“It’ll be okay.” He scoops me up and heads toward the front of the lodge, with Blake right behind us. Before I can say a word, the two of them get me into Tanner’s truck, and the next thing I know, I’m being admitted to the hospital.
TANNER
Dressed in a set of scrubs, I follow a nurse into the operating room, and my heart seizes in my chest when I see Cybil lying on the hospital bed attached to machines, with a large blue sheet blocking my view of her belly. Her belly where our baby has been growing for months; her belly that I’ve kissed, rubbed, and fallen in love with. When I meet her worried gaze, I attempt to hide the fear I’m feeling; she doesn’t need to know that I’m scared, but I am. Other than a little bit of morning sickness, her pregnancy has been easy, so finding out after they ran some tests that she’s suffering from placental abruption has been a shock for both of us.
“You have to stay right next to her head,” the nurse informs me. I lift my chin, letting her know that I heard her, then walk toward my wife.
“Hey, sunshine.” I smooth my hand over the top of her hair, and tears fill her beautiful eyes. “It’s going to be okay,” I assure her, praying that I’m right.
“I’m so scared, Tanner.”
“I know, baby.” I drop my forehead to rest against hers and whisper soothing nonsense as the doctors and nurses work around us. Time seems to go in slow motion, and I don’t even think I really breathe until a sharp cry fills the room over the sound of quiet murmurs.
“Mom and Dad, you have a beautiful, healthy little girl,” a woman announces, and tears I can’t hold back fill my eyes as I wipe away the tracks of tears from Cybil’s temples.
“You were right,” Cybil whispers, sounding tired but happy, and I press my lips to her forehead, holding them there as a whirlwind of activity begins to swarm around us.
“So proud of you, baby.”
“You always say that.” I see her smile through the mask she has on before I turn to watch a group of nurses clean up our girl and check her over. “Is she okay? What does she look like?”
“She’s okay, she’s beautiful,” I assure her, then focus on her beautiful sleepy face. “We still need to decide on her name.”
“Claire Montana after my mom and the place we fell in love,” she says, her eyes searching mine and looking unsure, and I rest my lips against her forehead.
“I love it, and you.” I smooth my hand over her hair.
“Here she is, Mom and Dad,” a nurse says, quietly holding Claire close to Cybil’s chest, and I reach out and carefully touch her cheek with the tip of my finger.
“She’s perfect.” I look at my two girls, not sure that I’ll ever get used to loving two people so much. Before Cybil, I had no idea what love was, and now with our daughter here with us, I’m sure I didn’t.
CYBIL
“I love you,” I whisper to my husband, watching him hold Claire’s tiny body against his bare chest, and he turns his head my way, giving me a warm smile filled with contentment and happiness.
“I love you, too, sunshine.” He reaches across the space between us and touches my cheek. “I love both my girls.” He kisses the top of Claire’s head, and tears fill my eyes.
I’m sure some people might think I rushed into love, but without a doubt it was the best thing I’ve ever done, and I truly believe that my mom had something to do with the miracle I was given.