Page 108 of Return of the Spider

Twenty-five minutes later, the miracle that was Janelle “Jannie”Cross slid from her mother. She immediately began taking heaving breaths of air that she expelled in cries and squawks. Maria and I broke down, grinning with joy through our tears.

“She’s a big girl, got all her fingers and toes,” Dr. Holmes announced, examining her. “Look at those legs. And listen to the set of lungs she’s got!”

Indeed, Janelle squawked and wiggled and sputtered between deep breaths that visibly expanded her rib cage. We started laughing.

“No wonder it felt like she was fighting to get out,” Maria said.

I said, “My little Janelle, my little Jannie, was ready for life. Sheisready for life!”

I gazed at my daughter. Even though she was full of what Nana Mama would call piss and vinegar, it was love at first sight. The nurse laid Jannie on her mama’s chest.

Jannie almost instantly stopped squawking, and Maria cooed. “Look at you, little one. Welcome to the world, Janelle.”

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a more beautiful sight or had a better moment. I started tearing up again. The nurse took Jannie to check her vital signs, and the baby squawked again.

“You’ll be right back, young lady, I promise,” the nurse said.

She weighed and measured Jannie, then brought her back to Maria, who was being cleaned up, and laid our baby on her chest again, skin to skin. “Eight pounds and two ounces, twenty inches,” she said. “Perfect APGAR score.”

“Yay,” Maria said softly, tiredly, stroking Jannie’s back while the other nurse put a warm blanket over her little body.

I put my hand by Maria’s on Janelle’s back, and we basked in the grace of that for several minutes before Maria said, “You should make some calls, tell Damon he’s got a baby sister.”

“When do you think I can bring him in?” I asked Dr. Holmes.

“I think mom and baby will be ready to greet visitors in a few hours or so,” she said. “Give Maria and Janelle time to rest.”

I got home about two hours later. Damon was just waking up from his nap.

I went into his bedroom and said, “Santa brought you an early Christmas present.”

That got him alert pronto. “Present?”

“Your baby sister was born!”

He seemed confused until I said thatJanellewas the present, at which point he looked a little disappointed, but he cheered up when I asked him if he wanted to go with me and Nana to meet Jannie and see his mother.

We walked into Maria’s hospital room soon after, with Nana Mama leading the way. Jannie was swaddled in Maria’s arms and sound asleep.

“She’s beautiful, Maria,” my grandmother whispered.

“Isn’t she?”

I carried Damon over to the bed. At first he frowned, as if he were unsure about this new thing taking his spot in his mother’s arms.

“Isn’t she pretty, Damon?” Maria asked.

Damon shrugged and held out his arms, whining, “Mommy.”

“Mommy can’t hold you right now. I have to hold your sister for a bit, just like I held you when you were born. But do you want a kiss?”

He nodded with a pout, and I lowered him until she could kiss him on the cheek. He laughed and said, “Kiss Jannie?”

“You want to?” Maria asked.

Damon nodded. We moved them close, and he kissed her forehead, which set offAhhs in the room from the nurses on duty.

“Jannie pretty,” Damon said when I shifted him to my hip.