“Wow. It is, Lex. He’s no doubt going to be a football player.”
“Can you believe he’s going to be here in less than a month? You should probably get the crib set up.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I will this weekend. I’ve got to go. Call me if you need me.”
“Love you, tell Riki to come here.”
“Lexis, can I go to Papaw Kinney’s with Aunt Sam. We’re going to plant pumpkins for Halloween.”
“Put your hand here,” Alexis coaxed.
Riki’s little hand covered the tiny foot and she gasped.
“That’s tomorrow, baby. Aunt Sam already asked, and yes you can go. Do you want to go outside and plant flowers today?”
“Okay. Can I do it all by myself?”
“Yes, we’ll make your own little flower bed. I even have a pretty pink shovel for you.”
“Right now?”
“Right after breakfast, let’s go.”
Alexis moaned and rolled over. She didn’t know how this little life was going to grow for three more weeks. She was ginormous and miserable. Ugh.
Cory was right. What a beautiful day. Alexis didn’t even yell at Riki to put her shoes on, it was that warm. The sun on her face, the warm spring air, and the sight of new life popping up in greens and pastel colors felt rejuvenating, just what she needed. Riki ended up doing most of the work and Alexis did the directing. Her basketball belly didn’t allow her to bend that way.
“I’m going to have my birfday with Emily.”
“Birth. Say birth.”
“Bir-TH- day.”
“Good girl. You can’t have your birthday with Emily. We’ll have—”
“What’s the matter, Lexis?”
“Nothing, baby. We’ll have your birthday party in August.”
“Well, I want my birfday to be in May now, like Emily,” she demanded while her little hands dug a way bigger hole than she needed.
Alexis pondered on how to respond and stood from her sitting position on the ground. That pain was real, and the gush of warmth she felt scared her. It was too soon.
Riki stood, too. Even at three, she knew something wasn’t right. “What’s wrong, Lexis?”
Alexis took her hand and led her up the steps. “Nothing, baby, let’s go call Daddy.”
“I can do it. I know the number,” Riki exclaimed as her little feet carried her quickly to the kitchen.
“I’ve got it, Riki. You run upstairs and get your suitcase for Aunt Sam’s. Okay?”
“Is the baby going to come now?”
“I’m not sure, sweetie. Go on, get your stuff ready just in case.”
Alexis looked around for her phone, but didn’t see it. Breathing in deep, heavy breaths, she made her way to the kitchen and pulled out a chair.
“Jackie, this is Alexis, I need to talk to Dr. Baker right away.”
“Is something wrong, Alexis?”
“Yes, I think so.”
Jackie didn’t say another word. The time it took for her to fetch Cory and finally hear his voice seemed like an eternity.
“Lex, what’s wrong?”
Alexis let out another groan, mixed with a grunt at the pain, unable to speak for a few seconds.
“Alexis!” Cory yelled.
Breathing hard she answered. “Cory, I think the baby’s coming.”
“Are you having contractions?”
“Yes, and my water broke.”
“I’ll call you right back,” he said with a click, hanging up the phone.
Alexis hit the end button and leaned over. She didn’t care about the pain. She could live with it for the rest of her life if her baby was okay. She prayed, begged, and pleaded for her baby to be okay. That’s all she wanted. That’s all that mattered. Alexis dialed Sam, and then her dad when she didn’t answer.
“Dad, I need you to come and get Riki.”
“What’s going on, Sputter Bug?”
“I think the baby’s coming. Cory’s on his way now.”
“We’ll be right over.”
“Dad! Wait. Mom doesn’t need to come. I just want Riki out of here. Please just come and get her. Cory is almost here and I want to be able to just go.”
“Okay, I’m on my way.”
Alexis hung up and the phone rang. “I’m coming, baby.”
“Hurry, Cory.”
“Where’s Riki?”
“My dad is on his way to get her. Where are you?”
“Coming down the dirt road now, baby. I’ll be there in ten minutes, hang in there, I’m almost there. Son of a bitch!” he yelled at the dropped call. It never failed, always in that stupid turn. Cory didn’t call back. He kept both hands on the wheel and drove as fast as he could, making the twenty-minute drive in nine minutes.
Mr. Dog met him in the driveway and spun in circles. Cory needed to follow him and he was making sure that he did. Mr. Dog led him right to Alexis while his bark stayed persistent and loud.
“Lex, I’m here. How far apart are your contractions?”
“They’re not stopping. I don’t even know if it’s contractions,” she stopped, unable to speak again while the pain once again took over her body. “What if something’s wrong?” she grunted.
Cory swept her up and carried her to the car. “Where’s Riki?”
“My dad has her. I can walk.”
Cory ignored her walking plea and carried her to the car. After setting her to the ground she had to stand there and wait for another contraction to pass before she could get in.
Cory rushed her along and buckled her in. “I can’t believe your dad left you here like this.”
“I made him. I didn’t want Riki to see me like this. She was scared enough.”
“Why didn’t you call me sooner, how long have you been having them?”
“It started like this.” Alexis stopped, unable to finish and waited for another contraction to pass. They came fast and hard, and she barely had enough time to explain anything before the next one started. She held her breath, grabbed the handle on the car door, and waited for the pain to ease. “I was outside planting flowers with Riki. When I stood, I had a sharp pain and then a warm gush. The contractions started right away. Is this normal, Cory?” she asked, fearful of what was going on.
Cory reached for her hand, wanting her to feel like everything was okay, but worried himself. “It’s normal for you, Lex. All women are different and give birth in different ways.” That did little to ease her mind. It sounded like something he would tell any patient. She wasn’t any patient and this wasn’t any baby. This was her baby.
Cory phoned the hospital to let them know they were on their way. That hour trip was made in twenty-six minutes. A nurse waited out front with a wheelchair and Cory handed one of the ER nurses his keys. Thank God Dr. Dalton beat them and had everything ready to go.
Alexis barely made it into a gown when she assured the doctor that she needed to push.
The team of nurses helped her on the delivery table and hooked her to a fetal heart monitor. Dr. Dalton checked to see her dilation progress and paused to observe the swoosh, swoosh, swoosh of the baby’s heartbeat.
“I want an epidural,” Alexis moaned.
Cory responded to the request. “It’s too late, Lex. It wouldn’t do any good at this point.”
“You’re not my doctor.”
Dr. Dalton backed Cory up. “You’re at nine centimeters, Alexis. You’re going to have a baby in just a few minutes.”
“Then just give me something for the pain, anything,” Alexis begged. Jesus, how the hell did her mother do this seven times?
“Alexis, the baby is going to be here before anything we could give you has time to kick in.”
“Cory, I can’t do this, it hurts.”
“I know, baby, hang in there.”
“I’m going to get sick.”
“Slow your breathing down. You’re making yourself sick.”
One of the nurses handed her a sick pan and she did exactly what she said she’d do. Cory hel
d the too-small pan and then wiped her face. God, she was dying. One and done. She would never go through this again. That promise played like a record, over and over. Why would anyone elect to do go through childbirth was beyond her.
The next time she got sick, it moved things along and she pushed.
Dr. Dalton was on top of it and knew exactly what was going on every step of the way. “Good girl, Alexis. We have a head. Push again on my count. Ready? One, Two, Push, push, push, push, push, push, relax.”
Cory moved a strand of hair, stuck to her forehead from sweat. “Get ready, we’re going to go again.”
Alexis panted and begged to stop. She couldn’t do this. She wasn’t strong like her mom was. Hell, she didn’t want to do it. “I can’t.”
“Here we go,” Dr. Dalton called. “Push, push, push, push, push. Perfect, we’re almost there. Dr. Baker, would you like to deliver your baby?”
“No thank you. I think I just want to be the daddy today.”
“We have a headful of dark hair. Do you want to feel, Alexis?”
“No! Just get it out.”
“Okay, one more big push and you’re done.”
“I can’t.”
“Come on, Lex, you’re almost done, one more, baby, one more.”
Alexis pushed with all her might and let out an overpowering scream. That was the worst pain in the world, but as soon as the tiny infant was placed on her stomach, it had all been forgotten. Just like that, it was gone. Little arms and legs flailed with a squeaky cry.
Cory kissed away tears of joy and secretly swiped away at his own. He was the one to spread the legs and cut the cord. That pissed her off and she squealed even louder.
“Congratulations, Mom and Dad. You have a beautiful little girl.”
Alexis raised her head and watched the nurses take her away. “Five pounds, three ounces,” the one weighing the crying baby called.
“Just about done here, Alexis, a couple more stitches and we’ll get you cleaned up and enjoying your new baby girl,” Dr. Dalton explained.
“Why am I getting stitches?” Alexis questioned quietly.
“Dr. Dalton had to do a episiotomy. She cut you to keep you from ripping when the head came out.”
“It was those shoulders,” Dr. Dalton corrected with a smile while she sewed up the damage.
The nurse brought baby Kinley, wrapped in a blanket, to Alexis, and placed her in her arms.
“Cory, she’s absolutely beautiful. She’s so perfect,” Alexis assured him. She was perfect. Her petite body squirmed while her little eyes adjusted to light on the outside. Cory opened her little fist and she latched on to his finger. The feelings Alexis felt were unbelievable, cosmic, and surreal. The thought of loving Cory any more than she already did was difficult to fathom before that moment. Sharing this with him left her falling yet even harder. She was so in love, and baby Kinley set it all in stone, officially naming them a family. A real family.
“Dr. Baker, why don’t you carry Kinley to the nursery?”
No! Alexis wasn’t ready to hand her over yet. “For what?”
“It’s just newborn screening, baby. She’ll be back before you know it and you can’t always have her. I want her, too,” Cory teased while lifting the tiny bundle into his arms.
“Where’s my bag? I need my camera.”
“We didn’t grab it. Bernie can bring it later. We’ll be back after you’re all cleaned up.”
Alexis took her alone time to call her parents, but made them promise not to tell Riki yet. She wanted to tell her she got her wish. She had a new sister. The day couldn’t have been filled with more joy than what she felt. Alexis was on a high like she’d never felt before, balancing on extraordinary clouds way up in the sky.
Alexis dialed Bernie next.
“Hey, I’ll call you back. I’m just heading into the studio.”
Alexis looked up at that moment and opened her arm for her baby girl. Kinley squeaked and snuggled into Alexis’s chest.
“What the hell was that?” Bernie yelled into the phone.
Alexis smiled down at the love of her life and replied. “That was your new baby niece. Kinley Grace Baker.”
“You’re fucking with me. Oops, sorry,” she said right after. Alexis knew she had just dropped the F-bomb in front of customers. She didn’t even care. “You had the baby and you didn’t call me? What the hell, Lex?”
“There was no time. I was in labor for maybe an hour total. We barely made it to the hospital.”
“I hate you. That’s not fair. Taylor took a whole day, and you get off with an hour?”
“Wait until you see her, Bernie. She’s perfect. So perfect.”
“Send me a pic. I’ll be up as soon as I close. I’ll call you before I leave. Did you call Paige?”
“Not yet, she’s at school. I’m going to send her a picture.”
“Want me to bring Riki with me?”
“I’ll let you know. I’m sure my mom and dad will want to come, but I don’t want them driving. If Sam isn’t coming today, you can go pick them up.”
“Sounds like a plan. I want a picture and give her a kiss for me. Congratulations, Mommy.”
“Thanks Bernie. Go work, I’ll see you later.”
“I love you, chick.”
“I know you do. Love you, too, bye.”
Cory sat on the edge of the bed and touched Kinley’s soft little cheek. She squirmed and made a squeaky noise. “I’m so proud of you.”
Alexis kissed his soft lips. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
“I love you more, but I only brought her in for a second. I want her under the bili lights for a while.”
“Why? What’s wrong with her?”
“It’s just a precaution. She was three weeks early. It helps clear the bilirubin from her blood.”
Alexis gave him a dirty look. Just because she came from a big family, didn’t mean she knew what the hell bilirubin was, or why it would be in her baby’s blood.
Cory understood the worried look and explained. “The bilirubin is excreted through urine and bowel movements, but in a newborn, the liver may not be mature enough to break down the red blood cells, especially premature babies. The bilirubin has a yellow pigment and sometimes builds up in the bloodstream, causing jaundice. It’s just a precaution.”
“Promise?”
“Swear on my life,” Cory pledged and scooped baby Kinley away again.
Cory returned after getting his tiny baby girl situated with a little mask below the glowing light. He sat on the bed and held Alexis’s hand.
“Can I get up?”
“Yes, but I can get it for you. What do you need?”
“I have to pee.”
Cory kissed her and pulled her gently to her feet. Never leaving her side, he stood by the door and waited.
Alexis hissed and flailed her fingers. “Aaah, I can’t do it. It burns.”
“Do it really fast.”
Alexis tried and stopped mid-stream. “I can’t. It burns,” she screeched. Son of a bitch. She thought the delivery was supposed to be the painful part, not this.
“I’ll have the nurse get a sitz bath ready for you. That’ll make you feel better. It’s probably from the stitches. Hold it until you are in the bath to pee. I promise it won’t burn there.”
“Cory, do you really think I know what a sitz bath is?” Alexis had a huge family, and although she would admit she feigned ignorance a lot during her pregnancy, just to hear her good looking doctor explain things, she wasn’t playing dumb this time. She had no idea what a sitz bath was.
“Is this you playing dumb so I’ll explain it to you again, or do you really not know?”
“I have a good idea. I believe it’s some sort of bathtub.”
“Yes, for your vagina. Stay here, I’ll be right back.”
Alexis grunted from pain when she laughed.
“She’s getting it ready. Do you want to walk or ride in a chair?”
“I?
??ll walk.”
Cory led her to a room with a tub filling with warm water. A nurse started to help her with her gown and Cory stopped her. “I’ve got it. You can go.”
“Are you sure, Dr. Baker?”
“Very, thank you.”
“Cory, I feel stupid doing this,” Alexis said with furrowed eyebrows, looking at the oversized sink that she was supposed to just squat and sit in.
“Oh, but you are going to love it, trust me.”
“I don’t want to do this in front of you.”
“I just watched you have a baby. Sit down.”
The only thing that kept Alexis from arguing was the fact that she had to pee. “Aaah,” she instantly moaned in relief.
“See, I told you.”
The sitz bath turned out to be a very intimate time for them. Cory spent almost thirty minutes with her. They talked about their new baby and Riki, that’s it. And the bond became even stronger.
Alexis protested when Cory dabbed her naked bottom with a dry towel. “Cory, I can do this myself.”
“I know you can, but I want to take care of you. Now let me. Put your foot in these sexy panties here.”
Alexis laughed and raised her foot for the net-like underwear. She did take care of the diaper-sized pad on her own, although he would have gladly handled that, too.
“I hate pads. I would rather have a tampon.” she complained as her hips swirled and she tried to situate the bulky thing between her legs.
“Do you really want to stick a tampon in there right now?”
“Good point. No, I don’t think I do.”
“Besides, your cervix is still open and you would just be asking for infection. No tampons for six weeks.”
“Yes, doctor. I love you. I love you so much it’s stupid,” Alexis assured him with her arms moving behind his neck.
“And I love you so much it’s stupid. Let’s go see our baby girl.”
Cory stood behind Alexis and held her close to his chest. The nursery held three baby girls and one extremely big boy. They joked with the father of the little guy who also looked through the window. That boy was big enough to start already.
“She looks like a glow-worm,” Alexis said. She didn’t care about the football player. She only cared about her baby girl, wiggling around below the lights.
“I’m going to bring her to you. We want you to try and feed her,” the nurse explained.