Chapter 39 #2
My mom makes her way over to me and pulls me into her arms for a hug.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call. Everything happened so fast and I—”
“It’s fine. We understand. Aldo made the call for you,” she says. I look over to where Aldo’s sitting and give him a grateful nod.
“We brought you a change of clothes. Go wash off all the blood from your body,” my dad says when he’s next to me.
“I-I can’t leave. What if—”
“We’re here, son. We’ll stay right here and wait for any updates while you clean up. She’s in the operating room, remember? So, they might take a while there. Besides, you don’t want to meet your daughter for the first time covered in blood, do you?”
Damn, the man really knows how to get through to me because, of course, I don’t want to meet my daughter covered in blood.
“Okay. Okay. You’re right. I’ll go take a shower really quick,” I say, grabbing the bag they brought with them and walking down the hall.
I already know where the extra rooms are for instances like these, when we walk in here covered in blood. When I walk into the bathroom, my hand shakes as I try to unbutton my shirt.
My mind goes back to my wife. I remember the way she looked when we found her. Tired, in pain, but she also had a look of relief on her face. She had clung to me as if I was her lifeline.
Dear God! I just hope that she pulls through the surgery because I’m going to die without her. I can’t lose her. I just can’t. I refuse to believe in any reality where we don’t grow old together.
I take a quick shower and get dressed so I don’t miss anything. When I get back to the waiting room, it’s quiet. No one is saying a word as we all wait.
I sit and run my hand through my hair. I should’ve found her sooner and gotten her out faster. Maybe if I had, then things wouldn’t be so uncertain right now.
Maybe if I was faster, then she would have been fine to deliver our daughter without going under anesthesia. Then again, I think she would have still needed a C-section because of her injuries. I let out a sigh, still mad at myself because I can’t help but think that I failed them both.
My leg is shaking up and down as we continue to wait. It feels like I’ve been waiting here for a lifetime, but it’s only about five minutes after I come back into the waiting room when the doctor comes back in.
“Mr. Andretti,” he says and pauses while I hold my breath, waiting for whatever news he’s about to give me.
“Everything moved quickly, and we were able to deliver the baby safely. The nurses are cleaning her up, and then they’ll take her into the nursery.
If you’d like to follow me. I just wanted to give you an update right away. ”
“Yes, please,” I say, walking behind him. “What about my wife? Is she okay?”
“Your wife made it through the operation. Though the doctor is still in the operating room with her. We need to deliver the placenta, control the bleeding, and stitch everything back up, plus we also need to tend to her other injuries before we bring her out of the OR.”
“Okay. Thanks for the update and for everything you’re doing, Doc,” I tell him.
Just as we step into the nursery, I hear it…
A cry.
Small, sharp, and alive.
My head snaps toward the bassinet where the sound is coming from, and for a moment I don’t move.
Holy shit! That’s my baby!
My feet begin to move toward the bassinet unconsciously until I’m standing over it and looking down at her.
She’s the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen. She has a tuft of dark hair on her head; her face is scrunched up as she cries.
“Congratulations,” a nurse says, walking into the room.
“Thank you. Can I hold her?” I ask, my hand hovering because I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.
“Of course,” she tells me, picking my baby girl up from her bassinet. She points to the chair next to it, and I take a seat. She walks over to me and places my baby carefully into my arms. “Make sure you support her head… Yes. There you go.”
I can’t believe I’m holding my daughter in my arms for the very first time. Tears fill my eyes because this moment is surreal. She’s so delicate and perfect. And as I continue to stare at her, my entire world centers around this tiny bundle in my arms.
The time spent in the waiting room, the uncertainty, the fear, and every other emotion I felt earlier all pale in comparison to what I’m feeling now.
My heart feels full, bursting with so much love for this tiny human. Half of me and half of Aria, and the result is just stealing my breath away right now.
“Hello, my beautiful girl. You are so precious, and Daddy already loves you with all his heart. I promise to protect and love you until my dying breath,” I say with tears in my voice.
Her little eyes flutter open, unfocused. I don’t even think she can see me yet, but she settles at the sound of my voice as I continue talking softly to her.
She’s quiet for a few minutes before she lets out another cry, quieter this time, her face scrunching up and tiny fist curling against the blanket she’s wrapped up in.
“Daddy’s got you, bambina,” I whisper, gently rocking her in my arms. “We’ll just hang out together until you can meet your mommy when she’s awake. She’s going to love you so much. Well, she already loves you beyond words.”
“Do you have any news about my wife?” I ask the nurse who is still in the room, keeping an eye on us.
“Let me check, and I’ll get back to you,” she says, leaving the room.
Just then, my parents, Luca and Aldo, step quietly into the room. They walk over to where I’m sitting, and my mom's eyes fill with tears, which make tears leak from mine.
“She’s so beautiful,” my mother whispers.
“She is,” I tell her, pride filling my voice.
“She’s perfect,” Luca says, tears in his eyes as well. The nurse walks back into the room.
“Your wife is being cleaned up now, and once that’s done, she’ll be moved to her own room, and then once we get her settled there, we can move you and the baby to her room. She’s not awake yet, but she should be soon, though she will be a bit groggy for a while.”
“Thank you,” I tell her, grateful for the update. She leaves the room, and everyone around me continues to fawn over my baby girl. The moment is perfect, and I just wish I could have shared it all with my wife right now.