Kane
The wait for Sparrow’s birth became bittersweet when the pregnancy took a turn for the worse. Although being in great shape, Zandra’s age got in the way of a healthy pregnancy. Put on bedrest in her sixth month, she had to endure the boredom and pain that comes along with forced confinement.
And her insatiable hunger for sex must be starved to death. No sex at all was allowed.
I tried to make things as nice for her as they could be, but it’s never fun or easy to lay in bed for two months. Two more months were all her body could take of being pregnant.
With only a month yet to go, Zandra went into early labor one stormy night. Calling in Aunt Nancy and Uncle James to babysit, I took my wife to the hospital.
We hoped for a normal vaginal delivery, but we were soon informed that the baby wasn’t doing well, and a cesarean would have to be done. The obstetrician-gynecologist strongly suggested that Zandra’s tubes be tied. Another pregnancy would be dangerous for her and the baby.
We were done having children. Four would be the number, and we prayed the youngest would make it through.
“I’ve lost the heartbeat,” came the nurse’s horrible words.
Panic filled Zandra’s face. “No!” She shook her head as she lay on the hospital bed. “No, she can’t do this. Get her out, guys!”
Nodding, I agreed, “Take the baby C-section. And do the tubal ligation afterward. I never want my wife to have to go through this again.”
Zandra closed her eyes, but a tear still slipped out. “We have four beautiful children. We can’t ask for more than that, can we?”
I kissed her forehead. “No, we can’t.”
The fact that it had been nearly a minute without hearing the baby’s heartbeat stuck in my head.
She’s got to make it!
Holding Zandra’s hand, I peered over the other side of the medical drape that stopped Zandra from seeing what was going on with her lower half. The doctor made a thin line with the scalpel at her bikini line. “Only a few seconds away, guys.”
Holding my breath, I waited to see what kind of position my youngest daughter had herself in that had stopped her heart from beating. The assistants pulled the tissue away and there lay my little girl, blue and unmoving. The umbilical cord wrapped around her neck told the whole story.
My knees threatened to give out, but Zandra’s voice pulled me all back together. “What’s going on, Kane?”
I had to put on a brave face. Smiling, I said, “She’s done a little dance number while in the womb. Give doc a sec.”
Meticulously, the doctor and her assistants took the baby out, unwrapping the cord as they went. Once it was completely unwound, the baby was placed on the upper part of Zandra’s stomach. “She can hear her heart from here,” the doctor told me.
Rubbing her tiny blue body with soft blankets, ridding it of the blood, I saw her chest rise and fall. “She took a breath,” I whispered.
Zandra squeezed my hand. “She’s out? Why isn’t she crying?”
“Just a minute, Zandy,” her doctor told her. “Give her a second.”
I watched Sparrow’s chest rise and fall a few more times, and then she let out a cry that had me laughing—and crying a bit myself. “Good girl!”
Zandra cried right along with us. “She’s okay!”
“She’s gorgeous, just like her mother,” I said before kissing Zandra’s parched lips.
“Is she really?” Zandra sniffled. “Blow my nose, babe.”
Taking a tissue, I wiped her eyes and blew her nose as the doctor got the baby wrapped up. Soon, he was handing her to us. “Here ya go.”
“Sparrow,” Zandra whispered. “You silly girl. You scared Mommy and Daddy. Don’t make a habit of this.”
“I have to agree, my darling baby.” I ran my hand over her tiny head. “Don’t make a habit of this.” I looked at our daughter as love flowed out of my heart for them both. “Her head’s so round and perfect. Much better than the other babies were.”
A nurse commented, “C-section babies usually don’t have the elongated head, due to not having to make that trip down the birth canal.” She reached out for our baby. “Can I have her now?”
Looking at Zandra who still held her, I thought about how hard it must be for her to hand her babies over even when she knew she was going to get them back. “Here. Be careful with her.” Zandra looked at Sparrow as I handed her over to the nurse. “She’s so perfect.”
“Yes, she is,” I had to agree. Looking into her gorgeous blue eyes, I found part of my world in them. “Our last little one. Our family is complete. I wonder what happens now.”
She closed her eyes, tired now. “We raise them. We watch them grow. We love them. And we never stop.”
“Good plan, Mrs. Price.” I kissed her lips once more. “You sleep. I’ll watch over our second little princess.”
“The way you watched over Fox for so many years,” she whispered. “I trust you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone. I always will, Kane.”
My heart hurt for a moment. The empathy I felt for her overwhelmed me at times—especially when we had our babies, when I knew she had to lean on that trust she so heavily relied upon in me.
The future lay ahead of us. Our children were all born, and life would be a little different from then on. Things would change. The next baby we would share would be our grandchild.
Me a grandpa?
I shook my head and laughed. Fox was only fifteen. I had a long time before grandparenthood would find me.
Right?
But the boy sure was a lot like me back in my day. Always looking at the pretty girls.
God, I hope I’ve got a long time before becoming a grandpa!
The End.