THERE YOU’LL BE
Chapter Twelve
Another pain ripped through
Rose’s abdomen. It had been six hours since she went into labor and still she
hadn’t give birth yet.
"Soon" is all the
doctor would keep saying. Rose would curse him every time. The pain was
unbearable. Her nightdress was soaked with sweat and the doctor wouldn’t let
Jack into the bedroom where she would give birth until Rose had yelled at him
to do so. So now Jack, sat beside Rose. Dabbing her soaking forehead with a
cold damp cloth. He wish he could take away her pain, just to go through pain
himself for her but he knew he couldn’t so all he could do was attempt to
soothe her.
She gripped his hand every time
another pain ripped through her. The doctor sat downstairs drinking tea and
playing cards with Phillip and would check on her hourly. The nurse would sit
outside and would come if needed. It was like a social event not the birth of
his child. He felt like just delivering the baby himself, he just wanted it all
to be over and for his child to be laid in his arms.
The labor was grueling for them
both. Jack had yelled at the doctor more than once to hurry it along but he
knew there was nothing no one could do but wait and let nature take its course.
His anticipation grew more with
the passing hours, he wanted to just take away all of Rose’s pain and he could
not wait to meet his child.
Seven hours later after thirteen
hard and grueling hours of labor, Rose pushed their little girl into the world.
At 1:03 AM, weighing six pounds, eleven ounces, their daughter was finally
here. The nurse took her from the doctor to clean her up and wrapped her in
several pink blankets. She handed her to Rose, who was crying hysterically with
tears of happiness. As soon as she laid eyes on the beautiful baby in her arms
at that moment she knew all of the pain, the discomfort and the bleeding was
worth it.
Jack smiled through his bleary
eyes, he too was weeping. He looked at his daughter. Just minutes old, with her
strawberry blond curls and big beautiful blue eyes she was going to be a little
firecracker. Her mouth opened and she wailed loudly. This amused Jack.
"Well looks like things
aren’t going to be quiet around here anymore." Rose smiled.
"Would you like to hold
her?" Rose asked quietly. Carefully moving the blanket from around her
daughters face. She knew how much her husband had wanted a daughter.
"Yes" Jack answered.
Rose carefully handed the bundle to her husband, who peered at his daughter.
"Wow" he gasped in awe.
"She’s so perfect."
Jack could feel his body just
melt around her. She laid in his strong arms, protected forever.
Positioning herself in a more
comfortable position, Rose nodded. "I know" she whispered.
"She’s so amazingly perfect."
"She’s all you, you know.
She looks just like you. She’s gorgeous." Jack whispered. He knew his
daughter was drifting off to sleep. She yawned and waved her fist in the air
before settling back down.
"So what are we going to
call her?" Jack asked, when Rose didn’t answer him before. Glancing up, he
knew why. She was asleep. He smiled happily. He was so proud of her. After
thirteen hours of pain, she still looked amazing. There was a saying that a
woman looked her best after giving birth and it was true with Rose.
He felt the blanket move again
and his daughter moved in her pink blanket, a small cry escaped her tiny lips
as she opened her pretty little eyes.
"Hello…" Jack
whispered, lovingly. He ever so gently stroked his daughters pink cheeks and
she waved her hand again in the air. He held his thumb out and suddenly she
wrapped her tiny chubby hand around his fist ever so tightly. It was then he
knew. It sunk in. Everything was clear. Just like it did with Phillip. He was a
daddy and she was his child.
She closed her eyes once more and
began to drift off to sleep again. His eyes scanned her little face, she
certainly was going to be a little heartbreaker when she was older.
"I love you." Jack
whispered to his daughter before glancing up at a sleeping Rose.
His family was now complete.