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Chapter Thirty Three– March 15

It was the opening round game of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. Even though Nick preferred watching the pros, he was still glued to the television, his mouth opened slightly in the stupor I now attributed to him whenever he watched any sport on TV. He could be watching golf and still be drooling on himself.

My false labor pains had been in rare form for the past day and a half. I had just finished putting the last of the shower gifts away and was headed downstairs for some mint chocolate chip ice cream when I paused mid-step, wracked with a sharp contraction. I doubled over slightly, my face twisting up in pain. Bitsy, who had been following me around all morning began to whine.

“Shut up,” I moaned. Once the pain subsided I slowly made it down the steps. I was exhausted. Half-way to the kitchen another pain shot through me. Moments later I felt a big gush of water.

“NICK!” I yelled out.

“YES!!!! Three points!”

I felt like someone had just thrown a water balloon at me. I stared down at the small puddle of water on the wood floor. My water had just broke and Nick sat watching a basketball game.

“NICK!!!”

I heard the creak of the couch. Nick appeared in the archway.

“What?”

“My water just broke.”

He stared at me in confusion, then I saw his eyes dart to my wet pants and the small puddle of the floor. He looked back at me. He went pale. I thought he was going to faint.

“What do we do?”

A contraction that I knew was real hit me hard. I grabbed onto the wall.

“Grab me a new pair of pants and my hospital bag. And hurry.”

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An hour later I was admitted into my private room. The doctor had confirmed that yes, I was definitely in labor, I was three centimeter dilated, and Nick had thrown up twice.

“Your dad was watching James Bond when I went into labor,” my mom said. “Actually he watched the movie the entire time I was in labor. I think Nick’s forgotten about the game.”

Nick walked out of the bathroom, wiping his forehead with a wet cloth. As another contraction subsided, I smiled at him.

“So is this amazing yet?” I teased him as he sank into a chair by the head of the bed. He smiled sheepishly.

“I’m sorry. I guess I thought we had a few more days. I didn’t expect…woosh.”

I smiled, but it didn’t last long. Another contraction started up where the other one had just subsided. I tried to remember my breathing, but I couldn’t help but let out an agonized yell. Nick took my hand and placed it to his lips.

“Big deep breath….slowly exhale,” he coached.

At that moment Dr. Tresher came in.

“Sorry folks. I just got here. My backup said you’re already three centimeters. Contractions coming closer together?”

I was mid-way through my exhale. I nodded fast.

“Are we doing this au naturale or do you want an epidural?”

I glanced at my mom. She was calm and collected, holding ice chips at the ready. I looked over at Nick; I wasn’t sure how much more he could possibly throw up, but I figured I could use all the help I could get.

“Epidural.”

“Well, I’ll come back in a half hour and check you. If you notice your contractions getting more intense before then let me know. I want to get that epi started around four or five centimeters.”

Dr. Tresher smiled and looked at the clock.

“Let’s see if we can get this baby born before midnight.”

I glanced at the clock. It was only five o’clock. I glanced back over at Nick. He had his Blackberry out.

“What are you doing?”

He looked up. “I’m texting everyone,” he said.

“I don’t want any Twitpics,” I warned him. He smiled. “Don’t worry.” He glanced back at the screen. “Brian said he would have paid money to see my face when your water broke.”

I laughed. At the same moment I had another contraction.

“C’mon....no,” I moaned. I squeezed Nick’s hand tightly. After it subsided, I took a deep breath.

“I want to walk around,” I said.

My Lamaze teacher would have been proud of Nick and I. We walked around the room, pausing with each contraction. Nick massaged my back as I leaned against the wall. We had even brought the birth ball which I managed to balance on for all of three minutes.

I was getting back into bed just as Dr. Tresher came back in the room.

“Did you stretch your legs?” she asked as I placed my feet in the stirrups.

“Yeah,” I said a little breathlessly. I was already ready for a nap. I had a good team; Nick kissed my forehead as mom fed me an ice chip.

“Well you’re four and a half centimeters,” Dr. Tresher said. “You’re moving fast considering this is your first one. I’ll get the epi guy in here. You might find that your progress will slow down a little bit because your body will be able to relax.”

I bit my lip. On one hand, I really wanted to lessen the pain. I had heard from five centimeters on that the contractions were horrible. On the other hand, the faster I progressed, the sooner I delivered.

“I think I’m going to try it natural,” I said as she headed to the door. She turned around.

“Really?”

“Really?” Nick asked.

I nodded. “Yeah. I’m tough.” I smiled and grimaced at the same time.

Dr. Tresher smiled.

“All right. Well, in that case just keep doing what you’re doing and I’ll keep checking in. Ring the nurse if you need anything.”

After she left, Nick looked down at me.

“You’re insane.”

I actually laughed.

“I know. Let’s just hope I made the right choice.”

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Angel arrived at the hospital an hour later. She came over and squeezed my hand. I saw her glance at Nick.

“You look like crap,” she said. “You look like you’re the one in labor.”

Nick smiled weakly. His hair stuck damply to his forehead.

“I’m not good at waiting.”

“We know,” Angel and I said in unison before I went into another contraction. Nick started the stopwatch again.

“Did you call mom?” Angel asked as I closed my eyes and prayed that baby Carter didn’t have direction deficit disorder. Just keep heading down, little one.

Nick didn’t answer until my contraction subsided. I saw the anger in his eyes.

“Considering she couldn’t come to the baby shower, why should I?”

“Nick,” Angel admonished. He sighed.

“I asked Leslie or BJ to call her,” he said. Angel rolled her eyes.

“So mature.”

Nick stuck his tongue out.

At that moment Dr. Tresher walked in. Angel gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and headed out to the waiting room. I glanced at the clock. It was seven thirty.

“How are we doing Liv?” Dr. Tresher asked as she took her seat again.

“Hanging in there,” I said weakly.

“What about you Nick?”

“I haven’t vomited again, so I’m going to say good.”

She laughed. “Well you’re seven and a half centimeters dilated and ninety perfect effaced.”

I heard the creak of a chair as she stood up. “I’ll check you in another hour unless you feel you need me sooner.”

She left the room and I took another ice chip. As I chomped I looked at my mom and Nick. “I want to get up again.”

Once again I spent ten minutes walking around the room. Then I settled onto the birthing ball. I had been perched on the ball five minutes when a contraction gripped me so hard I almost crumpled to the ground.

“Alright, I’m cutting you off on the walking,” Nick said as he supported me under my arms. I leaned against him, bearing against the contraction. When I could finally think straight again I shuffled back to the bed.

After another fifteen minutes, I knew that I didn’t want to wait for Dr. Tresher.

“Nick, go get her,” I moaned. The contractions weren’t letting up. There didn’t seem to be any time between them. Plus, I had begun to feel the desire to push.

I saw Nick head out into the hallway. My mom leaned down and kissed my forehead.

“You’re close,” she whispered. “You’re going to do great.”

Nick followed Dr. Tresher back into the room. It didn’t take her long to make her assessment.

“I think we’re ready to have a baby folks,” she said.

The room seemed to get busier in seconds. Nick’s faced with flushed with excitement. He took my hand and looked at me with eyes so full of love I almost (almost) forgot about the excruciating pain racking my body.

“Let’s do this momma,” he whispered before kissing me softly.

I had always thought that the pushing was going to be the hardest part. Amazingly, it was the easiest. It was like I was seeing the finish line in the distance and it didn’t matter what I had to do to get there. I pushed when I was told and even when I wasn’t pushing I was completely focused. After twenty minutes of pushing, I heard the words I had wanted to hear for months.

“She’s crowning. I see the head.”

My mom disappeared from my side the moment Dr. Tresher said the magic words.

“She has hair,” my mom said happily coming back up to me.

“Three more big pushes, c’mon Liv.”

I screwed up my face and put the last of my energy into pushing. After two great big pushes, I knew I was almost there.

“Head’s out. Nick you want to catch her?”

“What?!”

“Come here.”

Nick squeezed my hand and walked to the foot of the bed.

“Oh my god.”

“Liv just one more tiny push and then the baby and Nick can handle the rest. Nick come here, hands out like you’re catching a football.”

I saw Nick crouch down; his eyes were huge and awed. He met my gaze; I saw him tear up.

“Let’s bring our baby into the world, Livvy.”

With one agonizing yell like my life depended on it, I gave one last mighty push. My mom held my hand tightly; I heard Nick gasp as a loud cry filled the room. The sweetest, gooey-est, wriggling little baby I had ever seen in my life was screaming her lungs out in her dad’s arms. Nick held her like she was the most precious thing in the entire world, a tear trickling down his face. When he laid her on my chest, I felt my heart melt as I crooked my arm around her tiny body and touched her ten little fingers and toes.

“I love you so much, Livvy,” Nick said with a bright teary smile, his cheek resting next to mine. I was in awe.

Our baby was finally here.