Cold, bright, sterile. My hand was locked in Jake’s, and fear and excitement kept my body in a constant state of shivers. In just a few minutes, this would all be over, and I would be holding my baby. I closed my eyes and made a silent plea for a healthy child and a safe surgery. It was a scheduled C-section, but that didn’t rule out complications. Apparently, the baby was too big to pass through my average-sized pelvis. Damn the McKallisters and their perfectly robust babies.

“I’m just about to cut the bag,” the doctor announced.

I glanced at Jake, who seemed a bit paler than normal.

“You’re not going to pass out on me, are you?” I asked.

“No, I’m fine,” he answered, making a show of standing up straighter. He was staying strong for me, but I could imagine that seeing my stomach opened up wouldn’t be the most pleasant sight for him.

“You’re a trouper,” I complimented him.

“Me?” He chuckled, nervously shifting from side to side. “I’m not the one with hands in my stomach.”

The doctor interrupted. “All right, Casey, you’re going to feel some tugging now as I pull the baby out.”

Looking to my husband for support, I found comfort in the intensity of his stare. Jake tightened the grip on my hand. He was my protector, and I felt safe with him by my side.

“We’re almost there,” he whispered.

I bit down on my lower lip and nodded. This was it. Every struggle we’d been through culminated here, in this room… with our baby. Jake broke eye contact with me the minute a hollow scream emanated from behind the sterile screen.

“Listen to that talker,” the doctor marveled. “Already screaming and not even born yet.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Jake said, his voice sounding full of both amusement and pride.

And then a real shriek, loud and insistent, echoed through the room.

Mesmerized by the birth of his child, Jake completely forgot about me, but I wasn’t the least bit offended. In fact, nothing made me happier than to see my husband fully vested in our baby. Once fearful he wouldn’t be a good father, Jake had bravely worked through his issues and, in the process, had come to embrace his new role as a daddy.

I studied his face for reaction. It was my only guide to what was happening on the sterile side of my body, and when I saw the smile light up his face, all my worries fell away.

“He’s here,” Jake said with nothing but awe in those simple words. “And he’s perfect.”

Tears of joy flooded my eyes as I waited for a glimpse of my new little man. Squeezing Jake’s hand tighter, I felt the force of our connection. Every shared milestone became a memory we could look back on with love and pride – and this, the birth of our son, was a triumph that would last us a lifetime.

A nurse carried the baby to me, rubbing his cheek up against mine. With his red, swollen eyes, splotchy skin, and screams so loud they ricocheted off the walls, our baby boy was pissed off and he wanted the world to know. I could only assume his current mood was the result of being kicked out of his nice, warm apartment only to be manhandled by the landlord’s hired help.

“It’s okay, sweetie, you’re all right,” I soothed. He instantly reacted to the sound of my voice.

“He knows you,” Jake said, marveling at the connection we’d already made. But I wasn’t surprised at all. This wasn’t our first meeting; not really. I’d been talking to him non-stop since the day I found out I was pregnant. And mine wasn’t the only voice he’d been hearing.

“Sing the song for him,” I urged. “He loves it.”

And so Jake softly crooned the chorus of a ballad he’d written specifically for his son – a song that had instantly pacified the rising soccer star who’d lived and kicked in my belly for the last nine months. And just as he’d done countless times before, our baby listened. The screaming subsided, and both Jake and I gazed at his gorgeous face. He was a miracle created from our love, and the reason for the joy that filled our hearts on this momentous day.

“Okay, mom and dad, I’ll bring him back soon. We just need to warm the little guy up.” The nurse smiled affectionately, looking between us, before whisking our son away.

“Casey, you’ve got a little more work to do,” the doctor said. “Jake will follow the baby to the warmer while I deliver the placenta.”

“Okay.” I nodded, feeling a sudden chill race over my skin.

Jake bent down and brushed his lips across my forehead. “I’ll be right over there.” He seemed just as hesitant to let go of my hand as I was with his.

“It’s okay. I’ll be fine. Keep an eye on our baby.”

“You know I will.”

And then Jake was gone. And the baby was gone. My only connection to either of them were the occasional updates Jake called out to me. I lay there for what seemed a very long time, alone on the cold table, dreaming of the moment I would be rejoined with the other half of my beating heart. I closed my eyes and waited.

“Casey,” the doctor’s voice boomed loud as he zapped me from my trance. “Everything went fine. We’re going to transfer you to recovery, and then we’ll get you all set up in a comfortable room. There’s someone who wants to see you.”

My droopy eyes snapped to attention when the nurse returned with Jake and our baby. Suddenly the sterile room erupted with color, and my body warmed as if it were basking in the sun’s rays. The moment he was placed in my arms and those liquid blue eyes gazed upon me, it felt like the world had stopped spinning. He was mine. Ours. I wondered if my heart was big enough to hold all this new emotion.

“He’s a big boy,” she announced. “Eight pounds, eleven ounces, and twenty-two inches long.”

I flicked my eyes at Jake, rolling them dramatically. He grinned. It was our running joke, and I couldn’t help but point out his culpability in the size issue.

But I was only willing to spare a second away from the beauty that was in my arms. “Well hello there, handsome. I’m your mom. I’ve been waiting a long time to finally meet you in person.”

Jake cradled the back of the baby’s neck and bent down to kiss his chubby little cheek. “Welcome to the world, little guy. It gets better, I promise.”

I gazed adoringly at my loving husband and treasured son, feeling nothing but grateful for the life I’d been graced with. It wasn’t that long ago my spirit had been broken in half by the loss of Miles, my beloved brother. At the time, I couldn’t even imagine a moment as beautiful as this one would be waiting for me down the road. That was the truly wonderful part about life – it just kept moving along, bringing with it new and unexpected surprises for those willing to open their hearts and minds to love. I kissed the top of the baby’s head and then reached my hand up to run it along Jake’s stubbled jaw.

Bursting with happiness, I whispered to my men, “It doesn’t get any better than this.”