Epilogue
“I’m sorry, honey.”
Kyle tried not to wince as Val squeezed his hand so hard he was worried he’d never be able to catch a football again as she panted her way through another contraction, giving him the evil eye the entire ninety seconds.
“So you bloody should be.” She glared at him, her face red and sweaty and more beautiful than he’d ever seen her. “This is all your fault.”
Kyle nodded. It seemed like the right thing to do, given the situation and her temporary possession by the devil, even though it had been her who’d jumped him that fateful night after the game, despite his protestations about the lack of condom and the mess-up with her pill prescription. “I know, I’m sorry.”
“You know I can’t resist it when you’re all pumped up and sweaty like that.”
Yeah. She’d been really horny in that back seat. He hadn’t even got his zipper fully down before she’d grabbed for him and sunk herself down. It’d been sexy as fuck. “I know.”
“You shouldn’t look so hot.”
In his peripheral vision, Kyle could see the midwife suppressing a smile as she wrote in a chart. “I’m sorry.”
Just over a year ago his teammates had urged him to apologise to Val for everything. It turned out to be a piece of advice handy for childbirth as well. Neither he or Val had expected to be pregnant so soon, they’d only just set a wedding date, but they’d been thrilled, and Kyle had been eagerly anticipating seeing his child come into the world.
He hadn’t quite pictured Val morphing into Zuul from Ghostbusters but he was sure, after his hand recovered, they’d get a laugh out of it.
“I’m never having sex with you ever again.”
“Okay.”
“I mean it.” She frowned at him with the ferocity of a woman possessed. “I don’t care how hot and sweaty you get.”
The midwife’s shoulders shook suspiciously. “Okay.”
“Oh…good Christ.” She shifted against the mattress, rising onto her elbows a little as she cast panicked eyes at him, clutching the sheets with her spare hand. “Here comes another one.”
“It’s okay, you can do it,” he said, “I am in awe of you and you’re so close, honey.”
Kyle kissed her forehead and tried to sound calm as the midwife had advised. But when Val looked panicked, it panicked him. She was always so in control.
“You’re lying,” she accused as she squeezed her eyes shut and ground his knuckles together a bit more. “I’m going to have a baby stuck in me forever.”
“You really are close, Valerie.” The midwife approached, standing on the opposite side of the bed, a picture of patience and tranquillity. “Almost fully dilated.” She squeezed Val’s hand. “You’ve done so well.”
Val gave a half sob as the contraction eased, and Kyle felt about as useless as tits on a bull. He hated seeing the woman he loved in pain and he didn’t know how to comfort her. If he could take it for her, he would, but this just wasn’t something he could do for her.
The midwife went back to her chart, and Val flopped back against the bed, panting heavily. “You want some water?”
She shook her head. “I want vodka. Neat.”
Kyle laughed. “Maybe later, huh?”
But Val didn’t think it was quite that amusing. “Nope.” She shook her head. “In fact, I think it’s time for drugs.”
Kyle glanced at the midwife, then back at Val, girding his loins. “Remember we talked about this. You told me that at some point you would probably ask for drugs and that I had to be strong and tell you no. You wanted me to remind you, you were a strong woman whose body knew what to do and you were to trust Mother Nature.”
Kyle had thought it all a bit of a crock himself, but they’d done all the prenatal classes and Val had been determined to do this drug-free. What the fuck for he had no idea. If it’d been up to him she’d have had a Caesarean.
“No way is Mother Nature responsible for childbirth. This bullshit had to have been masterminded by a man. Christ, if men had to do this, they’d have invented a freaking zipper centuries ago!”
There was only one thing Kyle could say to that. “I’m sorry.”
“For the love of God, don’t be sorry, just get me drugs. All the drugs. I’ll even take the expired ones.”
Kyle took a deep breath, trying to stick to the birth plan because Val had been very firm about it and he knew, once she had their baby in her arms, she would hold him to account. “You said I was to stand firm and tell you that you’ll be so proud of yourself when it’s all over.”
She swore under her breath. “I’m giving you permission to ignore me.”
Kyle swallowed. “You said you’d say that.”
“Kyle.” She grabbed his T-shirt and yanked him closer. Blood flowed into his hand again. “I was clearly insane,” she hissed, her eyes wild. “Have you ever tried pushing something the size of a watermelon out of your dick?
“No.”
“Would you want drugs if you had to?”
Hell fucking yes. “Probably.”
“So get me some. Now!”
Kyle turned to the midwife, who was doing her best not to laugh. God alone knew the conversations she’d been privy to in her job. “It’s too late for drugs now, Val.” She smiled beatifically as she looked up from the chart, obviously unconcerned at Val’s mood. “You’re almost there.”
Val blinked at Kyle incredulously and tugged him closer. “I think she hates me,” she whispered. “Go and see if we can get another one. One that’s not so tight-fisted with their drug stash.”
If Kyle hadn’t read about the irrationality of late-stage labour, he’d be freaking out about Val’s uncharacteristic paranoia. But before he could formulate a soothing response, Val cried out and vaulted upright, her eyes bugging out of her head. “Oh god, I need to push.”
The midwife smiled and stood as if this was the proclamation she’d been so calmly waiting for. She reached for the box of gloves. “Excellent. Let’s have us a baby, huh?”
…
Several hours later, Val was lying in bed, Kyle squashed in beside her, their bundled-up baby boy tucked between them. He had an old man’s face, complete with wrinkly forehead and a thick thatch of golden-red hair. Linc had already nicknamed him little Griff when the team had visited en masse earlier. She was exhausted but happy.
She wouldn’t have thought it possible to be any happier after this amazing year of love and new beginnings, but she’d been wrong. Their bundle squirmed and Kyle stroked a smooth baby cheek. “It’s okay,” he crooned. “You’re safe here, we got you.”
Val’s heart just about burst from her chest.
There was a light knock at the door, and it cracked open slowly to reveal her father, standing there hesitantly on the threshold, his wild mane of hair looking even wilder, as if he’d been plucking at it for hours. According to Eve, he’d paced the floor her entire twelve hour labour. They’d come a long way, her father and her, in the last year, but she knew he was nervous about the prospect of a little one in his life. She understood how hard it must be for him, what a reminder it must be.
“Hey, Dad.” She smiled at him. “Come and meet your grandson, Griffin.”
Val held her breath as her father hovered there for long moments. Then he took a hesitant step into the room, and another and another. Tears shone in her eyes as he stared down at the sleeping child with such a mix of apprehension and yearning it tore at her chest.
“Can I hold him?”
She nodded and watched as Kyle passed their son up, a lump lodging in her throat as her father held the squirming bundle close and tight, like a rugby ball. “Hey, mate, I’m your pop,” he said gruffly. “I’m going to teach you how to play footy, okay?”
And Val’s heart did burst from her chest.
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