Bring Me Back Here

by A. M. Guilliams

  “I hate that I can’t get drugs. I don’t think I can do this without them,” she admitted.

  “Look at me, beautiful.”

  I waited until she turned her head toward me. Tears filled her eyes to the brim, but she hadn’t let them fall.

  “You’re doing amazing. You’re one of the strongest women I know. You don’t need the drugs to get through this. You’re going to do just fine without them. I’m right here. Scream at me, grip my hand; hell, hit me if it helps. We’re in this together, and I’m going to be right by your side the entire time.”

  “You’re too good to be true. I love you.”

  “And I love you.”

  My phone vibrated in my pocket and I realized I’d never texted Aspen or Dylan to let them know we’d arrived safely.

  Dylan: We just got here. Roads were bad. I see the Jeep. Is she doing okay?

  Me: Sorry I didn’t text you. She’s doing amazing. Baby is great. Baby should be here soon we hope.

  Dylan: We’re in the waiting room on the seventh floor. Her mom and dad rode over with us. Her brothers shouldn’t be too far behind. Let us know when the little bundle arrives. Give her all of our love.

  Me: Will do.

  “Who was that?”

  “Dylan. I forgot to tell him when we got here. Aspen, Dylan, and your parents are in the waiting room. Your brothers are on their way.”

  “I don’t want anyone back here. I need to stay focused.”

  “They know, baby. They send their love.”

  For the next two hours, I watched in amazement as she breathed through every contraction and never broke down. I could tell the labor was wearing on her, but she pushed through it. She didn’t complain or even scream at me again. With each and every contraction she gripped my hand, and I whispered words of encouragement and everything I could imagine us teaching our little one. Those words seemed to get her through every one.

  “I think I need to push,” she said, and at that moment I went into a panic. The doctor wasn’t here. Frantically, I pushed the call button on the side of her bed as I held her hand and told her to stay calm. If only I could take my own advice.

  “This is Nurse Betty. Is everything okay?”

  “She’s feeling like she has to push,” I screamed into the arm of the bed.

  A couple of minutes later, the room filled with two nurses and the doctor, who’d exchanged his lab coat for blue covers for his clothing and shoes.

  “Who’s ready to have a baby?”

  We both nodded in agreement as the bed was broken down, and he did a final check on her.

  “I can see the baby’s head. On the next contraction I want you to push until we count to ten. We’re going to try to get three of those in each time.”

  The next contraction hit a minute or so later, and the nurse held one of Ainsleigh’s legs back while I held the other, and we all counted to ten as she pushed with all of her might.

  Six pushes later at a little after six in the morning our baby was born.

  February 1, 2018 our little miracle came into this world.

  We both waited with bated breath until the doctor placed the baby on Ainsleigh’s stomach.

  “It’s a girl,” he announced as the nurses cleaned out her mouth.

  A few seconds later, the most precious sound filled the room.

  Her first cry.

  Ainsleigh and I both cried tears of joy as we watched in amazement as she moved her little arms and legs around.

  “You did so good, Ainsleigh. She’s gorgeous.”

  She looked just like her momma. A headful of hair and big round eyes. She blinked several times as she took in the world around her.

  We had a little girl. A beautiful, precious little girl. Who hadn’t stopped wailing since the moment she was born. I’d take every cry she let out as long as she was here with us.

  The nurse took our daughter and weighed her then cleaned her up while the doctor finished taking care of Ainsleigh. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the baby we’d created.

  The doctor talked to Ainsleigh, but I didn’t really hear what he had said. I could only hear our daughter’s beautiful cries.

  “Six pounds, nine ounces. Nineteen inches long. She’s perfect,” the nurse said as she wrapped her up and placed her in my arms. Feeling her there for the first time brought more tears to my eyes.

  “You mean the world to your momma and me. I’m so glad we finally got to meet you, beautiful girl,” I whispered to her as I carefully bounced her up and down. Her cries subsided as she looked up at me, taking in my every word.

  “You’re just as good with her as I knew you would be,” Ainsleigh said from the bed beside me. The doctor had finished with her and had placed a cover over her legs.

  “Thank you. I never thought this day would get here. But now that it has, I feel like I need to put her in a bubble to protect her from everything,” I told her with a laugh.

  “She’s going to be just fine. There are enough people in the waiting room along with us who will protect her.”

  “Should I go put them out of their misery or keep them waiting?” I asked her as I kissed our daughter’s forehead and placed her in Ainsleigh’s arms.

  “Hi there, sweet girl,” she whispered as she took the top of her gown off and placed her on her head right above her chest. The baby started to root around, and we both laughed when she found what she was looking for and latched on.

  “She’s going to be a pro before long,” I told Ainsleigh as I watched in awe of her feeding our daughter. There wasn’t a more beautiful sight in the world.

  “I think I know what her name should be,” Ainsleigh said as she rubbed the top of her head.

  “The first, second, or third name?” I knew what my choice would be, but I wanted to see if we agreed on the name before I told her mine.

  “The first. I think it suits her perfectly.”

  We were on the same page. She looked just like the name we’d chosen, and I couldn’t wait to tell everyone.

  “I also know who I want to be her godparents.”

  I thought that choice was obvious.

  Dylan and Aspen.

  “I want Holden and Aspen to be her godparents.”

  I could only smile. I knew why she’d chosen her brother. She wanted him to feel like he had a bigger role in her life than just an uncle. He’d been the most worried out of the three during her pregnancy. Especially toward the end.

  “Can you go get the two of them please? I want them to meet her first.”

  “I’ll be right back. Should I wait to tell the others?”

  She nodded as she looked down at the now sleeping daughter in her arms.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  I walked out of the room and went in search for the waiting area Dylan had told me they were all in. Hopefully her brothers had all arrived by now.

  I found them all huddled in chairs. Including her three brothers. Each one was bouncing their legs as they patiently waited for news. I cleared my throat causing them all to jump up from their chairs to greet me.

  “How is Ainsleigh?” her mother asked.

  “She’s perfect. The baby is perfect too. Holden and Aspen, can you come with me please?”

  “Are you going to leave us all out here hanging?” Leo asked.

  “This is what Ainsleigh wants. And what she wants right now, she gets. I’ll be right back to let you know everything. A few more minutes won’t kill you,” I said with a laugh as I took the two of them back to meet my daughter for the first time.

  “Why does she want to see the two of us and not her parents?” Aspen asked as she wrapped her arms around her middle.

  “You’ll see,” I told her, keeping the secret to myself.

  We reached her door, and I knocked once letting her know we were back. I held the door open letting them enter and then closed it behind me.

  They both turned to me before they walked the rest of the way inside.

  Aspen gasped as sh
e saw our daughter for the first time.

  Holden stopped in his tracks as he took her in.

  “Hi guys. I want you to come meet our daughter, Olivia Grace Parkhurst.”

  They were the first to know what we had and to hear her name. We’d held out on revealing anything until we knew for sure what the baby’s sex was.

  “She’s so tiny and perfect,” Aspen said as she walked over to get a closer look.

  Holden didn’t move. He just kept his gaze on Olivia.

  “You can go closer,” I told him as I patted him on the back.

  “I can’t seem to make my body move,” he admitted.

  “Come here, Holden,” his sister encouraged as she looked down at Olivia.

  That seemed to snap him out of his thoughts since he immediately walked over to her side. Aspen walked over to the other side of the bed and leaned down to give Ainsleigh a hug.

  “We wanted you two in here first for a reason,” Ainsleigh began.

  “You both know how hard it was for Gentry and me when Arabella was born. Today is an amazing day. I couldn’t think of two better people to ask when it comes to taking care of her. Teaching her and loving her without question. You both are special to us, and I know that you’ll do right by her, no questions asked. Will you do us the honor of being this beautiful little girl’s godparents?”

  “Yes,” they said in unison.

  Ainsleigh picked up the sleeping angel and held her out to Holden. His hands shook, but he reached out and put the little girl in his arms.

  “Hi there, miss Livvy. I’m your Uncle Holden. I’m going to spoil you rotten,” he said to her as he sat down in the chair and laid her on his legs. Carefully, he uncovered her and counted all of her fingers and toes. We let him check her over as she squirmed in his lap. He needed to make sure she was okay, and we let him.

  “She’s beautiful,” he said as he bundled her up in her blanket and put her in his arms. We’d have trouble getting him to let her go. Especially now that he’d seen for himself that she was okay.

  “I’ll go let the others know now. I think we’ve made them wait long enough. Do you need anything?” I asked Ainsleigh as I reached into the bag and grabbed the ‘It’s a girl’ cigars from the bag. I’d keep the boy ones for the future, just in case.

  “Just some water,” she replied, and Aspen went into best friend mode and told me she’d get it for her.

  I blew her a kiss and went back to the waiting room.

  Everyone was pacing in the room which caused me to chuckle.

  “Finally, man. I mean, what the hell? We’ve been waiting forever,” Brooks said as they walked toward me.

  In reality, they’d only been waiting fifteen minutes.

  “Mom and baby are doing great. I will warn you though, you’ll have to fight with Holden to hold her.”

  “Her? It’s a girl,” Leo screamed as he, Brooks, and Dylan jumped up and down.

  “It’s a girl,” I said as I tossed out the cigars to everyone.

  “Congratulations. You both deserve this so much,” Lillian said as she and Sawyer pulled me in for a hug.

  “Once Ainsleigh gets into a room and gets some rest, you guys can come back and meet her. She’s exhausted, even if she won’t let me know.”

  “What did you guys decided to name her?” Leo asked.

  “Olivia Grace Parkhurst,” I announced.

  “That’s beautiful. Why did Ainsleigh want Holden and Aspen?” Lillian asked.

  “Now don’t get all emotional, but she wanted them to meet her first and ask them to be Olivia’s godparents.”

  All of them gasped and looks of understanding passed along their features.

  “Good for them,” Brooks said as he came in and gave me a hug.

  “We’ll all get out of your hair and come back this afternoon. Tell Holden and Aspen we’re about to leave so they can join us,” Sawyer said with a pat on my back.

  Aspen kissed Ainsleigh on the cheek and Olivia on top of her head before she said goodbye. Holden still held her in his arms when I returned to the room. He, however, was reluctant to leave.

  “It’s okay, Holden. They should be moving me into my room soon, and then I’m going to get some rest. Go home. Take a nap. And you can come back to see her in a few hours,” Ainsleigh said before she yawned.

  I thought the only thing that got him to leave was seeing how exhausted she was. He whispered something I couldn’t hear to Olivia and then kissed her forehead before he handed her over to me.

  “Take care of them,” he said before he walked out of the room with tears in his eyes. He didn’t turn back to Ainsleigh. I knew he didn’t want her to see him upset. Seeing the love they had for each other almost made me miss my siblings. Almost. They wouldn’t be sharing in this joyous moment with us, and that was their own damn fault. We had all the family we needed right here.

  Olivia grunted in her sleep just as I sat down in the chair beside Ainsleigh’s bed. I couldn’t believe our little miracle baby was now here. Our little family was complete.

  CHAPTER 29

  Gentry

  A insleigh and the baby were both cleared by the doctor and pediatrician to leave the hospital the next day. We’d planned to stay at the hospital for at least four days, but since Ainsleigh didn’t have to have a cesarean, she was able to leave.

  It took a few minutes, but I finally got her buckled in the car seat and ready to leave. The air was freezing outside, so when we got to the automatic doors I placed a blanket over top of the car seat to block her from the air before we headed out into the cold.

  The ride home was slow because I was scared of sliding on any ice, but we finally pulled into the driveway. Based on the number of cars and balloons on the porch, I figured everyone was already inside awaiting our arrival.

  “You ready to go inside and greet everyone?”

  “Yeah. I knew they’d be here. It’s a good welcome home.”

  I helped Ainsleigh out of the Jeep and grabbed the car seat from the backseat before I helped her walk up the sidewalk and into the house.

  Her parents, Aspen and Dylan, Brooks, and Leo were all sitting on the couches in the living room when we walked inside.

  “Welcome home,” everyone whispered so the baby didn’t get frightened.

  Ainsleigh giggled at their antics as she put down the diaper bag she’d grabbed from the Jeep.

  “Thank you for being here. I’m going to go to her room and get her out of the car seat and see if she needs to be changed. We’ll be back in a minute,” Ainsleigh said before she started to walk down the hallway.

  She pushed the door that was slightly ajar open to the nursery to be greeted by Holden standing in front of the crib. He didn’t hear the door open and was looking down into the empty bed, lost in thought.

  “There you are,” Ainsleigh said as she walked inside.

  I placed the car seat on top of the changing table and unbuckled the latches before I picked Olivia up.

  Ainsleigh had found a sleeper that was covered in sleeping sheep to bring her home from the hospital. A little blue headband was placed around her head. She stretched in my arms causing her pacifier to fall out, and she let out a wail in protest. Holden rushed over at the sound to check on his niece.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. Uncle Holden’s right here,” he said as he picked up the pacifier and placed it into her mouth. Her head went back and forth as she got it situated and settled right back into a peaceful sleep.

  “You’re not to spoil her rotten, Holden,” Ainsleigh warned, and he turned his head toward giving her what I was sure was a look in protest.

  We both knew that he wouldn’t comply.

  “Why were you in here all by yourself?” Ainsleigh asked as she took the baby from me and checked to see if she needed a fresh diaper.

  “I was just imagining it. Her being in here.”

  “Now you don’t have to imagine. She’s right here.”

  “I’m glad. You both deserve this happines
s. She’s perfect,” he said as he ran his finger down her nose.

  “Thank you. How about we go back out there and let everyone enjoy her for a bit?” Ainsleigh suggested.

  “Do we have to? I don’t share very well,” Holden admitted.

  “You’ll get your time with her too. Don’t worry,” she said as she held Olivia close to her and walked toward the door.

  “Wait. Before you both go out there I wanted to show you something.” Holden had a funny look on his face, like he was hiding something.

  “What’s up?” I asked.

  “I was told by someone that you wanted something for her and I made sure you got it. Go check out your room. Consider it her welcome home present before you yell at me,” he said with a sly grin. He was already using the baby to his advantage.

  Ainsleigh’s eyebrows furrowed together as she walked across the hall and opened the door to our room. She let out a gasp when she saw what was inside.

  There, sitting beside our bed, was the cradle she’d admired from afar.

  She walked over and placed the hand that didn’t hold Olivia on the side of the wood.

  “When did you get this?”

  “About a month and a half ago. I knew I wanted her to have what you wanted her to be in and that you didn’t like that she wouldn’t be sleeping in here with you for the first few months. I went and asked the sales associate what I needed to put inside and got the mattress and some sheets for it along with the thing in there to keep her from rolling over. I forget what’s it’s called. Then I got the same mobile that she has in her room and clipped it to the side. I kept it for when she arrived.”

  “You are something else,” Ainsleigh said as she walked over and hugged Holden and told him how much she appreciated the gesture.

  I knew for a fact that cradle cost upwards of three hundred dollars. The woodwork was amazing. There was so much detail in every carving. The horses on the side went perfectly with everything we wanted her to have.

  “And don’t worry. That liner is mesh so she’s safe from getting hurt or suffocating. I made sure she got the best.” He thought of everything, and it surprised me that he’d placed that much thought into this gift.