Chapter 42
I got to meet Amélie’s grandmother, a wonderful lady—her whole family and friends are, actually. They stayed a while longer. Arianna helped Amy take a shower and put on warm, clean clothes. I said I’d stay with her, so everyone said their goodbyes and left, promising to come back the next day.
“Are you okay? Is there anything I can do for you?”
“I’m fine, just tired.”
“Then rest. I’ll be right here by your side, and no one’s coming in without my permission.”
“Owen, thank you.”
“I love you, Amy. I’d give my life for you if I had to. Now close your eyes and try to sleep.”
I hear a knock at the door and tell them to come in. Ellie walks in with her mom—I’d let them know I was at the hospital with Amy.
“Auntie Li, I missed you so much.”
“Hi, my beautiful girl. I missed you too.”
“Mommy said my little brother is here.”
“Yes, my love, he’s here in my belly, but he’ll be born soon.”
“I wanna play lots with him,” Ellie says, running her hand over Amy’s belly.
Minutes later, they leave. Everything’s calmer now, and she can rest.
I cover her up. She settles into the bed, and minutes later she falls asleep with her hand clutching mine. I stay there watching her—God, how I’d missed that touch, her skin. I’m caressing her face when someone knocks on the door, and I see her doctor come in with a nurse.
“How is she?”
“She just fell asleep. The back pain seems to have passed.”
“This will be her nurse, as you requested. She’ll come to check her blood pressure and do the cardiotocography to monitor the baby’s heartbeat. The hospital has my number, but if you need to reach me, here’s my card.” He hands me one, and I give him one with my personal number.
“This is my personal number. Thank you, doctor.”
“I’ll stop by tomorrow to see how she does tonight.”
They leave and we’re alone again. Amy keeps sleeping. I rest my head on the armchair without letting go of her hand and drift off to sleep. I hadn’t slept or eaten in two days, but I couldn’t leave her alone.
I jolt awake to a scream and see Amélie sitting up in bed, crying. I get up from the armchair, sit beside her, and pull her into my arms.
“Calm down, my love. It’s over. I’m here—no one can hurt you.”
She looks at me and hugs me. I caress her face. We stay like that for a long time, until she lifts her face and I look at her.
“Can you lie here with me? Please?”
“I’ll do whatever you want.”
I settle under the covers with her and hold her close. She lies on my chest. I’m careful with her arm—the one with the IV—and she falls asleep again. This time, we don’t wake up until the next morning, when dawn is already breaking. I get up, freshen up, and go check on her.
I text my security guard to bring me breakfast—I’m starving. When I come out of the bathroom, Amy is waking up.
“Good morning, my little one. How are you feeling today?”
“I’m fine. The pain medicine they gave me yesterday was great.”
“Do you want help getting to the bathroom? I already asked them to bring breakfast.”
“Yes, just help me get down from the bed.”
I help her, walking her to the bathroom door. My security guard knocks and comes in with some bags. I’m setting out the fruit, eggs, and juice for her when I see her coming out, and I rush over to help her.
“Come have your breakfast. I ordered fruit and eggs without much salt because of your blood pressure.”
“It’s perfect, thank you.”
I eat my breakfast while watching her eat hers. When she finishes, I carry her to the bed just as the nurse comes in.
“Good morning. Let’s check your blood pressure and do the cardiotocography.”
She starts, and I stay there watching as she does the exam and checks the blood pressure. I sense something’s off, but I don’t say anything—I don’t want to scare Amy. She finishes the exam and shows us that the baby’s heartbeat is strong, then says she’ll pass the results to the doctor.
“She made a face when she checked my blood pressure. Do you think it’s still high?”
“It’s probably nothing. Let’s wait for the doctor—he said he’d stop by today.”
“I’m not feeling anything, just some cramping low in my belly, but that’s normal.” I sit beside her and take her hand.
“Stay calm. Everything’s going to be fine. I’m right here.”
“Owen, I’m sorry for what I did. I know I was wrong, and for not telling you about the pregnancy too.”
“Don’t worry about that. It’s in the past—we both made mistakes. The only thing I want is to make you happy and be with you two and Ellie.”
“Let's get past all this first, then we'll talk.”
“Take your time, sweetheart. I don't want to pressure you.”
There's a knock at the door and the doctor enters, holding Amélie's chart and some test results.
“Amélie, your blood pressure went up a bit more, and your blood tests from yesterday came back slightly abnormal. I'd like to discuss whether we should do the delivery today.”
“What does that mean, doctor? The abnormal tests?”
“Her blood sugar increased, her immune response dropped, and her blood pressure went up. The best course of action would be to perform a C-section now, so we don't run into more risks down the line.”
“What do you think, Amy? Do you want to go ahead with the surgery?”
“If the doctor thinks it's best, then let's do it.”
“Have them prepare the operating room for me, Annabelle. They'll come get you in a bit.”
“Doctor, can I be present for the delivery? I want to be there with her.”
“If the patient agrees, that's fine.”
We look at Amélie and she nods. I need to let our family know the baby's coming. As soon as the doctor leaves, I hand her my phone.
“Call your family and friends to let them know.”
While we wait, her grandmother arrives with her father and two bags—I think they're hers and our son's. We talk until the nurses arrive. They ask everyone to leave except the support person. I promise to take care of her in there.
When we enter the operating room, I start getting nervous, but I can't let her see that. They have me sit near her head, and the surgery begins. Then I hear a cry—our son is born. The nurses clean him and bring him over for us to see. He's beautiful, chubby, and big.
I start crying, overwhelmed. My son and my wife are okay, and that's all that matters.
“He's beautiful, Amy. Thank you for giving me this wonderful gift.”
“He looks like you. Our Liam.”
I ask if she's okay. She nods, so I follow the nurses to see my son. They clean him again, weigh him, then wrap him in a blanket and hand him to me. While the doctor finishes up with Amy, I bring our baby back to her—now wearing a little cap and all cleaned up.
When they finish, we head back to the room.
They hook her up to blood pressure and heart rate monitors.
The nurses teach her how to breastfeed Liam properly, and he's been nursing for a few minutes now.
Once visitors are allowed in, everyone comes to see him.
They're all enchanted with our son, and I watch that wonderful scene—her feeding him.
We stayed two more days at the hospital, and as soon as they were discharged, I took her to her grandmother's house. I got them both settled, and I have to admit, I didn't want to leave. But I'd already been away from home for days and needed to see Ellie.
“Amy, I need to go home and see Ellie. I've been away for days. But I'll be back to see you both.”
“Bring Ellie to meet her brother.” She takes my hand. “And hey—don't take too long.”
“I promise I won't.” I lean in to kiss her forehead, but she lifts her head and our lips meet in a quick kiss. We smile at each other, and I leave the room, promising to be back as soon as I can.