“Thank heaven. She needs you.”
“I need her more than life itself.”
* * *
This time it was Luna in the royal suite at the hospital. The King and Queen stayed in the other part of it while they waited. With a new royal heir about to make an appearance, she had all the help she could ever need. The pediatrician and staff had all gathered to get things ready. But there was only one person she needed to see.
As her tall, gorgeous husband came walking into the room masked and gowned, she was hit by another pain. He rushed over to her. All she could do was greet him with a moan.
One of the staff brought a chair over by her head so he could sit down. “Luna—mi amante.”
She gripped the hand he’d extended. “You’re home. Thank hea—” That was all she could get out before another pain hit hard. By now the gowned OB had come into the room and had placed himself at the end of the bed. “After being in labor all day, you’re more than ready. Shall we do this, Luna?”
The pain was so bad, all she could answer was, “Please, yes.”
“On your next pain, bear down as hard as you can.”
Being in labor was a revelation. How women who’d had six, eight, a dozen children did it was beyond her comprehension.
“One more time, Luna. Give it all you’ve got.”
“You can do it,” Rini urged her on.
If this didn’t get over soon, she felt certain she would die. Suddenly, it was like a whoosh and she heard a baby’s gurgle.
* * *
“You and Rini do good work, Luna,” the doctor exclaimed. “You have a fine boy here. He’s got your black hair, Rini, and all the important parts.”
Both she and Rini laughed for joy.
He placed the baby on her stomach. He cried that amazing cry she’d been waiting for.
She looked into Rini’s tear-filled eyes. “Can you believe we have a son?”
“He’s beautiful, just like his mother.” Rini kissed her lips.
“Do you have a name picked out?” the doctor asked.
“Yes,” she answered. “Andreas Giulio Leonardo Vincenzo Umberto Baldasseri. Andreas was my father’s name. We’ll call him Andre.”
“If you’ll let him go, we’ll get him cleaned up, weighed and measured. I’d say he’s a good six pounds and breathing well. Very good for coming a month early. Right now I know the King and Queen are waiting anxiously to greet the newest addition to the Baldasseri royal family.”
* * *
Two hours later, after all the excitement, Rini had been left alone with his wife. Andre had been taken to the nursery, but he’d be back soon. The nurse had made Luna comfortable, but Rini knew she was exhausted.
He kissed her warmly on the mouth. “I almost had a heart attack when Viola met me at the car and told me you’d gone to the hospital. I wanted to be here for you.”
“You got here in time, Rini. That was all that mattered. How did it go at the mine?”
“A new vein of gold has been discovered.”
She studied his features. “Another miracle. We’ve had so many.”
He nodded. “Our new son is the prize. He’s perfect.”
“That’s because you’re his father.”