Epilogue 2
Alessia
“Blade! Get your ass up, it’s time to go. FU….CK!” Standing next to the bed, I place my hands on the edge. A cold sweat breaks out covering my skin, I put my head down and grab onto the side of the sheets, waiting for the strong, painful contraction to subside. “Motherfucker.”
Blade jumps up, ready for action, as soon as he realizes that I’m in labor pain and not from any outside threat. He climbs over the bed to get to me, “Alessia, what’s going on, we need to go to the hospital?” He lovingly runs his hands over my arms and face.
“I would think so being I’m dying from these damn contraction, Blade! I would say yes, we need to go to a god damn hospital, shithead,” I scream as I feel another one coming.
He pulls his hands back from my verbal slapping, and I can’t say that I feel too bad about it since my insides feel like they are ripping me apart. Kissing my forehead, he doesn’t say another word, handing me a sundress. He gets me into the Tahoe after one more contraction paralyzes my body.
It’s the middle of summer, I’m miserable and extra cranky in this goddamn 100 plus degree heat. I’m so hot. Rolling my window down helps me to cool and calm down a bit. His eyes betray his calm exterior, as they go from me to the road. He reaches for my hand and holds on to it all the way to the hospital, trying to take the pain away from me until we get there.
Once we are at the hospital, Blade’s stuck at the front desk giving them the insurance information, while a nurse wheels me into a room. She hands me a gown asking me if I can change into it by myself. I take it into the bathroom and I mechanically exchange the sundress for the hospital gown, when another contraction hits me. Kneeling on the floor, I try breathing through it. The cold tiles from the floor call to me.
Lying on the floor, not giving one fuck as to why but just because of need, I try absorbing as much of the cold as I can. Blade finds me there, and he bends to pick me up looking scared to death. “Alessia, are you okay, baby?”
Not waiting for me to answer, he rushes to place me on the bed, then turns to face the nurse who left me alone. “You let her change all by herself? While in labor? In a bathroom? She was on the floor. I do not want to see you in here again! Get another nurse in here!” The poor woman, looking terrified, turns to leave the room just as my Papa walks in, laughing.
“Mija, your Momma is here to take care of you. Looks like you’ll need it since Blade will scare all nurses away.” Papa kisses my forehead just as another contraction hits me. “Hang in there, baby girl.” My mom walks in the room and he turns to kiss her, then leaves, knowing it’s about to get real ugly up in here.
This one contraction lasts longer, feels stronger, and scares me with the intense pressure of need to push. This can’t be good.
Mom walks over with a washcloth and ice chips, handing Blade the cup and placing the cloth on my forehead. “You can do this, Alessia, I’m right here with you. I’m not leaving until I get to hold my grandbabies.”
“Momma, I need to push, it feels like I need to push. It hurts so bad,” I cry out to her, pleading with her to help me. Blade is at my other side, hovering by my head, unsure of what to say. He looks at my mom for guidance. “Oh shit, my water just broke!” A warm flood of water coats my legs.
Mom grabs a handful of towels and starts wiping my legs dry, placing a few more under me. “We got this, Alessia, rest in between contractions, okay?”
Blade takes my hand as the young female doctor walks into the room. “Hello, I’m Dr. Hill, I’ll be checking to see how far along you are. Can you place your feet up on the bed?”
Dr. Hill checks to see how far I’m dilated, a worried look passing her features. “Alessia, you’re going to be delivering these babies rather quickly. I’m going to set up, do not push until I tell you, okay?”
Nodding back at her I agree, “Okay.” Exhausted, I roll my head to touch Blade’s arm, then reach up to hold on to him. After a few more contractions and cries of agony, Dr. Hill is down by the foot of my bed.
She places my feet in the stirrups, scoots in closer and looks up at me. “Okay, momma, on this next contraction, I want you to push with everything you have, every time. Dad and Grandma, can you two grab her legs and push them up to her chest when she’s ready?
∞ ∞ ∞
Blade
Alessia screams, sweat running down her forehead and neck. I’m so proud of her. She’s in so much pain. It’s killing me to watch her go through this. Holding her leg back, the trembles of her muscles weaken me to my core. I rub my hands over her legs when the contraction passes.
Tears streak down her face, she was too far dilated to have an epidural, but she’s hanging in there. “Blade, I’m so tired, I feel so tired.”
Wiping her tears away, I try to bring her comfort. “You can do this, baby, you are going to bring these babies out into the world. Then you get to sleep, and drink coffee again.” She gives me a weak smile, then closes her eyes.
Her body tenses and she sits up to push again, while Cindy and I encourage her to keep going. Then my son’s head appears, followed by the rest of his body, and my world stops for a second. I snap out of it and tell Alessia, unable to stop my own happiness, “You did it, baby! Cortez is here, he’s here, baby. You can do this one more time, one more time, little momma!”
Dr. Hill hands me the scissors to cut the cord, resting the baby on Alessia’s chest. Cindy and my Mom, who I didn’t even see coming in, are helping to clean a wailing Cortez. Both grandmas are wiping tears from their eyes. I lean down and kiss my beautiful wife and momma to my babies. Eventually, the nurse takes him to look him over and clean him up better.
Alessia’s body gears back up as a new contraction hits. Cindy comes rushing back over to take her leg. With some more encouragement from us to keep going, by 3:43am, Easton Johnson is born. Alessia starts bawling, “We did it, Blade, our baby boys are here!”
I smile back at her and hand her the pair of scissors. “Yeah, Alessia, Cortez and Easton are here. Now cut the cord.”
She grabs them and starts cutting Easton’s cord, laughing and crying at the bawling baby in her arms, cuddling him to her chest. Cindy walks over carrying a sleeping Cortez and handing him to me. Moisture hits my eyes at the sight of my boys