That was when it hit him. He felt dizzy, his eyes gliding toward the ground as he realized there was going to be a child with half his DNA. A rush of fear moved through him, but Rylee’s hand was like an anchor. Somehow, even within her pained state, she knew he needed her to stay grounded.
The doctor came in soon after and announced that Rylee was eight centimeters dilated. They gave her an epidural through her spine that looked like even more physical pain for her to endure. Gage thought about how much shit women had to put up with, not just through giving birth but in general. He admired her beyond anything he could try to say to her, so he decided he would dedicate his life to reminding her every single day.
“All right, let’s start pushing then, Mrs. Navarro,” the doctor said a short time later.
Gage felt a surge of fear, the moment enhancing and blurring at the same time. Rylee settled her legs into the stirrups, holding onto his hand the entire time.
He leaned into her, kissed her head, and whispered into her ear.
“You can do this. I’m here, baby.”
With encouragement from the doctor and nurses, Rylee began to push. She gripped Gage’s hand tight, projecting some of her suffering into him, and he held it close, holding it still for her as much as he could. He hadn’t realized that they had been in the hospital for almost six hours, waiting for her contractions to get closer together.
He held her as she pushed for whatever seemed like an endless stream of screams and bellows. He remained unchanged for her, as still and steady as a statue, until they finally heard the faint cries of their newborn child.
Rylee whimpered, laughed, and then began crying happily as the doctor removed their child, cut the umbilical cord, and wrapped it tightly in a blanket. Gage was in shock, not just from the rush of endorphins he felt flooding his system, but the sight of his daughter, legs, and hands flailing in the fresh air of life.
“Gage!” Rylee cried. “It's our baby! It's our baby!”
The doctor smiled as he handed Rylee their child, who already had a flourish of brownish-red hair. She cradled her in her arms and wept while Gage squeezed her shoulder, feeling his body and mind convulse with a feeling that had yet to gain a name. It was the closest he’d ever felt to nirvana, looking down at his weeping and smiling wife, holding their daughter in her arms.
“Holy shit,” Gage whispered.
Rylee let out a sweet chuckle along with the doctors and nurses.
“Congratulations!” the nurses said.
Gage reached out and stroked the child’s cheek. It was as soft as the clouds in the sky.
He flicked his eyes at Rylee, who was still weeping and laughing hysterically that she got through one of the hardest moments of her life.
“We did it, honey,” Rylee whispered, sniffing from joy. “We have our baby.”
Gage moved his eyes between his wife and his child. They had discussed a few names before the child was born, and looking down at her, how angelic she was, Gage knew which name would befall her like fate.
“Sky,” he said. “We have our Sky.”
Rylee’s face erupted into more giggling and tired tears, and they kissed softly as Sky began opening her mouth and wailing. They both looked down in wonder, admiring what their love had created.
The nurses took Sky to be assessed briefly, and Gage went into the waiting room to inform everyone of the happy news. They all cheered, hugging Gage until he felt he would explode from happiness. Talon clapped him hard on the back, then pulled away, his eyes glassy with tears.
“I know you’re going to be an amazing father, brother,” he said, his voice cracking. “I hope you know that too.”
Gage grinned back, surprised by his certainty of the statement. That was the confidence that Rylee had managed to create inside him. He knew he was going to be a great father and that he could do anything with her by his side.
He hugged his friends, feeling closer to them than ever. They all took turns meeting Sky, cooing and holding the little miracle. Draco joked that she would be the child of Midnight Mates, which received a big laugh from everyone in the room.
They stayed a few nights in the hospital so Rylee could get some rest. While she slept, Gage watched Sky through the glass, in a long line of other beautiful, quiet children.
Everyone else returned home, planning a party for when Rylee was able to leave the hospital. Everyone but Talon. He stayed with Gage, who also refused to leave his wife’s side, despite her encouragement.
“She is something, isn’t she?” Talon said, standing outside the glass.
Gage nodded, his hands pushed into his jeans. He felt like he was living another life, one that was gifted to him out of the darkness of his past. The wonder of it all was that he was starting to believe he deserved it.
“That’s what happens when you let yourself go,” Talon continued. “When you give yourself to someone, there is an infinite depth of reward.”
Gage turned to his friend, who had become a wise sage since marrying his mate, Cassie. “When did you become such a poet?” he said, smirking.