The Daughter In Law

Something must’ve been going on around hour five, because I heard raised voices out in the hallway and Damien looked ready to chew nails when he kissed my head and told me he’d be right back. Five minutes later the noise was gone and he was back. Pin was still being a pain and refused to move any farther and the chirpy nurse was happy to tell me how many more centimeters I still had to go. I would’ve snatched her ass bald but Damien calmed me down.

I couldn’t believe that this man who’d been a basket case for the past month or so was now this calm, cool and collected. He helped me breathe, and cooled my brow and did everything but push the little sucker out for me. If I were paying attention I would’ve noticed that he was white as a sheet and his jaw was hard enough to cut rock.

I think he threatened the doctor once or twice around hour ten but I wasn’t paying attention. I was too busy wondering if women really did this shit more than once. I don’t think Damien appreciated me giving him a blow by blow of what it felt like to have his kid rearranging my vajayjay though.

“Get this kid outta me now.” I think that was me but it sounded more like a spawn from the depths of hell. I didn’t bother threatening Damien; that was so done. But he got the drift from the kill lights in my eyes when he tried telling me how the fuck to breathe that last time, when pin was doing his damnedest to tear me a new one.

“I can’t do this anymore, put me to sleep, wake me up when it’s over.”

“Baby look at me. You can do this, don’t you want to meet pin? We’ve been waiting forever. Think of all the fun the three of us are gonna have together, all those cool things we got for him.” He talked a good game but nothing doing.

“Why don’t we switch places asshole and you can tell me how good this feels?” Mom was busy taping everything for posterity; I’m not sure who she expected to show it too. Then again I could keep it on DVR or something to show the little shit when he was a teenager and giving me shit.

“We’re almost there Mrs. Spencer just one more big push. On the count of three.”

“Ungh…” I expelled a basketball with limbs from my cooch. That kid must have the biggest head in creation. Everyone was moving around tending to the scream machine while I was trying to feel my body to see if it was still working. Damien had his eyes peeled on the nurses while mom was in their faces with the camera. No one was making it out of here with that kid. He was well documented that’s for sure.

“Here you go Mr. Spencer, you have a beautiful, healthy baby girl.”

The big lug had tears in his eyes when he turned back to me to pass her off. She was so tiny and perfect. How could something so small be so much damn trouble? I was grinning like a fool and had no idea why; I’d already forgotten the pain. And when she popped open those eyes my heart melted. She was her daddy’s girl for sure. She had dark hair like both of us, but those eyes were gonna be the same steel grey as her dad’s.

“You okay Dami?”

“Uh-huh.” I think he forgot how to form words, he was just staring at his daughter like she was a new species and I could’ve sworn he was shaking.

After they cleaned me up, and the little piglet had her dinner, Dami sat on the bed and held us both. “Justine.”

“Say what now?”

“That’s her name.”

Well I sure wish somebody had consulted me first. But I liked it.

“You had that name picked out?”

“Uh-huh, it’s the closest thing to justice for a girl.”

That reminded me. “What was all that out there earlier?” He looked at me for a good minute before answering.

“Mom tried to get in, I don’t know how she found out but I’ll look into it. Your dad held her off until I got there and made her leave.” I held the baby closer to me.

“There’s nothing for you to worry about I’ve already called the station and let them know. As soon as you and Justine are settled I’ll go down and take care of it.”

“She’s not gonna stop.”

“I know; that’s why she and dad are moving out of state.”