Chapter 6: Delivery Room

“To witness the birth of a child is our best opportunity to experience the meaning of the word miracle.” Paul Carvel

“No, no it can’t be time now I’m not ready, I’m not ready” I pleaded with the doctors. It couldn’t be time. I didn’t want it to be time. The nerves came running back like a train. Logan was standing by me holding my hand. He was smiling at me. His smile calmed me a little, but I was still terrified. I was scared of what would happen. Not to mention the full room I was in. My mother and father were here along with Logan and his parents and Amy. It was such a full room I couldn’t even breathe. “Everyone out!” I yelled. Everybody started to talk and run around. “Will you all please shut up and get the hell out of here!” They all stopped where they were and stared at me. “Now!” I yelled. It’s like a light bulb had gone off in their heads and they all rushed out of the room. I watched as Logan started to leave. “And where the hell do you think you’re going!” I yelled at him. I wasn’t trying to be mean to anyone I was just in severe pain and I was stressed beyond belief. “You told me to leave” I heard him say. “I meant everyone else not you silly.” I said trying my best to smile. “You helped make these things you’re going to help birth them.” I saw him smile and make his way over to me. He grabbed my hand squeezing it lightly. “And what do you think you’re doing over here?” I asked him. I knew I was getting him completely confused, but hey I thought it was cute. “Comforting you?” he said. I knew he was unsure about that answer just by the way he said it. I reached over to the table next to my bed grabbing the camera. “No this is for you.” I handed it to him and he gave me this weird look. “What you do want to take pictures of your children don’t you?” he smiled at me moving back to where Mr. Winter’s was. One of the nurses came over to me sitting behind me giving me her hands. “Squeeze as hard as you need to,” she told me sweetly. “Ready, because it’s time to push,” the doctor said. I gave him a small nod. “Okay then one, two, three, push” he said softly. The nurse helped lift me up a little as I started to push. The pain was excruciation.

**

            I couldn’t believe it. She was in labor. I was at the bottom of the bed by Doctor Winters snapping a few pictures. It was the craziest thing I’d ever seen. Doctor Winters turned to me, as I stood there frozen. “Are you okay son?” they he asked me. “Yeah this is just…woah” I said. Mr. Winters had just cut her perineum. Seconds later I could see the head of one of our kids. “Is that the head?” I asked. “Sure is Logan.” Doctor Winter’s said without looking back to me. “I think I’m going to fain-“ I hit the floor with a thud and everything went black.

**

I couldn’t believe it. He fainted. How could he faint at a time like this? I gave a one last big push and I heard the cry of our first child. I had already been crying, but I cried more hearing my baby cry. “Is it a boy or girl?” I asked Doctor Winters. He looked over to me smiling as he passed my baby to the nurse “It’s a boy.” I smiled as Logan finally came to and stood up wobbling a bit. I watched as he followed the nurse and I heard an ‘aww’ in the other room. I smiled as Doctor Winters told me to push again. Minutes after our first child, Emery Kade Fleming was born, our daughter Eliza Hope Fleming was born. I laid back as the nurse got up going to the other room where they tended to our kids. The last thing I saw was the doctor come in smiling at me. He whispered to me that my kids were okay and that I should rest. I listened to his advice and was asleep in seconds.

**

            I watched as the nurses tended to the children. They were so beautiful. Emery looked like his mother. He had her nose, her high cheekbones, her brown hair, and he had the perfect fingers for playing guitar. He was beautiful. Eliza however looked more like me. She has a lighter brown hair like mine, my brown eyes, and she was smaller than her brother and simply perfect. They were both perfect. I couldn’t believe this feeling I had. I was a father. I would be a great father. I knew I would. I had to be. I couldn’t imagine not being good to them. I had to do my best to get into college and get a good job so I could support them. I smiled as I saw the nurses slip the nametags on their tiny feet. Emery Kade Fleming and Eliza Hope Fleming. I smiled staring at them for a few minutes before making my way back to Ophelia. I walked in seeing she was asleep. I couldn’t help it. She looked beautiful. I took out the camera and snapped a picture of her. She was a brave woman and I couldn’t have asked for a better woman to be with. I would never leave her. She was the one for me. If only she knew how much she meant to me. I smiled sitting in a chair next to her grabbing her hand. I kissed her hand. “I love you so much Ophelia.” I whispered to her laying my head down on the bed. After eleven hours of intense labor we could finally rest.

**

            I woke up about two in the morning to the nurse bringing in two crying kids. I opened my eyes looking at the nurse with this look. The nurse just chuckled. “Trust me it’s worth it,” she left the kids in the room. I sat up as Logan woke up. He looked to me. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said looking at me. I could tell he was tired. “Yeah I know. Bring me Emery.” I told him as he got up and handing me Emery. I hadn’t been told how to do breast feed or anything like that. It’s like I just knew what to do. He drank until he was finally asleep and then he handed me Eliza. I did the same thing with Eliza until she finally fell asleep. He laid her back down pushing them over to me so I could see them. Emery grabbed my finger holding onto it tightly. “You’re a natural.” I heard Logan say pushing a chair over next to Eliza. He put his hand next to her and she grabbed his finger. I don’t think his smile could have gotten any bigger. This feeling was amazing. Sure I was incredibly tired, but being tired was worth it. If I could just watch them it was all worth it. A few minutes later his parents walked in, as did mine. Logan put his free finger over his lips. They nodded going over to them. They all smiled. “They’re beautiful.” His mother whispered. My father was speechless as was his. My mom was smiling just as much as Logan was. It was astonishing the power of a child. They could bring people together, even if they were bitter to each other.

**

            I looked up at my parents seeing them smile. I hadn’t seen my dad smile that much in a long time. It was great to finally see everyone happy for once. I looked at Ophelia and smiled. Her mom walked out of the room bringing in a small radio. She turned it on and played music lightly. I chuckled at the song that was playing at the time. It just happened to be My Little Girl by Tim McGraw. I looked down at my baby girl holding on tightly to my finger. She was so beautiful as was my baby boy and my girlfriend. I was completely happy with my life now. It was like everything just fell into place. My parents sat down in nearby chairs and Ophelia’s parents sat on the couch. The song played lightly in the background and everyone in the room sort of spaced out watching the twins sleeping soundly. The next thing I knew Ophelia was picking put Emery and laying him down next to his sister. I couldn’t believe it, but they seemed to smile. I looked up at Ophelia. She was so amazing. She’d been a mother for only hours and she was already acting like she’d had them all her life. “You’re amazing Ophelia” I said to her smiling. I saw her smile laying back down watching her kids. I knew she was tired I could tell, but I also knew she didn’t want to go to sleep. I went to the radio changing the station. I’m Coming Home by J Cole was playing and I watched as Ophelia started to lip sing the words. I knew she would be getting tired soon. I smiled watching her slowly fall asleep. The nurse came in a few minutes later taking the kids back to the nursery. I hugged my parents and hers and they left. They would be back tomorrow. I turned around and looked at Ophelia. I just watched her sleep for probably about five minutes. I couldn’t help but smile. We’d been through so much and I knew someday when she least expected it I would propose to that woman right there, sleeping in that hospital bed. I went over to her hopping into the hospital bed with her. I put my arm around her pulling her close. Within minutes I was asleep.