"I'm sorry, so sorry, my darling." I rushed to her side and grabbed her hand before kissing the back of it.
"Be careful, Hugo. She may look frail but she has an iron grip. I'm pretty sure she might have broken a couple of my fingers." Ethan flexed his fingers gingerly, wincing a little.
As a contraction hit, Ava held onto my hand and squeezed as hard as she could, making me grimace. Lord, when did she become so strong?
"Told you," Ethan stated smugly.
"He doesn't deserve anything! This is his fault!" she growled with pain.
"Of course, it is, dear, squeeze as hard as you want" I replied, brushing the hair away from her clammy forehead.
Ethan tried to hide his smile. "I will be outside. Good luck, Ava."
The doctor entered a couple of minutes later, letting Ava know it was time.
"Okay, it's time to push, Ava. With each contraction, just push as hard as you can, okay?"
She nodded, gripping my hand tighter as her face took on the resolved look I’d seen when she was preparing for battle.
"You're doing so well, Ava, you are so strong." I was in complete awe in front of the scene that was going on in front of me.
"We will never have sex again, you know that right?" She gasped between pushes.
"Understood," I replied gently as a nurse snorted. It was probably something she heard daily.
"I'm serious. You will never touch me again. This is all your fault!"
"I know it is. You already told me."
"It should be you trying to push a bowling ball through a straw!" she shouted during the peak of her latest contraction.
"I would if I could."
"Okay, Ava, you have to rest for a few minutes now. The baby is well on the way and won't slip back up. We have to rest to avoid any tears. Just fight the need to push."
Ava rested her head heavily on the bed and turned toward me.
"I can't do it anymore, Hugo." Tears of exhaustion filled her eyes. "I thought I was strong enough but I can't."
The doctor took his place at the foot of the bed again. "Okay Ava, time to push again. One or two more and you'll have your beautiful baby."
She shook her head, looking at me with so much desperation. It made my heart ache.
"I can't. I'm sorry, I can't," she repeated over and over again.
I let go of her hand and rested my forehead against her hot one. "Of course, you can, Ava St-John. You are the strongest, bravest person I have ever met. You kept our baby safe when it was supposed to die. You never lost faith and you were strong enough to put your trust in me over and over again. Ava love, you can do it. I love you and I know you. Just once more, Ava, just once more."
She nodded and bit her lip, even as her mind registered her weariness. I propped her up against my shoulder to give her more leverage as I had read in the books.
Grunting and making almost feral sounds, Ava pushed as hard as she could. I pursed my lips and I didn’t know if that was even possible but it was like I could almost feel her pain reverberate within me.
Suddenly time seemed to stand still and then we heard the loud wails of a newborn.
I felt the final weight of apprehension leave me as I kissed Ava's forehead in relief.
"Would the father like to cut the cord?"
I nodded, mute with emotion. I took the pair of surgical scissors with a shaky hand and looked down at our child.