She was limp, her eyes closing without consent, stealing bits of sleep whenever she could. She didn’t seem to have control over it at this point.
“Guardami,” I said again, this time with more force. Her eyes lifted to meet mine. “You are the strongest woman I know. You can do this. You will. Besides, you’re not going anywhere. I forbid it. I won’t allow it.”
She gave me a weak smile. “You forbid it?”
“Yeah,” I said, placing a cool washcloth on her head. “I do. End of story.” Then I placed a soft kiss on her lips.
Three more hours.
The panic reached a crescendo inside of me. The pain was getting worse. My wife was growing more tired. It was too late to give her something to ease it all. She was too close.
After a vocal altercation between the doctor and me, my brothers huddling around outside of the room, Tito shaking his head in annoyance, it seemed like the entire staff was on hand.
I refused to let the doctor leave the room.
“Nipote, a word?” Tito said, catching me before I returned to Scarlett. “You must keep calm.”
“I am.”
“Ah huh,” he said, nodding, pushing his glasses further up his pointed noise. “I dispute this. You manhandled that doctor!”
“I didn’t touch her.”
“You did not have to. You must let her do her job!”
“I must do my job.” I pointed to my heart. “And that’s to take care of my wife. People are people—human. I refuse to allow a mistake.”
“I will not allow a mistake.” He stabbed a finger at his chest, almost hissing. “I am here.”
“My husband?” Scarlett cried out. “Where’s my husband?”
Rocco and Mitch both stepped up, offering to go to her, but I patted Tito on the shoulder and left them all in the hallway.
I couldn’t even begin to explain it, the feeling of complete helplessness. When she trembled from the pain, my heart constricted like the angel of death’s fist had closed around it. When she cried out, I thought I’d kill someone, mainly me for doing this to her.
Her moans reminded me of the ones she made during sex, but I knew when the sound of it was pure pain. I wasn’t in control this time, to bring her back from the duration of it.
Tito overheard the doctor say it would only be a few more minutes. The crowd outside of the door took off toward the waiting area to announce the news.
The doctor was right. She was there.
When I reminded Scarlett of this, a sense of utter peace seemed to descend upon her. Keeping a strong hold of my hand, she breathed in and out, in and out, and without the doctor’s prompting, said, “It’s time.”
“Sì,” the doctor said, already in position. “Listen to me,SignoraFausti. Scarlett! Do not push until I say the word.” She held a gloved finger up, stained with fresh blood. “Or you will tear! We do not want this.”
“No,” I muttered. “We do not want this.”
Blood was not a weak spot of mine, except when it came from the woman that I loved more than my own life. The image of her tearing made me almost go weak. The pressure Scarlett kept on my hand held me up. A vise-grip.
Scarlett nodded, eager, a look of pure determination on her face. The athlete had reared her head, the fighter, and she was set to see this through.Now.
“Vedi, Papà?” The doctor made a motion toward Scarlett, urging me to look. Her tone was full of awe, even though she must see this same scene daily, but still commanding when she ordered Scarlett to push or wait.
See, daddy?The doctor had said. I peeked around, seeing a little head, full of jet-black hair.
Stars danced behind my eyes. The entire room spun.
One minute the doctor was guiding Scarlett, nurses counting, the next, it seemed like a hoorah went up, a suction noise, and then an almighty cry pierced the air.
