“A couple more pushes and your baby will be here.”
She pushed on another contraction. “Kid, I can see the head.” Abe sounded awed, and Sophia opened her eyes and looked at him. “The baby has a head full of dark hair, Sophia.” There was a smile in his voice, which had her smiling too.
“Okay, one more, Sophia. On the next contraction, you’re going to push your baby out.”
Abe kissed her on the lips, and on the next one, she pushed with everything she had. The pain was indescribable, but then immense relief spread through her, and she heard the most beautiful sound in the word. Her baby crying.
“It’s a boy—a big boy at that.”
“You hear that, Kid? Little Noah is finally here. Our baby is finally here.” He kissed her hard on the mouth, and then there was a flurry of movement. She watched the little screaming bundle get carted away to the warmer. Several nurses swarmed around him, checking his vitals and rubbing him vigorously. Abe hovered around them, his phone poised high as he snapped picture after picture.
Once all the activity settled down, her heart was full of love as Abe carried their little boy over to her. Tears were in his eyes as he looked down at her. He handed the little bundle wrapped in blue to her, and she ran her finger over his brow. He looked like Abe, and weighing in at over nine pounds meant he was going to be big like his daddy too.
Noah tried to open his eyes and then yawned big. Both of them laughed out loud. Sophia let her fingers run through the dark tuft of hair covering his head.
“That’s our boy, sweetheart. He’s beautiful.”
She lifted her eyes to the man she loved. “Yeah, he sure is.”
Abe sat on the edge of the bed, and together they watched their little man fall asleep. Who knew two scarred pasts could create such a perfect, beautiful little future?