Best Mistake

"Fuck," I groaned as a contraction ripped through me.

We'd been at the hospital for a couple of hours, and other than my water breaking, there was very little progress.

"Just breathe through it," Alex said quietly from beside me. He brushed my hair out of my face and I caught him wince as I squeezed his hand.

I ignored his advice, holding in a deep breath as I waited for the contraction to pass. It felt like my uterus was too full with air, like the pressure was going to make me explode. After a few seconds, it eased off and I slowly let out my breath.

"You ok?" Alex asked.

I nodded quickly and sighed with exasperation. "I'm kind of mad at you right now."

"What?" he asked. "Why?"

My face contorted with discomfort as I tried to scoot up. "For doing this to me."

He laughed a little before saying, "Sorry. But you'll get over it when you see him for the first time."

I smiled, shrugging. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Did you call our parents?"

He pulled up the chair in the corner of the room and sat, nodding. "Yes. Your mom and David are on their way, and your dad and Traci's plane doesn't leave for another two hours. I'm assuming they'll all get here around the same time, probably around four."

"And your parents?"

"They'll be here around eight. My mom insists we still have plenty of time before you go into active labor."

I frowned. Although she was probably right, I still wanted everything to happen quickly so I could get it over with. I didn't want to admit how scared of the pain I was.

"We need to let Megan know. She'd kill me if I left her out," I sighed as I picked up my phone.

"Already texted her," Alex smiled.

I briefly tried to recall a moment when he wasn't glued to my side to do so. "When?"

"While you were in the bathroom at home. I instantly knew what was going on. She said she'd just gotten home from work and was going to get a few hours of sleep and she'd come up here. Jack's on his way, too. He should be departing from New York now, actually."

I smiled a little. "Jack's coming?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't he?"

I shrugged. "I guess I just didn't think a guy would be willing to sit in a hospital waiting for his best friend's girlfriend to have a baby."

He smiled. "He's really excited. He even refers to Will as his nephew. I told him he could just come by the house and meet him, but he insisted."

"How sweet," I giggled. "I never really realized how close you two are."

"Yeah. He's practically my brother. We've been through some shit together that you would have thought would tear us apart, but we're still going strong."

I smiled mischievously. "Then I guess we know who we're naming the next one after."

Alex's eyebrows shot up, disappearing into his disheveled bangs. "The next one?"

I nodded, smiling wide.

"Jesus babe, slow your roll."

I laughed. "You're right. Let's see how this one goes."

Two quick knocks sounded from the other side of the door. Dr. Gresham's assistant, Erin, walked into the dimly lit room.

"How are we doing in here?" she smiled bubbly.

"So far so good," I shrugged.

"Awesome. I'm going to check your dialation now, Ms. Pate."

I laid there, only slightly uncomfortable, as Erin slid two fingers inside me. I had to turn to look at Alex, who looked a little amused by the situation. I scoffed, earning his attention.

"Pig," I mouthed.

He shot me a nasty glare that turned into a smile as Erin stood, removing her glove.

"You're at about three centimeters. You've still got a ways to go so I want you to rest, ok?"

"Yes ma'am," I nodded as I sunk against the pillows.

As she was walking out, Megan came in. I instantly felt horrible, as she looked so exhausted.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Meg," I sighed. "Go home and sleep. You look beat."

She frowned. "And miss this? I don't think so."

I watched as she walked over to Alex and gave him a hug. He offered her his seat, and she thankfully accepted, flopping down noisily. Alex walked to the other side of my bed.

"Are you going to be ok if I go for a little walk?" he asked as he slid his hand under mine.

"Yeah," I nodded. "I think so."

He bent down and kissed the top of my head. "I'll be back soon."

I watched as he shut the door behind him, then turned my attention back to Megan. She was clearly fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Seriously, Megan, pl-"

"No," she cut me off. "Not a chance. I want to be here."

I stared at her, shaking my head.

"I'm good, I swear," she said as she struggled to conceal her yawn.

I scoffed a little. "If you say so. But thanks for being here."

She nodded. "You know I wouldn't miss it. Are you feeling ok?"

"Feels like I'm about to give birth. So, there's that."

She laughed. "Has Alex started freaking out yet?"

"Surprisingly, no. But maybe he's just holding it all in until the real action starts."

I watched as a pleased grin spread over her face. "I'm really happy that he's here at all. The way you talked about him in the beginning, how he was acting, I thought I'd be the one bringing you to the hospital and reminding you to breathe."

I laughed quietly. "Yeah, I'm pretty happy he came around, too."

She took my hand in hers. "I'm so fucking proud for you Whitney. You made it happen. And I have no doubt in my mind that you would have made it happen even if Alex did bail. You are so incredibly strong and powerful and brave. I'd be a nervous wreck if I were in your position."

"Maybe not," I shrugged. "At first, I thought there was no way in this world that I was capable of doing this. Like, I was pretty positive I was going to fail as a mother. But as he continued to grow, and I grew mentally and emotionally with him, I started to realize that the hardest part is getting him here. After that, all I have to do is love him, and I already do so much."

"You're Mom of the Year in my book."

Alex walked back into the room, and following him was Jack, a bouquet of a dozen red roses in his hand.

"Look who I found roaming the hallways like a lost puppy," Alex chuckled.

"Hey Jack!" I said, maybe a little too excitedly.

"Hey Whitney," he smiled, bending down to give me a hug. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm ok," I nodded. "Im surprised to see you so soon. I figured you were still on a plane from New York."

"Yeah, well I told your boyfriend that I cancelled my trip to New York when I realized it would interfere with my being here. I didn't want to risk not getting back in time so I've been staying at my mom's waiting for the phone call. Guess he forgot."

"Well I'm really glad you're here," I smiled. "And thank you for the roses. They're really beautiful."

He nodded. "Don't mention it."

I moved my legs to the side, making room for him to sit down on the bed. "Please, have a seat."

He shook his head. "No, I'm actually going to go lay down in the waiting room. I saw a pretty comfy looking couch, and I think I hear it calling my name."

"Sounds like it's saying 'Megan' to me," Megan smiled.

Jack laughed a little, then shrugged. "If you want it, it's yours."

She shook her head to protest. "No, you called it first. Fair is fair."

"But I'm a gentleman," Jack pouted.

Megan shrugged. "Alright, if you say so."

They walked out of the room, and soon Alex was sitting on the edge of my bed, his body turned towards me.

"You want to try to get some rest?" he asked. "We're going to need it."

I nodded, a yawn trying to push its way out. "We probably should. But where are you going to sleep?"

He shrugged. "I'll lean back in the chair and put my feet up on the bed. I'm tired enough that I'll be out in a second."

I frowned and started scooting over to the side to make room for him, but he was quick to stop me by placing his hand on my knee.

"Don't even think about it. I'll be fine over here."

I sighed heavily and nodded. Alex stood and walked to the head of the bed and leaned over the railing, planting a sweet kiss to my lips.

"Get some rest, mama," he smiled. "I love you."

"I love you," I said as I tried to get comfortable, pulling the sheets up around my neck.

I was dead to the world before I knew it. Erin came in almost every two hours to check my dialation, and I only woke up enough to participate as little as I needed to. I was surprised I was able to sleep through the gut wrenching pain I felt every time I was awakened.

Alex gently shook my shoulder, pulling me from my dreams of bottles and diapers, and I cringed as a contraction started.

"No," I whined.

He stood quietly, and I was sure that if I looked at him I'd see pain scribbled all over his face as I tightened my vice grip on his hand. When it passed and I eased up, I heard him sigh with relief.

"They want to know if you want an epidural," he said.

I shook my head profusely. I'd heard too many horror stories and watched too many videos about the pain involved with the needle stick of the epidurals. I was already going through enough, and the slight relief it would provide didn't seem worth it.

"No thank you," I said, my voice shaky.

Alex stared at me for a second. "Are you sure baby? It'll take the pain away."

"I don't want it," I spat between clinched teeth as another, just as brutal, contraction began.

"Damn it," I cried.

Erin came back in the room, Dr. Gresham hot on her heels.

"It's not too late for the epidural, Whitney, but if we're going to do it we need to do it now," Dr. Gresham said.

I shook my head again, panting for air as the contraction subsided. "I don't want an epidural."

I caught the glance exchanged between Alex and Dr. Gresham, and Alex shrugged. Dr. Gresham sighed heavily.

"Ok, if that's your choice. But your contractions are coming more frequently and lasting longer, so we may be close to giving birth. I'm going to see how far you're dialated now, ok?"

I nodded and squirmed as he measured my diameter. Alex smiled down at me, running his fingers through my hair.

"We're at eight and a half right now. I'm going to give it about thirty minutes and check it again, then it may be time to start pushing."

"Are my parents here?" I asked Alex quickly.

He nodded. "They came in once before but didn't want to wake you. They're in the waiting room with my parents and Megan and Jack."

"Can I see them?" my voice was shaky with panic.

He nodded again. "I'll go get them really quick."

Alex ran out of the room, and as soon as the door shut behind him, another contraction started. It felt like my insides were being turned out with blistering hot tongs. I tried to fight the urge to scream, but as I opened my mouth to try to breathe, the high pitched sound rang from my vocal chords. It felt like it lasted forever.

Alex, my mom, and my dad soon ran back into the room and I was sobbing I was in so much pain.

"Is she supposed to be hurting like this?" Alex asked my mom, who was quickly by my side wiping the beads of sweat from my forehead.

"She's giving birth. It's not exactly a walk in the park," my mom said sarcastically. "Breathe, baby girl, breathe."

My dad stood awkwardly in the doorway, watching with horror stricken eyes.

"Daddy, come here!" I yelled.

He quickly shuffled next to Alex, taking my hand in his strong one.

"I'm right here, sweetheart," he said quietly.

"Oh no," I cried as I felt another contraction approaching.

Alex ran a hand nervously through his hair. "This is the third contraction in the past ten minutes. Is she supposed to be having this many this close together?!"

My mom reached across the bed, grasping Alex's chin in her hand and turning his face towards her.

"It's normal. It's ok. Everything is fine. Stay calm."

Through squinted eyes and violent tremors, I saw my dad offer Alex an apologetic grin.

"She gets like that sometimes," he whispered to him.

"Shut it, Johnny," my mom hissed, shooting a glare at my dad.

I couldn't help but giggle, and three pairs of eyes landed on me.

"Are you ok now?" my mom asked.

I took a deep breath and nodded. "For now. This is too intense. I need this to be over."

"It'll be over soon," she smiled sweetly. "It sounds like you're close to being ready."

"She was at eight and a half centimeters when the doctor left. Maybe she's ready now," Alex said.

"No," I said shaking my head. "He said itd be thirty minutes."

"When you're this far into it, things can start happening fast," my mom said, then looked at Alex. "Go get the doctor."

He nodded and bolted out of the room. My dad took his place, bending over to kiss my forehead. "You're doing great, sweetie."

I grabbed onto his hand and squeezed hard, another contraction hitting my abdomen. It felt like a hot knife was trying to stab its way out of me.

Alex came back in, towing Dr. Gresham behind him. I let go of my dads hand and he turned away from me, but I could still see him shake it, trying to ease his own pain.

"Let's check again," Dr. Gresham said and moved my blanket over my legs.

I watched he'd as he felt around inside of me, and with a pleased grin, he stood and said, "I'm going to go scrub up, grab my team, and when I get back, we're gonna have a baby."

I smiled and nodded, shaking with fear and pain. He walked out, and my breathing became quick and uneven.

"Good luck, baby girl," my mom said as she bent over to kiss my cheek. "I can't wait to meet my grandson!"

My eyes widened as she and my dad quickly left the room. I didn't really want them to go, as they brought with them a small ounce of comfort. Alex hurried to my side and took my hand in his.

"I'm going to be squeezing that a lot," I mumbled through chattering teeth.

"Break it if you have to," he nodded.

Dr. Gresham came back in, followed by Erin and two other nurses. He instructed me to sit up while one of the nurses adjusted the head of the bed into the upright position. Alex asked if I wanted him to hold one of my legs or my hand, and I squeezed his hand as my answer. I did not want him to see what was going on down there.

"Ok, Whitney. You're about to have another contraction. As soon as it hits, I need you to take a deep breath and push. Ready?"

I nodded.

"Push!"

I sucked in as much air as I could and began pushing down on my abdomen. I could almost feel Will making his way through me.

"And relax," Dr. Gresham instructed.

I fell back against the bed, breathing heavily. I heard Alex exhale too and he readjusted his grip on my clammy hand.

"Here comes another contraction."

I tried to mentally prepare myself for the pain.

"Push!"

I was pushing as hard as I could. Alex brushed some of my damp hair from my forehead.

"You're doing great, baby," he smiled.

"Relax."

Tears flowed from my eyes. I looked over at Alex, and he was staring at me.

"Stop looking at me," I groaned. "I'm sure I look hideous."

He shook his head and kissed my wet cheek. "You've never been more beautiful."

"Ready?"

I couldn't even respond, I was already so worn out.

"Push!"

A scream fought its way out of my mouth, filling the room with the horrendous sound. I was in so much pain I couldn't even feel embarrassed.

"Relax. I see the head, we're almost there," Dr. Gresham said.

Alex smiled at me and started moving towards the end of the bed to take a look. I quickly jerked his hand, pulling and holding him beside me.

"Don't you dare try to see that," I growled.

He nodded and smiled a little, a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Ready?"

"No," I groaned.

"Push!"

I cried and screamed as I pushed, but although I wanted to, I didn't give up. I stopped pushing once I felt Will's head exit my body.

"Relax for a second. He just needs two more big pushes, Whitney."

"Can I take a break for a minute?" I begged, panting.

"Come on Whit. You can do this," Alex tried to reassure me.

I took a few deep breaths, then nodded. On cue, I started pushing harder than I ever had. It was a strange sensation to feel my son coming out of me, but when I felt emptied and cries that weren't mine filled the room, I gasped and fell back against the bed.

"Here he is!" Dr. Gresham exclaimed, holding Will up for us to see.

"Oh my god," I cried.

Alex took my face in his hands, and the tears welling in his eyes only made more fall from mine.

"You did it, baby," he said, kissing me passionately. "He's here."

I nodded and kissed him again. We watched as the nurses cleaned him up and weighed and measured him. I was so impatient to hold him that every time one of the nurses turned towards me, my arms reached out for him. Finally, he was mine.

"Seven pounds, thirteen ounces, twenty one inches long," the nurse called over her shoulder as she laid him gently in my arms.

He was beautiful and perfect, wrapped in a warm blue blanket. His head was covered in short brown hair. His eyes were emerald green with thick brown lashes. His ears were small, like they weren't meant for the size of his head. His nose was straight and pointy. His cheeks were pinky and chubby, and his lips fell in a thin line.

"Those eyebrows," I laughed, running my thumb gently over one of the bushy patches of brown hair.

"Sorry buddy," Alex smiled, brushing his finger over the other one.

I stared down at our son in amazement, and he stared back at me. I slipped my finger into his grasp, and he latched on immediately.

"Do you think he knows who I am?" I asked in a whisper.

"I'm sure he does," Alex nodded. "He probably recognizes your voice."

I smiled and brought his little hand up to my mouth. "Hi Will. I'm your mommy."

He blinked at me a few times, then I swore I saw him smile at me. I turned my attention briefly towards Alex, and he kissed my forehead.

"Wanna go see daddy?" I asked.

Alex seemed a little hesitant as I lifted Will towards him, but he awkwardly maneuvered him into his embrace. I watched as he stared down at him, slowly backing up to sit down. He kissed Will's nose, and my heart exploded at the site of them.

"It's nice to finally meet you, William Thomas," he said with a shaky voice. "My name is Dad. Or Daddy, whichever you prefer."

Will gurgled at him, and Alex broke down, tears streaming down his face. I watched as he cried, my own tears falling freely. He positioned Will upright so he was hugging him.

"I already love you so much, kid," he sobbed. "I would have been so stupid walk away from you and your mom. You two are the best thing..."

I sat quietly, letting Alex have his moment with his son. He soon stood and brought Will back over to me, sitting on the side of the bed with us.

"I fucking love you, girl," he said, shaking his head.

"I love you, too, Alex."

He stood with a smile and gave us each a kiss.

"I'm going to go tell everyone the good news."

Notes