CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The contraction eased, and Kiara slumped back against the pillows, her grip on Julian's hand loosening slightly. She kept hold of it though, because she was afraid she was imagining that he was there with her.
Her heart had raced with surprise when she saw him beside her bed. She'd been certain that she would be laboring with Lucy as her support. But now, there he was, sitting beside her bed, his green eyes filled with concern.
"How long have you been in labor?" Julian asked, his thumb gently stroking the back of her hand.
"Since yesterday afternoon," she said, her voice raspy from exhaustion. "My water broke just after six o'clock yesterday. That's when Lucy brought me in."
Julian frowned. "You've been at this for over eighteen hours?"
"I think I read something about first babies taking their time." She tried to smile, but it felt weak even to her. "Even if he is coming early."
“Have you considered any sort of pain relief?” he asked. “An epidural?”
They had offered it, but she felt like she should try to push through the pain without it. Unfortunately, she was exhausted, which made it harder to deal with the pain. It felt like forever since she’d had any sleep.
“I don’t know.” She shifted on the bed, trying to get comfortable.
“Do you want to get out of bed and walk for a bit?” the nurse asked from where she was checking the monitors. “We can unhook you.”
Kiara knew that walking was a good idea, so she nodded. The nurse removed the monitor belt, then helped her to her feet.
“Dad, if she has a contraction while you’re walking, let her lean on you,” the nurse said. “Follow her lead.”
Kiara glanced at Julian when the nurse called him dad and saw a rather bemused look on his face. When their gazes met, he grinned and then offered her his arm.
She shuffled out the door beside him, grateful that Julian kept his pace slow. They’d only gone a few steps when another contraction started.
When she stopped walking, Julian stepped in front of her. “The nurse said to lean on me.”
Kiara had seen videos of how to do that, but she didn’t know if Julian would understand. But then the pain became too much, and she couldn’t focus.
She reached for his shoulders, then pressed her forehead to his chest. His arms went around her, his hands resting gently on her back.
Without even thinking about it, Kiara swayed back and forth, breathing deeply as the contraction peaked, dragged out, then ebbed. When it finally released its hold on her, Kiara took one more deep breath and then straightened.
“Okay?” Julian asked as he looked down at her, concern in his eyes. He still had his hands resting on her back.
She nodded, then moved to take his arm again so they could continue to walk.
“How was your flight?” she asked as they walked, eager for a bit of distraction.
“It was fine,” he said. “It was nice not to have to travel commercially in either direction, which I usually do when flying to Singapore.”
“Why didn’t you this time?”
“With so many of us in the travel party, it was easier to take a private jet. Plus, we were going on such short notice that we needed to have some time to review what was happening and come up with a game plan. That would have been impossible to do on a commercial flight.”
Another contraction started, so they stopped again, and this time, once they were in position again, Julian rested his cheek against the top of her head and swayed with her.
Though she’d been prepared to go through the labor with Lucy, Kiara was so grateful that Julian had decided to come to the hospital when he’d heard that she was in labor. As the pain subsided, it occurred to her that perhaps he hadn’t intended to stay at the hospital.
“I didn’t mean for you to get roped into labor support,” Kiara said as they turned the corner to another hallway.
“You didn’t rope me into anything,” Julian replied. “I’m here because I want to be.”
“Well, you can leave at any time,” Kiara told him. “I’m sure you’re exhausted.”
Julian stopped walking and stepped in front of her so they were facing each other. He reached out and took her hands.
“You are also exhausted, so there’s no reason I should get to rest when you can’t. I’m here for the long haul. Right to the end.”
Kiara clung to his hands, unfathomably grateful that he was there supporting her. “Why did you change your mind about being here?”
“I was already reconsidering my decision to not be in the delivery room before I heard you were in labor,” he said. “So when Anthony told me, I knew I wanted to be here with you.”
She looked away from him, her gaze going down the hallway. “I’m glad you’re here. It makes it feel a little… easier.”
Julian let go of her hand and touched her cheek. She couldn’t keep from looking back at him. “We’re in this together, and I’m glad I can be here to help you however you need.”
Before she could respond, pain gripped her belly. Working together, they got into position again.
Though Kiara wanted to parse through all the emotions that Julian’s words brought up in her heart, she couldn’t. Her focus needed to be on bringing their son into the world.
Julian was by her side, and would be until the birth, and that was all that mattered right then.
They walked for awhile, pausing for each contraction, but then Kiara was just too tired to keep going, so they returned to the room. Once she was back in bed, Kiara just wanted to sleep, but almost immediately, she had another contraction to deal with.
Weariness had lowered her emotional defenses, and before she could stop them, tears began to fall. It felt like too much, and she just couldn’t keep dealing with the painful contractions.
“Why don’t you get the epidural, sweetheart?” Julian spoke softly as he bent close to her after the contraction ended. “Maybe then you can get some rest.”
Trying to wipe the tears from her cheeks, Kiara nodded. “I am so tired.”
Julian smoothed a hand over her hair, then pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll let them know.”
It all moved quickly after that, and soon, Kiara was able to fully relax, knowing that she didn’t have to breathe through or endure any more painful contractions.
“Try to sleep,” Julian said. “I’m going to talk to Anthony and then I’ll be back.”
Kiara nodded, sleep already pulling at her. She didn’t know how long she’d be able to nap, but she wanted to rest up enough to have the energy needed for the final push.
When she opened her eyes next, Julian was sitting beside the bed in a chair that reclined. His head was turned toward her, but he was sound asleep. Kiara took the opportunity to study him.
She still couldn’t believe that he was there, and not because he’d felt obliged but because he wanted to be there. It gave her hope that he would want to be an active parent in their child’s life.
Julian’s hair was mussed, like he'd been running his fingers through it, and his clothes were wrinkled from travel.
There were dark circles under his eyes that spoke of the strain of the past couple of weeks and his exhaustion.
Yet he'd chosen to stay with her, to be part of this experience despite his initial reluctance.
A nurse came in quietly to check the monitors.
"How are you feeling?" she whispered, noticing Julian was asleep.
"Better," Kiara replied softly. "How much longer do you think?"
The nurse checked something on the monitor. "Your contractions are looking good. Regular and strong. The doctor will be in soon to check your progress, then we’ll have a better idea of how it’s going."
After the nurse left, Kiara shifted slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position without disturbing Julian. The movement must have been enough, though, because his eyes fluttered open. For a moment, he looked disoriented, then his gaze settled on her, and his expression softened.
"Hey," he said, his voice rough with sleep. "How are you doing?"
"Better," Kiara said. "The epidural helped a lot."
Julian straightened in his chair, wincing slightly as he rolled his shoulders. "How long was I out?"
"I don't know. I just woke up myself." Kiara watched as he stretched his arms above his head. "The nurse said the doctor will be in soon to check my progress."
Julian nodded and ran a hand through his hair, making it stand up even more. He looked younger somehow, with his rumpled appearance and the softness in his eyes that hadn't been there when they'd first met.
"Are you hungry?" he asked. "I could see if they have anything I could get for you."
Before Kiara could answer, Doctor Misha walked in. There had been a chance that another doctor might have had to deliver her baby. But thankfully, it had worked out for Doctor Misha to be there.
After greeting them, she said, "Let's see how we're progressing."
Julian stood and moved to Kiara’s side, taking hold of her hand. She squeezed his fingers as the doctor examined her, grateful for his steady presence.
"Well," Doctor Misha said, removing her gloves. "You’re ten centimeters dilated and fully effaced. Great job!” She smiled warmly. "Let’s get ready for you to push."
After the doctor left, Kiara felt a surge of nervous excitement. "It's really happening," she whispered, looking up at Julian. "He's almost here.”
The atmosphere in the room changed. Julian stayed by her side, and together they watched as the nurse prepared things.
The nurse went to the monitor and stood there for a minute, then turned to her. “When the next contraction starts, let’s try to push.”
It took a little bit for Kiara to get the hang of pushing, but thankfully, she managed to figure it out and push with the contractions. The nurse was good about coaching her, and Julian was right there, holding her hand and offering words of encouragement.
She didn’t know what she would have done without him.
~*~