking out of her.
