Page 17 of Lost in Yonkers
Wren quickly showered and pulled up her long, wet hair into a messy bun. The contractions were coming more frequently now, and she worried that she had taken too much of a chance by taking a shower and washing her hair. “Chris, I think that we need to go now,” she breathed, stopping in the hallway to breathe through another contraction.
“They are coming more frequently now, aren’t they?” he asked. He had been watching her like a hawk since getting off the phone with her doctor. If she wasn’t mistaken, he was timing her contractions for her.
“They are,” she admitted. “I think we need to get to the hospital, Chris,” she breathed.
“Agreed,” he said. Yonkers helped her out to his truck, already having put her bags in the back of the cab. “I’ll have you there in a jiffy,” he promised. She giggled and he looked her over. “What’s funny?” he asked.
“You using words like jiffy. You sound more like you’re about to become a grandpa, not a first-time dad,” Wren teased.
“Hey, there is nothing wrong with the word jiffy,” he insisted.
“Sure, if you’re like sixty, there’s nothing wrong with it at all.” Wren doubled over, holding her belly as another contraction ripped through her. Yonkers stepped on the gas, running a yellow light, and she thanked him for hurrying.
“I’ll have you there soon, honey. The hospital is right around the corner,” Yonkers promised. She just hoped that their daughter held on until he could get her to the hospital. There was no way that she wanted to have her baby in the cab of Yonker’s rental pickup truck.
He pulled up to the emergency room as another contraction nearly crippled her. Wren didn’t remember them getting her into a wheelchair or even onto a bed, but they did so in record time. Her doctor walked into the small room and looked her over, doing a quick check to see how far along she was.
“Is the baby okay, Dr. Wilson?” Wren asked.
“Her heartbeat is strong, but she’s coming fast. You are ten centimeters dilated and probably feeling the urge to push.” The doctor wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know.
“Yes,” Wren cried; another contraction starting. “I need to push.”
“Hold off if you can. I’d like to get you up to labor and delivery,” the doctor said. Wren wanted to tell her that holding off wasn’t an option, but she also didn’t want to have her baby in the emergency room. Instead, she nodded as they rolled her bed down the hallway, with Yonkers by her side the entire time, holding her hand. He kept telling her how good she was doing and how proud he was of her, and Wren couldn’t think of anyone else she’d rather have by her side than him.
They got her into a labor and delivery room, and it felt like a storm was swirling around her. People were everywhere, and the doctor was shouting orders as they got her ready, and all Wren could focus on was Yonkers. He never took his eyes off her. When it was time to push, he was by her side, holding her right leg and praising her for doing so well. And when their daughter came squalling out into the world, Yonkers was holding her, kissing her, and crying with her. The whole thing was perfect, but having Yonkers by her side was the reason she felt that way.
“I love you,” she breathed as she held her daughter to her chest. “I love you both.”
“I love you too, honey,” he said. “You did such a good job.” Yonkers gently kissed first Wren’s forehead and then their daughters. “She’s perfect.”
“What are we going to name her?” Wren asked. They had discussed a few names but hadn’t settled on just one yet.
“I think that I like some of your Christmas suggestions,” he said. “Since that was when we made her.” Wren would never forget the night that they made their daughter, last Christmas. It was the night that she realized that she was in love with Yonkers.
“Well, I think that we should name her after you,” she said. “It’s also Christmasy.”
“Chris?” he asked. “But that’s a boy’s name.”
“How about Kris, with a ‘K’?” Wren asked.
He smiled down at their daughter and nodded, “I love it,” he agreed. “Are you sure you don’t mind naming her after me?”
“Not at all,” Wren said. “It’s a perfect name for our little Christmas baby, right Kris?” she asked her daughter. The baby squirmed and let out a little cry and Wren couldn’t help but giggle.
“Kris it is,” she whispered kissing her daughter’s head. “I think that you should call my brother and Trixie to let them know that she’s here.”
“Already done,” Yonkers admitted. “I called them after phoning the doctor. I’m betting that they are both in the waiting room right now, not so patiently waiting to meet their new niece.”
“You’re not quite ready to show her off yet, but soon,” the nurse promised. “First she needs to be cleaned up and checked out. Then, we’ll get you three to a private room and your family will be able to come in for a visit.” Yonkers looked sad when the nurse mentioned family visiting and she grabbed his hand.
“We’ll get back to New York as soon as we can both travel. I’m sure that your mom will be so happy to meet her. You should call her and tell her that her granddaughter is here, “Wren said.
“I will, once we get settled in a private room. Plus, it’s still the middle of the night and mom needs her rest,” Yonkers said. “But I can’t wait for her to meet Kris.” Wren just hoped that her future mother-in-law was strong enough to hold on until they got back to New York. Wren would never forgive herself for leaving if something happened to her.
Trixie and Blade were her first visitors, as expected, and watching her brother with her daughter had her wishing that her parents were still around. “Thank God, she looks like you, Sis,” Blade teased.
“Yeah, but she has my name—first and last,” Yonkers countered.