Chapter 34
Thirty-Four
Axel
Hearing Charlie scream in pain did things to me I couldn’t understand.
I had fought the urge to do anything but comfort her as I sat behind her on the bed and held her, letting her squeeze my hands as hard as she needed as she pushed to get the baby out.
It was the most surreal thing I had ever experienced, and I would forever be thankful for Charlie allowing me to be there for the birth of her sweet girl.
I hadn’t bothered to wipe the tears from my eyes as Dr. Foster delivered the baby and immediately handed her to Charlie.
Charlie’s body relaxed against my chest as I held her and stared at the beautiful baby snuggled against her chest while Jo and Dr. Foster cleaned up.
I knew that Charlie was upset about the mess she’d made on my bed, but I couldn’t care about anything other than making sure she and the baby were okay.
“Do you have a name picked out?” Dr. Foster asked Charlie as she sat on the clean edge of the bed and smiled at the baby.
Charlie looked at the beautiful girl in her arms and nodded.
“I’ve been giving it a lot of thought these past few days, and for whatever reason, the name Molly keeps coming back to me.
When I was a little girl, I had an imaginary friend named Molly, so maybe that’s why.
I guess it just feels right because my imaginary friend was the only friend I had growing up and was always there for me, even when my parents weren’t.
” Charlie shrugged, and I could hear the emotion straining her voice.
“Molly is a beautiful name,” Dr. Foster said. “I love it. I think it’s perfect.”
“I’m not going to let myself get jealous of an imaginary friend,” Jo teased with a raised eyebrow. “But just know that I would take down imaginary Molly if she ever hurt you.”
“You never have to worry about that,” Charlie replied with a laugh. “Molly was the best. We celebrated everything together. She made life so much better for me, and I never felt alone when she was there.”
My heart ached as I listened, knowing that Charlie had a rough childhood like mine.
She hadn’t shared any of this with me before, but I couldn’t blame her because I’d kept my past a secret for just as long.
Some things were hard to talk about, and I would never fault her for not wanting to relive anything that brought her pain.
“I will let you guys get some rest, but I’ll stop by in the morning to check on both of you,” Dr. Foster said as she got up and gently patted Charlie’s shoulder. “You did amazing, Charlie. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call. I can get here very quickly.”
“Thank you so much for everything,” Charlie replied as she shifted the baby slightly in her arms.
“My pleasure.”
Jo walked Dr. Foster out, giving us a few minutes alone as I looked over Charlie’s shoulder at sweet Molly.
“She’s so beautiful,” I said softly, pressing a kiss to Charlie’s cheek. “Dr. Foster is right, you did an amazing job getting her here. Look at how perfect she is.”
“I still can’t believe she’s here. It doesn’t seem real.”
Just then, the baby started fussing, making us laugh as if she were reminding us that she was very real.
Charlie shifted and lifted the baby to her breast, doing exactly as Jo and Dr. Foster had taught her to ensure the baby latched correctly.
I leaned back, giving her some privacy as I sat there and thought about how everything in my life had just changed because the woman I loved just had a baby that I would die to protect.
Jo came back upstairs to help Charlie take a shower and clean up, which left me on baby duty, which I didn’t mind one bit.
I sat on the floor, holding Molly as she slept peacefully in my arms. My heart raced at the thought of being a part of her life and loving her like she was my own because now that I held her, I couldn’t imagine ever walking away from this little girl.
I wanted to be there for her the same way I wanted to be there for her mom.
“Charlie’s good, but I’m leaving the bathroom door open just in case she needs anything,” Jo said as she smiled at me holding the baby. “I still can’t get over how cute she is.”
“I haven’t been around many babies in my life, but I have to say, she is absolutely the cutest baby I have ever seen.”
“I’m going to work on changing the bedding so everything is ready when Charlie finishes her shower. Do you have spare sheets somewhere?”
“Yeah. I can change the bed if you want to hold Molly,” I offered, not wanting Jo to have to worry about stuff I could take care of.
“Well, I would never say no to baby snuggles from little Miss Molly,” Jo replied, her voice going to a tone I had never heard from her before. Perhaps she had a soft side after all.
She walked over and carefully took the baby from me, cuddling her tight to her chest as she swayed back and forth and stared at the bundle in her arms. I got up and started working on changing the bedding, knowing that Charlie was already upset about the mattress being ruined. I, however, couldn't care less.
Once I finished making the bed, we heard the shower turn off.
“Here, take Molly, and I’ll go help Charlie,” Jo said, handing me the baby.
I knew that at some point, we would have to put her down and let her sleep in her bassinet, but I wasn’t ready to let go of her just yet.
Jo got Charlie situated in the bathroom and went over some basics about what she needed to watch for regarding blood clots.
I tried to listen as best I could so I knew how to take care of Charlie in case she needed me, because there would never be a time in my life when I wouldn’t take care of the woman I loved.