“Our baby. That much we can agree on.” Emma Lia arches her back. “I definitely wouldn’t mind a warm bath atall.”
“Okay, baby. Give me a minute to run yourwater.”
I help Emma Lia into the tub and slide in behind her. When I’m seated, she leans againstme.
“Would you like me to rub yourback?”
“Yes, please. Down low—that’s where it hurts themost.”
I feel for the soft fleshy tissue of her lower back. “Here?”
“Yes.” Her voice is a whimper, and I realize just how much pain she is having. And I feelhelpless.
“Tell me how I can make itbetter.”
“What you’re doing makes itbetter.”
She relaxes against me when she isn’t in pain, and I rub her belly, wondering which one of us is right. It doesn’t matter. I’ll be happy with a boy or a girl. I just don’t want to fail as adad.
I’m terrified of being a horrible father. That’s not something that I’ve told Emma Lia, but the fear has plagued my mind every day since we found out about thebaby.
Emma Lia sits straight up when her next pain begins. “Another onealready.”
I press my fingers into the deep tissue of her lower back, rubbing in a circular motion. I notice that her breathing has changed from only thirty minutes ago. She’s inhaling deeply through her nose and exhaling through pursed lips. “Do you want me to callCat?”
“Not yet. She said to wait until they’re five minutes apart for an hour. And I want to stay home as long as possible. I’ll be more comfortable and have more freedom to move around if I’m here. Once I’m at the hospital, I’ll be stuck in a bed for hours. Plus, we don’t know yet if this is the real thing. These contractions could be Braxton-Hicks and stop in a littlewhile.”
But the contractions don’tstop.
Emma Lia is bent over the side of the bed rocking back and forth. “Ohh… rub my back harder.Please.”
There’s no possible way that this is false labor. Emma Lia’s threshold for pain is high, and she’s inagony.
“That’s it. Your contractions are four to five minutes apart. We’re going to thehospital.”
She blows air through her pursed lips and nods. “I think it’s time. Will you help me getdressed?”
“Of course. What do you want towear?”
She smiles. “I have to go into labor to get to choose my ownclothes?”
“Well, your husband is sort of sick thatway.”
“I don’t care what I wear. You pick. Just something I can get in and out ofeasily.”
I choose a black cotton knit dress. Seems easy enough to get in and out of. “This isokay?”
Emma Lia is sitting on the side of the bed holding her lower abdomen and doesn’t even look up to see what I’m showing her. “It’sfine.”
She’s already wearing her bra and panties—black lace. Even in labor, my wife is sexy asfuck.
“Tell me when that pain goes away, and I’ll help you into yourdress.”
A minute passes, and she stands at the bedside. “Okay, I’mgood.”
She lifts her arms, and I pull her dress over her head. “You know, this is good practice for that little girl we’re about toget.”
“You’ve said for months that this baby is a girl. And a girl would be wonderful, but I feel like you don’t want aboy.”
