Everything moves fast from there. I quickly usher her out to the car. We had stopped using the truck months ago when it became too uncomfortable for her to get in and out. Dee and Greg run to his truck and the rest of the gang files out. Emmy yells that she will stay behind, make sure everything is turned off, and meet us at the hospital. I don’t care. Let the house burn down. My son is on his way.
We make it to the hospital in good time, but by the time we arrive, Izzy is in more pain than before. Her contractions are coming quick and she keeps screaming out in pain. It kills me to hear her hurting and know there is nothing I can do about it. I start telling her how much I love her and try to reassure her with my words until she looks over at me with fire in her eyes and tells me to shut the fuck up. As soon as the words leave her mouth, she is apologizing. My poor girl. If I could do this for her, I would in a heartbeat.
I pull up to the front of the hospital and, without even shutting off the car, sprint over to her side and carry her inside.
Someone will move the car. If they don’t, then they can tow it. There is no way I’m leaving my girl.
They get us checked in and into a room quickly. Izzy is hooked up to a million different monitors and machines. I’m told that they all monitor her and our son, but I am too busy worrying about her to even pay attention to the nurses. They seem to think we have all the time in the world. Why isn’t anyone doing something? Anything!
We have been here for about an hour when she lets out the loudest tortured cry. The sound stops my heart, and I look around frantically for help. The nurses all spring into action and start shoving the bed around, turning on different machines and barking orders at me.
I hold Izzy’s hand and try to help her, but looking at her beautiful face breaking down in agony is almost too much.
“You’re doing great, Princess. He’ll be here soon.”
She tries to give me a smile but it’s cut off when she lets out another scream.
“You’re fully dilated, ma’am. Let’s have a birthday.”
Izzy starts pushing at the doctor’s commands and I start slowly dying inside. My girl . . . I can’t handle her being in this much pain. My mental distress for her continues, but I try to hide it and be the support she needs. I rub her forehead with the wet cloth one nurse thrusted into my hands. I curl my arm around her back and help her lean into her pushes, holding hold her leg open with my other arm.
Thirty minutes later, at the end of a long push, I hear the most magical sound I have ever heard. My son is taking his first breath and letting out a loud, healthy cry.
“Would you like to cut the cord, Daddy?” the doctor asks.
I nod my head lamely and take the scissors. The nurses take him off to the side after I finish.
I look down at Izzy and kiss her forehead. She meets my gaze and, with tears in her eyes, says, “Hey, Daddy.” That is all it takes for me to drop a few tears of my own.
“Thank you, Princess. You’ve made me the luckiest man in the universe.”
We both watch in awe as the nurses weigh and measure our son and bundle him up tight in a blue blanket. His head is covered with a tiny blue hat. They place him into Izzy’s arms. Seeing her there with our son makes my skin break out in chills and my heart speeds up.
“Perfect,” she whispers. I look down into her face and think that she is not wrong.
He has a tiny round and chubby face. His lips are small and form a perfect bow. He makes little mewing sounds and puckers his lips, showing off a dimple in his right cheek. I lift the cap up and see a full head of jet-black hair.
“He looks just like you, Axel.” And he does.
We sit there until the doctor is done cleaning her up and the nurses start leaving to go make another couple as happy as we are.
This moment right here makes every day we were apart worth it.
Complete. I feel complete.
Leaning down, kissing my son softly on his small head, and breathing in his baby scent has me choking on my emotions again.
“We’ve been waiting on you. Just as perfect as we knew you would be. Love you, little man.” I kiss him once more before moving my lips to Izzy’s. I kiss her twice before kissing away each tear that has escaped her eyes. “Love you so much, Princess.”
Izzy
Watching Axel fall in love with his son is the most beautiful moment.
“I love you too, baby. So much.”
Axel has refused to leave our side to go tell everyone that the baby is here. We have just been moved into our private room when they start filing in. I’m impressed they made it that long. I’m starting to get tired, but the desire for our friends to meet our son keeps me from falling asleep.
“Oh my lord! Look at him! He is perfect!” Dee says with an excited whisper.
Congratulations are thrown around, and we enjoy sharing this moment with our family. Each and every one of the most important people in our lives is here. I am watching Axel hold our son close to his chest and thinking that he looks like a little football in Axel’s large arms when I hear someone ask what his name is. Axel looks over at me with a smile and gives a small shake of his head.