Page 112 of Mr. Brightside
“Here. Give her to me.” Tori lifts Stella out of my lap and cradles her. My daughter’s little hand instantly wraps around Tori’s neck. When they lock eyes, Stella’s whole body relaxes.
“Thanks,” I mutter, rolling out my shoulders and running a hand through my hair. “I hate that we’re messing up her bedtime routine. I never expected it would take this long.”
“Have they texted you any updates?” Tori asks, her eyes transfixed on my overtired toddler as she softly hums something I don’t recognize. Stella is staring right into the emerald green eyes of her godmother. She’s completely enamored by everything Tori does. My heartstrings pull as her little hand lifts up to pet Tori’s cheek. She does that to Jake all the time, especially when he’s gone a few days without shaving. There’s no doubt in my mind that my daughter loves her godmother just as much as she loves her dads. Their connection is so strong.
I stop studying them long enough to glance down at my phone to look for an update.
“Nothing.”
I stand up and stretch my arms overhead, letting my shoulders pop before rolling them back a few times. We’ve been here for almost six hours now, and Chloe has been stuck at eight centimeters for the last two.
I’m trying to stay calm, but I’m starting to worry something is wrong.
This whole pregnancy has been different from Stella’s in every way. Whereas Stella’s birth was textbook and quick, the new baby’s been toying with us for two weeks. We’ve come to the hospitalfour timesbecause of false labor and contractions.
“Why don’t you take a walk and check on him,” Tori suggests, not bothering to look up at me as she continues to stroke Stella’s hair and hum.
I love seeing them together. I never knew my heart could feel this full, that love could feel like this, that I would be lucky enough to have this beautiful, blessed, interconnected family. Never in a million years did I dream that someday I would get to be a father. And that my best friend would be the one to donate her eggs to make it possible.
They say everything happens for a reason. The fact that Tori froze her eggs all those years ago instead of embryos like she had originally planned means that we will forever be indebted and connected to her. Jake was even with her that day. He sat with her after the procedure. He held her hand through it all. Our children came from her sacrifice. It’s a gift I’ll spend the rest of my life being grateful for.
Jake is back in the delivery room with our surrogate now. He loves to be in the action. He’s good under pressure and not at all squeamish like me. I almost passed out when I watched them place Chloe’s IV when she was admitted the day Stella was born. I’m not the man for this job. Only Jake will do. Rhett is hanging in the small waiting room down the hall, just in case he needs backup.
Even if I wasn’t squeamish, I want today to be about him. The first time around, we both contributed samples and let fate decide for us. We figured we might not know right away, or maybe we’d never know for sure. But it was immediately clear that Stella’s jet-black hair and tan complexion came from me.
It didn’t matter to either of our hearts. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that it mattered to Jake’s soul, whether he realized it or not.
When we started talking about trying for another, I insisted we use his sample. He loves our babies no matter what, but I wanted the little boy who grew up feeling like he wasn’t worthy of being loved unconditionally to have the chance to break the cycle and to father a child. Tori donated another egg, Jake provided the sample, and miraculously, we had another successful pregnancy on the first round.
What we hadn’t counted on? This kid had obviously inherited more than just Jake’s looks, because he was already giving us a run for our money.
Every appointment has been something. Weird hcg levels that didn’t double in the beginning. Awkward placenta placement that made it hard to see our little guy on the ultrasound. Amniotic fluid levels reading too low at one appointment, then too high at the next. And the one I felt the worst about: gestational diabetes for Chloe over the last three months.
It’s a good thing we’re done after this. Our poor surrogate probably wouldn’t agree to work with us again after having to deal with the rowdy boy antics passed on through my husband’s DNA.
Tori’s soft humming draws me back into the moment. I’m torn between staying here with her and Stella and going to find Jake. If there was an update, or if he needed me back there, he would have texted.
I don’t have time to contemplate my next move, because my husband comes barreling into the family waiting room in a huff that notches up the energy and takes me by surprise.
He frantically scans the space; I’m grateful we’re the only ones in here right now. Something is clearly wrong. His expression softens slightly when he spots Tori holding Stella. He blows out a long exhale before finally looking at me.
“Still no progress,” he croaks. My body jolts at the desperation in his voice.
I move toward him as Rhett appears by his side. He clasps my husband on the shoulder, then subtly cocks his head and gives me a silent warning.
When I wrap Jake in my arms, he sinks his weight into me and actually lets me hold him. That’s how I know something is really wrong.
“Hey,” I reassure him with a squeeze. “You’re okay. It’s all going to work out. They’ll be fine.”
He nods into the crook of my neck before pulling back and making his way over to the girls.
Rhett gives me a pointed look, then turns to walk out of the waiting room.
I anxiously follow him down the too-bright hall, desperate for more details but not wanting to ask in front of Jake or Stella when emotions are already running so high. Once we’re out of earshot, he catches me up to speed.
“Chloe and the baby are both fine,” Rhett starts, leveling me with his serious look. I exhale a breath I didn’t know I was holding, then nod for him to continue.
“The doctor said labor can stall out around eight centimeters because her body is gearing up for the final push. Since everyone’s vitals look great and Chloe delivered Stella naturally, they’re going to give it another hour or so. She’s bouncing on her yoga ball, walking around, and trying everything she can to get to ten. The next conversation will be about a c-section, but it’s not time to talk about that yet.”