My stomach twists into knots, this is it. Emily is nine months pregnant with our baby, tonight’s the night.
“Okay, meet you there.”
“Alright.”
He hangs up but I stay on the line, because while I stay here on the phone nothing can go wrong.
“What's happening?” Kate asks.
I need a minute.
“Emily is in labor. Have a shower babe, then we will head down to the hospital.”
“Okay.” Kate gets into the shower and I march to the guest bathroom and throw up.
Violently.
If something goes wrong, I swear to god……
I’m bent over the toilet and Kate’s reassuring hand goes to my back, “It’s going to be okay, babe.”
I nod, unable to say anything. Barely able to breathe.
“Relax.”
I nod, feeling stupid. Poor Emily is going through labor and I’m over here throwing up in sympathy like a wimp.
Kate quickly showers while I try to pull myself together and half an hour later we arrive at the hospital.
It’s already been arranged that we can go into the birthing suite and we’re ushered straight through.
We walk into the room and Jameson’s face lights up, “Hey, here they are.” He’s calm and relaxed, obviously a pro at this too.
“Hi,” Em smiles.
Emily and Kate hug.
I kiss Emily on the cheek and push the hair back from her face, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” She smiles, she screws up her face, “Here comes another one.”
I step out of the way and as Emily pants, the room spins, my panic sets in.
Jameson holds her hand and talks calmly to her, she gets through the contraction and nerves roll my stomach, I’m going to throw up again.
What the fuck?
“I’m sorry guys, I just … I don’t think I can watch Em go through this.”
Jameson chuckles. “She’s okay.”
“No.” I shake my head, “This is…… you need to be here with her, I can’t …… this is not for me… Emily is…… “
“It’s okay Elliot.” Em smiles.
“I’ll wait outside.”
Kates eyes search mine, “Are you sure?”
I nod, “I’ll be just outside that door.” I kiss her, and then Emily and hug Jameson.
Then I run outside and throw up again.
I pace up and down the corridor.
Four hours, four hours of a literal hell.
Poor Emily.
I don’t know what the fuck is going on in there but it’s taking forever.
The door bursts open and Jameson comes into view.
“Come, last push.”
“What?” I gasp wide-eyed.
He grabs me and drags me into the room, “Stand up that end.” He positions me behind Emily and I stand still, frozen on the spot.
“Last push Emily.” The midwife says, “Let’s do this.”
Emily strains and pushes and I put my hands over my mouth.
Oh my fucking god.
“That’s it, baby.” Jameson smiles, “That’s it, it’s coming.”
The baby slides out and my eyes widen, the doctor picks it up and rolls it over.
“It’s a little girl.”
“Waaaaaa.” The baby screams.
My vision blurs, and Kate starts to cry.
Emily and Jameson too.
The nurse wraps the baby and holds it up, “Pass her to her mom and dad.” Emily smiles.
The nurse passes her to Kate and I screw up my face in tears as I put my arms around the two of them.
“Thank you, thank you.” I whisper.
The whole room is crying.
“Elliot.” Kate sobs, “Look at her.” She strokes her hair, “I knew you’d come baby girl. I always had faith.” She passes her to me and I stare down at the perfect little baby.
She has dark hair with fine features like Kate.
Perfection.
“What are you going to call her?” Jameson asks.
And in that moment, I just know.
“I have the perfect name.” I smile as I look down at her in wonder.
“What is it?” Kate whispers as she puts her arm around the both of us.
“Something you never lost sight of.”
Kate frowns.
“Faith.”
Kate screws up her face in tears. “That’s the perfect name,” She whispers.
I kiss her tiny forehead, “Her name is Faith.”
THE DO-OVER EPILOGUE
THE MILES HIGH CLUB
THE DO-OVER EPILOGUE
Hayden
I listen to Christopher show Eddie around his new bedroom as I look around mine.
A million emotions all rushing to the surface at once.
Love, fear…relief.
Excitement.
A farm, our very own farm. And not just any farm, the most perfect place in the world, and Christopher can drive to work from here. I can run cattle and homeschool Eddie, there are so many possibilities for us all to be happy here.
The perfect solution.
I walk up the hall to see Christopher hugging Eddie and my eyes fill with tears, what must it be like to see this day through his eyes?
“Hey.” I smile through tears as I walk into Eddie’s bedroom.
“Not you too.” Christopher rolls his eyes. “Why are you all crying?”
“This is a happy day.” I smile.
“Yeah well, it might not be so happy if I get eaten by a wolf.” He sighs as he flops onto the bed. “We need to call the person to eradicate that.”
“Eradicate what?”
“Wolves, Hayden.” He rolls his eyes as if I’m stupid. “What else would I be talking about?”
“You’re actually serious?” I gasp in surprise. “There are no wolves in the United Kingdom, Christopher, aren’t you supposed to know this?”
“We did hear something growl,” Eddie replies, seemingly convinced too. “Something is out there, Hazen.”
“Listen wimps.” I pull back the blankets on Eddie’s bed. “Tomorrow I’m going to check it all out and make sure it’s safe for you two yellowbellies.”
“Eddie and I have never pretended to be farm boys, Hayden. We’re city slickers, aren’t we, Eddie.” He bumps Eddie’s shoulder with his.
Eddie smiles goofily with a nod.
“Oh, and there’s a house down on the bottom paddocks for your parents,” Christopher says casually as if he just remembered. “And another broken-down house on another faraway paddock in real bumfuck nowhere that we will fix up as a guesthouse one day.”
I stop still. “What? There’s a house for my parents?”
“Uh-huh,” He puts his hands on his hips as if proud of himself, “They can come whenever it suits them, even move here if they want.”
My eyes well with tears again. “I can’t believe this, Christopher, you’ve done all this for me?”
He pulls me close and kisses my lips, “I want you to be happy, Grumps.”
“This is going to be a big adjustment for you boys.” I look between them.
“We can hack it. Can’t we, Ed?”
My heart sinks. “I don’t want you to hack it, I want you to love it.”
Christopher puts his arm around Eddie and pulls him close. “As long as we’re all together, everything is going to be alright. And you want to be a farm girl, so we are going to love it.”