Unable to control my curiosity and needing to know that everything would be fine, I plastered my face against the small window, but it was frosted. I could hardly see a thing. Damn it! I had to pull myself together. This was not how I should be acting.

Just before my pulse shot up again, the door opened.

“You may come in now. Everyone is fine,” the nurse said, swinging the door wider.

“Thank God,” I huffed under my breath, and went straight to Jenna.

Jenna

“Is my baby okay?” I asked with hesitation. I was afraid to know. Oh God! What if my baby came out all blue and couldn’t breathe?

“They are working fast...almost done,” the anesthesiologist assured me.

I looked beyond the blue long cloth that blocked me from seeing what they were doing. I could understand why. I probably would have fainted from the sight of my guts all hanging out.

“And there...we are done.”

“That was fast,” I sighed. It was within a few minutes.

“Yes, we’re fast. We have to be. Every second matters.”

“Is my baby okay?” I was so scared to know...so scared to see.

“Why don’t you see for yourself?” The anesthesiologist looked up with a smile. Just as I was about to see whom he was smiling at, he called my name.

“Jenna.”

“Max.” I turned my head and more tears streamed down. I couldn’t help it. He was my comfort, my husband, and the father of our child. Max’s worried face made me frightened. “You did great, babe. I’m so proud of you.” His words made my heart pound faster and I was preparing to hear the worst. Before I could ask anyone what was going on, I saw a white and blue blanket laying on my chest.

“Congratulations,” Dr. Howard announced. “Here is your precious baby boy, but you already knew you were going to have a boy. Twenty-two inches and eight pounds.”

I didn’t know what to say. My mind was filled with millions of thoughts, and they were swimming around with so much joy that I couldn’t even fashion them into words. “Hi there.” It was all I could say as I stared into those beautiful brown shiny eyes filled with wonder...filled with curiosity...filled with love. As joyful tears ran down my face, all I could do was smile and thank God for keeping our baby boy safe.

“Mommy and Daddy promise to take good care of you. You come first.” I couldn’t help myself. I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to touch him due to possible germs on my finger, but I did it anyway. I was his mother. He lived inside of me for nine months. We shared a bond that only mothers and babies could understand. Nobody was going to tell me what I could or couldn’t do. With tiny strokes, I caressed his cheek. “Ahhh,” I sighed softly. I melted into his softness and into the newborn baby smell.

Max kissed my cheek. “I love you.” Then he kissed our baby’s forehead tenderly. “I love you very much. You gave us one huge scare, little one.”

“What’s the baby’s name?” the nurse asked.

“Connor Maxwell Knight. He’s named after Max’s grandfather,” I said proudly.

Max

“Are you comfortable, babe?” I asked, helping her adjust the bed with the remote control.

“I’m drugged up. I’m all good.” Jenna rewarded me with a faint smile. She looked so drained. “When is the nurse going to bring Connor?”

Right on cue, the nurse walked in. “Would you like to hold him?”

I stared at her for a brief second before I answered, “Sure.” Folding my arms in the position I was taught in Lamaze class, I was ready. An overwhelming sensation coursed through me when his precious small body was placed in my arms. At that very moment, there was another level of happiness that filled me up. I already loved him the moment I heard his heart beat, but this was beyond what I had prepared for.

Standing there, all I could do was stare at his round chubby face. His eyes were closed, but that didn’t stop me from studying and memorizing every inch of his face. With his cute little nose, perky little mouth, and full head of hair, he was my son.

“I’m your daddy, Conner. We’re going to have a lot of fun together. I’m going to teach you how to catch a ball, how to ride a bike, how to swim, and how to pick up girls.” I heard Jenna giggle. “There’s so much I want to show you and teach you. You’re going to be so loved. Every day will be filled with precious memories. Everything I am, everything I have belongs to you.” Suddenly, my muscles became relaxed. I hadn’t realized how tense I was. Connor and Jenna were safe and it hadn’t hit me until now.

Placing Connor in Jenna’s arms, I wrapped my arms around them. After planting a kiss on Jenna’s cheek, I said, “I love you both.”

Jenna couldn’t keep her eyes away from him, just like me. Her smile brightened the room. I could feel her love and happiness from the way she was holding him. It came so naturally to her.

“When you’re ready, you can try to breast feed him,” the nurse said.

“Okay.” Jenna sniffed his scent. I could understand why she had done that. There was something pleasant about the smell of a newborn child.

Chapter 37

Jenna

A huge “Welcome Home Connor Maxwell Knight” banner was spread across the foyer when I walked through our front door.

My eyes were wide and excitement filled me to see my parents, my in-laws, Nicole and Keith, Kate and Craig, and Becky and Matthew surrounding us. Looking beyond them, I saw blue balloons that floated almost to the ceiling, and vases of red roses were everywhere. I knew those were from Max.