Fair Chances (Fairshore Series Book 3)

by Christina Butrum

  Amelia stood up. She had not practiced diaper placement. “This will be interesting,” she said to her teammates. Her teammates laughed and exchanged good lucks with the other team.

  Although she could not see her other teammates and felt as though she had struggled through the diaper game, she heard one of her teammates holler, “Done!” Amelia knew her teammate had hollered before any other person could. Amelia ripped the blindfold off and found her teammates jumping and dancing in a circle around their dolls. Amelia laughed and shouted, “Woohoo!”

  Just as she shouted and danced in a tiny circle as she held up her doll, a wet sensation flowed between her legs. She heard three of her friends gasp. Her mother rushed to her side. Amelia panicked and looked down. A puddle of water had collected at her feet. “Mom,” Amelia cried out. “What…”

  “Your water just broke, Amelia Jean,” her mother stated. Her mother pointed at one of the guests and said, “Please make sure everything’s turned off. Make sure everyone gets a party favor. Thank you.”

  Amelia waddled through the front door with her mother by her side. Bailey raced out to the porch and grabbed Amelia’s arm. “Relax and breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.”

  Amelia shook her head. “Bai, I’m not having contractions.”

  Bailey nodded and hurried Amelia to Diane’s car. Amelia’s mother raced to the car and opened the passenger door. She hollered, “Someone call Zach! Tell him I’m taking her to the hospital!”

  Amelia sat in the front seat of her mother’s car and looked at her front porch. A crowd of women watched her and her mother as they drove out of the driveway and down the road.

  Amelia gripped the door handle. Her breathing quickened as the pain grew in her stomach. The contraction lasted less than a minute according to the clock on the dash.

  “Breathe through the contractions,” Bailey and her mother recited to her on the way to the hospital. “Don’t think about the pain. Concentrate on breathing.”

  “That’s easier said than done,” Amelia said through clenched teeth.

  There was no time for fear or any other emotion. She had panicked at first, but now it was a rush to get to the hospital before the baby decided to make an appearance.

  “Please tell me that someone called Zach,” Amelia said.

  “Yes, we had Brittney call him,” Bailey stated. “Just focus on your breathing.”

  “We’re almost to the hospital,” her mother announced.

  Amelia glanced at the speedometer which had crept over sixty mph. “Mom, you should slow down,” Amelia suggested. She looked down at her left arm. Her mother had a tight grip on her arm. “And let go of my arm before I lose circulation.”

  Bailey laughed in the backseat and her mother let go of her arm. Her mother patted her arm and said, “I’m sorry, dear.”

  The hospital seemed farther away than usual. Amelia guessed the reason was because it was an emergency. “How much longer?” Amelia asked. She had no sense of distance. She only had the feeling it took forever to get to the hospital.

  “I’m going as fast as I can, Amelia,” her mother said. “We’ve only been in the car for a few minutes. We’ll be at the hospital soon.”

  Amelia leaned back in the seat and bit her lip. The contractions got stronger and lasted longer. She watched the clock on the dashboard as her mother pulled up to the emergency room entrance. Bailey used a towel to wipe the sweat from Amelia’s forehead. She whispered, “Thank you.”

  Amelia watched as her mother ran into the double doors that were marked as the emergency room entrance. She could hear her mother holler for nurses to help with a wheelchair.

  Three nurses and her mother hurried to the passenger side of the car. Amelia flung open the door and scooted to the edge of the seat.

  “You relax and let us help you out,” a blonde nurse said. She reached for Amelia’s hand while the other two nurses reached their arms around Amelia. “On our count we’re going to stand you up and pivot you. You’ll be able to sit as soon as we do that.”

  Amelia heard another nurse say loudly, “One, two, three.”

  On the count of three, they hoisted her out of the front seat and stood her up. She doubled over and shouted, “The pressure is horrible.”

  “The baby’s dropping,” one of the nurses frantically said as another nurse pushed the wheelchair and Amelia in through the hospital doors.

  * * *

  “Where’s Zach?” Amelia asked between pushing. “I need Zach here!”

  She was already exhausted from pushing. She was not sure if she could continue to push at every contraction. Her mother and Bailey stood on each side of her, both of them doing their best to comfort her and coach her through it.

  “The baby’s head is right there,” the nurse stated. “Where’s Dr. Bohage? Has anyone called him?”

  “Yes, I called him when Amelia got here,” another nurse replied. “He should be here any minute.”

  “Well, if he doesn’t hurry up and get here, he’s going to miss the delivery of this baby,” the blonde nurse stated.

  Amelia looked at the monitor as it beeped. A wavy line bounced into a peak and she felt instant pain and pressure. Another contraction, she thought. She braced herself as one of the nurses by the monitor announced, “Another contraction.”

  Amelia wondered where Zach was and if he would ever arrive at the hospital.

  “Honey, you need to push,” the nurse explained to her.

  “Push, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,” the nurse directed at the end of the bed.

  Bailey wiped Amelia’s head with a wet washcloth. She whispered in Amelia’s ear, “You’re doing great. Don’t stop now.”

  “But, Zach,” Amelia said before yet another contraction caused her to scream.

  “He’ll be here any minute,” Bailey whispered.

  The doors to the delivery room flew open. Amelia looked over and saw Zach walk in. He was covered head to toe with scrubs and other surgical gear, which included a mask. He rushed to Amelia’s side and said, “I’m here, babe. I’m here.”

  He took Bailey’s place as Bailey moved out of the way. Bailey moved to the top of the bed and continued to stroke her hand through Amelia’s hair. Amelia glanced over at her mother, who was in a mess of tears. She reached out and grabbed her mother’s hand and Zach’s hand. Her mother smiled at her as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

  “Don’t mind me,” her mother said. “You’re doing great, Amelia.”

  Another contraction caused Amelia to lean forward and clench her teeth. The pain was unbearable. She needed to focus on breathing and pushing, but she was unable to.

  “You’re doing great, babe,” Zach said. “Keep going.”

  “Breathe,” Bailey encouraged her. “You need to breathe through the contractions and push.”

  “Push, Amelia,” the nurse demanded. “Keep pushing! I see the head!”

  Amelia squeezed and pushed until she felt the release of the baby. She tossed her head back against the pillow. Bailey dried her forehead with the towel and ran a cool washcloth across her face.

  Fear and panic hit Amelia. “Why isn’t she crying?” Amelia asked the nurses, who seemed to ignore her.

  “Time is five thirty five,” the nurse announced.

  “Why isn’t she crying?” she asked Zach.

  Zach’s attention was focused on the nurses. The nurses worked frantically at the end of the bed while they dried and suctioned the baby.

  “Zach,” Amelia begged. “Tell me what’s going on?”

  “They’re cleaning her up and suctioning her mouth,” Bailey explained to her.

  Amelia looked at Zach who was focused on the nurses, but pale. “Zach, sit down,” Amelia’s mother told him. She pulled a chair up to him and made him sit down.

  Within seconds, she heard a high-pitched cry from across the room. Zach hopped out of the chair and leaned over the bed and hugged Amelia. “Thank God,” he whisper
ed. “I love you, Amelia.”

  Amelia exhaustedly laid her head on the pillow. “I love you too.”

  The nurse brought their baby girl over to Amelia and Zach. She handed the bundled baby, wrapped in a pink, warm blanket, to Amelia. “Congratulations, she’s beautiful.”

  Amelia reached out and cradled her in her arms. She propped herself up and held her newborn baby against her chest. Sobs were heard from around the bed. Zach smiled down at her and said, “You did a great job.”

  The doors flung open and Dr. Bohage walked into the room. “Sorry I’m late,” he announced to the nurses. “What’d I miss?”

  The nurse who directed Amelia through the delivery pointed at Amelia and the baby and said, “You missed the whole dang delivery.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “She’s healthy,” Dr. Bohage confirmed. He placed his stethoscope back into the pocket in his coat. “Her color is good, she has clear lung sounds, and she is responding well. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks, doc,” Zach said and shook the doctor’s hand.

  “Don’t thank me,” Dr. Bohage stated. “Thank my nurses for an amazing job well done. And Amelia for her good work too.”

  Dr. Bohage waved at his nurses and winked at Amelia.

  The blonde nurse walked over to the side of the bed with a card in her hand. “Does she have a name?”

  Amelia and Zach exchanged looks. Both shook their heads and said, “Not yet.”

  “That’s okay,” the nurse stated. “I’ll just write baby Gallagher on the card and we’ll know who she belongs to.”

  Amelia and Zach nodded as the nurse walked away from the bed.

  “We should have had a name picked out by now,” Amelia told Zach.

  Zach shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t think we’d have to worry about it so soon.”

  Bailey walked into the room and placed a vase of flowers and a balloon on the counter. “Now that you have your own room, people can send you gifts here,” Bailey explained. “Here’s mine.”

  Bailey smiled and posed next to her gifts like a movie star. Amelia giggled. “Thanks, Bai.”

  “No problem,” Bailey said. “Rumor has it there’s more downstairs in the lobby waiting.”

  “I think I need a nap,” Amelia stated. “I hate to be a party pooper, but I’m exhausted.”

  “That’s okay,” her mother stated. “You get some rest, we’ll be downstairs visiting.”

  Amelia watched her parents and Bailey walk out of her room. She looked at Zach. He looked as exhausted as she felt.

  “I’m sorry I got here so late,” Zach said. “I was stuck behind a farmer on the way to the hospital. Which was just my luck.”

  Amelia laughed. “No big deal. You made it in time to see our daughter make her appearance.”

  Zach smiled. He leaned over the bed rail and kissed her on the forehead. “I’m going to go home and pack some clothes while you rest.”

  Amelia nodded. That sounded like the perfect plan. She needed sleep and they would need clean clothes to wear the next few days.

  “While I’m gone, be thinking of a name for our beautiful little girl,” Zach said as he kissed her on the lips.

  “I’ll be dreaming of a name,” Amelia admitted. “I want you to think of a name too. I don’t want her to be without a name for too much longer.”

  “Okay,” Zach said. “Get some rest. I’ll see you after bit.”

  Amelia woke up from her sleep that had seemed to last for more than a few hours. She looked at the clock – 7:30. She had only slept for an hour. She looked around the room. The room was empty except for the baby gifts, flowers, and balloons that lined the counter across from the bed.

  A knock at the door startled Amelia. “Come in.”

  Her parents opened the door and walked into the room. Her father looked better than he had the other day when she had last seen him.

  “How are you feeling?” her father asked as he made his way to her bed.

  “I feel worn out,” Amelia stated. “Like I haven’t slept in days.”

  “That’s common after having a baby,” her father stated. “Ask your mother how long she slept after having you. Or should I say, how long she wanted to sleep?”

  Amelia chuckled. “I imagine about as much as I want to right now.”

  Her father squeezed her shoulder. “You did good, A.J. I’m proud of you. You two have one hell of a beautiful daughter.”

  Amelia smiled. “Thanks, Dad.”

  Her parents sat in the chairs on the other side of the bed. She focused her attention on her father. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about his accident at his work. They had come so close to losing him. He would not have been able to meet his granddaughter. She quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks before her parents could tell she had cried.

  * * *

  Zach opened the door and walked in some time later that night. He looked refreshed and not as tired as he looked when he left the hospital.

  He crawled in next to Amelia and kissed her gently on the side of her face. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m fine,” Amelia whispered. “They just took her out to the nursery before you got here.”

  “Your parents are at our house,” Zach said. “I told them they can stay the night there.”

  Amelia glanced at the clock. She must have fallen asleep while her parents had visited.

  “Have you thought of a name for our little girl yet?” Zach asked.

  Amelia shook her head. “No, I haven’t. Have you?”

  Zach shook his head. “No.”

  “Are there any names that stick out for you?” Amelia asked him. She had thought of a few names, but wanted to hear what names Zach had come up with before she mentioned hers.

  “I lied,” he told her. “I thought of a few names.”

  Amelia propped herself up with pillows. She looked at him. He grinned. “Well, what names did you think of?”

  Naming a baby was a lot of work, much harder than having the baby. Her mother had not lied to her about that. It was a challenge to name their baby girl. It was a complicated challenge, but a fun one. Amelia enjoyed brainstorming names with Zach.

  “Should I have the nurse bring her in so we can look at her and decide?” Amelia asked Zach. “Maybe she can help us decide on a name.”

  “The nurse?” Zach asked with a raised eyebrow.

  Amelia chuckled. “No. I meant our baby.”

  Zach nodded. “Okay, let’s bring her in here.”

  Amelia hit the call button.

  “Nurse’s station, can I help you?”

  “Can we have our baby?” Amelia asked. “The Gallaghers.”

  “You certainly can. I’ll bring her in a minute.”

  Zach smiled and kissed Amelia’s forehead. “I like that.”

  “You like what?” Amelia asked as she leaned back and looked up at him.

  “The Gallaghers,” he told her. “I like the sound of it.”

  Amelia smiled. The fact was that she liked it too and enjoyed saying it. It felt special to her to say it.

  “I have something I want to tell you,” Zach said.

  Amelia raised an eyebrow. “Okay? What do you want to tell me?”

  “I don’t want you to be mad at me,” Zach said as he fidgeted next to her.

  “I promise I won’t be mad,” Amelia said. “Just tell me.”

  “Well, I know that you couldn’t decide on a date to get married,” Zach started to explain.

  Amelia tossed her head against the pillow and took a deep breath in. She waited for him to continue on with what he needed to tell her. She hid it well, but she was anxious to hear what he had to say. She was excited to hear what he was about to tell her.

  “You can’t be mad at me,” he said again.

  She slapped her hand against the bed and leaned her head back against the pillow and laughed. “I won’t be mad. Will you just tell me already?” she asked, impatient to find out.

  “Okay
, so I know you couldn’t decide on a date for the wedding,” he explained. “So I hired a wedding planner.”

  Amelia sat up and looked at him. “Are you serious?”

  Zach nodded. “See, I knew you’d be mad.”

  He hopped out of bed and paced back and forth – the length of the room. Amelia smiled as she watched him frantically pace.

  “You’re going to wear a hole in the floor if you don’t stop pacing,” Amelia stated. “You need to sit down and explain the details of this wedding planner to me.”

  Zach stopped in his tracks and looked at her. “You mean to tell me you’re not mad at me?”

  Amelia shook her head. “I’m not upset at all.”

  “Knock knock,” the nurse said behind the door. She opened the door and walked into their room.

  In her arms was their baby girl, fully relaxed, content and bright eyed as she waited to see her parents.

  “I have someone here who wants to see her mommy and daddy,” the nurse said as she handed the baby to Zach and Amelia.

  “Hi, baby girl,” Zach said as he held onto her and cuddled her close to his chest. “You look just like your mommy.”

  Amelia smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes. The door opened and her parents and Bailey walked in. Cameras flashed and congratulations were exchanged.

  “She sure looks like her mommy,” Amelia’s mother stated.

  “I think she looks like Zach,” Amelia stated. “I can see his chin and his nose.”

  “Yes, of course, but she has your eyes and your sweet lips,” Zach said as he stretched across the bed and kissed Amelia. He leaned down and kissed the top of his daughter’s head. He reached down and picked her up. She fussed as soon as she left Amelia’s arms. Zach smiled and announced, “She’s definitely a momma’s girl already.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “Her name is Annabelle Marie Gallagher,” Amelia and Zach announced to the family as they crowded into the hospital room.

  “Aww, I love that name,” Bailey said as she hugged Amelia and Zach.

  “We liked the name Bella, but wanted to name her after his grandma,” Amelia explained. “So we settled with Annabelle.”