It’s been a rough couple of weeks for me. I just sat in my room and cried. August was the only person allowed to come over. He would make me eat, shower, and brush my teeth. I wanted to do all those things on my own for the baby, but I was emotionally exhausted.
“Ash, I’m back” I heard August come Into the house. I mustered up my energy and got out of bed. I threw my robe on and walked out into the living room. I stopped short when Odell was also standing in my living room.
“August, explain” I glared at him.
“This baby is due any time now. We all know that nothing has to happen between the two of you. For the baby’s sake, y’all need to communicate, that’s all. Plus, he’s been at your door for a week straight,” he explained.
My eyes went back to Odell; I missed him; I cannot even lie. I wanted to hug him and tell him everything he put me through. I walked over to August and hugged him instead.
“Thank you,” I whispered to him. He squeezed me in acknowledgment. I took a step back and looked at Odell, who looked rough. His hair was a mess; he smelled a lot.
“Your clothes are still here, go take a shower then we can talk,” I told him. He nodded and went to the back room.
“You handle that better than expected. Gabby and mom owe me the money,” he smiled.
I smiled, “Figures that you all would bet on how I would react to him.” I sat down on the couch. “What am I going to do”?
“Do what your heart tells you to do, and that’s all you can do,” August said.
Twenty minutes later, Odell returned to the living room; I had to remember to breathe. He looked and smelled so good. I wanted to hug him so badly, but I couldn’t make everything seem okay. I came up with a plan for how things would go.
August was in the kitchen making some food. “Sit with me, Odell.” I made room for him on the couch, and he sat next to me, as close as he could get. I took a few gulps of my water; this would not be easy.
I opened my mouth to start. “I know the baby is important, and that’s what we’re here to discuss, but Ashlyn, I begging you to take me back,” Odell blurted out. My heart melted, hearing his voice and the pain behind his voice. I could feel myself crying; this pregnancy made me way too emotional.
“I know, Odell, but I’m hurting inside. Let’s just talk about the baby right now,” I said, not meeting his gaze. He touched my leg, and I stood up quickly. Too quick, I started to stumble back, but Odell was there to catch me. I immediately got out of his arms.
“Odell this is so hard for me to do, touching me is only going to confuse me more and I won’t be able to think straight,” I told him. He sat back on the couch, arms raised as he surrendered. I stood up in front of the tv.
“Okay so this is what I’m thinking. You will be in the delivery room if you want. I will not take that moment away from you”. He sighed, probably out of relief. “The baby will come back home with me, I will be breastfeeding as long as everything goes to plan. For the first year of her life, she will live with me, you can come to visit anytime you like I need a two hours notice. After she turns one, we can talk about when she can start spending the night. If you don’t not bond with her before and she doesn’t come to you on her own I will not make her come to you. As I said before I will never take your child away from you. Holidays and her birthday can be spent with you, I’ll be there of course, but you just have to let me know and act like you care. Does that sound reasonable” I said.
He nodded in agreement, “It does and I’m okay with those terms. I will show you and our baby that I am a good father”.
“Good, would. Wouldke anything to drink,” I asked him.
“Anything you have is fine. Preferably nothing with alcohol,” he stated. I looked at him, and he cut alcohol. Maybe he does realize what he lost. I went to the kitchen, and August was waiting there with a big smile.
He walked up to me, “Nicely done.”
I rolled my eyes but smiled at him. I poured some Pepsi into a cup and added ice for him, just like he likes it.
“Come join us Auggy,” I told him. He nodded and grabbed the plates of food.
I was walking back to the living room when water ran down my legs. Odell saw everything and immediately came to my side. August came up beside me.
“It’s time,” I said. The boys started to panic and asked what they needed to do. “August, go get my car ready.”
August put the food back down, grabbed my keys, and left the room.
“Odell, I need you to get the car seat and the baby bag that’s packed; also, grab the bag beside it in the room; that’s your hospital bag,” I told him. I started eating the food August made. They won’t let me eat when I get there, so that I will eat now.
“You had a bag packed for me,” he asked.
I swallowed my food, “Of course, I’m not delivering this baby alone.” I told him. As he grabbed all the things necessary, I continued to eat. When he came back out, we left my mini house. The baby room was all set up. August was waiting in the driving seat. I sat in the passenger seat, and Odell sat in the back. The hospital was about ten minutes away, so he drove comfortably quickly.
When we arrived at the hospital, I started to feel contractions. They got us checked in and took us up to the triage room. The contractions were getting stronger. They asked questions about my identity.
A different person came in, “Hello my name is Amy. I hear you ready to deliver your baby,” she said.
“Yes, so ready,” I said. She smiled at me.
“Okay, let us get you checked to see how dilated you are,” she started putting on gloves. I was told to put my feet together, and they laid me back.
“Okay, you are going to feel my touch and then pressure,” she said. I nodded and waited. I could feel the pressure. “Well, you will be having a baby either today or tomorrow. You are 5 centimeters dilated. So we’re going to take you to the delivery room”.
It hit me when she said that. I will have a baby today; it is so crazy. They took me up to the room in a wheelchair. August carried everything while Odell pushed me. When we got to the room, they started hooking me up to all these machines; two monitors were around my stomach, they checked my blood pressure with a little thing that went on my finger, and put a blood pressure monitor around my arm. That would come on and off randomly to ensure my blood pressure was okay.
“Are you wanting the epidural” nurse Amy asked me.
“Well, I am not in too much pain, so at this moment, no. Although, I may change my mind later, ” I informed her. She nodded and told me to call her when I was ready, leaving the room. I was left with Odell and August. I turned to look at them; they were watching me.
“Well this is nice and comfortable” I tried to break the silence.
“Sorry, I just cannot wrap my head around that you will be a mother soon, and I will be an uncle,” August spoke up.
“I know, it sounds too good to be true,” I agreed.
“I cannot believe I will be a father,” Odell added. I held my hand out for him to come and take it. He hesitated at first, but he came over to take my hand.
“You are going to be an amazing father,” I assured him. He smiled, then kissed my forehead. August opened his mouth to say something, but the door opened, and Gabby and my parents entered the room. Both Gabby and my mother came up to me and hugged me. They both had tears in their eyes as if they were about to give birth.
“Stop the crying, or you will make me cry. Trust me, it is not hard for me to cry, my hormones are all over the place,” I joked.
“How are you feeling,” my mother asked.
“Okay, the contractions are bad, but not to the point of needing medicine yet,” I answered.
“Well, now all we can do is wait,” my father spoke. I smiled at him, and he smiled at me back.
Hey everyone! Thanks for taking the time to read my story. It’s a work in progress, and I love feedback, so do not hesitate to leave a comment. It helps more than you think.
