Chapter 45 – Liam & Juliana
Liam
S tubborn, stubborn woman. She wouldn’t let me drive her to the hospital nor would she get out of Miles’ car until I agreed to this insanity. Some feminine instinct (or lunacy) has her decided that this is the perfect place for a baby to be born.
“Not just any baby. Our baby. Please, Liam.” She’d begged me, clutching my hand as she endured pain I couldn’t imagine but wanted nothing more than to suffer in her stead while I didn’t even have the strength to refuse her plea.
“It’s a common kink, but I’ll admit I never thought it would be this useful,” Santi drawls, leading the way toward the playroom he suggested we create, a perfect replica of a hospital room for those with fantasies involving doctors or nurses.
“We forgot your slice of pie in the car,” Juliana murmurs, worriedly. I lock eyes with Hudson, both of us silently asking the other ‘can you believe this woman?’ before promising her I’m not worried about pumpkin pie right now.
Another contraction hits and Juliana leans against me, groaning pitifully, while Santi is still fussing with the damn hospital-style bed. And, keeps fussing. That thing looks even more complicated than the sex bench I built. “Something wrong?” I ask, impatiently.
He scowls. “Just not used to adjusting the fucking… ah ha! Wish I had a nurse to help me.”
“You can do this, right?” I whisper, gripping his arm once Juliana is settled on the bed.
“Absolutely. I delivered two babies during my rotations before settling into Cardiology.”
“Just two?!”
“How many have you delivered, Culver?” he asks, raising his eyebrows.
“Liam…” Juliana gasps, preventing me from giving Santi a snarky reply. Another contraction has hit - fuck, they’re coming fast - so I’m forced to put my faith in Santi and comfort her.
“Scream all you want, Juliana. Everyone will just think things are heating up in the Cell.” I glare at Hudson who’s loitering in the doorway now that things are getting real. “Jesus, I’m kidding. Sable is officially closed for tonight. Messages have been sent. Can I do anything?”
“Get us plenty of clean towels,” Santi orders.
“And, call the hospital to be on standby,” I add. Juliana, sweaty and pale, looks at me with worry swimming in her eyes. “Just to be safe, honey,” I promise, praying there’s no complications.
Felicity darts in with the medical kit Santi keeps in his office.
He snaps on a pair of gloves, and she creeps back toward the door.
I can’t say I blame her, but there’s no way I’m leaving Juliana’s side.
“Okay, Juliana,” Santi says in his soothing doctor’s voice, “Baby says she’s ready. Are you?”
She nods, uncertainly. It’s surreal that just yesterday we were in Dr. Quack’s office being told it would probably still be a bit. “Tighter than a drum, my ass,” I mutter, remembering his comment.
Juliana’s chuckle turns into a groan as a whirl of mint green appears in my peripheral vision. “Hudson told me I’m about to be an aunt,” Ivy says, trying to sound calm when I can tell she’s not. “I was nearby and… do you need any help?”
I blink at my sister, just grateful she’s here. “Yes, you can help,” Santi barks. “I could use a pair of steady hands to assist me. Think you can manage?” Ivy nods and rushes to his side. All the color soon drains from her face, but she doesn’t fly off.
Hudson carries the towels in and quickly retreats, saying he’ll change the sign. The what? I nearly ask.
Whatever Santi’s been waiting on must happen because he looks up at Juliana, his perfectly competent doctor’s expression making me forget the wild party guy I’ve known for years as he places a calming hand on her belly. “It’s time to start pushing, mama.”
Juliana grips my hand a bit tighter, sucks in a deep breath, and does just that.
∞∞∞
“Juliana…” I murmur an hour later. Everything seems fuzzy for a few seconds before the memories crash through the fog. The labor, Juliana’s indefatigable determination through the pain, and that first precious cry. I think I fainted. Holy shit.
My sister’s cheeks are tear-streaked as she grins at me, and Juliana’s hand lightly caresses my knuckles. “She’s really here. Oh, Liam,” Jules says, happily.
Fuck, I might cry as Santi lays the most perfect little bundle on Juliana’s chest. “Stay seated a bit longer, Liam, and I’ll check your noggin.”
I dazedly touch my temple, and my hand comes away with a small smear of blood. “Forget about me. Take care of her,” I say, waving him off and standing despite everyone telling me I shouldn’t. I may have fainted but nothing can keep me from them now.
Purposely ignoring whatever Santi’s doing down there, I focus my attention on Juliana and our daughter. “You were amazing,” I tell her, knowing those words could never adequately express my awe.
“Thank you. And, thanks for...” She trails off, stroking the baby’s tiny arm and tearing up.
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “Thank you.” This gift isn’t one I would’ve imagined wanting a year ago, but it’s the greatest gift I could ever picture receiving.
“Do you want to hold her?” she asks, caressing the baby’s back.
I swallow hard, and Juliana must see the conflict in my eyes.
I want to hold my daughter, more than anything, but she’s so small and breakable.
“I need to adjust my clothes a bit so I can feed her,” she prompts.
The baby starts smacking her little lips on cue.
“Well, if she’s hungry, maybe you should just…”
“Hudson went to find a proper blanket. She needs to be warm. Unbutton your shirt, Liam,” Ivy says, helping make the decision for me.
I fumble with the buttons, my heart pounding faster and faster. Then, Juliana passes her to me and I cuddle our daughter against my chest for the first time. “Skin on skin contact helps with bonding, right?” I murmur, wonderstruck by the downy soft feel of her newborn skin.
She has brown curls clinging to her head and an adorable button nose. When she peers up at me, her eyes are a cloudy shade of blue. I wonder if they’ll resemble mine or turn hazel like Juliana’s in time. I don’t know. But, I get to find out.
After helping Juliana shift her clothes, Ivy steps up to hug me. My throat is tight with emotion, but I’ve never been happier. Hudson returns, loitering in the doorway. “Paramedics are here,” he says, gruffly.
They come, they evaluate and, like the day Juliana and I met, they determine she’s perfectly fine to be left in my care. So is our baby. I get to take them home and take care of them. It’s a privilege I’ll never take for granted.
Juliana
While the entire experience was packed with feelings, watching Liam hold our daughter does something to me, and I know I won’t be able to keep from crying.
I manage to keep a brave face until the paramedics are gone, but that’s it.
As soon as I start sniffling, he tears his gaze from her to look at me, his brows drawing together.
“I’m okay. It’s just…” He understands because I can see the emotion in his eyes, too. This is beautiful, the most beautiful day of my life. It is also a lot . “We’re parents now, Liam.”
“Yeah. We’re in a real pickle, huh?” he teases.
The happy tears slide down my cheeks, but the baby is definitely ready to give nursing a go by this point.
Ivy leaves, tugging Santi out of the room after he’s checked Liam’s head so the three of us can be alone for a few minutes, our little family’s first moments together.
The baby fusses, trying to latch, and I feel a tremor of anxiety. “Am I doing something wrong? What if I can’t do this?”
“Just be patient. It takes time to get the hang of it on both ends,” Liam assures me, no doubt spouting things he learned in all those books he read. “Whatever way we ultimately choose for feeding our baby, she’s going to be well taken care of, honey.”
“I know,” I say, softly.
He’s right. Soon enough, the baby latches and starts to suck. I exhale with relief. Liam kisses my brow, giving me an insufferable, “See, Father knows best.” I scowl at him, but then he makes me giggle when he adds, “She sounds like an annoyed kitten with her little mewls and grunts.”
Stroking her soft cheek, I ask the question that’s on my mind next. “We’ve narrowed the list down a good bit but, now that she’s here, what will we name her?”
“You pick. I’ll love her name because it’s hers,” Liam answers.
“Well, I liked your middle name…”
“Archibald? Sweet Jesus,” he groans.
“It means genuine and brave.” His eyes soften at that last word. “There’s not a feminine version, but I thought we could name her Archie.”
“That’s not one I’ve ever heard a girl being named. It would be unconventional.”
I nod in understanding even if I’m disappointed. “It is unconventional. It’s fine if you want to name her something-”
“That’s why I love it, I think,” he interrupts. “Our daughter will be brave like her mother, and nothing about our journey to this moment has been conventional after all.”
My heart swells with so much love and happiness. “So… Archie?”
“Yes, Archie Sable Culver.”
My shoulders shake with silent laughter at the middle name until the baby starts to protest the unexpected movement. I quickly settle her closer, stroking that velvety soft cheek again. “We love you, Archie,” I whisper.
Liam leans in, kissing my lips and the top of Archie’s head. “Listen to your mother because she’s one-hundred percent correct. We will love you our whole life.”
∞∞∞
Liam helped me shower in one of the guest rooms upstairs while Ivy and Felicity took turns holding our little girl.
Ivy admitted she’s in no rush for one of her own but said she’s going to adore being an aunt.
The guys were silent for the most part, but I cried more happy tears when Liam told me Hudson had updated the chalkboard sign.
~ It’s been 0 days since our last BIRTH ~
Welcome to the family, Archie Sable Culver
Miles had fetched my hospital go-bag from the house during the delivery with all the necessities I’d packed weeks ago.
Clean, dry and dressed in fresh clothes, I settled on the comfortable sofa in Liam’s office when Teo and Trey returned with food they’d been sent to fetch. Pizza had never tasted so good.
After calling Wendy and then my parents to tell them the news, Archie started yawning, a big gaping yawn that made my heart melt, and Liam refused to put off taking us home any longer. I didn’t argue. My exhaustion was impossible to ignore by that point.
One anxious drive home later (where Liam cursed every other driver on the road), he opens the door, carrying my bag and holding onto my waist as Archie lies quietly in my arms.
Everything is ready for our new addition.
The crib Liam built has been ready for weeks, but it’s much too early for either of us to tolerate the notion of being parted from our daughter.
We walk into the bedroom, both changing into pajamas before lying down with Archie nestled between us.
We stare at her tiny hands, kicking feet and blinking, stormy blue eyes like she’s the eighth wonder of the world. To us, she is.
“She’s perfect,” I murmur, trying and failing to contain my own yawn.
“She is. Sleep, honey. I’ll watch over you both.”
I fight it for as long as I can, telling him to rest, too.
Liam
“Stubborn, stubborn woman I adore,” I whisper when her eyes eventually drift shut. Juliana’s lips twitch into that crooked grin as she slumbers. Our fingers are still linked above Archie’s little head.
There’s a soft light coming from the bathroom.
Otherwise, it’s dark and the house is silent while I watch my sweet daughter fidget and stir.
The phrase ‘sleeping like a baby’ does not apply to newborns, apparently.
My thumb brushes her tiny hand. My heart leaps when she grabs it, making a little fist and holding on tightly.
“It’s just the beginning,” I say, knowing how thoroughly this little girl will have me wrapped around her finger. She already does.
Both of my girls are still holding my hands as I feel my eyes getting heavy.
With her mother on one side and me on the other, I know our baby is perfectly safe even if I don’t want to stop watching her.
Giving in at last, I allow myself to sleep…
for one precious hour before Archie decides we’ve all had enough of that for the night.