Epiphany (25 page)

“Mr. and Mrs. McBride, this is a picture of your daughter.”
A little girl.
I expect Skylar to be a little let down, now knowing it’s not a son, but he smiles
larger than I’ve ever seen, taking the picture from me to examine the features we
can see in this vague image.

“A daughter, huh?
She’s gonna have a lot of uncles looking out for her,” he says, still staring at
the picture.

“And a Godmother who has to pee.
Are we almost done?” I love Kylee and her overly active bladder. Winking at her,
I hurry the tech along. He grabs a few more measurements and leaves the room for
Kylee to clean up and use the restroom.

“You’re gonna love having a little girl. Shelby is so much fun. I can’t wait to
tell her she’s having a girl cousin. She’ll be so excited,” Kylee says, running to
the bathroom.

*****

“Are you gonna be okay if I ask the nurses for drugs while I’m in labor?” Kylee asks,
plopping down on the couch next to me with a bowl of popcorn and superman ice cream.

“It’s your body. They wouldn’t offer it if it wasn’t safe for the baby. You make
that call,” I tell her, taking a few bites from the bowl that’s resting on her eight
month pregnant belly.

“I just wanna make sure. It’s your baby and all. Some people are really weird about
that shit.”

“If I was having this baby and I was in pain and needed drugs, I’d take them. I don’t
expect you to do anything differently.”

Turning back to the TV, Kylee insisted on watching “Baby Mama” for the second time
this week. With Jacoby out of town for business, Kylee’s been staying with me and
Skylar. I gave him free reign to hang out at the clubhouse with the guys so
Ky
and I can take the bed. He tried to protest, but it’s gonna be the last time for
a while that he gets to spend time away from the house in long increments; he needs
to take advantage of it.

Suddenly, the bowl falls off Kylee’s stomach and it looks like there’s a wrestling
match going on inside of her. Grabbing my hand and putting it on her belly, Kylee
smiles as more waves move across the surface.

“Is that her moving like that?” I ask, having never seen the baby move like this before.

“Yeah, she’s telling you that she wants to be a gymnast, mommy.”

We sit like this for probably a good fifteen minutes while the baby rolls around,
kicking and performing some kind of acrobatic routine. This is the coolest thing
I’ve ever seen in my life and I’m kind of jealous Kylee gets to feel every single
movement. Pushing my envy aside, I stare in amazement at my daughter doing tricks.

“I can’t wait to meet you,” I say to Kylee’s stomach, rubbing softly.

Another month and I’ll be able to hold my daughter.

*****

With Kylee’s due date being only two weeks away, my mother’s adamant about me having
some kind of baby shower, even though I decline every offer she’s presented. Finally
giving in, I meet my mom at her church, where all the ladies have gathered wanting
to give me gifts and play stupid baby shower games.

Kylee and I walk into the church basement, promising each other we’ll be in and out
in no more than an hour. As we move through the throng of older ladies, we find our
seats at the head of the room, surrounded by large boxes and even more smiling women.

“Wanna do a half hour instead of an hour?” I mutter to Kylee while still holding a
smile.

“Hell no.
These women wanna shower you with presents, you’re gonna stick it out. They didn’t
have to and if you say one more word about it, I’m going to cut you.” Pregnancy really
agrees with Kylee.

My mom approaches us, carrying two cups filled with punch, and the shenanigans begin.
Once all the games are played and door prizes given out, it’s time for the presents
and cake. Kylee could care less about opening a gift or smiling for a picture, but
the cake—she’s all over it, eating more chocolate frosting than anyone alive should.

“Wanna slow down there? I don’t need you going into a diabetic coma while pregnant
with my baby,” I joke.

“If you had any idea how excellent this cake is, you wouldn’t be complaining. And
since when did you start monitoring my sugar intake? Am I being babysat?” she asks,
offended.

“I was just kidding. I don’t want you getting sick later.”

“And I don’t want to fart in your purse. Keep it up and that’s where you’re headed.”
She’s watched too much “Baby Mama”. I can’t even deal with her right now.

Moving onto the gifts, these church ladies outdid themselves. I’ll have enough clothing
to get this baby through her first year without having to run a single load of laundry.
And there are so many toys, I’m not sure what newborns do, but I’m almost positive
it’s not play with a riding motorcycle with realistic noises.
No doubt, a gift from my mother.

I’m able to pry the fork from Kylee’s hand long enough for my mom to take a few pictures
with the baby clothes draped across Kylee’s belly. When Kylee starts closing her
eyes at the table, it’s my cue to wrap it up and get her home. Being thirty-seven
weeks pregnant has to be taking a toll on her body and her sleep schedule.

“Thank you, everyone.
This was so nice. Kylee and I appreciate it more than you even know,” I say, trying
to excuse myself.

“You girls make a beautiful couple,” one of the older ladies says from the back of
the room.

“Oh, no ma’am, you got this all wrong. Mira’s beautiful and anyone would be happy
to have her, I just don’t like the girls like that. My husband probably wouldn’t
protest, but I’m more of a sausage
girl if you know what I mean.” Along with pregnancy taking a toll on her body, apparently
her filter is busted, too.

Blushing, I grab Kylee’s hand and drag her out of the church, texting Skylar to meet
my mom here to pick up all the presents with his truck.

“Kylee Roberts, what am I going to do with you?” I ask rhetorically.

“Get me another piece of that cake before the old ladies eat it all.” Shaking my
head, I drive toward her house to drop her off. This girl is something else, I swear.

*****

Searching my nightstand with my hand, I knock over the lamp, finally finding my phone.
“Hello,” I say still groggy with sleep.

“Bitch, get up. It’s time,” Kylee says on the other line. Looking at the alarm clock,
it’s a little after four a.m. Wait, it’s time?

“Are you sure?” I ask, not wanting to get out of bed for a false alarm … again.

“You think I pissed myself? Get up and let’s go. I’ll meet you at U of M.” The
line goes dead and I just stare at my phone, until I wake up enough to realize what’s
going on.

Bouncing on the bed, I shove Skylar hard, “Wake up. It’s baby time.”

Fumbling around on the floor, I pick up the lamp and illuminate the room. Skylar’s
still lying in bed and I’m half dressed. “I said wake up!” I scream directly in his
face. “It’s baby time,” I reiterate when his eyes open and focus on me.

He also, bounds out of bed, throwing on a pair of clean sweats and a tee shirt. Grabbing
the video camera, car keys and the baby bag, we’re out the door in ten minutes flat.
Thankful that she’s gone into labor in the middle of the night,
we’re not having
to fight traffic to get to Ann Arbor.

Skylar drops me at the main entrance and I wait impatiently for him at the security
desk.
Once the guard verifies what room Kylee’s in, he gives us our visitor passes and directions
to the maternity ward.
My palms sweaty and legs shaky, I’m finding it hard to concentrate on where I’m
going. Skylar and his excellent sense of direction
takes control as we find our way to Labor and Delivery.

Checking in at the nurses’ station, we’re escorted back to Kylee’s room, where she’s
already progressing quickly.

“There they are.
Great of you to make it.
Late for your own daughter’s arrival,” Kylee grunts through a contraction while
Jacoby stands next to her trying to feed her ice chips. “Do you think I want that?
Get that shit out of here,” she bats at the spoon, sending ice flying across the room.
This is going to be a great time.

“Sorry, it’s a twenty minute drive, Ky.
We left as soon as you called.” I try to keep the peace, but her contractions are
really close together and a heart to heart is not what she’s looking for.

“Someone get
me some drugs or something,” she cries. My heart hurts. I’m not jealous of this
part. I watched some birth videos and this shit looks terrible and painful.

“Doctor, can we get her some drugs?
An epidural maybe?”
I ask when the doctor comes barreling into the room.

“She’s already at eight centimeters. It’s past the window for an epidural. I’ll
have the nurse bring in something we can put in her IV.”

Sitting on the stool in front of Kylee, he urges her to part her legs so he can check
her and the baby again. He calls out for a nurse, who brings Kylee some medication
in a syringe, injecting it into her IV. The doctor nods his head and she starts taking
apart the end of the bed, making it accessible for the stirrups to be moved into place.

Putting Kylee’s feet inside the stirrups, he advises us it’s time to start pushing.

“Would you like your friends to wait in the hall until after the delivery?” I didn’t
know this was an option for her. I want to be here when my daughter is born. I want
to hold her and see her very first moments. Kylee looks over at me, seeing my distress
and her pain stricken face softens.

“She’s the mother, she stays. Him too, the dad, he’s not going anywhere.” Relaxing
a little, I stand at the head of the bed, holding onto Kylee’s hand.

“Thank you.”

“You owe me a shot when all this is over,” Kylee jokes, biting down her pain as another
contraction rips through her body.

“I owe you so much more.”

“It’s time to push, Kylee. Are you ready?” the doctor asks. Kylee nods and the entire
process
begins.

An hour later, my daughter is born. Once the baby is safely out, Kylee relaxes back
into the bed, exhaustion written all over her face, and I kiss her forehead.

“You did amazing.” Her eyes open, just a little, and she smiles, squeezing my hand.

“Go see your baby. I’m going to sleep. She’s kept me up for the last five nights.
I just need to rest for a minute.”

I take her advice and walk over to the incubator, where the nurse is cleaning our
daughter. With Skylar by my side, we watch everything and listen to her cry her lungs
out. It’s the most perfect sound. I’m sure I’ll regret saying that in a few weeks,
but right now, nothing’s better.

Once she’s all bundled in a light pink blanket, the nurse hands her to me. Skylar
hovers over both of us, staring at his daughter.

“Happy birthday, Princess,” he says, wiping away tears.

“Adalyn, I think it’s time you meet your Auntie Kylee and thank her for keeping you
safe all these months.”

Skylar and I walk over to Kylee and stand off to the side. “Would you like to meet
your Goddaughter?” I ask, now that Kylee’s all cleaned up and the doctor and nurses
have started to disburse.

“Hell yeah, let me see that angel.” I hand Adalyn over to Kylee who smiles and kisses
her head.

“Hey there, good lookin’. It’s nice to see you and you’re not kicking the hell out
of me,” Kylee says then looking over at me. “What name did you decide to go with?”

“I’d like you to meet Adalyn Renee McBride.” The name couldn’t be more fitting and
Kylee mists up, knowing that I’ve named my daughter after her. After all, I wouldn’t
have a child it Kylee weren’t so giving and selfless, donating her time and body to
me.

“Well, Adalyn Renee, you’re the most beautiful newborn I’ve ever seen.”

We decide to leave Kylee for a few hours to rest, but I can’t drag Skylar away from
the nursery. He keeps watching her through the glass, making sure that everyone’s
being kind to her, and I’m sure, wanting to intimidate anyone who thinks they might
want to kidnap her.

“Babe, let’s go get something to eat. I’m starving.”

“Yeah, we can do that.” We walk out of the maternity ward, his mind obviously somewhere
else.

“What’s wrong?” I ask as I shovel a few bites of eggs into my mouth.

“I’m just worried, that’s all.”

“About?” I ask, wanting him to elaborate.

“Adalyn’s so beautiful. What if I love her more than I love you?”

“I think that’s the point, babe. You’re supposed to love your child more than anything.
As long as I’m a close second, I think I’ll be okay,” I tease.

“As long as you know that you’re my world. Adalyn just happens to be the sun, everything
revolves around her. I’m screwed aren’t I?
Already wrapped around her finger and she’s not even a day old.”

“Yeah, you’re a lost cause.
Hopelessly in love with a seven pound little girl.
It’s okay, though. I’m just as screwed as you are.”

EPILOGUE

Skylar

“Happy birthday, Princess,” I whisper, waking up Adalyn. Rolling over to face me,
her eyes shoot open wide and a huge smile crosses her lips.

“Is it my birthday, Daddy? It’s really here,” her
groggy
morning voice talks to my heart. Sitting up straight, still in her bed, she’s absolutely
glowing.

There really is nothing more special than the bond between a father and daughter.
Since the second she was born, Adalyn became my entire world—followed by Mira as a
close second.

“It is. Are you excited?”

“I am, Daddy. Is there gonna be a big party?
With cupcakes?”