Chapter 194 One Hundred & Ninety Four
Chapter 194 One Hundred & Ninety Four
EMMA POV
Ryan was holding my hand.
"It's almost over," he said.
"Don't tell me it's almost over," I snapped. "You don't know that. Stop making talking to me!."
Another contraction.
I squeezed his hand so hard he actually winced.
"Sorry," I said.
"Don't apologize," he said. "Squeeze away. Break my hand. I deserve it for getting you pregnant."
That made me laugh despite the pain.
By 10 AM, I was at nine centimetres.
Almost there.
The pain was unreal.
Nothing could have prepared me for this.
No amount of prenatal classes or YouTube videos or advice from other mothers could have actually prepared me for how much this hurt.
"Okay," the nurse said. "Let's move you to the delivery room. You're almost ready."
Ryan helped me up and we walked to the delivery room.
The hospital bed looked absurd. All the stirrups and the lights and the equipment.
This was it.
This was really happening.
"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Ryan said, looking around the room.
"You're not doing anything," I said. "I'm doing this."
"I know," he said. "I'm sorry. That was insensitive."
By 11 AM, the doctor came in to check me.
"You're at ten centimetres," she said. "Time to push."
Time to push.
Like it was that simple. Like my body hadn't already been working for eight hours.
"Push when you feel the contraction," the doctor said.
Another contraction came and I pushed.
I pushed harder than I'd ever pushed anything in my life.
"Good," the doctor said. "Keep going. You're doing great."
Ryan was beside me, holding my leg, telling me how amazing I was.
"You're the strongest person I know," he kept saying. "You can do this. Our baby is almost here."
I pushed again.
And again. And again.
Sweat was pouring down my face.
My hair was stuck to my neck.
I probably looked like I'd been hit by a truck.
"The head is crowning," the doctor said. "One more big push."
One more push.
I gathered every ounce of strength I had left and I pushed.
And suddenly there was a rush of relief and movement and the doctor was holding a tiny, wet, angry baby.
"It's a girl," the doctor said.
A girl.
Our daughter.
She came out screaming and covered in stuff I didn't want to think about.
And she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
"Oh my God," Ryan said. He was crying. "Oh my God. That's our baby. That's our daughter."
They cleaned her up and put her on my chest.
She was so small.
So perfect.
"Hi, Grace," I whispered. "Hi, baby girl."
Ryan was crying openly now.
He leaned down and kissed my forehead.
"You did it," he said. "You did it. She's here. She's perfect. You're perfect."
I looked down at our daughter.
Grace was still screaming, her tiny fists clenched, her face all scrunched up.
"She's angry," I said.
"She's hungry," the nurse said. "And confused. Give it a minute."
Ryan sat on the edge of the bed and just stared at his daughter.
"I can't believe she's real," he said. "I can't believe we made her."
"I pushed a human out of my body," I said. "I'm aware of how real she is."
"You were amazing," he said. "You know that right? You were absolutely incredible."
"I yelled at you," I said.
"You did," he agreed. "And I deserved it."
I looked at our daughter.
At her tiny fingernails.nAt her dark hair that looked just like Ryan's.nAt her perfect little face.
Everything hurt.
I was exhausted.
I was covered in sweat and other things I didn't want to think about.
But holding this tiny human that we'd made together.
That I'd literally just pushed out of my body.
It was worth it.
"Welcome to the world, my little princess ," I whispered. "I love you so much already. You have no idea."
Grace made a tiny sound and opened her eyes for just a second.
Like she was saying hello back.
And in that moment, despite the pain and the exhaustion and the chaos of the last twelve hours, I felt completely at peace.
We'd made it through.
My daughter was here.
My husband was beside us.
And life, is about to be more beautiful than we ever imagined.