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I open my eyes, but it feels as if I’m in a constant state of pain. The doctor talks to me, but it’s hard to understand everything. I’m rushed into a room, change into a gown, and my moms step inside as the doctor checks to see how far along I am while I lay in the bed.

I find it telling that she hasn’t allowed a nurse to enter the room at all. Dr. Taleigh is very strict about a mother-to-be’s birth space.

“We’re having your baby now, Noor,” she says with a tight smile, pulling on a pair of gloves. “It’s just us and your moms. Do you feel all the pressure?”

“Yes. I feel like I have to push. Is that normal?” I wail.

“Totally normal,” Rachelle says, taking my hand. “This is going to happen really fast, and then we’ll get to decide if Cletus will be a winning name or not.”

I huff out a laugh, not knowing how I manage it. Black spots cross over my vision, and I beg to stay conscious a little while longer.

“Cletus is a choice,” Dr. Taleigh says, amused. “We aren’t going to worry about all the wires the nurses will want to hook you up to. They’re not necessary at the moment, and you’re doing fine. Moms, grab a leg and lift it to give Noor some leverage when she pushes. Next time you feel like you have to push, do it, Noor. Pay attention to your body.”

Breathing deeply, I let everything else fall away as I focus inward. A deep need to push fills me and I groan as I obey it. When I feel as if my vagina is on fire, I give little pushes, desperately trying to get through the pain without losing my mind.

My head drops back as I yell in frustration, but no one tells me to shut up. In fact, no one speaks at all as I suck in oxygen before I need to push again. I lose all track of time until I hear the distinct sound of a baby crying and I’m no longer cramping.

“Oh.” I blink as I look down and see Dr. Taleigh lifting my baby up. He has dark curls, and his eyes are closed with some kind of goop.

“You did it,” she grins, holding him carefully as she cleans his eyes. “What a handsome boy you are. Hello, sweetheart. It’s time to meet your mama.”

“Oh my god,” I say, my voice cracking. “Hi, baby. You’re here!”

I burst into tears as Dr. Taleigh hands Little Beam up to me, and I’m able to let my legs relax as I lay back.

“He’s so beautiful,” Liliana whispers.

“I’m going to call him Zayn,” I decide, my fingers moving over his face in awe. “It means grace and goodness.”

“You don’t need my approval, but I love it. He was in a hurry to meet you,” my doctor says, cleaning up the pads underneath my butt and replacing it with new ones. She’s changing her gloves again when someone bursts through the door.

It’s a nurse, and she looks harried and stressed.

“Out of my room!” Dr. Taleigh hisses. “I have this handled. I’m going to weigh and assess the baby once she passes the placenta. Shoo.”

“Baby?” the nurse's eyes widen as she sees that I’m holding my baby, and I almost feel bad since she’s so confused. “I didn’t realize she’d delivered already.”

“Three pushes and twenty minutes,” she grins. “Noor is a rockstar. There will be a group of men in the waiting room anxiously awaiting news about her. Please tell the Denton family that she’s resting and we’re waiting for her to deliver the placenta.”

“Men want to hear that news?” the nurse asks.

“My men do,” Rachelle growls at her.

“Of course. Um. Sure. Anything else?”

“Don’t come back unless I ask for help,” Dr. Taleigh mutters, semi-covering me as she checks Zayn’s vitals. “We’re going to delay cord clamping for another minute or so, Noor.”

The nurse is walking backward as quietly as possible, worried about getting her attention. “Of course, ma’am, um…doctor.”

She escapes as my doctor continues to ignore her, and Liliana’s lips twitch in amusement.

“I like you,” she says.

“The nurses here have cotton in their ears. If I’d left you to them, Noor would have delivered alone,” Dr. Taleigh grunts.

“I would have raised hell, but it would also have been messy,” Liliana admits. “Your way is better.”

I wince as I shift, and Zayn makes a tiny noise.