Chapter 40 #3
“She's okay?!” Ashia cries, staring at our little girl through tears as she squirms against her skin. She's red, wrinkly, and slimy, but holy fuck, she’s the most beautiful thing I've ever seen—apart from her mother, of course.
“She’s perfect…” I tighten my hold on my wife, darting my gaze between her face and our baby girl’s, because I need to take them both in. Ashia cradles her as close as she can, and I frame her arms with mine, determined to keep them both in my arms for eternity. “She’s fucking perfect.”
Ashia lets her head fall limp against my chest as she stares at our daughter and sobs. The relief rolls off her in waves, seeping into my skin. I kiss her forehead as my own tears race down my face and drop into her hair, unable to stop. My chest feels huge, like if I breathe in again, I'll burst.
Then I lean down to kiss our daughter’s head, choking up the moment my lips touch her cool, blonde hair. She has blonde hair…just like my mom…and my sister… My heart twists with so much love, I think I have a heart attack.
She continues her tiny, goat-like cries, and reaches out with her itty-bitty hand to feel her mother's skin.
“It’s okay, baby girl. We're right here.” Ashia grabs her hand and gasps softly when her little fingers wrap around one of hers. “Mommy and Daddy are right here…”
Dr. Campbell stands to suction out her cute little mouth, using tiny drops on her eyes, and holds a stethoscope to her chest before quickly backing away.
“Baby’s one-minute Apgar is six,” she announces.
One minute? She’s already a minute old? How the fuck did that happen?
“Dad, I want you to rub up and down her back for two minutes for me, okay?” she says to me, and I almost didn’t catch it.
Dad… Oh, my God. That's amazing… I can definitely get used to that.
I do as she says without hesitation, admiring her tiny form beneath my hand.
Her cries soften the moment I touch her.
My hand trembles as that realization hits, and I look at my wife—my incredible, divine wife.
Her teary, golden eyes shine with so much happiness and love, making me choke on my own tears.
“I love you, Ashia. I love you both so fucking much.”
“I love you, too, Damien,” she sobs, and I lean down to kiss her, making sure she doesn’t have to move at all. Her kiss is everything she is—tender, warm, and loving, making me even more mushy than I already felt. I pull back and rest my forehead against hers, nudging my nose along her cheek.
“Thank you for this…for her, for us, for everything,” I whisper through shaky lips. I'm going to say those words every day for the rest of my life after what she just went through.
Serena comes into view, reminding me that she’s even here, and gently lays a hospital blanket over the baby once the doctor looks her over again.
“Her five-minute Apgar is eight,” Dr. Campbell notes.
Five minutes? Holy fuck, make it stop… “We’ll take her once this heat lamp gets warm enough to check her weight, length, and other things.
” The doctor looks at me and nods knowingly, and that means they’ll be checking her for temperature regulation issues, blood sugar, and other things like Serena said.
I nod back and look back down at our perfect daughter as she relaxes against Ashia’s chest. When I move my hand to inspect her tiny feet, she squirms, like he hates that I'm not touching her anymore, and another tear slips from my eye.
“Did you ever think about more names?” I'll let this woman name our daughter whatever she wants. She fought through hours of pain to bring her into this world. Anything she could ever ask of me will always be answered with yes.
“Well, I’ve actually had the same name circling my head for the past few months, but I wasn’t sure how you'd feel about it,” she says as she wipes tears away and goes back to stroking our baby’s cute little face.
“Oh yeah?” I ask curiously. She takes a deep breath, like she’s nervous to say it. If she thinks for a moment that anything she could come up with would revolt me, it’s because she's exhausted and not thinking straight. She looks up at me again, and her loving smile forms with certainty.
“How about…Emma Taylor Hartley?”
I have to pinch the bridge of my nose to keep myself from sobbing.
My face contorts regardless, though, so I nuzzle my face into hers before I kiss her again.
God, I fucking love this woman. Every breath I take is for the two people I hold in my arms, and it’s unbelievable how every single day, my wife just gives me more reasons to love her.
“You are the most beautiful, pure human being, you know that?” I whisper against her lips. She smiles even wider and runs her nose along my jaw, sending warmth and endearment through my body.
“So, I take it you like it?”
“I fucking love it.” I look back down to our baby girl and think about my sister.
How well her and Ashia would have gotten along, how much she’d love our little girl, all of the other things she’s missed out on.
I can't believe our baby has blonde hair just like her… I wonder when she opens her eyes, if she’ll share that, too.
I pull out my phone and make sure Ashia’s breasts are fully covered before I snap a picture of us.
My wife looks like a fucking warrior, all exhausted and sweaty after battle, but she’s so beautiful…
so perfect. I'm sure everyone at the Attic that isn’t on duty is drunk as hell and waiting for this image.
I've only dreamed of the day I would send one to them. Out of all of the labor parties we had, I never believed they’d have one for me or that I would have such an amazing partner by my side, making all of my dreams come true.
Yet, here we are, smiling wide at each other, completely in love as I press send.
Once I cut the umbilical cord and it’s safe to move Ashia, I pull her back onto the bed so she can rest. My girls stay in my arms, just like they were always meant to. I'll never leave this spot. Someone is going to have to pry me away, and that’s if I let them.