She spreads my legs and the blood starts to drain from Adrian’s face.
“Come up this end,” the nurse comforts.
“He’s not very good with vaginas,” I pant.
The nurse smirks. “I thought as much.”
She inspects me. “How long did you say your husband is going to be, Ash?”
“I’m not sure. Why?” I frown.
“You’re eight centimeters dilated, darling. Baby will be here very soon.”
I look at her and then over to Adrian. He’s a pale shade of green.
I swallow the lump in my throat. “Call Cam.”
He dials his number. “Hello, Hanna, this is Adrian. We need to speak to Cameron please,” he asks.
“What’s going on?” Cam replies.
“She’s eight centimeters dilated,” Adrian replies. “You need to get here. Now!”
“I’m nearly finished, my back-up surgeon has just arrived. I’m twenty minutes away.” He pauses. “Put Ash on.”
“Hello.”
“Hey, Bloss,” he says gently.
I smile down the phone; just hearing his voice makes me teary.
“You all right, baby?”
I nod though my tears.
“Yep,” is all I can push out.
“Hold on, sweetheart, I’m coming.”
I nod and scrunch my eyes shut as another contraction comes. My doctor walks into the room. “The doctor is here.”
“Put him on,” Cameron asks.
I hand the phone to the doctor. “It’s Cameron.”
He frowns and takes the phone. “Hello?” He listens for a moment. “Why? Where are you?” he asks. “Just a minute. “He puts the phone down and gives me an internal and then gets back on the phone. “She’s nearly ready to push. I’ll do my best. It’s progressing very fast.” He hands the phone back to me.
“Hey, Bloss. I’m coming, babe.”
I nod as tears start to roll down my face. He’s not going to make it. I know he’s not.
“I love you,” I whisper.
“I love you, too. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He hangs up.
I start to cry, blubbering-mess-crying, and I just want Cameron here. Why, oh, why today of all days?
My eyes widen, and then I scrunch them shut.
“What is it?” Adrian frowns.
“I need to push.”
Cameron
I tear off my gloves and run out of the operating room. I bang the elevator button three times.
“Come on, come on.” I watch in slow motion, my foot tapping fast. “Please, please let me make it,” I whisper under my breath. The door opens, and I run in and bang the close-door button.
Level four: Maternity.
The ride up to level four is the slowest I’ve ever seen. It finally opens onto the floor and I run down the hall to the delivery suite and burst through the doors.
“Where is she?” I cry.
“Birthing suite two, on the left.”
I run down and run into the room in time to see my beautiful Ashley in bed, her face screwed up in pain as she tries to hold off. “I’m here, Ash!” I cry.
She looks up at me through her tears; her hair is wet with perspiration and she’s panting. I’ve never seen someone so beautiful.
“Oh, baby,” I whisper as I rush to her and brush her hair back from her forehead.
I smile as I kiss her lips, and she clings to me as if her life depends on it.
“Next contraction, Ashley, I want you to push,” the doctor directs.
I kiss her softly. “You can do this.”
She nods as she screws her face up.
I hold her leg back as I brace myself. “Get ready, Bloss.”
“I’m going to go,” Adrian murmurs.
“Don’t you dare go anywhere!” Ashley screams.
“Really?” he whispers. He goes to the back wall and stands silently, as if scared to move.
With a nurse holding one of her legs and me holding the other the contraction comes, and she pushes as hard as she can. My eyes widen as I see the head. The contraction stops and the baby’s head pops back in.
“You can do this, Ash, come on,” I urge.
She nods as she psyches herself up again. The contraction comes and she pushes as hard as she can. Her face turns bright red and she cries out in pain.
“I can see it, so close,” I whisper. “Come on, Bloss, come on.”
She gives a big push and the head is out.
She pants, and I smile broadly. “One more, one more,” I chant as she grips my hand with white-knuckle force.
She pushes again and screams as the baby slides out.
Blood and mucus and… silence.
I hold my breath; the nurse picks up the baby and rubs it with a towel, and finally it begins to scream.
“Oh, thank God!” Ashley cries.
“It’s a girl,” the doctor announces.
I cut the umbilical cord and the doctor goes to pass her to Ash.
“Pass her to her father first, please,” Ashley says.
My eyes search hers as my heart freefalls from my chest.
The doctor passes her to me, and I stare at her.
Shocked. Shocked that I nearly didn’t make it. Shocked that I did.
Shocked that we made this beautiful little person.
She’s so perfect, and she looks up at me as she tries to focus her eyes.
I blink so I can see her through the tears, and I take her to Ash and bend down and kiss my beautiful wife. We hold each other over our little girl.
“You did it. I love you. I love you,” I whisper.
“I love you, too,” she sobs.
“What are you naming her?” the nurse asks.
Our eyes meet, and she smiles and nods.
“Sophia Anne Stanton,” I whisper.
Ashley smiles against my lips as we kiss.
“Owen’s here.” Adrian says, smiling.
“Can you get him please?” Ashley asks.
Adrian disappears, and the nurse cleans Ash up. Minutes later, he returns with Owen. “Owie, come and meet your baby sister.” I pick him up and he stares at her, unsure what to say.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” I whisper in wonder.
He smiles broadly and sticks his little tongue out, as if pleased with himself. The nurse holds the baby to Ash’s breast and she slowly starts to suck. I smile softly.
I’ve never seen anything more beautiful; emotion overwhelms me, and I tear up again.
“What’s she doing?” Owen frowns.
“She’s drinking,” I whisper. “That’s how babies drink milk.”
Owen’s face falls in horror. “Well, yuck!” He frowns. “That’s just disgusting!”
The room breaks into laughter and I shake my head.
Only Owen.
Nine years later
Ashley
I stand at the kitchen window as I watch Cam. He’s out in the garden with the kids, chasing them with water balloons. They’re hiding, although Owen is sitting on the deckchair, watching as he chats on his phone to his little girlfriend.
We have five children-six including Cameron. He’s still a big kid and nothing has changed at all.
Owen is fifteen, Sophia in nine, Zander is seven, Spencer is five, and Juliet is eighteen months. I thought watching Cameron with Owen was heart-melting; you should see him with five of them.
We’re at Pemberley and, funnily enough, this is now Cameron’s favorite place in the world. We’ve added to the house and still live permanently in L. A. It’s getting increasingly harder to get to Pemberley now that Owen is older and has a social life.
One day, Cam and I will live here permanently. I wish our children could stay at this age forever. Joshua and Natasha’s children are in their late teens now and are giving them a run for their money, wild as all hell. They moved back to LA permanently and the kids have all began to work for Joshua in his office. Apparently they are sending Adrian and Joshua grey. All of the men in the office are after Jordana and Blake is chasing after everything in a skirt. Cameron and I think it’s hilarious…because it’s not us. I dread when our turn comes.
Cameron looks up and spots me watching him through the window, and he smiles sexily and makes his way across the garden. Before I know it he wraps his arms around me from behind and kisses me.
“Permet de se faufiler au lit.” (Translation: Let’s sneak off to bed.) He nibbles on my neck and I smile as I try to wriggle away from him.
“No.” I turn, and he takes me in his arms. I look up at him and he kisses me softly. “You know, you’re kind of all right for a farm boy.” My hands drop to his behind and I give it a squeeze. Everything is still gorgeous about my man; he’s only gotten better with age.
He smiles sexily down at me. “I’ll show you what a farm boy can really do.”
“Dad!” Juliet calls.
He rolls his eyes.
“Dad!” Zander yells. “Where did you go?”
He puffs air in his cheeks and looks out the window, and then smiles broadly as an idea comes to him. He ducks down and crawls through the kitchen and back through the house.
“What are you doing?” I ask as he crawls up the hall, towards the front door.
“I’m going to attack from the front. You were just my prop.”
I smirk. “Thanks a lot.”
“You’re welcome. Anytime,” he replies.
I watch through the window as he sneaks around the side of the house and starts running toward them and throwing water bombs from nowhere. The kids all scream and run.
His beautiful wild laugh echoes throughout the farm.
Life is good.
I’m the luckiest girl in the world.
THE END