Spring
Lincoln pulled up to the front of the women’s hospital, screeching to a stop and running around to the other side to open Charity’s door. Shanice was already there with a wheelchair, Will standing nervously beside her.
“How many laws did you break to get here this fast?” she asked Shanice, who shrugged even as Will looked like he might faint from stress.
“We probably don’t want to know,” Lincoln said, scooping Charity up and setting her into the wheelchair.
“You know I can walk, right?” Charity said calmly. “My water broke. I’m not in any pain or anything.”
“Yes,” Shanice offered.
Charity shrugged, closing her eyes when another contraction hit and breathing out slowly to help with the pain. She gripped the handles tight while Shanice raced through the doors and down the hall until a nurse saw them and took charge.
Charity was relieved.
By the time the room was set and Lincoln had signed her in and found her room, the pain was growing, and she was no longer feeling calm. The doctor came in, and Charity fully expected her to tell them it would be a few hours and ask her about an epidural.
When the doctor looked up and put her mask on, Charity almost panicked.
“Are you ready to have a baby?” she asked cheerily.
“Already?” Charity and Lincoln said in unison.
The doctor laughed.
“First time I’ve heard that,” she said. “You’re ready now. Let’s have a baby.”
Charity looked at Lincoln, grabbing his hand tight as pain ripped through her.
“I wanted an epidural,” she said.
“Too late for that,” the doctor said, her voice calm. “It’s showtime.”
Charity focused on Lincoln, following the doctor’s instructions and doing her best not to panic as one painful contraction after another rocked her body. Then there was a sudden relief, and the room went silent as the doctor and nurses worked on the baby, and everyone held their breath waiting for the first cry.
There was a tentative wail, followed by a louder one and a cheer from the nurses. Lincoln and Charity stared at the baby, and when the doctor spoke again, she burst into tears.
“It’s a girl!” the doctor said just as the nurses put the baby on her chest and covered her with a tiny little pink blanket.
Charity stared down at the little girl, tears falling down her cheeks as the baby nuzzled against her skin, her scent already familiar to the newborn. Lincoln reached out, cupping the back of the baby’s head tenderly, his own eyes shimmering with tears.
Charity didn’t even notice the nurses and the doctor as they sneaked out of the room to give them a moment alone. She was so lost in the moment that nothing would have taken her focus from their little family.
“She’s beautiful,” Lincoln said in awe. “Just like her mother.”
“I hope she has your sense of adventure,” Charity said.
“She will,” he said with pride. “I already ordered a baby backpack for hiking.”
She laughed.
“You did?”
“I did. I hid it in the garage, along with all the other stuff I ordered that we probably don’t need.” He shrugged. “I couldn’t help it, she’s my first.”
“First?” Charity asked.
He only smiled and kissed her cheek, then rubbed the baby’s cheek with one finger. His touch coaxed a sweet smile from the newborn.
Charity shook her head in awe.
“You’re going to be an amazing father.”
“And you’re already an amazing mother,” Lincoln said. “She’s so content she fell asleep.”
“I can’t believe we have a daughter.”
“Believe it. We really are that lucky, but she’s going to need a name.”
Charity nodded and looked down at the tiny, innocent face and thought about everything they’d been through since she’d first been conceived. Then she turned to Lincoln and smiled.
“Hope,” she said. “We should name her Hope.”
Lincoln kissed the top of Charity’s head, then gently kissed the baby’s head, careful not to wake her up.
“Hope,” he said, trying the name out and smiling. “You’re right. It’s the perfect name.”
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