It’s time!”

That’s what was shouted in my ear when I picked up the phone at two in the morning, before the call was immediately disconnected. I sat up on my bed, disoriented and confused, still holding my phone up to my ear as my brain tried to catch up.

After a few moments, it clicked.

Reardon … Chloe … the baby. It’s time!

I shot out of bed and opened my drawer to pull on some shorts, then ran to the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face and brush my teeth, before noticing my top half was still naked.

I hurried back to my dresser, pulled out a T-shirt and threw it over my head, not caring if it was inside out, backwards, or whatever, then ran down the stairs, shoved my feet in my flip-flops, and grabbed my purse as I headed out the door.

Once in the hospital, I took the elevator to the labor and delivery floor, then got off and rushed toward the room we’d all waited in when Zoey had Evie. Sure enough, when I rounded the corner, the Lewis cousins were out in full force.

Laurel was laid out across a row of chairs, her head in Dillon’s lap as she slept, while Dillon, Gabe, Chris, and Jazzy talked softly around her. I figured Zoey was at home with the baby, and Reardon was back with Chloe, going through the stages of labor.

“How did you guys beat me?” I asked, a little breathless as I sat down next to Jazzy, then added, “You ready for a long night?”

I don’t know why I was excited about the prospect. Something about staying up all night with my cousins, like we had when we were younger, had me grinning at them.

“Chloe’s already pushing,” Gabe said. “It won’t be such a long one.”

“What?” I asked, confused, my eyes darting to the clock. “Didn’t Reardon just call me, like, forty minutes ago?”

Jasmine nodded and said, “Yeah, but apparently Chloe didn’t tell him she was having contractions until they were only a few minutes apart. By the time they got here, she was already eight centimeters dilated.”

“Wow!” I exclaimed, excited to meet the baby, but kind of sad not to get the all-nighter with my cousins.

“Benjamin Lukas Lewis came in at eight pounds two ounces, and is twenty-one inches long,” Reardon said excitedly as he stepped into the waiting room.

Jazzy and I rushed to him, pulling him in for a group hug, while Gabe stood behind us waiting for his turn.

“Oh my gosh, you’re a daddy,” Jazzy said, her body practically vibrating with excitement.

“I know, can you believe it?” Rear replied, his voice thick with emotion.

I leaned back to look up into his handsome, ecstatically happy face.

“Tell me you did not name your son after Star Wars characters,” I said.

He didn’t even look guilty when he replied, “Sure did!”

Gabe chuckled behind us and said, “Only you,” and when we moved aside to give him room, he pulled Reardon into a hug and said, “Congrats, man.”

“Thanks, I can’t wait for you all to see him.”

“How’s Chloe doing?” Laurel asked, sitting up.

“She’s great,” Reardon said proudly. “She had Ben in no time and was already nursing him while they were finishing up. You can’t even tell she just had a baby.”

“So, we can see her soon?” I asked.

“Once they move her to her permanent room. I’ll let you know as soon as that happens,” he said, then left us to go spend time with his family.

“Benjamin Lukas,” Dillon said with a chuckle.

“Chloe is a saint,” Jazzy added.

After about thirty minutes, a nurse came out and said we could go in and see Chloe and the baby two at a time, “Even though it wasn’t normal visiting hours.”

Gabe and Chris went first, since Zoey wasn’t there, or she totally would have already been back there. When they came back, Dillon said Jazzy and I should go next, so we walked down the hall, arms locked together, and chattered excitedly at the prospect of meeting little Ben.

“Hi,” we said as we walked in, then giggled as we moved together toward the bed, and the bundle Chloe was holding in her arms.

“You look great,” Jasmine said, before her eyes locked on the baby.

“You really do,” I agreed, giving Chloe a smile before I looked at Ben and started awwwwwing.

“He’s so sweet,” Jazzy gushed.

“Isn’t he a handsome guy?” Rear asked, startling me. I’d forgotten he was in the room.

“He sure is,” I replied, then asked, “Can I hold him?”

“Yeah, of course,” Chloe said.

I separated myself from Jazzy and took the offered bundle from Chloe’s arms, then tucked Ben in close to my side and looked down at him in adoration.

“Hello, Ben, welcome to the world,” I cooed, swaying my body as I reveled in the feel of him.

“I can’t believe how fast you had him, you must be relieved,” I heard Jazzy say.

“Actually, the birth is the easy part. It’s the recovery that sucks, if I remember correctly.”

“Huh?” Jasmine asked.

“Well, you know, the birth hurts and all, but then you get your baby and you’re happy … then the afterbirth comes. Then, depending on whether you ripped or tore, you have to be sewn up. The days in the hospital are the worst. Every time you pee it hurts like hell, and the nurses are always harping on you to try and go number two, but it hurts so bad, and it’s so reminiscent of giving birth, that you’re afraid….”

I looked up to see Jazzy watching Chloe, her face filled with horror.

I couldn’t blame her, I was feeling a little horrified myself.

Afterbirth? Tearing? Number two?

“Then, your milk comes in,” Chloe continues, oblivious to the damage she was doing to our psyche. “Not only does it hurt like hell, but your breasts become so engorged that if you didn’t know to bring a much larger bra than usual, you’re going to have problems, and end up leaking all over the place. Once you finally get home its weeks of recovery, and I already told Reardon, Ben and I won’t be going up those stairs anytime soon … I’m going to make the living room my bedroom for at least the first week.”

“Jesus,” Jasmine muttered.

“Here, why don’t you hold him,” I said to Jasmine, as if holding him might inadvertently cause me some residual birthing pain.

Jazzy shook her head.

I looked over to Reardon, hoping maybe he’d want to take him, but he was looking a little green around the gills himself.

Chloe took in all of our expressions and laughed.

“It really is worth it, though, you guys,” she assured us, but I wasn’t positive I believed her. “Just look at him … I’d go through anything for that little face.”

Just then, the door opened and Aunt Annabeth stuck her head in.

“Hey, ladies, there’s more of us waiting to see the baby, you know, quit being hogs.”

I hadn’t realized my aunts and uncles had arrived, but I was sure Reardon’s parents were dying to get in there, so I gently gave the baby back to Chloe, told her congratulations, then followed Jasmine out the door.

When we got in the hall, Aunt Annabeth looked at us and asked, “So, which one of you is next?”

“Not it,” Jasmine and I said in unison.