Page 123 of Julian

"How are you feeling?" she whispered, noticing Julian was asleep.

"Better," Kiara replied softly. "How much longer do you think?"

The nurse checked something on the monitor. "Your contractions are looking good. Regular and strong. The doctor will be in soon to check your progress, then we’ll have a better idea of how it’s going."

After the nurse left, Kiara shifted slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position without disturbing Julian. The movement must have been enough, though, because his eyes fluttered open. For a moment, he looked disoriented, then his gaze settled on her, and his expression softened.

"Hey," he said, his voice rough with sleep. "How are you doing?"

"Better," Kiara said. "The epidural helped a lot."

Julian straightened in his chair, wincing slightly as he rolled his shoulders. "How long was I out?"

"I don't know. I just woke up myself." Kiara watched as he stretched his arms above his head. "The nurse said the doctor will be in soon to check my progress."

Julian nodded and ran a hand through his hair, making it stand up even more. He looked younger somehow, with his rumpled appearance and the softness in his eyes that hadn't been there when they'd first met.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. "I could see if they have anything I could get for you."

Before Kiara could answer, Doctor Misha walked in. There had been a chance that another doctor might have had to deliver her baby. But thankfully, it had worked out for Doctor Misha to be there.

After greeting them, she said, "Let's see how we're progressing."

Julian stood and moved to Kiara’s side, taking hold of her hand. She squeezed his fingers as the doctor examined her, grateful for his steady presence.

"Well," Doctor Misha said, removing her gloves. "You’re ten centimeters dilated and fully effaced. Great job!” She smiled warmly. "Let’s get ready for you to push."

After the doctor left, Kiara felt a surge of nervous excitement. "It's really happening," she whispered, looking up at Julian. "He's almost here.”

The atmosphere in the room changed. Julian stayed by her side, and together they watched as the nurse prepared things.

The nurse went to the monitor and stood there for a minute, then turned to her. “When the next contraction starts, let’s try to push.”

It took a little bit for Kiara to get the hang of pushing, but thankfully, she managed to figure it out and push with the contractions. The nurse was good about coaching her, and Julian was right there, holding her hand and offering words of encouragement.

She didn’t know what she would have done without him.

~*~

Julian was in awe of Kiara’s strength and focus. He’d never thought much about childbirth and all that it entailed, so it was a bit of a shock how intense it was. He was relieved that Kiara had agreed to the epidural, because he couldn’t imagine how painful this final stretch would be without it.

“You’re doing great,” the nurse said as Kiara slumped back against the bed after a contraction. “You’ve gotten the hang of it.”

For some reason, Julian had assumed that once Kiara started pushing, the baby would come right away. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

It took about an hour of pushing before the nurse said, “I can see his head. You can do it.”

Over the next twenty minutes, the pushing grew more intense, and soon the doctor was back in the room with them.

Kiara focused intently on her pushing, and Julian did what he could to encourage her.

“That’s it,” the doctor said from her place at the end of the bed. “Here he comes. Keep pushing.”

Kiara let out a groan and then slumped back against the elevated portion of the bed behind her. Julian stared in shock as he saw the baby in the doctor’s hands.

“He’s here,” she announced as she lifted the baby onto Kiara’s stomach.

The nurse covered the baby with a blanket and gently rubbed him. He let out a squawk and began to cry.