“I’ll get the doctor.”
“No. We can do this. Just us,” I assure him, through gritted teeth.
“Are you fucking crazy?” His eyes are wide and scared.
“She’s right across the hall; if anything seems wrong, we’ll call her. Please, Jack.”
“Gracie, I don’t know what I’m doing,” he pleads with me.
“Next contraction, I’m going to push. Okay?” I don’t know where my energy has come from, but suddenly I’m feeling pumped for this.
“Grac—Gracie, wait.” He looks between me and the door, unsure of what to do.
“Jack, I only need you. I feel safe; you’re not going to let anything happen to us.” I let him know that he has my full trust. He always has, that's why I’ve been so scared. “I don’t want her in here. I told you, doctors freak me out.”
“Gracie.” He shakes his head, and I grab him by his shirt and drag him to my lips. Kissing him hard and knowing I haven’t got much time. “Please.” I release him.
“Okay, but we call her in here the second we need her.” He helps me spread my legs and lifts up one of my knees so he can check out the situation.
“Holy fucking shit, Gracie, it’s really coming!” His skin turns pale. “I can see his head crowning; it’s stretching you open.”
“I can feel it.” I reach for the gas and air that Dr. Stratton placed on the bedside table the last time she came in to check on me.
“Push again when you get the nex?—”
“Eeeeekkkk!”
My contraction beats him to it, and I bear down, pushing as hard as I can while he strokes my thigh encouragingly.
“That’s right, you're doing it. You’re doing it so fucking good.” I can hear the thrill in his voice; he’s forgotten all about his fear.
“Fuck, Gracie. You’re amazing.” He looks up from between my legs, and when I feel his other hand touch my pussy, I let the gas and air fall from my mouth and look down at him with a smile
“What?I’m just helping.” He smiles, stroking my clit with his thumb and trying to distract me from the head trying to break out of my vagina.
“Here comes another,” I warn, clutching the sides of my belly and bearing down hard. I focus on the gentle stroke of his fingers, and pushing our baby into his hands, trying to block out the pain, but it’s too intense.
“His head is out,” Jack announces, smiling in fascination.
“Is it facing down, towards Gracie's bottom?” A voice calls out from the hall that belongs to Dr. Stratton.
“Yes!” Jack yells back, looking clueless, excitable, and fucking adorable at the same time.
“That’s what we want. Next push, you can use your hands to slowly guide him out, as Gracie pushes,” she instructs, and he looks up at me with an assertive nod, letting me know he’s got this.
“I need to push again,” I tell him, gripping my knees for leverage and pushing through.
“That’s good; that’s so fucking good, Gracie. Keep pushing for me,” he tells me, and I flop back against the pillow when I run out of breath, and the pain releases.
“Shoulders are out!” Jack calls out loud so the doctor hears him, too. “Just one more push. One more, and I think he’ll be here.”
“Is everything okay?” she calls out again.
“Everything is fine; everyone’s perfect.” He smiles up at me, and right there, in that moment, I know that it would be impossible to ever leave him.
“You can do one more for me, right?” He takes a slimy hand from between my legs and grips my hand.
“Sure.” I smile through tears and start breathing through my nose when I feel that intense agony wrack my body again. Jacktakes his hand back, guiding our little one into the world, while I push until all the pressure finally releases.
