CHAPTER ELEVEN #2
Emmett gets me checked in and we’re led back to a room by a nurse I haven’t met before, who introduces herself as Margarita and says she just got on shift and will be here for the next twelve hours for anything I might need.
She hands me the lovely hospital gown I have to change into.
I must not hide my displeasure about said gown because Margarita chuckles and gives me a little hope.
“Doctor Schultz usually lets her patients change into their own nightgowns once they’re out of recovery and alert.
She feels that being comfortable helps go a long way to recovery faster. ” I knew I liked Doctor Schultz.
As Margarita leaves my room, she lets me know that Doctor Hargrave should be in shortly to check in with me and go over the surgery plan again.
Once she’s gone, I waddle over to the love of my life, who is unpacking some of the things from the bag.
I know he’s focused on unpacking because he doesn’t have anything else he feels he can do for me right now.
I touch his arm. “Hey.” Emmett pauses with a blanket in his hand.
“Whatcha need, sweetheart?” I take the blanket out of his hands and set it down on the chair next to me.
“I need a hug from my husband and maybe help me get this super fashionable hospital gown on.”
Emmett
I immediately pull Kinsley in for a hug.
I swear she knows I need that. I’ll admit that I’m not good with feeling like I’m helpless, and in this situation, I am.
I mean, I can sit next to her and be her strength and pray for the outcome we want, but I can’t take the pain she’s about to have away for her.
Feeling Kinsley in my arms always calms me.
Feeling our little girl one last time focuses my mind on the fact that, in just a short time, our little girl will be here.
Ten minutes later, Doctor Hargrave comes in with Doctor Schultz. “Morning, you two. Are we ready to meet your little girl here shortly?” I nod and squeeze Kinsley’s hand as she speaks up. “Yeah, I am.”
Doctor Hargrave advises that in a few minutes, they are going to take Kinsley back, and a nurse will bring me scrubs to change into.
The doctor looks at me. “You are gonna be able to be up by Kinsley’s head for your baby’s birth.
Then, once she’s born, Dad, you are going to go with your little one.
At that point, Doctor Schultz is going to take over as lead. ”
Doctor Schultz nods at both of us in greeting.
“Our plan is the same as we talked about the other day. As soon as your little one is out safely, we are going to remove the mass and the ovary it’s surrounding.
I am going to take the time to get the entire mass.
Once we are confident we have it out, then we will close you up and get you into recovery so you can see your baby as soon as possible.
I will get the mass to pathology as soon as we remove it so we can find out the results as quickly as possible. ”
Kinsley looks at me as she squeezes my hand. “Let’s get this show on the road. I’m ready to meet our little girl.” I nod. “Time to meet her.” I look back over to the doctors, who both smile and tell us a nurse will be in shortly to take Kinsley back to be prepped for surgery.
As soon as the doctors leave the room, Kinsley pulls on my hand.
I look back at her and she gestures for me to come closer.
I stand up and lean into her. She pulls and touches our foreheads together.
She lets out a nervous sigh. “I was doing some reading, and I want you to hold our little girl as soon as they let you. I want you to take your shirt off and hold her so she’s got skin-on-skin contact.
They say that’s super important and since…
since I won’t be able to for at least a few hours, I want you to do it so she’s not missing out on that, okay?
” I nod and wait because I can tell my woman has more to say.
“I want you to tell our family her name and give them all her details. If…if she is ready to go home before me…I want you to take her home. I—” I interrupt her and look her in the eyes.
“We talked about this. You will be going home when the doctors think you will. I will tell our family and hold her, but we will be taking home our little girl together, as a family. I’m positive about that, sweetheart.
” I continue talking because letting my woman sit in silence will only give her time to let doubts and fears run through her mind.
“Just think, when you get out of surgery, we’re no longer going to be a family of three but a family of four.
You know Booker is so excited to be a big brother.
” She chuckles. “Yeah, even though he’s not getting a brother, when you explained about being a big brother to a girl, he seemed to think it was alright, though still not as good. ”
A knock on the door interrupts our conversation, but before I stand up, I give Kinsley another kiss for luck.
Time to meet our little girl and get my wife safely out of surgery.
The door opens, and none other than Darius comes into the room with a flair.
I’m not sure that man knows how to enter a room any other way.
“Morning, my beautiful people! Who’s ready to get this show on the road and have your little girl arrive to start celebrating her birthday?
” Kinsley laughs at Darius but nods her head in answer.
“Well, you, my dear, are going to go with me so we can get everything set up and get the anesthesiologist to give you the good stuff. Mister tall, dark, and handsome over here is going to have to wait here. Nurse Margarita is bringing you some scrubs to change into.” He starts pushing the gurney Kinsley is on out of the room, but she speaks up.
“Wait! Emmett…” I move over to her and lean down and give her a kiss filled with all the love I have for her.
I break the kiss, looking at her and whisper, “You’ve got this.
I’ll be in there as fast as they let me.
” She nods and tells Darius he can continue.
I watch my world leave the room. As soon as she is out of sight, the nurse we met earlier pops in and hands me scrubs.
“Come out to our station when you’re ready, and I’ll take you to your wife.
I nod and head to the bathroom to change. Time to get this show on the road.
The last two hours of my life have, at the same time, been the shortest and the longest hours of my life.
Within a few minutes of my being brought into the operating room, Doctor Hargrave was telling us our girl was about to come out.
Hearing her little cry—well, that had me tearing up as much as I did when Booker was born.
They held her over the curtain so we could see her.
Kinsley was a little out of it, but she still had tears when she caught sight of our little girl.
As soon as they got our little girl wrapped up, they brought her back over so Kinsley could see her up close and give her a kiss.
I was quickly escorted out of the room and followed the nurses to the nursery with our little bundle of joy.
As soon as they cleaned her up and did all the tests and such they needed to do, I sat down in a rocker after taking my shirt off, and I held our little miracle.
I don’t know how long I sat there, slowly rocking with her in my arms, but I knew the second she was placed in my arms that I would move heaven and earth for her.
I felt similar when they put Booker in my arms that first time, but somehow this was different.
Maybe because I also knew I would protect her against anything and everything.
Having that thought made me realize I now understood Grant’s initial reaction to finding out about me.
She’s only an hour old, and I already know that there is no man on earth who’s gonna be good enough for her.
Once she was fed and had fallen back to sleep, the nurse suggested I let my family know.
As she takes her, Margarita informs me, “You two have a great amount of support because that waiting room is overflowing with anxious people. There’s more pacing going on in there than I’ve seen in the fourth quarter of a Seahawks game.
” She told me that the bracelet on my wrist, which she attached earlier, would get me back in this room again when I wanted to come back.
Before I can even open my mouth to ask about Kinsley, Margarita continues, showing just how in control of things she really is.
“I checked on your wife before I came in here. It sounds like they are just finishing up things and will be closing her and taking her to recovery shortly. It will still be some time before she comes out of anesthesia. So you go, give your family the good news. You can even have some of them come down and see their newest addition through the window in the nursery. The doctors will come find you to update you as soon as they can.”
I thank her and head out to the waiting room.
I know we have people waiting, but I think that nurse might be embellishing just a bit.
I push open the door, and fuck me, she wasn’t exaggerating.
There isn’t an empty seat to be had. Grant and Dad are both pacing and only stop when the door closes behind me.
Mom sees me, jumps up from her chair, and scurries over to me.
“Well? Is there news? Is my new grandbaby here? How is my girl?”
I look around the room, and I think every person in our family is here. I never imagined I’d marry into a family that loves as fiercely as mine, but once again, I’ve been proven just how wrong my thinking was.