Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 39971 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39971 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
I can't believe it happened so much faster than I thought it would. I thought it was going to be a lot scarier than that, but it wasn't. In fact, it was both exciting and exhilarating.
Of course, there was a lot of pain, but it was worth it, and I feel like I’ve forgotten about it already.
I continue to hold the baby close to me and just gaze at her. She's the cutest and most amazing little being on the planet. I realize that she’s a part of both Steve and me.
In that instant I also realize that I do have to tell him soon. He deserves to know that he helped bring this little baby into this world. I just have to figure out the right time to do that. And I’m too exhausted to think about it right now.
"Do you want to watch TV?" the nurse asks.
"Actually, yes, I do,” I tell her, realizing what time it is. “Can you put the football game on? I think it's actually the Super Bowl?"
“Of course.”
The nurse turns on the TV and flips it to the right channel. The game is just about to end. Steve's team is playing, and I hadn’t planned to watch it because I didn’t want to experience any sadness or other negative emotions.
But now, watching it just seems right. The nurse leaves the remote next to me.
"Just push the button if you need anything," she says, before leaving the room.
Now it’s just me and my baby girl.
Our baby girl.
I grab the remote and increase the sound on the TV by just a little bit, not wanting to make it loud enough to disturb the baby. I watch intently. Steve is playing his heart out right now. I can't help but cheer for him.
The game is in its final seconds. The teams are tied but Steve’s team, the Leviathans, have the ball and they just need to score to win the game. Everybody is watching with anticipation. Even I feel tension in my stomach.
It all comes down to Steve.
He scores the winning touchdown and everyone in the stands on the screen erupts into loud cheering. I find myself cheering silently, so as not to scare the baby.
I'm both proud and happy for him. I lean over and kiss our daughter on the forehead.
"That's your dad on TV. He won the game. I promise you'll get to see him play in person one day," I whisper to her.
I know she can't understand me, but it makes me feel good that I said that to her. I feel like I'm taking a step in the right direction.
Chapter 13 – Bella
The next morning the sound of my daughter crying wakes me up. I open my eyes and turn over in my hospital bed. She was asleep in a small plastic bassinet next to my bed. But now she’s woken up crying.
"Oh, it's okay, sweetie," I say, trying to soothe her.
I haven’t named her yet because nothing seemed to fit perfectly while I was pregnant, and I decided I needed to see what she looked like and what her personality was like first.
I get out of bed and pick her up out of the crib. I hug her to my chest and rock her back and forth.
The nurse walks in at that moment.
"Is everything okay in here?" she asks.
"Oh, yeah, I guess she’s just a little bit hungry," I reply, smiling.
"Okay, good. If you need any help with nursing or anything like that, you can feel free to ask any of us questions or I can have a specialist come to your room," the nurse explains.
"Oh, great! That would actually be really helpful. Could we do that possibly later on today?" I ask.
"Of course, I'll send her in after lunch. Oh, I also wanted to let you know you have a visitor," the nurse replies.
"Oh, it's my friend Janice. You can just send her in," I say.
I rock the baby back and forth. Gradually, she stops crying.
"No, actually it's a gentleman. He says that he's your brother," the nurse says. I
look at her with a shocked expression.
"If you want, I can tell him to come back later?" the nurse asks hesitantly.
"No, I guess it'll be okay. Just tell him to come in," I reply uncertainly.
The nurse opens the door and motions with her finger. She leaves the room, and the door closes behind her. Now Derek is the one standing in the room.
We both look at each other in silence. The baby is calm now and content in my arms.
"How did you find me?" I ask him.
"Janice told me. I called her. I was worried about you," he answers.
"Why would you be worried? We aren't exactly on speaking terms right now," I reply.
He sighs loudly.
"Look, you're still my little sister and I still care about you, okay? I just wanted to make sure that everything went okay for you," he answers.