Epilogue
Zariah
My feet protested as I waddled out of the small house that Ciana had built for me when she and her husband had moved to their island home. Each step, I felt a small squirt of pee, and I knew that this baby was definitely coming sooner rather than later.
After I’d found out I was pregnant, Ciana had pleaded with me to spend my last few months of the pregnancy on the island, so she and Mom could help me through it and I could give birth at the hospital where my sister had given birth to her son Lewis two years before.
Nolan had retired early from baseball, giving me all the dreams I’d ever wanted. With his retirement, I only had one last dream that needed fulfilling. I hadn’t wanted to try for a baby while he was working, so after he’d finished out his contract with the Yankees, he’d said he wanted to be a stay-at-home daddy. It was as if my body was in tune with his request because I’d gotten pregnant shortly afterward.
The tropical heat blasted me as soon as I stepped outside, and I nearly turned back into my house, wanting the relief of the air conditioning. Instead, I forced myself to waddle down the path to where my parents’ house was. Along the way, I passed Nova and Ryan, both of them chasing after one of their children. I paused to watch them for a moment.
It never failed to bring tears to my eyes to see Nova, alive and healthy. Or Ryan, so happy all he seemed to do these days was laugh. Even more so now than before we’d thought we lost Nova. Now, with his three-year-old daughter and eighteen-month-old son, I rarely saw him without a smile.
Catching sight of me, Nova waved. Wiggling my fingers at her and the son she’d captured and lifted to her hip, I continued on my journey.
By the time I climbed the few steps to my parents’ porch, my feet and back were killing me. I didn’t bother to knock before opening the door and walking in. From the sound of laughter, I knew Mom was in the kitchen with the others, so I paused to catch my breath and wipe the sweat from my brow before waddling a little bit farther into the kitchen.
As I’d expected from the sound of their laughter, I found Mom withTetkaand Aunt Felicity at the island in the middle of the kitchen. All of them had mugs of coffee in hand. When I entered the room, their laughter paused, but they still wore smiles until Mom’s gaze landed on my face.
“I don’t think this is pee that keeps dripping out of me,” I announced. “But I’m not exactly one hundred percent sure. This is my first rodeo and all, so I didn’t want to freak out my husband.”
All three women jumped up and rushed me. Hands touched my arms and face as they bombarded me with questions.
“It’s just a gush here and there, but it’s happening more and more. Maybe there’s a hole in my amniotic sac?” I bit my lip. I’d read online that it sometimes happened. That the sac didn’t fully break but got a leak. I probably should have just gone over to Ciana’s house—she was a nurse after all—but if I’d gone over there, her husband would have called mine and narced.
And I wasn’t sure I was ready to experience what I’d seen Nova go through both times she’d been pregnant. Ryan had been a basket case, and Nolan was just as overprotective of me as my cousin was of his wife. Besides, I wasn’t feeling the best, and I only wanted one of two people. Nolan or my mom. Since my husband was fishing with all three of my brothers, his mom, and stepfather on the other side of the island, and I didn’t want to freak him out if I didn’t need to, then my mother was the next best choice.
“Well, let’s just play this safe and go over to the hospital. They can check you over and see if this is your amniotic sac leaking or if this little rascal is just bouncing on your bladder.” Mom’s voice was so soothing that it helped lower my heart rate a little, and I relaxed as the three women guided me out to a golf cart.
Tetkadrove us, while Mom and Aunt Felicity held my hand the short drive over to the small hospital. The island was its own little community, one far, far away from the outside world. And, more importantly, my family’s enemies. The fear that had invaded my mind since we’d thought we’d lost Nova had lingered, and it wasn’t until Nolan and I moved to be closer to his mother and stepfather that I’d begun to truly relax.
My parents had been supportive of the move but had insisted on Tony going with us. Nolan had bought us a house close to his mom and stepfather—and then had gone one step further and bought the house beside ours for Tony and his husband. Away from NYC and with Tony there to calm my family’s fears, I’d been more content than I could ever remember being in my life.
But when I’d found out I was pregnant, that fear had doubled again. Ciana begging me to give birth on her island had calmed me down dramatically, and the stress of fear had faded so that I could enjoy the rest of my pregnancy.
The doctor and his nurses were already waiting for us when we got to the hospital, which told me thatTetkahad texted over to let them know to expect us. I was shown into an exam room and, ten minutes later, was being wheeled to the labor and delivery room. My amniotic fluid was, indeed, leaking, and I was already dilated to a five.
“Someone please call my husband and mother-in-law,” I muttered, my nerves getting the better of me. I didn’t know what to expect other than what I’d read about in those damn books. Ciana had told me not to watch any videos or shows about giving birth because that would just make me worry.
My sister showed up before my husband did, dressed in scrubs and ready to help bring my baby into the world. I gave her a wobbly smile as she came over to hug me. “You’re going to do great,” she assured me. “I promise I’m going to walk you through this every step of the way.”
I caught her hand, giving it a squeeze in thanks. In the months since I’d been on the island awaiting this birth, she and I had gotten closer. The vow I’d once made to myself to be a better sister was kept and then some. She was my best friend, and there was no other nurse I would want to help me through this.
Nolan burst into the delivery room, soaked in sweat and out of breath. He was beside me, kissing every part of my face and dripping sweat all over me in the process, in a matter of seconds. His poor mother was gasping for breath, bent over with her hands on her knees as she stood in the doorway.
“Nolan,” I chided. “Did you make your mom run the entire way?”
“There was a golf cart. She could have waited for Zayne to drive her over. Running was just faster for me.” He didn’t seem to even pay attention to his mother, and I shook my head at him in exasperation.
“Someone get Miranda some water and a cool washcloth,” Ciana told one of the other nurses as she guided my mother-in-law over to a chair and helped her sit down. “She’s only dilated to a five at the moment, ma’am, so there is plenty of time to catch your breath.”
“Only five?” Nolan grunted. “Bain made it seem like she was about to give birth any minute when he called me.”
My sister snorted. “That’s how my husband tends to act when a woman goes into labor. To him, they are about to spit that baby out as soon as the first contraction hits. He was a nutcase with the girls and twice as bad with Lewis.”
It was several hours later before I was ready to push. The doctor stood behind Ciana, ready to step in if needed, but I’d asked them to allow my sister to be the one to deliver my baby. Mom and Miranda helped me push, each of them grabbing one of my legs and pulling it toward my body. I kept Nolan behind me, not wanting him to see what was going on down below. He wasn’t normally squeamish, but I wasn’t too confident he wouldn’t pass out if he saw a head coming out of my vagina.
Ciana told him he had the biggest job of all, wiping my brow and feeding me ice chips between pushes. I was glad she was able to keep such a cool head and speak so calmly to him, because I was in so much pain I feared I might have ripped out his throat if he got out of hand with his anxiety.