“Now that you, Henry and Isabelle, have promised to give yourselves fully to each other, through the love you have vowed to hold, and the rings you have exchanged, it is my pleasure to pronounce you as husband and wife! You may now kiss!”
Cheers and whistles fill the air just as the sun falls beneath the sky, and I smile against Gage’s lips as he kisses me like it’s the start of the greatest love story. As my heart overflows, my stomach leaps, and a gush of water runs down my legs.
I put a hand against Gage’s chest, frozen to the spot as my breath turns hurried.
“What’s wrong, Buttercup?”
“I think my water just broke.”
Chapter forty-five
“How are you doing, baby?”
We’ve been at the hospital for two hours now. Isabelle was already five centimetres dilated when we came in. She’d been having back pain since she woke up this morning, but didn’t think much of it. I hate knowing she was in any form of pain. Even now, as she grips my hand, she declines any pain relief.
“It feels like a knife is stabbing me in the back.” Isabelle’s jaw is clenched tight as she focuses on breathing.
“Is that right?” I ask Shanna, the nurse who’s been with us since we made it to the birth centre.
“Not to worry.” She smiles. “A lot of women will feel contractions in their back.”
I rest my forehead against our clasped hands, overwhelmed by the onrush of emotions. Endlessly thankful for every step I’ve made that got me here today. I shudder to think of what I could have missed out on if I had never given myself—given Isabelle—a chance to see what life was capable of. Mistakes become lessons learned. Failure becomes discovering your resilience. Resentment becomes seeing beauty in the journey.
Isabelle gasps, forcing my eyes back on her. I rub a palm over her hair. “Are you sure you don’t want something for the pain?”
She shakes her head. “No, I want to try as muchas I can myself.”
The limits in which this woman astounds me have no end. How does this vibrant, uplifting person continue to find strength and perseverance in everything she does?
“If that changes, you just say the word. Okay, baby?”
Isabelle smiles and gives a little nod.
Shanna picks up the chart from the holder at the end of the bed, then strolls over to the screen, jotting down the numbers on the display. She watches as they go up and down, her gaze shifting to Isabelle every now and then.
My tongue flicks over my lip ring as my throat grows thick with unease.
“Is everything okay?” There’s no hiding the panic in my question.
The nurse turns unhurried, a neutral expression on her face. “Yep. I’m just going to see how far along you’ve dilated. We normally wouldn’t check this frequently, but since Isabelle was already quite far along when you came in, and labouring throughout the day, we don’t want to underestimate the speed you’re progressing at.”
She grabs some gloves and then stands at the foot of the bed, lifting Isabelle’s hospital gown to her knees.
“You’re about seven centimetres, so we’re definitely keeping momentum. I’m going to check in with Dr Reeves, but I’ll be back shortly. Just keep doing what you’re doing, okay, Isabelle?” Izzy nods, then Shanna looks at me. “Let me know if anything changes.”
I nod, then she discards her gloves and picks up Isabelle’s chart, watching the heart rate monitor once more. She scribbles down more notes and leaves the room with a tight-lipped smile.
“Gage?” Isabelle whimpers.
I’m out of my seat immediately. “What? What’s wrong?”
Her free hand reaches for the frame on the other side of the bed, squeezing her fingers around it. “I want to stand.”
“Stand?”
She nods as she attempts to pull herself up. I place my palm behind her back, heart in my throat as she slides off the bed.
“Should I call the nurse back?” I ask as I shift all the cords from her monitors out of the way.
