Chapter 27
Noah
“Mmmmmmm.”
“Ohhhhhhh”
“Mmmmmmm.”
The strange sounds pierce my dreams, slowly waking me from my deep sleep. I rub my eyes, my heart speeding up, while I try to understand the unnerving noises I’m hearing.
“Oooooohhhhhh,” Emma moans quietly from beside me, the distress in her voice finally pulls me from my sleep.
I jerk upright and spring out of bed, my body instinctively jumping into action as adrenaline courses through me. “Emma? What’s going on, baby?” She’s sitting on the edge of the bed, one hand pressed against her stomach and the other gripping her thigh.
“I think this is it.” She looks up at me with unshed tears in her eyes.
Despite the crippling fear in my bones, I rush over to her and kneel down on the floor. Taking her hands in mine, I try to remain calm for her. “Squeeze my hands as hard as you need to,” I say, willing her to focus on me. “What can I do?”
“I think the contraction passed,” she breathes, her voice filled with relief. “Can you grab my bags? I only have a few minutes to get to the car before the next one hits.”
“Of course. I’ll load up the bags, and then I’ll come back to get you. Don’t move!” I yell over my shoulder as I jog to the nursery and grab the bags sitting by the door. I run barefoot out to my car, feeling the warm pavement beneath my feet. It’s early in the morning, the sun barely visible, but the summer heat is already warming everything up. I hurriedly throw the bags in the trunk, and rush back inside.
But when I reach the bedroom, Emma is no longer on the bed. Of course she can’t just stay put for two minutes.
“Emma?” I shout. The house is silent for a second before I hear a crash coming from the bathroom. “Emma!” I dart toward the master bath. Fear claws at my throat as I push the door open.
I see her on the bathroom floor, rocking back and forth on her hands and knees. Her face is ghostly pale even in the dim light. I rush to her side, my arms reaching out to hold her. “What happened? Are you okay?”
She moans before responding. “I was trying to get to the toilet, but I slipped and fell.”
Looking down on the floor, I notice a large puddle of water underneath her. My breath hitches. “Did your water just break?”
“I think so,” her voice cracks and she lets out a sob. “Noah, I’m so scared.” The fear in her eyes grips my heart, making me feel fiercely protective of her.
“Shhhh. Hey, you’re okay,” I say softly, cradling her face in my hands. “Lets get you to the car.” I try to pull her up with me, but she refuses my help, shaking her head.
“No. I can’t. I don’t think I can make it,” she says through clenched teeth. “I think it’s too late. This baby is coming now,” she grabs my forearms for support and sits back on her heels. My heart races as I meet her gaze, there’s a silent exchange of fear between us as the realization hits me.
“Okay, we’ll stay right here then,” I say with conviction, trying to project as much confidence as possible. I dash to the cabinet, grabbing a stack of towels and lay them down on the floor. Then I run to the bed and collect pillows to make her more comfortable. I gently help her lay back, propping her up and adjusting her position the best I can.
“Hey, focus on breathing,” I say, “I’m right here. I’m not leaving your side.”
She nods, her face contorting as another wave of pain washes over her. Yet, in that moment, she reaches for me, her fingers wrapping around mine desperately. I squeeze back, grounding her, anchoring myself at the same time. That’s when I come to an overwhelming realization: I am deeply in love with this woman. I’d move mountains for her. I would take this pain from her in an instant if I could.
“I feel a lot of pressure. It hurts!” Emma sobs against my chest as I pull my phone from my back pocket. Dialing 9-1-1, I rest the phone between my ear and shoulder, and call for an ambulance.
“Sir,” the operator says sternly, breaking me from my daze. “I need you to look and tell me if you can see the baby’s head.”
I keep my eyes helplessly locked on Emma, my throat dry, and my voice caught in my chest. I think I’m in shock.
“What is it, Noah?” Emma’s eyes are wide with fear, her voice strained. She intertwines her fingers with my free hand.
“Sir!” The operator’s voice cuts through the air, growing louder.
“She wants me to take a look and see if the baby’s head is coming,” I say, my voice and hands trembling.
Emma doesn’t hesitate. She pulls down her pajama bottoms until they reach her ankles. “Look, Noah. Please!” She begs as another contraction hits her.
I stay frozen in place next to her, I can’t bring myself to look. It’s all hitting me at once. Emma is really having her baby.
“Look, Noah!” Emma’s anguished scream snaps me out of my paralysis. Positioning myself directly in front of her, I gently nudge her knees apart.
“Sir! What do you see?” the operator presses more urgently.
My mouth goes dry. “I see the baby’s head. He’s umm… he has a lot of hair,” I stammer, glancing up at Emma. Her face twisted in equal parts fear and pain kills me.
“Okay. When the next contraction hits, she needs to take a deep breath and push with all her might. You be ready to catch the baby,” the lady instructs. “I have EMS en route, they’re approximately six minutes away, but this baby needs to come out now.”
“Oh fuck,” I mutter under my breath, fighting to be strong for Emma. I can’t let her see how scared shitless I am right now. I place the phone on speaker and set it on the side of the bathtub.
“Emma, baby,” I say, lightly massaging her knees. “We’re going to have to push with this next contraction.”
She doesn’t respond, her head falls back on the pillow as another wave of pain washes over her.
“Push, baby,” I coax. “You have to push right now!”
“I can’t!” she half-yells, half-moans. “I can’t do this here. I need to wait until we’re at the hospital!” she screams at me.
“Baby, there’s no time,” I say sternly. “The baby is coming now and we need to get him out.”
“I don’t want to do this. I can’t! I’m not ready,” she sobs loudly as panic grabs ahold of her.
“You can do this, you’re so strong. You’re one of the strongest people I know. Just think of your little boy who will be in your arms very soon. He’s ready to meet you.” I rub her calves, my eyes pleading with hers. I can’t imagine what she must be feeling, but there’s no way out of this.
“Come on, push!” I inhale deeply with her, and hold my breath as she pushes.
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”
“Tell me what you see,” the operator demands.
“I see a little more of the head.”
Emma collapses back onto the pillows, gasping for air. “Keep pushing, baby!” I urge her again.
She sits back up immediately, tucking her chin to her chest and screams through her next push.
“I see the head emerging. It’s… oh, there’s the shoulders!” I exclaim, feeling a rush of adrenaline. “Just one more push!” I encourage, maintaining eye contact with Emma, who nods, full of determination. “This is it, Emma. Come on, baby, one more push and he’ll be here!” I shout.
With a final explosive burst of effort, she pushes fiercely, and I feel the weight of a small body slip into my hands.