This is the first chapter of my story,
Chapter 1 – It’s time
Spokane, Washington
“Honey, it’s time!” Sharon’s gasping voice cries out into the dark bedroom. The man next to her, the husband, doesn’t move. Sharon breathes in and out several times before trying to raise him again. Oh, why does pregnancy have to hurt so much?! “HONEY!” Louder this time and she tries to shake him but can barely muster the strength to move his muscled arm. Her eyes start to mist because of the pain. He shifts his body away from her. She starts to feel the pain more intensely now and growing desperate. Breathing slowly and evenly, she tries to get out of bed on her own. She can do this. She just has to breathe.
She rocks herself to a sitting position on the edge of the bed. One leg is hanging over the side and the other is still on the bed. She lays back down again, exhausted. Sweat is starting to form on her already pale forehead. Sharon turns her head toward her still sleeping husband and tries yet again to wake him up. She wasn’t going to let him miss the birth of his first child.
She takes in a huge breath and pushes him hard as she could. He not only moves but rolls completely off the bed. He springs up and looks at his wife franticly trying to figure out what was going on. Sharon’s face is ashen. A whimper like a lost puppy dog in the rain makes. He knew exactly what was happening. His eyes widen just before he leaps over the bed to his wife’s side to help her up. They start to walk slowly to the door. Luke leans his wife onto the wall and disappears into the bathroom. He comes back in a couple seconds with a wet warm wash cloth and put it over her forehead. “Feeling better, Sharon?” She turns her head up to meet his eyes and grits her teeth to prevent herself from screaming at him. She can’t believe he just asked her that question.
He swallowed hard in guilt. Not looking at her face, they continue out of the house to go to the hospital. “Thanks” she offers him a weak smile as he puts the car in drive. They hold hands as he maneuvers the Honda out onto the road.
New York City
A brightly lit apartment building looks quiet as everyone is soundly sleeping all except the fairly young doorman and a young couple who are really pregnant. The doorman sees the couple rushing from the elevators through the lobby and holds the door open for them. I hurriedly sign, “James, get us a cab quick!” James, the doorman, pulls out his taxi whistle and gives it a long blow. Almost immediately a cab stops at the curb. The couple rush in all the while the wife, Christina, is breathing in and out rapidly. “Slowly!” Mr. Akron sign trying to be gentle. He loves her so much and knows deep down she can do this. He silently cheers her on. With a wave from James, the taxi pulls away toward the New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Spokane, Washington
Sharon and her husband make it to the Valley Hospital emergency room in a state of mass confusion. There were signs everywhere, nurses running around while reading folders and patients on gurneys being pushed every which way. Every muscle in her body, those she knows she has those she doesn’t know about, hurt so very painfully. When her mother told her about giving birth, she must have downplayed it because this was way worse than anything Sharon had experienced.
The couple was unsure which direction to turn until the husband saw a desk down a short hallway with a nurse stationed there. They galloped to the desk out of breath, beads of sweat coming down both their foreheads. “My wife’s pain is about five minutes apart”, he spews out to the red headed nurse. He looks to her for confirmation and she nods holding the wash cloth in place. Sharon wanted to scream, “Hurry up for crying out loud!” but held her tongue. She was sure her vocal cords weren’t working anyways.
“Alright, then I will put your information into the computer and a doctor will be with you momentarily. What is your name?” The nurse motions for another nurse to get a wheelchair for the wife. “Luke and Sharon Leighton” While Luke talks with the nurse a doctor comes over and briefly examines Sharon asking questions about her pain.
Within a few minutes the doctor comes and ushers them into a birthing room. Sharon’s face is slowly becoming pink and her hands clammy. Luke kisses her forehead and cheek gently trying desperately not to look as scared as he felt. She knows that her loving husband will become just as good a father as he is a husband to her. Sharon only hopes she has the strength to give him the child he has longed for.
To take their minds off the moment and the pain, Luke says, “So we never agreed on a name for the baby you know” he smiled at her.
“True” she gave a little breathy laugh. “I really want Jamie for a girl but I could settle for Kelly…”
“No, I don’t want you to settle. She or he will be our kid. I like the name Jamie”. He rubbed her hand. “And for a boy?” she asks trying not to show her pain. “Well, you hated all my ideas from the moment we started trying” Luke says trying not to let his anxiety get the best of him. They both go silent for a while. He really had to bring that up? Luke sighs and says, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to say it like that. I’m really happy that we finally are going to have a child”. Does he blame me? “I just want to give you the child you’ve always wanted!” tears escaped her eyes down her cheeks. She sniffles a little. Luke grabs the box of tissues and hands them to her. She blows her nose while Luke wipes her face with the back of his hand.
The tender moment brakes when Sharon lets out a half scream. Luke scrambled to get to his feet causing the chair to fall to the floor with a bang. Luke presses the red button to summon a nurse. A second later a nurse runs into the room. Before she could open her mouth, Luke says frantically, “The baby is coming! Where’s the doctor?”
“I’ll get him. Your doctor just arrived”.
She scampers out the door and within a few seconds their doctor, Dr. Burns came in. He checks her over then told the nurse to get some things then turns to Sharon, “Ok, all you need to do is push”.
“I’ll be right here for you, Sharon”. Luke’s breathing starts to get heavier and faster as Sharon’s breathing escalates. Sharon watches Luke’s face to get a glimpse of what was running through him mind. The nurse sees the exchange and says to Mr. Leighton, “You can wait outside if you would like to, sir”. Part of him wanted to run but the other part told him to stay put. “No, no. My wife needs me” he says finally. Sharon’s face relaxes as she focuses her energy on getting the baby out.
Fifteen gruelling hours later, a spotted pink baby popped out from under the crimson sheets. Both Luck and Sharon eyes were misty as their eyes took in their first born child. The nurse picks up the baby and takes her away to be tested. Sharon wants to grab her child from the nurse but steadies herself knowing full well that her baby was in careful hands.
“We will be back in a jiffy” she says with a smile.
“Our first child is so beautiful and so precious”, Luke says squeezing her hand. Sharon nodded her eyes filled with tears. “Our Jamie”.
There will be more soon. Always a work in progress. Most likely this will end up being a novel. Haven't really figured out how I want to end it but it should be exciting.
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