Chapter Twenty-Four
Damien
“I take it back. I take it back. I take it back,” I hollered. “I can’t do this. I can’t have a baby. I need a whiskey. I want to start smoking. Make it stop!” I crescendoed up to a scream as the contraction took full hold.
“You’re doing so great, baby,” Rory said. “You can do this. It’s almost time.”
“You’ve been saying that for the last five hours, Rory. I’ve been in labor for seventeen hours, and I quit. I’m not doing this anymore.”
“You have to keep going. The baby needs you. You’re strong enough,” he said and wiped my forehead with a cool, wet cloth.
Basil and Terrance had been in and out, but Rory had been at my side the entire time. He’d only left twice in the last seventeen hours to go to the restroom. The nurses felt so bad for him that they’d started bringing him drinks so he didn’t pass out from dehydration. They said they’d never seen a more devoted father.
I got a little pissed that they felt bad for him. I was the one in earth-shattering pain who had to pass a baby out of my body, but poor Rory might get dehydrated.
Then, I got over it. They were right. He was no good to me and the baby if he passed out from dehydration. I tried to convince him to eat something too but he said he wouldn’t do that in front of me. We all eat together is what he said.
Terrance and Rory had shared a handshake and a hearty hug. The fight was all under the bridge, and Rory had purchased a very expensive bottle of very old scotch for Terry. They’d become friends, and Terry had even hired Rory to train him in fighting techniques.
Basil’s schedule didn’t permit her to meet Rory until she walked into my hospital room, but she’d taken to him right away too. Everyone took to Rory that way. He was as sweet and wholesome as apple pie but my mate somehow managed to pull it off without being annoying.
Like while I was giving birth to our child and screaming at him that I didn’t want to do it anymore, and Rory stayed steadfast and supportive. He patted a wet cloth on my forehead and fed me ice chips.
About the time that I realized natural childbirth was a mistake, the doctor announced that it was too late for me to get an epidural. Rory held my hand and rubbed my back as I paced around the room. The pain was too great for me to even sit down.
He was right, though. It was almost time. The doctor was in the room waiting through a couple of contractions, and then he said it would be time to push.
The pushing part is all a blur. I know a couple of times the doctor got a very worried expression on his face and a nurse scuttled out of the room, but in the end, I was able to deliver our baby without drugs and without needing a C-section. I’d heard him mention it twice.
Isabella came into the world screaming like a banshee, and I have never heard a more beautiful sound in my life. I’d had a few complications during the pregnancy, and I was constantly afraid that something would go wrong. People told me I was crazy to go for natural childbirth, but I was in the hospital. Rory assured me that he supported my decision and that we could change our minds if something went wrong.
Everyone was crying as little Isabella came into the world, and my heart soared as the nurse placed her on my chest.
“This is the happiest and most alive I’ve ever felt,” Rory said as he kissed me and then our daughter.
I felt the same way. Nothing I’d ever experienced before could compare to the feeling of my baby girl pressed against my chest. When I fed her the first time, I knew a bond that was even closer than the one I shared with Rory. I was glad I had such a good, strong man to protect and guide us through life.
It’s scary thinking about how much you have to live up to when you are a daddy, but I knew Rory would always keep us warm and loved. Even when I screwed up, Isabella’s father would be there to be our rock.
I hadn’t lived the best life up until that moment but I knew I would be the best version of myself that I could be going forward. We had enough money so I’d work less and spend more time with my mate and daughter.
But I was still committed to making the world a better place for her. Raoult Industries would bring no more death and suffering into the world for money. It would be a company that I would be proud to pass on to Isabella someday.
I just had to hope that it was enough.