Chapter 84
CHAPTER 84
BETH
A loud hiss pushes through my clenched teeth as I grip the small of my back, the muscles tightening and stabbing with each second that passes. “Motherfucker!” I curse as I try to double over from the pain, but the bowling ball beneath my skin won’t let me.
This has been going on for the past hour, and I’m ready to rip Oliver’s balls off to keep him from putting me through this again. All men should be castrated. To hell with the continuation of our species. Nothing is worse than this!
“Just breathe,” the reason I’m in this mess mutters, and I shoot daggers at him with my eyes. If he makes me any madder, I swear, I’ll conjure up laser beams.
“I’m already mad enough as it is at you. Don’t push your luck,” I growl.
Vera snaps. “Keep walking, child. It will help move things along.” She thought it was a good idea to direct my labor while I already have a horrible temper when I’m not in incredible pain. Not to mention, she brought coffee, and the smell was enough to make me want to barf.
“What did I do?” Oliver asks quickly as I pace around the birthing pool.
It’s not supposed to help with the pain, but it helps my body prepare for the main event and forces it to hurry up. At least, that’s what Vera said.
“You’re the reason she’s about to go through the most unimaginable pain a person could possibly go through, pain worse than death, behemoth,” Vera answers.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?” Judy questions, concern on her face.
“No hospital,” I groan as I dig my nails into my spine, the tension in the muscles making me nauseous. “Hospitals charge health insurance companies. I bet Nolan is monitoring my insurance at this point. That’s why I went with a doula instead of an obstetrician. No doctors. No hospital. No pain medicine. I have to do this naturally.”
“Brave girl,” Vera mutters as I continue pacing around the birthing tub.
“It’s only going to last a few hours anyway, right?” I laugh as the contraction eases, and I stop walking to relax my knees, but Vera just stares at me with a blank expression. “What?” I pant from my pain receptors going haywire. I swear I’m going to have a heart attack before this is over. Sweat trickles between my breasts and down my stomach.
“Who told you such a foolish thing?” she presses.
Ollie’s gaze bounces between whoever is talking, but he doesn’t add anything to the conversation, just stays up to date.
“Um, my mom. She had me in two hours. My grandmother had her in thirty minutes.”
“Did they specify if this was during active labor?”
Active labor?
“What?” What is the fucking difference between labor and active labor?
“Active labor is when you’re actually trying to push the little angel out of your cooch.”
My eyes widen at her explanation. “How long am I supposed to do this?” I motion to my stomach, panic filling me. It can’t be that bad, right?
“Since your water broke? You’ve got twelve hours.” Vera shrugs nonchalantly.
“Twelve…HOURS?!” I scream in frustration and ball up my fists.
“Easy, Bee. Remember your blood pressure,” Judy eases.
“Oh, screw my blood pressure! I’m going to end up clawing this kid out of my vagina before the night is over.”
“Someone light up a little baby bhang. It’ll calm her and help with the pain.”
Judy and I look at Vera like she grew another head, but Oliver jumps out of his seat and urgently runs back to our room.
“Baby bhang?”
“Mary Jane,” Vera explains with a rare smile. “You’re not going to the hospital, so there’s no chance of a drug test. It does great for babies whose mothers smoke during the pregnancy. I smoked my entire pregnancy, and my son is a certified genius. It won’t take the pain completely away, but it will help.”
Oliver walks out of our bedroom, carrying a glass jar full of bud and a smile across his face. “Time to blow down, baby.”
* * *
“AHHH!!!” The scream barrels through my lips as I cling to Oliver, his arms holding me up. He’s my constant in the absolute hell I’m existing in. His scent guides me through the darkness as he keeps one arm around my waist and the other hand cradles the back of my head. “I can’t do this!” I sob as the contraction ends, and tears run down my face like a waterfall, like the one a few hundred yards south of here.
“You’re so close, Beth!” the doula, Alisha, encourages from behind me, as she rubs my back. “Your baby is crowning. You’re almost there.”
Oliver lifts my face as my bottom lip trembles, and he holds my gaze with his icy blues, dragging me into his undertow. I could drown in him all day. He steals a passionate kiss before pressing his forehead to mine.
“You’ve got this, babe. You’re the strongest person I know. You can make it through anything,” he mutters zealously before pressing a quick peck to the tip of my nose.
“Are you with me?” I ask, barely holding in the sob at not just the pain but his words.
“Yeah. I’m with you. Always, crazy girl.”
I slowly shake my head. “Not always. Forever. It’s more indefinite. You can’t get rid of me now, Doyle.” The words are weak, but his confidence gives me the strength to soldier on.
He smirks before stealing one more kiss before my final contraction pulls me under the waves of agony. I scream with everything in me, my nails digging into his shoulders, and I push as hard as I can until the pressure ends, and Alisha gasps aloud.
“He’s out!” I completely fall into Ollie’s arms as he sits down in the pool. I don’t care that we’re in a small body of water full of my blood and probably a few other things. I have no energy. Turning around in Ollie’s arms, I look upon Alisha as she holds a small bundle in her arms and seems to be pushing her fingers into his mouth. I’m about to throw a fit, but then he coughs, she removes her fingers, and he cries. “There you go, little guy,” she coos, but Rian looks like he wants to claw her eyes out. He’s so vicious for such a tiny thing. I can just imagine the force of nature he will be once he’s all grown up.
Alisha trudges through the water and leans down, placing Rian in my arms without the towel. “Skin-on-skin contact is great for newborns,” she explains before pulling away. It doesn’t take much to unbutton my top, and I don’t care who sees my boobs. Rian gripes and moans, kicking about until he’s flat against my chest. Then, his eyes open, flashing icy blue eyes…eyes just like his father’s, and he stares at me. I’m not sure if he can see me yet, but staring at his pure, innocent face, I fall madly in love with this little boy, more so than I have been until this point.
“Hey, Rian.” I grin at him, and Oliver’s hand reaches out, gently stroking Rian’s hair. I snap my head around, and Oliver is watching him just as intently as I was.
“Morning, crotch goblin.”
My eyes widen as Alisha, Vera, and Judy try their best to stifle their laughter. I glare at him as Rian starts crying.
“What?” He grins at me as I coddle the sweet infant.
“You made him cry with that crap.”
He shrugs. “I always call him that, and I probably always will. Get used to it, babe. He’s a crotch goblin and a semen demon.”
I roll my eyes. Oliver is very stuck in his ways, and no amount of bitching from me will make him stop calling our son those vile names, but there are worse things he could call him. Rian is too young to know the difference. Maybe with time, he’ll stop. I relax into Ollie’s arms as Rian settles again, going back to staring at us. After a few minutes of peace, Ollie kisses my temple with a sigh.
“I knew you could do it, crazy girl. You’re so strong,” he rasps in my ear, and butterflies swarm in my stomach.
“Not me. We .” I smile. “I didn’t do this alone. It was a team effort.”
If it wasn’t for Ollie, Judy, and Vera, Rian wouldn’t be here, lying against my chest so peacefully. I have a son, and he’s healthy because of the wonderful people around me.
Ollie holds me close, and Rian coos in time with my heartbeats until I nearly fall asleep.
Then, Alisha says it's time to remove the rest of the placenta or something like that.