by C. A. Harms
All the girls ended up in the nursery checking out Kole’s masterpiece while the guys hung out in the backyard being men.
Kole had painted the room a pale purple with pink and yellow accents. A butterfly theme surrounded the room and it was amazing how much work he had put into it. It just made it so much more special because he had done it all himself. He had help remodeling the rest of the house, but when it came to the baby’s room he handled it fully.
***
I was down to the last four weeks and was beginning to get miserable. I had a lot of back pain and spent a lot of time with my feet propped up. I took classes online this semester because I didn’t want to fall behind. Sitting on the couch cramming became a daily ritual which soon got very boring. I felt cooped up and I needed to get out. So when it was time for my doctor appointment, I was more than happy to get dressed and take a break from studying. I texted Kole to remind him to meet me at the doctor, but still hadn’t heard back from him.
When I got to the doctor and Kole wasn’t there, I made an attempt to call him but it went unanswered. I was starting to worry a little. It wasn’t like Kole to go so long without calling me or texting.
I knew he was at the gym so I called the main number. “Kole’s Gym,” Radley answered the phone.
“Hey, where’s my husband? He was supposed to meet me at the doctor, but I think he forgot.” Radley was silent for too long. “Radley?”
He cleared his throat, “Lex, Kole isn’t here. He left about an hour ago. He had to go pick up the new mats for the yoga classes tonight. He should have been back by now, but we haven’t seen him. Did you try calling his phone?”
“Yes, I called and I’ve even texted him, but nothing.”
“Hey, don’t worry. I’m sure he’s just running a little late. I’ll figure it out, okay? You just get to your doctor appointment and make sure all is well with my niece.” He took a deep breath, “I’ll call you or Kole will. Promise.”
I hung up feeling sick and extremely uneasy.
I went into my doctor’s office and waited nervously in the waiting room, staring at my phone. I didn’t hear the nurse call my name the first time, until I felt her lightly touch my arm pulling me from my worried state. I had been in my own little world.
I followed her back to the exam room and got undressed. I knew my doctor said that today he wanted to give me a sonogram because two weeks ago I’d had a little spotting and they had been watching me closely. When they took me into the Imaging Room I suddenly felt guilty that I was about the see our little girl without Kole. I felt the warm gel roll across my belly as the nurse began moving the wand around slowly. She said nothing as she clicked and moved.
After about five minutes she sat the wand down. “Lexi, I’m just going to grab the doctor for a minute. I want him to take a look at something with me.”
I felt a sense of panic overtake me. “What? Why? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing to be alarmed about, sweetheart, it’s just a precaution.”
Nothing to worry about…what—do I look like an idiot? She wouldn’t be getting the doctor if it was nothing to worry about.
When my doctor stepped into the room he said “hi” to me kindly. Immediately he began watching the screen and the nurse guided the wand around once again. She pointed to the screen saying a few things to him in a voice lower so I couldn’t hear.
“Could one of you please tell me what’s going on?”
The nurse removed the wand and shut of the machine. My doctor handed me a towel to clean myself up and took a seat next to me.
“Lexi, have you experienced any leakage or discharge since I last saw you?”
“I wouldn’t say leakage unless you count the fact that every time I move I pee myself just a little. Why?” I watched my doctor in confusion.
“Well, your fluid around the baby is extremely low. With that being said, I fear you may be slowly leaking amniotic fluid, which has led to what we found on the sonogram. I’m a little worried about an infection, for not only you, but for the baby as well.” I slowly took in everything he said and tried to remain calm.
“What I would like to do is admit you into the hospital and get you started on some antibiotics. Unfortunately, with the lack of fluid there is not much we can do for that besides induce labor and get your little one delivered. Once she’s here we can get her antibiotics started as well. I believe this is the safest solution.”
I heard everything he said and just nodded my head.
“We’ll call over to the hospital and let them know you’ll be coming. If you would like to get dressed, we can get started.”
He squeezed my hand and I looked up at him. “Everything is going to be okay, Lexi. There is no need to worry.” He left the room and closed the door softly behind him.
My entire body felt as if I was floating. I couldn’t believe that I was going to be admitted into the hospital and Hanna would soon be here. I got dressed and quickly found my phone. Still no text or call from Radley or Kole. I did, however, have five missed calls and two texts from Megan insisting that I call her.
“I’m walking into your doctor’s office now.” Megan didn’t even say “Hello.”
“Okay, but why?”
“Are you done or still waiting?”
“Done, um…well, actually I’m not done. I’m waiting for the doctor to come back in. They’re admitting me.”
“What…why?” Megan screeched into the phone.
“Just wait a few minutes and I’ll be out. I’ll explain then.” I let her go as the nurse came back in.
She thoroughly explained to me that I needed to go straight over to the hospital and the maternity floor nurses were expecting me. After she gave me my paperwork I made my way out to find Megan.
Once she saw me coming she stood quickly. “Now tell me what’s going on. Is everything okay? Should you be walking?”
“Slow down, Momma Bear.” I laughed.
I gave her the quick explanation of everything and then she insisted that she was driving me to the hospital. I knew I had no choice than to go with Megan as I climbed into her car. I tried to call Kole once more. Once we reached the parking deck at the hospital Megan escaped the car to get a wheelchair.
“I’m not an invalid, I can walk.”
“Over my dead body, lady. I’m pushing you.”
Megan’s phone began ringing in her purse and she quickly answered it. She really didn’t say much, but I noticed that the speed of the wheelchair had slowed tremendously. I twisted to look up into her eyes and instantly became worried.
Once she finished the conversation, she stopped and came around the front to kneel in front of me. “Lex,” she blew out a deep breath, “Radley found Kole. He was in an accident.” I started to stand and she nudged me back down. The tears rolled from my eyes as I thought the worst.
“Someone ran a red light and hit him. He’s okay, Lexi…he’s okay.” I looked up from my lap and blinked away the tears so I could see her face.
“He’s okay?”
She nodded her head and squeezed my hand.
“They checked him out at the hospital and now Radley is bringing him here. I promise. Now we need to get you upstairs.”
I let her continue to wheel me to the maternity ward as thoughts of Kole swarmed my mind. I felt empty and I knew I would until he was in front of me and I could touch him to know he was, in fact, okay.
Chapter 48
Kole
“Dude, I seriously don’t give a fuck about my truck. They towed it and I can figure out where they took it later. I need to get to Lexi.” The fact that Radley was even talking about my truck and its condition was pissing me off. I needed to get to the hospital.
I left the gym earlier and drove over an hour to pick up a delayed shipment of yoga mats. When I got there they had already loaded them onto a truck and sent them out for delivery. I was pissed as hell that I was running late for Lexi’s appointment, I hadn’t even seen the UPS truck run the red
light. I was side-swiped and my truck spun around, smacking the telephone pole on the other side. The impact banged me up a bit and gave me a pretty good gash to my forehead. Radley drove up on the scene, and once he found out it was my truck he pulled over. He couldn’t get through the swarm of cops and rescue workers, so he decided to follow the ambulance once he saw it leaving.
Arriving at the hospital to find me getting my head stitched up eased his mind a bit. I was in one hell of a bad fucking mood because my phone was still in my car and I needed to call Lexi. I didn’t want her to worry.
Radley laughed at my forwardness with the doctor as I told him he needed to get this shit stitched up because I had places to be.
Once he told me about Lexi getting admitted, well, that just pissed me off more. I needed to get to her.
An hour and a half later, with a lot of bitching on my part, we were on our way to the hospital. The bad thing was it would take over an hour to get there.
“Give me your phone, man, I need to call Lex.”
He tossed it to me. “Call Meg. Lexi may not be able to answer. At least Meg can give Lexi the phone if possible. I called Megan about fifteen minutes after I got to the hospital and found you. I told her to let Lexi know I had ya and you were okay.”
I took a deep breath as the phone rang.
“Rad, are you on your way?” Megan rushed out without even saying hello.
“Hey, Meg, it’s me. How is she?”
“Well, she’s worried about you and terrified of giving birth without you by her side. They’re giving her the epidural now and they’ve started her on Pitocin to induce labor.”
“We’re about forty minutes away. Do you think they’ll let me talk to her?”
Megan told me to wait a minute and I could hear her talking to someone before getting back on the line with me. “I’m going back in her room now. They’re done…hang on.”
A few seconds passed and I then heard the most beautiful sound come through the phone. Lexi’s light whisper, “Kole, are you okay?”
I laughed lightly, “Yes, baby, I’m okay. How you doing?”
I could hear the shakiness in her voice. “I need you here, Kole. Are you almost here?”
“I’m close, Lex. Just relax and try to rest. I’ll be there soon. I love you.”
A light sob escaped her. “I was scared, Kole…I need to see you. I need to feel you and until I do I can’t calm down. I have to see for myself that you’re okay.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Okay, beautiful, I’ll be there soon.”
I let her go and over the next forty minutes I chewed every one of my nails. Time seemed to drag on and I couldn’t get to Lexi fast enough.
Once we reached the hospital, I got out, quickly taking off toward the elevators and leaving Radley to park his truck.
People looked at me like I was crazy as I ran down the halls looking for the directional signs that led me to the maternity ward. Just when I started to get irritated that I had taken the wrong way, I saw the sign, letting out a sigh of relief.
I introduced myself to the nearest nurse and she immediately led me to Lexi’s room. Once I pushed open the door she gasped and her hand went up to cover her mouth. “Oh my god…”
I went to her and took her into my arms. “It looks much worse than it is. I’m okay. I can’t say the same for my truck, though. I’ll have to look for a new one.”
“A new truck?”
I shrugged my shoulders slightly as I looked into her red-rimmed eyes. “It’s messed up pretty bad.”
Chapter 49
Lexi
It was heart wrenching to see Kole with all his bruising and cuts. His face had two bandages, one above his left eye and another along his left jaw. He had to get stitches and his eye was already turning purple. I looked over at him as he slept in the recliner next to my bed. He wouldn’t leave even when Radley and Megan tried to convince him to go eat.
I had been in what they considered labor for about nine hours. They broke my water and I was dilated to seven centimeters.
I actually had a lobby full of people waiting for Hanna to arrive. Kole’s parents and my father had arrived a few hours ago. Kate and the boys were going to wait until tomorrow to fly in. Natalie, Radley and Megan were also here and every once in a while one of them poked their head in to check on my progress. We finally put a stop to it when Radley entered just as the doctor was examining me the last time. Kole got a little caveman-ish and said visitors were no longer allowed.
I couldn’t help smiling at him as I watched him sleep. Here we were, about to become parents and I couldn’t fight the emotion of it all. The tears slipped from my eyes as I reached for my phone.
I tried to keep my voice down when she answered. “Lexi?”
“Hey, Momma.”
“Hi, um, are you okay? I mean, I’m glad you called, but…I’m a little shocked, actually.”
I wiped at the tear that ran from my eye. “I was calling to tell you that I’m in the hospital…in labor.”
My mother took in a deep breath. “Oh, Lex, wow. A baby?” There was a pause before she continued. “I’m so sorry I didn’t listen to you all those years ago. I was terrible to you. I turned my back on my own daughter and I’m so sorry.”
“I know, Momma.” It was all I could get out.
“I’m so glad you and Kole have each other. He’s such a good man. That guy is completely yours through and through.”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat and forced myself to continue. “Maybe when, um, when we bring Hanna home you can come see her; I’d like that.”
I could hear her sobs. “Definitely, baby girl…I would love nothing more than to meet your daughter so I can make sure she knows just how lucky she is to have you.”
We said a tearful goodbye and I hit end. I stared down at my hands when a contraction caused my stomach to tighten. I wrinkled up my face and closed my eyes while I allowed the pressure to peak.
I felt Kole’s hand grip mine securely and his thumb rubbed my knuckles gently. “Almost done, baby.”
Another hour passed before the doctor checked me again. It had been a long day. Each time they checked my progress it had barely changed. I was getting very discouraged. I was hungry and tired and so ready to see my little angel. I was in complete shock when the doctor announced that I had reached ten centimeters and they started to prep the room for the delivery.
The anxiety of the situation set in and the tears fell heavy.
I looked over into Kole’s eyes and he smiled. “She’s coming, Lex. We’re about to meet our daughter.”
I nodded my head because I was so choked up with emotion I knew I couldn’t speak, even if I tried.
After three hours of pushing, we heard the sweetest cry fill the room, causing me to melt instantly. Kole’s face was filled with such joy as he looked between our daughter and me. He looked torn with what he should do next. I knew he wanted to go over to where the nurses had taken Hanna, but he felt he needed to be with me too.
I squeezed his hand causing him to turn back to face me. “Go see your little girl, daddy.”
Kole leaned forward to kiss me. “Thank you.”
I watched him in amazement. He stood, observing as they measured and weighed her. He watched their every move, guarding her closely. He was such a caveman, yet so damn adorable.
Watching Kole approach me carrying our daughter delicately wrapped within her pink blanket was like falling in love with him all over again. He had to be the sexiest daddy I had ever seen. He lowered Hanna into my arms and we both began examining her fingers and toes. I lifted her little hat off to see a full head of coal black hair. I smiled, thinking of the baby pictures Beth had shown me of Kole. His head was full of the same black silky hair.
“She’s so tiny; five pounds three ounces,” Kole whispered as he rubbed her cheek softly. I watched her in amazement as her little lips began a slight suckle. I turned to face Kole and we smiled in unison.
Kole ev
entually pulled himself from the room long enough to update the lobby full of people that Hanna was here and that she was absolutely perfect.
Chapter 50
Lexi
“Here, let me help you, Lex. Stop overdoing it.” Kole pulled the dish towel from my hand slowly and stepped up toward the sink. I smiled and leaned my hip against the edge of the counter.
“You do know that it’s been almost two weeks and I feel good. I think I’m perfectly capable of drying the dishes.”
He tilted his head and grinned. “I said I got it.” Kole leaned over to kiss my lips and brush his nose across my cheek. “Go prop up your feet and take advantage of the fact that Hanna is asleep.”
“Fine…”
I walked away grumbling. “Damn caveman.”
I heard his chuckle as I sat down on the couch and reclined, flipping on the television. I let my head fall back against the cushion and closed my eyes for just a bit.
I hadn’t realized just how tired I was because the next time I opened my eyes it was dark outside. I sat up quickly in a panic. It was quiet and Hanna hadn’t woken me up for her feeding. I stood up and looked around the living room and kitchen. The light from our bedroom caught my attention and I walked in that direction.
When I peeked through the door I saw Kole holding Hanna against his bare chest as he rocked her slowly back and forth. I pushed it open slowly and his eyes met mine. He grinned deeply and looked down at Hanna.
“Is she asleep?”
“She just closed her eyes. I fed her and gave her a sponge bath. She has a fresh diaper on and clean jammies.”
I crawled up onto the bed next to him and looked down at her sweet little face. “Wow, I’m kind of impressed.”
He blew out an exasperated breath. “Oh please, I got this.” Leaning forward he kissed my lips softly. “Piece of cake.”
I snuggled against his arm and he lifted it, putting it around my shoulders. I kissed his chest. “I love you, Kole.”
