Epilogue
Ijumpupfrom the bed at the sound of my phone ringing. When I grab it, I smile widely at the name flashing on the screen.
“Hello?”
“Hi Andi.” Marcy breathes heavily through the phone. “I’ve just been admitted. I’m five centimeters. It’s time to meet your baby.”
She moans, and tears fall from my eyes. “We will be there soon, Marcy. Thank you so much. We love you.”
“We love you too.” She promises and hangs up.
I shake Dom, who is snoring loudly, unfazed by the phone call. “Dom, baby. Wake up.”
He shoots up, grabbing my arm. “What’s wrong?” He reaches towards the nightstand for a gun.
“Marcy is in labor. It’s time to go to the hospital.”
“Oh, shit.” He jumps up from the bed and races for the go bag we packed.
Our relationship with Marcy over the past year has been amazing. She lives in Arizona, and we’ve flown out here to be with her during the birthing process. We’ve been here since she was thirty-eight weeks, and it’s now week forty-one. Finally, our baby has decided to come into the world.
Before Marcy became our surrogate, we’d laid out a birthing plan. She agreed to let Dominic and I be in the room for the birth, and I studied to become a doula. I wasn’t certified or anything, but I know the basics to support her, and I’d catch the baby instead of a doctor. We agreed we wouldn’t arrive at the hospital until she was in active labor, and Dominic and her partner, Sarah, would be able to stay in the room. In the event of a cesarean, I would be the partner in the room.
Dom rushes around frantically, while I laugh at him. “I still have to shower. Relax. It will still be awhile.”
“How are you so calm?” He is trying to find his cellphone.
Because if I’m not, I will freak out. And I’m definitely going through it with PTSD of my own births, but I’ve pushed it aside. This is it. Our family is finally about to be complete.
After I shower, Dominic throws my clothes at me. “Hurry, baby! Hurry!”
I chuckle and grab my duffel bag. It’s filled with candy, and snacks, a pillow, unisex clothes for the baby, and a gift for Marcy.
Dom hurries to bring the rental car around for me. He is a whole bundle of nerves. We’re about to be parents together, and he doesn’t know what to do with himself.
I finally make it to the hotel lobby, and the woman at the front desk waves. We’ve been here for so long that she recognizes us.
She smiles. “Good luck, Mrs. Black."
“Thanks Cara,” I say as I head outside.
Dom hops out of the driver’s side and rushes around to open my door. Never mind that there is a doorman whose job it is to open the door for me. He clearly isn’t moving quickly enough for Dom’s liking. My legs are barely inside the car when he slams it shut, and I thank God it isn’t me who is actually in labor. He would be extra frazzled if he had to listen to me groaning in pain for the whole ride.
The hospital is three minutes and twenty seconds away without traffic. Dominic makes it there in a minute and a half. He finds a parking spot, and practically leaves me to make it to the lobby on my own. When he realizes I’m not with him, he turns around and runs back to me.
“I’m sorry.” He takes the bags he forgot to get from the car.
“It’s fine. I’m chopped liver when it comes to baby momma,” I joke.
I grab his arm before he can hurry back to the entrance of the hospital. “This is it, baby. We are about to have our son or daughter. Take a deep breath.” I press a kiss to his lips, and his anxiety melts away instantly.
He sighs. “I’m about to be a dad.”
“You already are one. But calm down before you scare Sarah and Marcy off? You shoot at people for a living. This should be cake.”
He nods and squeezes my hand. “I know. It’s so hard not having the baby with us. Now it’s happening. We’re finally going to have the baby forever.”
He’s right. It’s been strange not having life grow inside me this time around, and I’ve spent a lot of time grappling with the idea. I know I’ll still love our son or daughter, but Charlotte and I have such a wonderful bond, and I’ve been worried it won’t be the same. He drags me towards the front doors of the maternity ward, and we check in, getting guest passes to enter.