Something New
Page 51
“I think I just want you to help me to the car.”
“The car? Right! The car! Okay, let’s go!”
∞∞∞
Once we were checked in to labor and delivery, the clock started, and everything became real. We were about to become parents. Until my water broke, the crib, diapers, and bottles all seemed to be “things to do” to prepare, but nothing would be able to prepare us for parenthood. Within hours, I went from three centimeters dilated to ten, and it was time to push.
“Are you ready for this?” Elijah asked, holding my hand.
“As ready as I can be.”
“Okay, Isa. I’m going to count to three, and then you’re going to give me a big push!” the doctor coached.
“Okay.”
“One, two, three, push!”
“Ahhhh!” I screamed, pressing my chin into my chest.
“C’mon, Isa!You got this, baby! You can do it!”
The doctor chimed in, “Next contraction is coming, Isa. Let’s push on three, alright? One, two, and push!”
Sweat beads cluttered my forehead as I pushed three more times before hearing the sweet sound of our baby boy’s tears. He had a set of solid lungs with the loudest, shrieking cry I’d ever heard. Once Elijah cut the cord, the doctor placed him in my arms, and the waterworks instantly began.
“He’s beautiful,” Elijah gushed.
“He looks like you.”
“You think so?”
I dipped my chin in a quick nod. “I do.”
“How can you tell? He’s like five-minutes old.”
I smiled. “I just know.”
“Yo, you remember when you asked me if opening the restaurant was the happiest moment of my life, and I told you that I didn’t know if it had happened yet?”
“Yeah. What about it?”
“Thank you for being a part of the happiest moment of my life and giving me the best gift anyone has ever given me,” he confessed before wiping a tear from my cheek.
“I love you,” I breathed.
With his forehead pressed against mine, he cracked a smile and said, “I love you, too.”
The End