39. Emily
39
EMILY
EIGHT MONTHS LATER
“How are we doing this morning?” the doctor asks in a sunny voice.
“ Urghhhhhhhh ,” I reply.
Apparently, I’m not at my most articulate when I’m giving birth. Go figure.
“She’s fine,” Nadia translates, squeezing my hand. “She’s almost fully dilated, and the nurses say her contractions are four minutes apart.”
I smile gratefully at my best friend. Thank God she was able to fly out for this. She’s been with me for the past few days, calming my nerves and reassuring me. When my contractions started last night, Konstantin drove us to the hospital while Nadia sat in the back with me, brushing my hair back.
“And where is the father?” Dr. Kahn asks.
Nadia rolls her eyes. “He’s running downstairs to get Fiji bottled water for Emily.”
“We have plenty of water available for you up here,” Dr. Kahn says, looking confused .
“We just needed an excuse to get Konstantin out of here for five minutes,” Nadia explains. “He’s more nervous than any of us. If he kept pacing and tapping on the table, he was going to drive us both crazy.”
“ Uuunnnghh ,” I confirm.
“Would you mind if I take a look?” Dr. Kahn asks, gesturing at the blanket covering my spread legs.
I nod in confirmation. I’ve quickly learned that when you’re in labor, privacy is a semi-foreign concept.
She pushes back the sheet and raises his eyebrows. “Mr. Siderov will want to hurry back, because it looks like you’re ready to give birth.”
Nadia calls Konstantin with a heads-up while Dr. Kahn ushers in two nurses. The lights are turned on, and my body is maneuvered into the correct position. In between flashes of pain, I’m able to see what’s happening.
The rational part of me knows that everything is fine.
But at the same time, I’m absolutely terrified. I’m about to be a mom! There are a million things that could go wrong, and there’s no way I could anticipate all of them. I suddenly feel very small and powerless.
“Konstantin!” I grit out.
Then, my husband is at my side, brushing my sweaty hair back from my face.
“I’m here, Kitty Cat,” he murmurs soothingly. “I’m here. You’re doing great.”
Time stops feeling real. The pain seems to draw out forever, while at the same time, the anticipation makes the minutes fly by. I have no idea how long it’s been by the time I hear Dr. Kahn tell me, “The final push! Breathe through it. You got this.”
I scream as my muscles clench. Then, I hear the cries .
My baby is here. A flood of joy pushes out every other feeling.
“Let me see it!” I demand, putting my arms out.
Then, my beautiful, squishy-faced baby is placed on my chest. She’s squirmy and pale and so perfect that it takes my breath away.
“A healthy baby girl,” Dr. Kahn declares.
“Olivia,” I murmur, gently running my finger along the top of her head.
Konstantin grins down at us, love and relief written all over his face.
“I told you she was a girl,” he says.
I smile back at him.
“I’m so glad you were right.”
Olivia, Konstantin, and I spend the first few hours together. Then, she’s brought down to the nursery to be cleaned and checked out while I catch a much-needed hour of sleep. When I wake up, I see two of my three favorite people.
Nadia’s sprawled out on a couch, snoring loudly. On the chair next to her, Konstantin flips through a file of papers. He smiles at me when he sees me looking.
“Go back to sleep, Kitty Cat,” he whispers. “You have a few hours.”
I shake my head. “No. I want to see Olivia.”
Konstantin grabs a nurse, who helps me into a wheelchair. Then, he wheels me down to the nursery.
We gaze in through a window in the wall. There are a dozen babies there, but I recognize mine immediately. Olivia’s sleeping with one little fist curled by her ear. Just looking at her, my heart feels impossibly full .
“She’s the best one of them all,” I say.
“You’re right,” Konstantin agrees immediately. “Those other babies could never compete.”
Then, he hands me a large purple gift bag that I didn’t notice him grab earlier.
“What’s this?” I laugh.
“Do you think it’s too early to give her first toy?” he asks.
I make a show of considering. “Not too early. But it’ll probably take her a few months to appreciate it.”
“Well, maybe you’ll appreciate it for her.”
Reaching into the gift bag, Konstantin pulls out a Hello Kitty plush doll. Tears rush to my eyes, and before I know it, I’m sobbing.
“I’m sorry,” I choke out. “I’m happy, I swear. My hormones are just really crazy right now.”
“I know,” he says as we watch our daughter sleep together. “By the way, I have one more surprise for you.”
“I don’t know if I can survive anymore surprises.” I laugh.
“Don’t worry, you’re going to like this one.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out an envelope. “I’ve made a few calls, a hefty donation, and … Well, I’ll let you see the results for yourself.”
My heart rises to my throat as I stare at the envelope in his hand. Slowly, I reach out and open it. When I spot the familiar letterhead, excitement wells in my chest.
“You didn’t!”
“Go ahead.” Konstantin smiles. “Read it.”
“Dear Emily Siderov,” I start. “We are happy to inform you of your enrollment in veterinarian studies here at the University of …” I look up at him, tears hazing my eyes over. “Oh, Konstantin. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
He presses his lips to mine and kisses me with the familiar gentleness and ferocity that I’ve come to expect from him. When we part, he caresses my face, tracing his finger along the edge of my jaw.
“From now on,” he says. “I only want you crying when you’re happy.”