Epilogue

Epilogue
Months Later

"Arianna? What are you doing up?" Pierce grumbled as he walked into the nursery.
"I can't sleep. I'm a little restless," she complained as she folded baby clothes to prepare for their child's arrival. It would be any day now, and it was just a waiting game. Arianna had slipped into full-blown nesting mode, trying to ensure everything was in order. "How are you feeling, Pierce?" she asked.
"Nervous, to be honest. Your pregnancy is high-risk. I already lost one child, I don't want to lose another one," he whispered.
Arianna released a tiny sigh. A couple of weeks after she returned to Texas, Pierce received news that his surrogate miscarried. They offered to go through the process again, but Pierce adamantly refused, especially since they were expecting. He realized that maybe it wasn't meant to be, and things happen for a reason.
"Everything will be fine, Pierce. The doctor said everything is good. Yes, there is a chance that complications may arise, but I trust my doctor and the specialists."
"Yeah, Dr. Young is a pretty solid doctor."
"I'm glad you think so."
"But seriously, you need to come to bed. The nursery looks great; nothing needs to be changed or adjusted. You need all the rest you can get," Pierce said, offering his wife his hands. Pierce and Arianna fell back into sync after the baby announcement. It wasn't long before they skipped to Vegas a few months later and married. It was unexpected and spur of the moment, but neither one regretted their decision. They were in wedded bliss and looked forward to becoming parents.
Arianna groaned as Pierce pulled her up to her feet. She had always been a small woman, slim, and right under 5'0. According to her doctor's appointment last week, their son weighed nearly nine pounds. She was carrying low, and moving about proved difficult. Arianna passed by a mirror and sighed. She was all stomach and breasts. Prior to her pregnancy, Arianna was an A cup, and now she was a full C. She wasn't used to having breasts and honestly couldn't wait until she lost the added weight.
"Do you want me to carry you?"
"Nah, I'll walk. It'll do me some good."
"You're walking like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Is your lower back hurting you again?"
"Yeah," Arianna admitted.
"I'll grab the heating pad."
Arianna trudged to their bedroom and carefully climbed into bed. It wasn't long before Pierce returned with the heating pad. Arianna released a heavy sigh as soon as the warmth of the fabric touched her back.
"Is that better?" Pierce asked, massaging Arianna's swollen foot.
"Much better. Thank you."
Moments later, Arianna was loudly snoring. That was the one thing Pierce didn't miss.

Arianna woke the next morning from the feeling of tightness around her stomach and increased lower back pain. It didn't take long for her to realize her side of the bed was wet.
"Pierce...Pierce...wake up."
"What's up? You okay?" he asked, pulling himself into a seated position.
"No...I think my water broke, and I'm having contractions."
"Oh, shit. Let's get you to the hospital, Ari."
"Can I take a shower first?"
"Quickly, please."
Arianna showered as quickly as she physically could, dried off, and lotioned. She had to pause every so often once a contraction hit her. She didn't know how long she had been in labor, but from the frequency, she suspected she had been in labor for a couple of hours during the middle of the night.
She exited the bathroom and found Pierce fully dressed with her hospital bag on the bed.
"You ready, Pierce?"
"Not really. I feel like I'm about to shit a brick," he admitted.
"Yeah? Well, how do you think I feel? I'm about to push this baby out of me."
"Right...get dressed, and we'll head to the hospital."
\[Several Hours Later\]
"Arianna, you're doing great," Pierce encouraged as she steadily breathed in and out, just as she practiced in Lamaze class. Arianna had requested her epidural not too long after arriving at the hospital when the pain became unbearable. She had been pushing for thirty minutes and sweating like a pig. She was beyond ready for their son to be born. She wasn't in pain, but she felt a lot of pressure.
"Pierce"
"Yeah?" Pierce answered as he snuck a peek below to check on the progress.
"Is he almost out?" she asked tiredly.
"I think you only have a few more pushes, Ari Baby, and he'll be here."
"Alright, break time is over, Mrs. White. As your husband confirmed, the baby is almost here. Just a couple more pushes," Dr. Young informed.
Pierce counted off for Arianna, holding her right leg up for support.
"You're doing great, baby. You're almost there," he encouraged. Pierce felt awful for Arianna. The strain of pregnancy and labor had weakened her considerably. She was sweating, and her hair was sticking to her forehead.
"The baby is crowning. One more ten-count push, and he should be here," Dr. Young announced.
"Come on, Ari. You got this."
Arianna sucked in a deep breath, leaned forward, and pushed as hard as she could.
"Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. You're doing so good, Ari. So good, baby."
Arianna let out a satisfied cry when the pressure suddenly disappeared and fell back to the bed. She cried out tears of relief and joy once their son was placed on her chest. Pierce was damn near bawling as he took pictures of them, and was eager to cut his son's umbilical cord.
"Did you two settle on a name?" a nurse asked.
"Adrienne Weston White," Pierce firmly answered, causing Arianna's mouth to drop.
"I-I thought we were naming him after you."
"He has my middle name. It's good enough."
"Thank you, Pierce. I love you so much."
"I love you, too. I feel like I'm the luckiest man alive."
Pierce bent down to kiss his wife before accepting his son.
"I feel like I waited forever for you," Pierce whispered to Adrienne. "You were well worth the wait."