Chapter 24: Chapter 24
Christina
I begin to feel the labor pains at eleven in the night. Adrian like always was quick to understand me. He packed the baby necessities in the bag and immediately ushered me to our car. "Chris relax everything is going to be fine." He holds my shoulders firm and gently slides them to my back placing me gingerly on the car seat.
In the beginning the contractions were mild but as the time passed they became more severe. "Love, have a little bit of patience...." Adrian requests kissing my forehead while holding my right cheek. Within fifteen minutes I was inside the hospital dragged on a stretcher to the labour room. Adrian was all the time beside me holding my hand and giving me the psychological support I much desired for the time.
I rub the sweat on my forehead with a handkerchief and extend the index fingers of my both hands forward towards each other in a jabbing movement. "Feeling a lot of pain, isn't it?" Adrian pushes the hair away from my face using his hand and kisses my cheeks. "I'm so sorry my love. Had I been bestowed with the capacity to take away your pain, I would have done it long ago."
I pull my lips inside my mouth and close my eyes tight fisting the shirt of Adrian. "Just a few more minutes Christina, the baby's head had almost reached the point." The doctor tells me during the examination. Adrian asks her something. I wasn't able to read his lips because of the intensified pain.
"You are good. Don't worry and the baby is fine. The doctor just told me." Adrian bends forward and brings my head to his chest tapping it softly. He then reaches my legs and massages them. "Adrian" I call him with no sound and shook with tears in my eyes. He wipes away my tears and takes my hand in his large one rubbing it softly with his thumb and fingers.
"You are a strong woman Chris. You can do this." Holding me firmly from the back, he helps me to sit. "The doctor advised for you to have a small walk, can you do it, love?" He asks me tenderly. I nod and pull my legs down from the stretcher. No sooner do I take two steps, my water broke. Heavy liquid slips from my legs in puddles and there was an immediate, very strong contraction.
I hug Adrian very tight unable to resist the pain and chatter on my teeth. The doctor arrives once again to the labor room and examines me. "Christina, please do as what I say." The doctor enounced. "After I count three, you will take a heavy breath and push. Okay?" Adrian tightens his hold on my hand and pushes the fingers of his left hand in front of me, one, two and three.
The cycle repeats for another two times. I was crying, dripping in sweat from all over my body and Adrian kept wiping my face, arms murmuring cheerful words. I close my eyes and squeal aloud making use of every iota of my energy. Adrian looks at me taken aback probably for the earth shattering sound that never ever escaped my lips since the conception of our relationship. The next moment his eyes travel to a tiniest human on earth crying its eyes out.
I follow his eyes and a soft chuckle escapes my throat in between my tears and fatigue. "Congratulations! Its a baby girl." The doctor exclaims in height and shook hands with Adrian and me. The nurse cleans the baby and holds it forward to Adrian. "Would you like to cut the cord?" She asks him energetic. Adrian smiles bright and takes the scissors from her.
****
My husband helps me to lean back on the bed post with a pillow. His one hand was holding our little princess and the other was cleaning the happy tears of my eyes. "I never would like to see tears in your eyes even if they are of happiness." He tells me in sincerity before softly kissing the forehead of our princess who was sleeping soundly in her father's arm with a cute 'o' moulded on her lips.
"What would you like to name our daughter?" He asks me excited. I point to him pulling up my index finger. "Okay I will give her the first and you give her the middle name. Is it okay?" He asks me in enthusiastic chuckles. I nod. He gently sways her in his arms as she stirs so tiny. "What name would you like to have princess?" He asks her in fondness rocking her softly in his hands.
She stretched herself making her tiny body go red with the little exertion she underwent. "Oh" he closes his eyes in pressure feeling her fatigue. And then she opens her dark Gray eyes completely like Adrian's for the first time to look at her father. My husband goes wordless and stunned admiring our daughter's beauty as he looks into her eyes. "She...she" he clears his throat and looks at me in a daze. "Her eyes are just like mine and her hair...." He brings his fingers tenderly on her soft baby hairs. "Is like yours."
I smile and nod to him enjoying the daddy daughter fusion. He kisses her head and whispers to me gazing at her in a stupor. "She looks like a tiny miracle to me." He fondles her cheeks with the pads of his thumb holding her tiny head in his palm. "How do you like the name Rianna, Chris? I picked the letters from the names of you and me." He tells me jubilant sitting beside me on the bed holding our daughter. I comb our princess's baby hairs with my fingers and write her middle name on my phone showing it to Adrian. "Though you never expressed I know you love Angelica more than your birth mother. So our daughter's middle name will be named after her. Angie. Do you like it?"
Adrian's emotions were unfathomable after reading my words on the phone. Facing stoical he pulls me to his face kissing me rough, strong and intense while holding our daughter firmly in his hands. "I love you very much, my love. You have got a very beautiful heart inside you. I do not remember anything about our past but now I surely know why I fell in love with you." He tells me fervid and looks down at our daughter in smiles.
"So princess from today you will be addressed as Rianna Angie Martin. Do you like the name?" Adrian asks playing our daughter's little fingers that were closed in a tiny fist. Rianna flutters her eyes as though she understood her dad's words and yawns, a little 'o' formed by her tiny pink lips. "Oh baby, are you already exhausted?" Adrian asks our princess holding her to his chest and gently patting her tiny back to get her fall back to sleep.
As Rianna closes her eyes in her daddy's arms something strikes my mind getting me to uneasiness in an instant. I tap on Adrian's arm drawing his attention. He gently places the baby in the crib and hugs me coming back. He strokes my hair softly in a gentle caress and asks. "What is it that is bothering you love?" I tap my lips and ears with the tip of my index finger pointing to our daughter who was peacefully sleeping in the crib. He traces the seam of my lower lips with his thumb in fondness and looks into my eyes with a gentle smile. "You want to know if she could speak and hear unlike you." A soft quaver escapes his throat as he pulls me to his chest hugging me tight.
He runs his hand softly on my back and pulls me to arms length fondling my cheeks. "You are not born deaf and dumb Chris, then why would our daughter go deaf and dumb?" He pecks my shaking lips and cleans the lone tear that falls from the corner of my eyes. "Yes! She can speak and hear unlike you if that is what you are worried." He declares cupping both my cheeks in his warm hands and kisses my forehead.
"Now that the situation had already arrived, I want to tell you something more. As soon as you recover from weakness and fatigue of delivery, we are going to see your doctor." I try to oppose him but he places his finger on my lips asking me to stop. "Don't you wish to hear our princess calling you mama?" I nod unable to resist him.
"It is just a minor surgery, love. I have already spoken to Allesandro and he consulted several other speech and hearing specialists. The possibilities for the failure of surgery are very remote and I'm positive you will regain your speech, hearing very soon." He brings the tray of food placing it on the small table in front of me. Dipping the spoon in the bowl of soup he forwards it to my lips.
Ten minutes had hardly passed and my room was filled with laughter cheer of my parents, in-laws, my sister and Adrian's siblings. Angelica had happy tears in her eyes as soon as she came to know we named our daughter after her. Our princess was as bright as a day no sooner she knew she had guests visiting, celebrating her arrival.
She went to everyone's arms without a crib and cry. Augustus was too exuberant welcoming his granddaughter. "Your dad and I are going to spoil Angie rotten Adrian." Angelica tells in exhilaration to Adrian. It was also the happy moment when Abby announced the gleeful news to all of us that she is pregnant. There was no end to the joy of my in-laws. They were like little children hugging and sharing their happiness with everyone.
Can this night go any better? Our daughter's arrival awaits an auspicious beginning in our happy lives.