We had our doubts.
But we also had each other, and as long as I had him at my side, we could get through just about anything.
“I love you, Mikey Mike,” I whispered, knowing it’d draw a smile from him.
And he didn’t disappoint.
He smiled, eyes sparkling.
“I love you more, Nik.”
“Impossible,” I whispered fiercely.
“Nothing’s impossible when it comes to you. You showed me that,” he said just before pressing his soft lips against mine. “You ready for this?”
I nodded and touched the side of the bandage covering up the right side of his forehead.
“Have you had this taken care of?” I asked, feeling another pain coming.
He nodded. “Ten stitches.”
I winced.
Not only because that was a lot of stitches, but because it felt like this child of ours was trying to claw its way out of my vagina like a tiny Hulk.
“Epidural,” I insisted.
He smiled and helped me sit back down before yanking the curtains open.
Lennox and Hannah turned from their discussion, hurrying up to my bedside.
“Alright, lay back and let me feel you up.”
I covered my face with my hand as Hannah snapped gloves into place over her hands.
“Sit back, I’ll try to make this good.”
I huffed out a laugh as I moved until I was flat on my back, moving my enormous beached whale body until I was in position, then slowly open my legs.
Hannah didn’t waste any time doing her thing, and I was grateful.
“You know,” Lennox said from her positon by my head. “I’ve never seen a pregnant woman so calm before.”
I didn’t say anything to that.
I was freaking the fuck out.
Michael, though, didn’t need that from me.
I was sure he was already nervous enough, and I didn’t want him to regret having a kid.
He didn’t need yet another insecurity, and I wouldn’t be the one to give it to him.
“Do you remember what I do for a living?” I panted.
“You’re at six centimeters and fifty percent effaced. Doing good. You can still have an epidural, but I’d recommend making that decision quickly,” Hannah said, taking my gown and covering my knees.
Lennox sat the head of the bed up, and I looked to Michael to see him staring at the wall.
“What is it?” I asked him.
“I can’t tell you how disturbing it is to see my sister’s fingers up your…you know,” Michael informed me.
I smiled at him.
“You’re better at it, if it makes you feel any better.”
He made a gagging sound. “Disgusting.”
I snickered as Hannah tossed her used gloves in the trash and washed her hands. “I’ll go get the on call anesthesiologist. We’ll get your shit knocked right out.”
“Should she be talking like that?” I asked, eyes closed as I tried to breathe through my next contraction. “Motherfucker, this hurts like a bitch!”
The room stayed silent for long moments while my question and subsequent comment hung therein the air around us.
“What?” I asked, opening my eyes to squint at Michael.
He just shook his head. “Nothing.”
Lennox busied herself hooking up the monitor, starting an IV, and drawing blood while Michael and I watched the screen to monitor my progress.
“That was a big one,” Michael said a few minutes later.
I grunted.
I knew it was a ‘big one.’
Simply because I’d felt the motherfucker.
But I tried to be nice about it.
“Uh-huh,” I agreed tiredly.
Then Michael and Lennox started talking about medical jargon that was too advanced for my exhausted brain to process, so I ignored them and tried to sleep during my contractions.
Something I realized wasn’t working very well.
Especially since two of my favorite people in the world, under normal circumstances, wouldn’t shut the fuck up.
“Go away,” I muttered.
The talking stopped, and I ordered my husband to do my bidding.