CHAPTER 28
Gentry
T hirteen days before the baby’s due date Ainsleigh woke me in the middle of the night. She’d been moaning in her sleep for the past hour, but here recently she’d been so uncomfortable no matter how she laid down that I thought nothing of it.
“Gentry,” she said as she shook me out of my half-asleep state.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, bringing my hands to my face to rub the sleepiness from my eyes. Instantly, I went on alert.
“I think the baby’s coming,” she said as she let out another moan, this one louder than the rest.
“Just breathe,” I replied as I crossed the bed and placed my legs on either side of her. My hands went to her shoulders and began to rub them to keep her calm and focused.
“That’s it, baby. Breathe through it,” I said in a whispered tone.
Her eyes were shut as she took a breath in through her nose and out through her mouth.
She lifted her head and turned to look around at me.
“You’re good at that, you know. If I wasn’t in pain, I’d be back to sleep in no time.”
“We’re going to get you through this. I looked at the clock so let me know when your next contraction hits, and I’ll keep tabs on timing them. We should get to the hospital, though. This little one was supposed to wait until next week when your cesarean was scheduled, but it looks like this baby has other plans.”
I stopped rubbing her shoulders, and she groaned when I got up from behind her and walked to the closet where her bag was at ready to go.
“Another one?” I questioned, stopping in my tracks.
“No. You stopped rubbing,” she joked. At least she wasn’t in so much pain that she’d stopped with her humor.
I grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweater from the closet along with her bag and came back into the room. Quickly, I pulled out a pair of my sweats and one of my shirts for her. She’d grown accustomed to wearing my clothes in the past two weeks since they were more comfortable than her maternity ones. She was still sitting up which was a good sign that another contraction hadn’t began.
I dressed as quickly as I could and rushed around to the side of the bed where she was at to help her up so I could get her dressed as well. She’d grown in the past two months, but was so glad she hadn’t gained more than ten pounds. She was literally all belly with this baby.
Carefully, I placed my hands under her arms and lifted her from her sitting position on the bed.
A gush of water landed on the floor, puddled around my feet.
“Oh my God! My water just broke,” she screamed. Instead of worrying or panicking, she burst into tears.
“It’s okay, beautiful. Why are you crying?” I pulled her into me and held her to try to comfort her.
“My water broke all over your feet. You’re going to hate me for that,” she muttered between her sobs.
“It’s just water. And even if it wasn’t, it’s okay. We’ll get you and the floor cleaned up and then we’ll go to the hospital.” I tried to reassure her, but I doubted she was hearing me.
“Okay,” she replied as she hiccupped through her sobs.
I walked her into the bathroom and wet a washcloth with warm water and stripped her out of her shirt and panties. I wiped her down with the washcloth as she started to breathe deeply.
“You okay?” I asked as I threw the washcloth in the hamper and looked up at her.
“Another one’s coming,” she grunted as she gripped onto my shoulder to get through the pain.
“Breathe through it, baby,” I said as I rubbed my hands up and down her legs. I checked my watch and realized the contractions were seven minutes apart. We still had a thirty-minute drive to the hospital on snow-covered roads.
The contraction ended, and her grip on my shoulder faded. I’d probably have bruises there tomorrow, but getting her through this was all that mattered. I’d take the bruises any day of the week if that meant we got to hold a healthy, beautiful baby in our arms.
“I’m going to go in the bedroom and grab your clothes. Don’t try to move,” I told her as I kissed the top of her head and rushed into the other room. I grabbed the sweats and shirt from on top of her bag and another pair of panties for her from her dresser and ran back into the bathroom.
“I can’t believe the baby is coming. And that you have to dress me.”
“He or she knows how to make an appearance, that’s for sure. And I’d dress you any day of the week. It’s no chore, believe me,” I replied as I pulled the panties and sweats up her thighs. She balanced herself on my shoulders as I finished pulling them the rest of the way up. She grabbed the shirt from me and put it on then quickly sat down to steady herself, wincing in intense pain.
“You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be. We still need to clean up the floor,” she said on a deep breath.
“I’ll wake Aspen and Dylan up. They’ll clean the floor,” I told her. We didn’t have much more time to waste. I didn’t want anything to go wrong, but I refused to show my worry over the situation.
I walked her out of the room and down the hall, and stopped at Aspen and Dylan’s door. I knocked a few times to get them to wake up. I knew they’d hate getting up this early, but they’d love the reason.
A sleepy Dylan opened the door just as I was about to knock again.
“What’s up?”
“It’s time.”
“Huh?”
“The baby is coming. We’ve got to get to the hospital. Her water just broke. Can you and Aspen clean up the floor while I get her in the truck and to the hospital.”
“Yeah, of course. We’ll get ready and do that then head that way too. Be careful. It’s icy out.”
“We’ll be okay. I’ll text you when she’s settled into a room,” I told him and then walked her into the living room.
After I got both of our coats, socks, and shoes on, I grabbed her bag and we started for my truck.
“Take the Jeep. It’s safer,” she groaned as another contraction started. I rummaged through the front of her bag for those keys and walked us both over to the Jeep.
Once she was safely inside and through her contraction, I rushed around the front and got into the driver’s side.
“We’re having a baby, beautiful. Just breathe and we’ll be there as soon as I can get us there,” I told her as I started the Jeep and waited for it to warm.
A few minutes passed and the windows were all clear, but another contraction came. Damn… they were now five minutes apart. I couldn’t speed in these conditions. This baby needed to stay in until we could make it there.
“You’ve got this, Ainsleigh. Just grab my hand, squeeze, and breathe through it,” I told her as I backed up and went down the driveway.
Her pain got worse the closer we got to the hospital. There were several times I told her I’d pull over, but she refused to let me. The roads were slick and a few times we started to slide, but I managed to keep us on the road. It was like there was some presence with us making sure we were safe and able to make it there in one piece.
The thirty-minute drive ended up taking an hour, but I pulled into the hospital emergency room zone with both of us safe and sound.
“I’ll be right back, beautiful. I’m going to go get us some help,” I told her before I opened the door and let the cold inside.
“My wife is outside in our Jeep. She’s in labor,” I told the woman at the front desk who rushed to take action. In no time at all, two nurses and a doctor appeared with a wheelchair in tow. I raced out the automatic doors and opened the door of the vehicle to see Ainsleigh with her hands on her stomach battling another contraction.
“Help is here, baby,” I told her as I let them help her into the wheelchair.
“We’re taking her straight up to the maternity ward. Once you’ve parked come up to the seventh floor, and they’ll buzz you inside,” the doctor told me as a nurse pushed my life into the hospital.
I parked the Jeep in a nearby parking spot and grabbed her bag before I raced inside. I almost ran into the automatic doors when they didn’t open fast enough.
Thankfully the elevator door opened just as I reached it. I ran inside and pushed the seven button several times willing the doors to close. It felt like the seconds were hours before the elevator stopped on the floor where Ainsleigh awaited my return.
I walked up to the double doors and pushed the button for the intercom system and waited.
“How can I help you?”
“My wife was just brought up in labor.”
The door buzzed then slowly opened to allow me to enter.
A nurse met me at the door and showed me the way to my wife.
She’d been dressed in a gown, and another nurse assisted her in getting into the bed.
“The doctor will be in to check her in a moment,” she said as she placed a blanket over top of Ainsleigh’s legs.
“Thank you,” I told the nice lady before she left the room.
I sat down in the chair beside the bed and moved it as close to her as I could.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m okay right now. I feel another one coming though, so I’m trying to stay calm,” she said. Her breathing picked up, and I held out my hand which she instantly grabbed and squeezed. Hard. I didn’t even flinch with the pain. She was in far greater pain than I was, and I’d take it away from her a hundred times over if I could.
“You’re doing so good, baby. Keep breathing. It’s almost over,” I reassured her as I took my other hand and rubbed the top of her head. Rubbing her hair always soothed her.
“Another one down,” I whispered as I picked up a towel left on the bed and wiped the sweat off her forehead.
“Several hundred more to go.”
“You’ve got this. Just think of the end result. We’ll get to finally find out what the sex is and meet our little boy or girl.”
“You still want a little girl?”
“I want a healthy baby. Boy or girl. Doesn’t matter.”
“That’s what I want too. More than anything,” she said as she looked away from me. I knew this was hard on her. I knew she was thinking about Arabella. I was too. She was never far from my thoughts. But today she was at the forefront of our minds. The little girl we lost. The little girl who should’ve grown and had a chance at being a big sister.
“How is everything this morning?” someone asked from the door of the room before he entered.
Turning, I saw a young man in scrubs and a white coat enter the room. He pulled on blue gloves as he approached and stood front of the bed.
“Where’s my doctor?” Ainsleigh asked as she tried to sit up in the bed.
“Unfortunately, she’s two hours away and unable to make it back here. I’m Dr. Young, and I’ll be taking care of you and getting this beautiful baby into the world,” he greeted us both. Worry covered Ainsleigh’s features as another contraction started, and she breathed through it.
I took my eyes off of the young man and turned my attention rightfully back to my wife.
“We’re going to get him or her home before we know it, baby. Just keep taking deep breaths in and blowing them out. You’re doing great.”
“I’d be even better if I could get drugs. This fucking hurts,” she screamed as she gripped my hand tighter than she had with the prior contraction.
“I’m sorry for screaming,” she said as the contraction died down.
“You’re doing great. I’m going to check your progress, and we’ll see about getting those drugs,” Dr. Young said as he lifted the blankets. I hated that he had to touch my wife, but it was a means to an end. I loved her regular doctor. She made me feel comfortable around her. This man, I didn’t know what to think about him. He looked way too young.
“Well, I’ve got some good news and some bad news,” he said as he took off the gloves and tossed them in the container.
Ainsleigh’s breath caught in her throat. This man didn’t know our history. He wouldn’t know that saying that wouldn’t be funny.
“The good news is you’re making amazing progress. The bad news is I can’t give you any drugs. You’re eight centimeters already and completely effaced. This baby will be here in no time at all,” he said as he stood from the bed.
“She had a cesarean section with our little girl. Can she give birth to this baby naturally after having a cesarean? I don’t want to risk anything,” I asked, concerned for both of their well-being’s.
“I got a brief history from her doctor. I don’t see a cause for concern. Several mothers have natural births after a cesarean section. Everything looks amazing, and the baby isn’t in distress. I’m sorry for the loss of your little girl. I didn’t realize what I said would cause you worry until after I said it. The baby’s heart rate, as well as the mother’s, is great. We should be meeting your little boy or girl in no time,” he said before he left the room.
I finally felt like I could breathe a little better hearing him say that.
“How are you feeling after what he just said?” I asked Ainsleigh while I rubbed my thumb across her knuckles.
“I hate that I can’t get drugs. I don’t think I can do this without them,” she admitted.
“Look at me, beautiful.”
I waited until she turned her head toward me. Tears filled her eyes to the brim, but she hadn’t let them fall.
“You’re doing amazing. You’re one of the strongest women I know. You don’t need the drugs to get through this. You’re going to do just fine without them. I’m right here. Scream at me, grip my hand; hell, hit me if it helps. We’re in this together, and I’m going to be right by your side the entire time.”
“You’re too good to be true. I love you.”
“And I love you.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket and I realized I’d never texted Aspen or Dylan to let them know we’d arrived safely.
Dylan: We just got here. Roads were bad. I see the Jeep. Is she doing okay?
Me: Sorry I didn’t text you. She’s doing amazing. Baby is great. Baby should be here soon we hope.
Dylan: We’re in the waiting room on the seventh floor. Her mom and dad rode over with us. Her brothers shouldn’t be too far behind. Let us know when the little bundle arrives. Give her all of our love.
Me: Will do.
“Who was that?”
“Dylan. I forgot to tell him when we got here. Aspen, Dylan, and your parents are in the waiting room. Your brothers are on their way.”
“I don’t want anyone back here. I need to stay focused.”
“They know, baby. They send their love.”
For the next two hours, I watched in amazement as she breathed through every contraction and never broke down. I could tell the labor was wearing on her, but she pushed through it. She didn’t complain or even scream at me again. With each and every contraction she gripped my hand, and I whispered words of encouragement and everything I could imagine us teaching our little one. Those words seemed to get her through every one.
“I think I need to push,” she said, and at that moment I went into a panic. The doctor wasn’t here. Frantically, I pushed the call button on the side of her bed as I held her hand and told her to stay calm. If only I could take my own advice.
“This is Nurse Betty. Is everything okay?”
“She’s feeling like she has to push,” I screamed into the arm of the bed.
A couple of minutes later, the room filled with two nurses and the doctor, who’d exchanged his lab coat for blue covers for his clothing and shoes.
“Who’s ready to have a baby?”
We both nodded in agreement as the bed was broken down, and he did a final check on her.
“I can see the baby’s head. On the next contraction I want you to push until we count to ten. We’re going to try to get three of those in each time.”
The next contraction hit a minute or so later, and the nurse held one of Ainsleigh’s legs back while I held the other, and we all counted to ten as she pushed with all of her might.
Six pushes later at a little after six in the morning our baby was born.
February 1, 2018 our little miracle came into this world.
We both waited with bated breath until the doctor placed the baby on Ainsleigh’s stomach.
“It’s a girl,” he announced as the nurses cleaned out her mouth.
A few seconds later, the most precious sound filled the room.
Her first cry.
Ainsleigh and I both cried tears of joy as we watched in amazement as she moved her little arms and legs around.
“You did so good, Ainsleigh. She’s gorgeous.”
She looked just like her momma. A headful of hair and big round eyes. She blinked several times as she took in the world around her.
We had a little girl. A beautiful, precious little girl. Who hadn’t stopped wailing since the moment she was born. I’d take every cry she let out as long as she was here with us.
The nurse took our daughter and weighed her then cleaned her up while the doctor finished taking care of Ainsleigh. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the baby we’d created.
The doctor talked to Ainsleigh, but I didn’t really hear what he had said. I could only hear our daughter’s beautiful cries.
“Six pounds, nine ounces. Nineteen inches long. She’s perfect,” the nurse said as she wrapped her up and placed her in my arms. Feeling her there for the first time brought more tears to my eyes.
“You mean the world to your momma and me. I’m so glad we finally got to meet you, beautiful girl,” I whispered to her as I carefully bounced her up and down. Her cries subsided as she looked up at me, taking in my every word.
“You’re just as good with her as I knew you would be,” Ainsleigh said from the bed beside me. The doctor had finished with her and had placed a cover over her legs.
“Thank you. I never thought this day would get here. But now that it has, I feel like I need to put her in a bubble to protect her from everything,” I told her with a laugh.
“She’s going to be just fine. There are enough people in the waiting room along with us who will protect her.”
“Should I go put them out of their misery or keep them waiting?” I asked her as I kissed our daughter’s forehead and placed her in Ainsleigh’s arms.
“Hi there, sweet girl,” she whispered as she took the top of her gown off and placed her on her head right above her chest. The baby started to root around, and we both laughed when she found what she was looking for and latched on.
“She’s going to be a pro before long,” I told Ainsleigh as I watched in awe of her feeding our daughter. There wasn’t a more beautiful sight in the world.
“I think I know what her name should be,” Ainsleigh said as she rubbed the top of her head.
“The first, second, or third name?” I knew what my choice would be, but I wanted to see if we agreed on the name before I told her mine.
“The first. I think it suits her perfectly.”
We were on the same page. She looked just like the name we’d chosen, and I couldn’t wait to tell everyone.
“I also know who I want to be her godparents.”
I thought that choice was obvious.
Dylan and Aspen.
“I want Holden and Aspen to be her godparents.”
I could only smile. I knew why she’d chosen her brother. She wanted him to feel like he had a bigger role in her life than just an uncle. He’d been the most worried out of the three during her pregnancy. Especially toward the end.
“Can you go get the two of them please? I want them to meet her first.”
“I’ll be right back. Should I wait to tell the others?”
She nodded as she looked down at the now sleeping daughter in her arms.
“I’ll be right back.”
I walked out of the room and went in search for the waiting area Dylan had told me they were all in. Hopefully her brothers had all arrived by now.
I found them all huddled in chairs. Including her three brothers. Each one was bouncing their legs as they patiently waited for news. I cleared my throat causing them all to jump up from their chairs to greet me.
“How is Ainsleigh?” her mother asked.
“She’s perfect. The baby is perfect too. Holden and Aspen, can you come with me please?”
“Are you going to leave us all out here hanging?” Leo asked.
“This is what Ainsleigh wants. And what she wants right now, she gets. I’ll be right back to let you know everything. A few more minutes won’t kill you,” I said with a laugh as I took the two of them back to meet my daughter for the first time.
“Why does she want to see the two of us and not her parents?” Aspen asked as she wrapped her arms around her middle.
“You’ll see,” I told her, keeping the secret to myself.
We reached her door, and I knocked once letting her know we were back. I held the door open letting them enter and then closed it behind me.
They both turned to me before they walked the rest of the way inside.
Aspen gasped as she saw our daughter for the first time.
Holden stopped in his tracks as he took her in.
“Hi guys. I want you to come meet our daughter, Olivia Grace Parkhurst.”
They were the first to know what we had and to hear her name. We’d held out on revealing anything until we knew for sure what the baby’s sex was.
“She’s so tiny and perfect,” Aspen said as she walked over to get a closer look.
Holden didn’t move. He just kept his gaze on Olivia.
“You can go closer,” I told him as I patted him on the back.
“I can’t seem to make my body move,” he admitted.
“Come here, Holden,” his sister encouraged as she looked down at Olivia.
That seemed to snap him out of his thoughts since he immediately walked over to her side. Aspen walked over to the other side of the bed and leaned down to give Ainsleigh a hug.
“We wanted you two in here first for a reason,” Ainsleigh began.
“You both know how hard it was for Gentry and me when Arabella was born. Today is an amazing day. I couldn’t think of two better people to ask when it comes to taking care of her. Teaching her and loving her without question. You both are special to us, and I know that you’ll do right by her, no questions asked. Will you do us the honor of being this beautiful little girl’s godparents?”
“Yes,” they said in unison.
Ainsleigh picked up the sleeping angel and held her out to Holden. His hands shook, but he reached out and put the little girl in his arms.
“Hi there, miss Livvy. I’m your Uncle Holden. I’m going to spoil you rotten,” he said to her as he sat down in the chair and laid her on his legs. Carefully, he uncovered her and counted all of her fingers and toes. We let him check her over as she squirmed in his lap. He needed to make sure she was okay, and we let him.
“She’s beautiful,” he said as he bundled her up in her blanket and put her in his arms. We’d have trouble getting him to let her go. Especially now that he’d seen for himself that she was okay.
“I’ll go let the others know now. I think we’ve made them wait long enough. Do you need anything?” I asked Ainsleigh as I reached into the bag and grabbed the ‘It’s a girl’ cigars from the bag. I’d keep the boy ones for the future, just in case.
“Just some water,” she replied, and Aspen went into best friend mode and told me she’d get it for her.
I blew her a kiss and went back to the waiting room.
Everyone was pacing in the room which caused me to chuckle.
“Finally, man. I mean, what the hell? We’ve been waiting forever,” Brooks said as they walked toward me.
In reality, they’d only been waiting fifteen minutes.
“Mom and baby are doing great. I will warn you though, you’ll have to fight with Holden to hold her.”
“Her? It’s a girl,” Leo screamed as he, Brooks, and Dylan jumped up and down.
“It’s a girl,” I said as I tossed out the cigars to everyone.
“Congratulations. You both deserve this so much,” Lillian said as she and Sawyer pulled me in for a hug.
“Once Ainsleigh gets into a room and gets some rest, you guys can come back and meet her. She’s exhausted, even if she won’t let me know.”
“What did you guys decided to name her?” Leo asked.
“Olivia Grace Parkhurst,” I announced.
“That’s beautiful. Why did Ainsleigh want Holden and Aspen?” Lillian asked.
“Now don’t get all emotional, but she wanted them to meet her first and ask them to be Olivia’s godparents.”
All of them gasped and looks of understanding passed along their features.
“Good for them,” Brooks said as he came in and gave me a hug.
“We’ll all get out of your hair and come back this afternoon. Tell Holden and Aspen we’re about to leave so they can join us,” Sawyer said with a pat on my back.
Aspen kissed Ainsleigh on the cheek and Olivia on top of her head before she said goodbye. Holden still held her in his arms when I returned to the room. He, however, was reluctant to leave.
“It’s okay, Holden. They should be moving me into my room soon, and then I’m going to get some rest. Go home. Take a nap. And you can come back to see her in a few hours,” Ainsleigh said before she yawned.
I thought the only thing that got him to leave was seeing how exhausted she was. He whispered something I couldn’t hear to Olivia and then kissed her forehead before he handed her over to me.
“Take care of them,” he said before he walked out of the room with tears in his eyes. He didn’t turn back to Ainsleigh. I knew he didn’t want her to see him upset. Seeing the love they had for each other almost made me miss my siblings. Almost. They wouldn’t be sharing in this joyous moment with us, and that was their own damn fault. We had all the family we needed right here.
Olivia grunted in her sleep just as I sat down in the chair beside Ainsleigh’s bed. I couldn’t believe our little miracle baby was now here. Our little family was complete.