“Okay, now push,” Sherry says, grabbing one of Karrie’s legs, bringing it back. She puts her chin to her chest and pushes with all her force while Sherry and I count to ten. I look down and see that the baby has half his head out.
“The head is almost out,” I tell her with tears running down my face. I will never forget this moment.
“I’m tired, Matthew, so tired,” she says in a whisper.
“Okay, how about we give one more push,” Sherry says, looking at the doctor, who nods. “Big push, Karrie.”
“I don’t think I can.” She closes her eyes. “It’s too much. It hurts.”
“You are the strongest person I know. You can do anything,” I tell her right before Sherry yells out.
“Push, we need her to push.”
My head snaps up at her urgency. I think Karrie heard it also, so she grabs her legs and pushes hard.
“Stop pushing,” Dr. Noelle says. “Okay, the shoulders next and it’ll just slide out. Push.” And she does, she pushes till the doctor says, “Meet your baby.” She places the baby directly on the towel that Sherry placed there.
Karrie lets go of my hand, holding onto our child. Her sobs fill the room. “My baby,” she says while I bring her head to my lips, kissing her and looking down at my child.
“We have a boy,” Dr. Noelle says. “If you will do the honors,” she hands me the scissors, “in between the two white clamps.”
I cut my son’s umbilical cord.
Sherry takes my son from Karrie’s chest, bringing him to the crib while she takes his heartbeat and his cries fill the room. Loud, angry cries.
“Go see him,” Karrie says from my side, the doctor still between her legs. Walking over to the crib, I see his arms moving around while the nurse is putting a diaper on him and putting his name tag on his ankle.
I grab his small hand with my finger. He wraps it around the top. “He’s so beautiful.” He stops crying the minute he hears my voice. His eyes blink open slowly. “Hey there.” His feet start to move now.
“We have a big boy, almost ten pounds. Good job, Mom,” Sherry says while she puts a hat on him. “I’m going to wrap him up now so we can take him to go feed,” she tells me while she wraps my son up like a burrito.
The nurse that met us at the elevator comes in. “Okay, I hate to crash the party, but I have a waiting room full of people pacing back and forth. Someone needs to go and tell them that this is a hospital and not a reception party.”
I smile, thinking about the amount of people that must be outside. “Do you want me to stay or go and tell them?”
“You better go before they get some drones to fly in here,” she says while the doctor finishes, taking off her gloves.
I walk to kiss her right when the doctor hands her the baby. “Here’s your son.”
Karrie grabs the baby, kissing his face. “He looks exactly like you.” The baby’s hands poke out from his blanket. “I love you,” she tells him, “so, so much.” She kisses his face, and he starts to fuss again.
“How about you try to nurse him and see if he’s hungry?” Sherry says while Karrie presses the button on the bed to sit upright. “Now make sure that he latches on properly or you’ll be getting cracked nipples.”
“Are you hungry?” Karrie asks him while she takes her breast out, placing him the way Sherry tells her to. In a matter of seconds, my boy is latching on. “He’s definitely his father’s son.” Her tired eyes meet mine. “Go tell the family.”
I kiss her lips before walking out of the room.
Walking into the room, it goes dead silent. My mom sits down next to Cooper, who has his feet crossed at the ankles and his head down. Doug sits in the corner of the room, watching the golf game that’s playing. Allison and Vivienne are sitting side by side. My Aunt Meghan and Uncle Tom sit up.
“I have a son.” My voice cracks as I say it.
My mother gets up and walks to me, wrapping her arms around my waist. Allison is the next one who comes to me. The last one is Cooper, who grabs me by my neck, bringing me to him. The four of us hug with Zoe and Zara standing by Cooper’s side.
“Okay, enough,” Vivienne says. “Let me see a picture,” she asks while I let go and grab my phone, showing her the pictures I took while he was getting weighed. “What’s his name?”
“Karrie and I decided that we would name him Cooper Douglas Grant,” I say, looking at Cooper. “Two of the strongest men we know.”