“9 centimeters, folks! Almost time to rock and roll. I’m sorry sir, but if we’re all going to help your wife deliver this baby, we need you to get off the bed and at least have her sitting. I’ll have someone bring in extra pillows to support her back.”
Denise finally allows me to get off the bed and doesn’t fight the doctors as she’s nearing her time to push. I’m there for every grueling minute as my beautiful wife brings our son into this world, and he’s perfect. I can’t believe how fast it’s all happening.
When it’s all said and done, Derek Declan Daniels enters the world screaming his bloody head off at a healthy six pounds two ounces on May 23rd. My boy.
When the doctor hands him to us, I can’t stop the tears falling down my eyes. I’m an actual dad. I lean over as Denise holds him against her chest, and I kiss them both.
“You’re such a fucking superhero, Dens. I’m going to let Dalia and Vincent know.”
“Okay babe,” she tells me with her eyes glued to our son. His bold blue eyes and bald little head are perfect.
When I head out to the waiting room, it’s empty. I look up and down the halls but don’t see anyone. It takes me a while to find them, but a few winding turns down hallways that all look the same shows them both fighting with the vending machine.
I walk over to them as they shake and rattle the machine for snacks. “Phew. For a minute there, I thought I was going to find you guys fucking in a closet or something.”
“We did that already,” Dalia volunteers.
Vincent bursts into laughter that bounces down the hallway until a nurse peeks her head in the hallway to tell us to shush. He points out the vein pulsing on my forehead. “Relax. We made it. You made it. The baby made it right?”
“Yeah, we have ourselves a baby boy. Dens and Derek are resting, but they said she can have visitors in an hour or so. Thank you both for being here. Dalia, can you and this guy go to the condo and get her a bag or something? Clothes or whatever she wanted to put in her bag?”
“Of course.” Dalia takes my keys and Vincent by the collar, dragging him out of the hospital behind her.
I make my way back to the hospital suite to see Denise dozing off and our child in a bassinet beside the bed. He’s so tiny and squirmy as I lift him out of the little bed. He starts to cry, but I want to let Denise rest so I speak to him. “Did you know your mom is a master of numbers and corporate espionage?”
He stops crying and opens his eyes lazily with a half smile. I mean, I think it’s a smile. All I know is he’s quiet, and my wife made me a daddy. What a fucking life!
Extended Epilogue
Denise
Fifteen years later…
The sound of a door slamming jolts me out of my sleep. I reach over to feel the empty side of the bed and sit up wondering where Declan is. I glance at the clock.
Great.
7:15 a.m.
The dog’s barking from the backyard, and I can hear the stampede of feet outside my door. The minute I notice the doorknob turning, I lie back down and toss the blankets over my head, pretending to still be asleep.
“Mom!”
“No,” I reply from under the blanket.
Daphne, our 12-year-old, giggles. “You didn’t even let me ask the question.”
I let out a breath of exhaustion. “What?”
“I kinda told Julia that I would sleep over at her house later today, and Dad said it’s okay as long as you said it’s okay, but I know you don’t like Julia’s mom because she’s got a lot of mannequins. But Julia swears there aren’t any in the house.”
I sit up and squint at her. “What?”
Daphne sighs with her dark brown hair and bold blue eyes, beaming at me as if I have any idea what she’s talking about.
“Mom!” Dylan, Daphne’s twin brother but a full 5 inches taller than his sister, pokes his head in above her. “Can I ride to school with Greg?”
“Isn’t Greg 16?” I ask him.