Kerry fought tears as she watched the reunion between husband and wife. She took a deep breath to get herself under control. After dozens of births, this reaction startled her, and she pushed the reason for it to the back of her mind. She had a job to do.
“She’s doing great,” Pearl said as she released Stephen’s mother.
The young husband slid his gaze back and forth between Casey and Kerry. “Is everything all right?”
“As your mother-in-law said, Casey is doing fine.” She smiled. “In fact, I think you made it here just in time.”
“The baby?”
“Strong, and ready to make his entrance.” Kerry headed toward the door. “If you’ll excuse me for a minute, I want to make sure the doctor is ready if we need her.”
Stephen reached for her arm. “Isn’t the doctor going to be here?”
The worry on the young soldier’s face touched a deep part of her. His stiffened shoulders, the thin lines creasing his forehead, and the grasp he had of his wife’s hand spoke of the love these two shared.
A love she’d thrown away.
She mentally shook herself. Distractions had never been a problem for her before. She had to get herself under control, push all of these wayward thoughts far away. Her focus had to be on the health and well-being of this woman and her baby. “I’m a certified midwife. I’ve done dozens of deliveries. Your wife is young and healthy, and in good hands. But if anything looks suspicious at all, I’ll send for the doctor immediately. Just relax and enjoy your reunion.”
He smoothed the damp hair from Casey’s forehead. “You’ll be right back, though?”
“In a jiffy.” She patted his arm.
Casey groaned and grabbed Stephen’s hand.
A quick look at the computer screen assured her everything continued to go well. “Good job, Casey, but I don’t want you to push yet.”
“Ahh! It hurts.”
Stephen rubbed her back and scattered quick kisses on her forehead. As soon as the contraction ended, Kerry hurried away to notify the doctor on staff.
Twenty minutes later, after instructing Stephen to stand behind the bed and support Casey’s shoulders as she bore down, Kerry draped Casey’s spread legs with sheets to give her some privacy from the others in the room.
As the mother’s cries grew louder, the tension in the room increased. It appeared this particular couple had the ability to sharpen her senses, make her more aware of sights and smells. Things that had always remained in the background now took center stage. The fear on Stephen’s face as his eyes flicked back and forth between Casey and Kerry, mixed with her own tension as the baby fought to make its entrance. The older women’s perfume ate up the air in the room, and the bright overhead lights made even the thin crack on the wall behind Stephen’s head visible.
He coached his wife like a pro, soothing her with words, and soft whispers in her ear. He even grinned when Casey threatened to cut off the part of him that had put her in this particular situation.
The two soon-to-be grandmothers clutched each other’s hands, their eyes never leaving the spot where their grandchild would emerge. The troubled grandfather kept eyeing the door, as if planning an escape, and through it all, Kerry tried to keep the focus on her job, and away from the man who insisted on intruding into her thoughts.
“Okay, hon, you can bear down now.”
A lengthy deafening wail from the mother’s lips echoed in the room.
“That’s good, relax now for a minute. I can see the baby’s head.”
Stephen used a shaky hand to wipe the sweat from his wife’s forehead. If the baby didn’t come soon, there would likely be a need for another hospital bed. Amazing how big and strong a man can be on the battlefield, but fall apart if the woman he loves is in pain.
Another contraction rippled across the woman’s belly, and a tiny head with curly black hair emerged.
“Great, Casey. The next time you feel a contraction, bear down, hard.”
Within a minute, the young mother’s body arched as another scream rent the air, and a tiny body slid out.
Grinning at the beautiful baby boy, Kerry wiped the sweat from her brow with her forearm, and quickly sucked out the fluids from the infant’s nose and mouth with a syringe. The newly arrived infant let loose with a lusty howl. She placed the baby on Casey’s stomach and handed Stephen a pair of scissors.
“Time to cut the cord, daddy.”
With fumbling fingers, the new father did as instructed. Kerry glanced at the couple as she took the implement from his hand. Stephen had his arms around his wife, his dark skin a beautiful contrast to his wife’s paleness. Both of them gazed at the baby with love and wonder. Then, like all new parents, they counted fingers and toes.