by Toni Aleo
Erik felt helpless and guilty while he tried to soothe her pain with his backrub. Maybe Harper and Rowan should have stayed with her instead of him. They knew what they were doing; he sure as hell didn’t. Leaning his head against her hot, sweaty back, he asked,
“Sweetheart, do you want me to go get your mom and Harper?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I want you and you only,” she said before she yelled out, tensing up as she went through another contraction. He felt bad, but he couldn’t help feeling elated that she wanted him. When the door opened, Erik saw the nurse walk in.
“I brought ice chips and towels,” she informed them as she laid them within reach. “I think Dr. Richards will be here in a minute.”
“Okay,” Erik said.
“How are you doing, momma?”
Piper shook her head. “My back is killing me.”
“Okay, any pressure in your butt?”
Piper shrugged her shoulders. “Sort of, but it’s mostly pain.”
“Poor thing; do you feel like you need to push?”
Piper shook her head. “No.”
“Okay, well, you let us know if you do, okay?” the nurse said with a grin. She patted Piper’s knee and then went to the machine that was beside the bed. Erik wiped the wet cloths along Piper’s face to clean off all her makeup. He smiled as he piled up her hair on top of her head before wiping her jaw and neck.
“I look like poo, huh?”
Erik shook his head. “No,” he said softly as he leaned over to get the ice chips. He popped one in her mouth and said, “I was just thinking that you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
She smiled a true happy smile before smacking his chest. “You’re such a liar.”
He took her hand in his, kissing her palm before shaking his head. “I’d never lie about that.”
Looking deep in his eyes she said, “Kiss the hell out of me, please.”
Erik didn’t even think, he just leaned forward, pressing his lips to her cold ones. He missed her lips so much. He wished the kiss would have lasted longer, but the next thing he knew, Piper was almost choking him as she screamed against his mouth.
“For the love of God, I swear I’m dying!”
“You’re not dying,” another voice said.
Erik looked over his shoulder to see the doctor putting a glove on. He smiled as he came over to the bed, running his hand down Piper’s back.
“I hear your back hurts,” he said looking her over.
“Yes, very much so,” she cried as she leaned her head against Erik’s collarbone while she dug her fingers into the backs of his arms. He was going to have bruises the next day but he figured that since she was giving birth to his kid, it was a fair trade.
“Well, let’s see where this little guy is. Can you lie down for me please?”
Letting him go, she slowly lay back as harsh, uneven breaths left her body. Erik watched as the doctor moved between her legs and then smiled before looking up at Piper. “You’re almost there. Dilated to nine and ninety percent.”
“Oh God,” she muttered as she covered her face. “Everything hurts: my back, my cooter, my ass, everything.”
“I know, not much longer. You are moving quickly,” he said with a grin, then walked out.
Looking down at Piper, Erik took her hand in his, kissing her knuckles as her body started to tense up. She needed a distraction. She was about to start freaking out, he could feel it and see it. Her whole body was red, sweaty, and trembling. He knew he needed to do something.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and went to his app store.
“Erik, please don’t take pictures of me.”
“I’m not.”
“What are you doing then?” she asked, looking down at him.
He looked up and smiled, not answering her question because he wanted it to be a surprise. Looking back down at his phone, he took her hand and started to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows out loud for her. When she squeezed his hand, he looked up to see her looking at him with appreciation in her eyes.
“You are amazing,” she said softly.
“So are you,” he answered before looking back down at his phone. He didn’t get through two pages before she started screaming again. He tried to read through it, hoping that it would calm her, but she started to pull at his hand and when he looked up at her, she was reaching for him.
“Hold me,” she cried, pulling him toward her. He quickly tucked his phone in his pocket. As he wrapped his arms around her torso, she buried her face in his neck and dug her nails into his back. She was breathing deeply.
“I think I need to push.”
“What?” he asked, pulling back to see her face.
She nodded. “Yup, I need to push.”
Letting him go, she lay back while Erik started to slam his hand against the call button. When the nurse came on the line, Erik said, “She wants to push!”
Looking down at Piper, he saw her squirming in the bed as she tried to grip something. When she reached up and took his hand, she pulled him down, resting her forehead against his. People were moving around them, but Erik couldn’t see them or what they were doing because of the position she had him in.
“Yeah, she is ready,” Erik heard the doctor say before Piper started to slam her fist against his back.
“Ah, fire, fire, I feel fire!” she yelled as she continued to beat him in the back.
“Piper, I need you to pull your legs up, honey; your baby is coming.”
Releasing Erik, Piper cried out as a nurse positioned Erik to hold one leg. Piper’s hand came up on his biceps as her other held the back of her thigh.
“All right, Piper, here comes a contraction, let’s push, ready, and one,” the doctor said, and everyone including Erik counted with him as Piper pushed her heart out. Erik knew this because he was pretty sure she was ripping his biceps off.
“Wow, Piper, you aren’t playing around,” the doctor said. “Great push. Take a breath and get ready for the next one.”
Erik looked back at Piper and could tell she was worn-out but when her eyes met his, he could see the fight in them. She wasn’t giving up.
With a smile on his face, he whispered, “You are so beautiful, and the strongest woman I know.”
Her eyes were full of tears as she slowly nodded.
“All right, Piper, let’s go again,” Dr. Richards said and Piper bore down, screaming out as everyone counted together. “There we go, give me your hand, baby.”
Piper let go of her thigh, giving the doctor her hand as he said, “That’s your baby; one more push, come on.”
Making the mistake of looking between Piper’s thighs, Erik let out a sound of distress before looking back at her face.
“He’s right there.”
She nodded, closing her eyes as she pulled in a lungful of air.
“Ready, here we go, and one,” Dr. Richards said, and before Erik and everyone else got to seven, a gurgling noise filled the room. Erik’s heart was racing but he swore it stopped when they placed a bloody, screaming mass on Piper’s belly. That damn itchy feeling in his eyes went nuts as tears gushed down his face and his eyes met the eyes of his son.
“It’s a boy!”
* * *
It felt like Piper was having an out-of-body experience.
Tears rushed from her face as she softy laid her hands on her screaming baby while trying to breathe around her happy sobs.
She had done it.
He was here and he was perfect. Moving her fingers along his little head, she took in every detail. Dark hair covered his head; his dark eyes were wide, looking right at her as his face turned red from his screaming. It was like he was looking into her soul as he shook from her sobs.
“Hi, little guy,” she whispered as she cried, “I’m your mommy.”
As a nurse started to wipe him down, Piper glanced over to see Erik com
pletely white, with his mouth hanging open. She wanted to laugh but Dimitri was screaming his head off and she couldn’t stop looking at him. He was so beautiful.
“All right, Daddy, snip right here,” Dr. Richards said.
Piper watched as Erik looked at the doctor and then the umbilical cord before looking up at Piper. When a big bright grin came across his face, she couldn’t stop the sob that escaped her lips as he reached for the scissors and cut their son from her. When he appeared next to her, he laid his big hand on Dimitri’s back before kissing her temple.
“You did it,” he whispered before kissing her again. “You did it, baby. God, he is so beautiful.”
And he was. Little but beautiful. He didn’t even need more than the regular prenatal care. He was perfect and she couldn’t believe that she had done this, that they had made such a beautiful, sweet baby. Kissing Dimitri’s head, Piper wiped her tears from her face before looking over at Erik.
“No, we did it.”
He smiled, kissing her lips before looking back down at Dimitri. It was like she was looking at her future and when she looked up into Erik’s eyes, she knew that she needed him to be there, too. She had no doubt that she could raise this baby by herself, but she didn’t want to. She wanted Erik with her; she wanted Dimitri to have his mommy and his daddy.
Suddenly a nurse appeared and said, “We need to check him out.”
Piper nodded as they took him and watched as Erik went with them, standing only inches away. She never thought she could love Erik more, but she did. He had been amazing during the labor and perfect throughout the delivery. He was attentive, sweet, and amazing, everything Piper needed. She couldn’t have done it without him, and she knew that he had to love her. He might not have the words but he had the actions and that was enough.
Closing her eyes, tears leaked out as she listened to her little guy cry. Everything had happened so fast and she couldn’t believe that just a few hours ago she was celebrating her best friend’s union and now here she was, a mommy. How did this happen and why wasn’t she scared? She had been so worried when they first got to the hospital, feeling like she couldn’t do it, but she did—and a pretty damn good job, if she did say so herself. And she knew it was all because of Erik.
Glancing over at Erik, she watched him watch their son like he was tracking a puck on the ice: sharp and attentive. He was going to be the perfect father, and she had known that since the beginning. The great thing was that he was finally realizing this.
She knew that there was still a lot to figure out between them, but at that moment she was surprised she could even keep her eyes open. Her body was exhausted, and she felt as if just moving her arms would take everything out of her. She felt loopy, like she was flying, as everyone started to move and poke at her. When she glanced down at Dr. Richards, she whispered, “I’m about to pass out.”
“I wouldn’t doubt it. They gave you some pain meds, so go to sleep. I’m finishing up some of your sutures,” Dr. Richards said.
Piper opened her eyes to see that Erik was still standing near Dimitri. Looking back at her, he smiled and said, “I won’t leave his side.”
She nodded slowly, and thought she said she loved him, but she wasn’t sure because the next thing she knew, she was out.
Chapter 27
“How do I hold him?”
Piper’s eyes fluttered open to find Erik standing beside a nurse, their backs to her. She sat up, very slowly, since she was still sore everywhere. She felt like she had competed in a Ninja Warrior competition and hadn’t slept in days, but when she glanced up at the clock, she noticed that she had slept through the night. Moving her hands through her hair, she blinked as she took in her surroundings. The table beside her held bouquets of flowers, along with a little stuffed whale. A small smile came across her face as she reached for it and saw that Dimitri’s name was along the tail, along with a tag that said, “From Daddy.”
“I’ll place him in your arms.”
Piper watched as the nurse placed her little man in Erik’s arms. Dimitri was wrapped up in a little white blanket, looking like a little burrito, and when Erik turned there was a grin on his face that only grew when he saw Piper looking up at him.
“Look, bud, Mommy is awake,” he said softly as he came toward her.
“Do y’all need anything else?” the nurse asked.
Erik shook his head. “No, ma’am, I think we are good.” He then asked Piper, “Sweetheart, do you need anything?”
Piper shook her head. “I just want to hold my baby.”
Erik carried the baby over to Piper, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, and leaned against her. Piper rested her head against his shoulder and moved the blanket from Dimitri’s face.
Man, he was beautiful.
Cute little button nose, with sweet little rosy cheeks. Looking at him, she felt this unbelievable jolt of love for her child. She never knew a love like that existed, until that moment. She was overwhelmed with happiness as she moved her finger along his little lips, and when she glanced up at Erik, she felt like her heart was going to burst from her chest.
She loved them both so much.
With a smile, she said, “He looks like you.”
A confident grin went across Erik’s face before he looked over at her. “Yup, he’s gonna have all the girl babies hollering at him.”
She giggled as she leaned her head against him while moving her fingers along Dimitri’s cheek. “He’s perfect.”
“Sure is; you did good, baby, real good.”
She smiled at him. “You helped.”
He chuckled before turning his head to kiss her cheek. “How are you feeling?”
“I hurt a little, but not like before,” she said softly, cringing from the memory of intense fire between her legs.
Next time she was going for the drugs from the get-go. She’d sit at the hospital until she went into labor if she had to.
“Good. They said he is doing great and that as long as he maintains his temperature and you are okay, we can leave tomorrow.”
She looked up from her beautiful baby and into the eyes of the man she was going to love for the rest of her life. “We?”
Erik looked down at Dimitri and then back up at her. His face curved into a grin just as a knock came at the door. Tearing her eyes from his, she watched as Reese popped her head in and said, “We come bearing gifts!”
Erik let out a long breath before slowly laying Dimitri in her arms. Looking back up at her, he leaned over and kissed her lips before whispering, “We will talk soon. I think everyone is here.”
Her eyes stayed locked with his as he backed away. She didn’t want to see anyone; she wanted to know what he meant by “we.” Was he coming home with her? Were they going to be a family? Did he love her? To her, all the answers were yes, just from the way he had been acting toward her, but was that all because of the baby? She didn’t want to believe that; she hoped he wanted her just as much.
Because their beautiful baby, Dimitri, needed both of them. Together was more desirable but if that wasn’t God’s plan, then she would find a way to cope, because no matter what, she was going to be the best mom imaginable. She only hoped that she would have Erik there to help and encourage her to be the best she could be. They would be great together; she just needed him to realize that.
Reese leaned against the bed to look at Dimitri and let out a little “aw” before saying, “My ovaries are tingling. He’s so cute.”
Piper giggled. “He is.”
“I kinda want one, but then again, I kinda don’t.”
Piper laughed, startling poor Dimitri but thankfully he didn’t start crying; he only flung his arms up before nuzzling back against her hand.
“I’ll just love him extra much,” Reese declared before taking his little fist in hers.
“Sounds like a good plan,” Piper said, leaning her head against her sister’s.
“How much did he weigh?”
“Six pounds, t
en ounces, and twenty inches long. They said it’s a good thing I didn’t go full-term, because he would have been huge.”
“Ugh, yeah, God, that’s what you get for making babies with a huge hockey player!” Reese laughed.
“I wouldn’t change that decision for anything,” Piper whispered as her mom and Harper came toward the bed, cooing over Dimitri.
“So what’s his full name?” her mom asked.
“Dimitri Blake Titov,” Piper said with a grin before leaning over to kiss her little guy on the head.
“So sweet,” Rowan said, staring down at her grandson. “He is perfect. Great job, honey. I heard it wasn’t easy.”
Piper shrugged her shoulders. “It was horrible, but worth it. I am thankful Erik was here. I probably couldn’t have done it without him.”
“He has really changed,” Harper said softly.
Piper looked up at her older sister; she was still a little upset with Harper because of the way she had acted during Piper’s labor. With a curt nod, Piper said, “He has.”
“I think I owe you an apology,” Harper said, looking Piper in the eyes.
“You do,” Reese said from the side, receiving a smack from Rowan. “Well, she does!”
“Hush,” Rowan said as Harper rolled her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Piper, I was wrong.”
Piper accepted the apology and reached out to hold her sister’s hand. Everything was crazy and Piper was sure she had probably been acting a little nuts, too.
“It’s fine; now come see your gorgeous nephew.”
Harper smiled as she came closer and with a laugh said, “God, he looks just like Erik!”
Piper laughed. “Yes, he does.”
When the door opened, Piper looked up to see Elli, Fallon, and Audrey, all smiling as they entered.
“Audrey! You are supposed to be on your honeymoon!” Piper complained as they came toward the bed with flowers and bags in their hands.
“Like I would leave without seeing you first!” Audrey said with a wave of her hand. “Oh my goodness, he is perfect!”
Piper nodded as she smiled proudly up at her girls. “He is.”
