Why would he be? He was never there.
Just why did I expect this to be any different than normal?
"Alright." Dr. Alvarez sighed, scooting back in her wheelie stool as I put my legs down and sat up.
Lewis finally turned back around now that I was fully covered, the nurse gently draping a blanket over me. I hadn't even realized how cold I was, goosebumps exploding over the surface of my forearm.
"We're not fully dilated yet, so we have some time. I'd guess we have about ten hours." She said gently, "It's late, why don't we all try to rest while we can? I'll be checking in on you frequently."
"That’s a good idea." Karina said with a sigh, pressing her hand to her chest, "So everything's good, then."
"It's definitely going that way." Dr. Alvarez said, sweeping blond hair behind her ear as she inspected the monitoring devices, "So far so good. Is the pain medication in your IV helping?"
I nodded, trying not to look at all the different needles in the back of my hand.
When she left the room, Karina tucked the blanket further up by neck with a pensive shot at Lewis, who settled into the most uncomfortable looking chair while leaving the couch for Karina.
Harry, who watched the doctor leave, hesitantly poked his head in.
"Come in Harry." Karina said, glancing at me to make sure it was alright.
He walked in, settling in by Karina as he glanced towards me, "So have we had a baby yet?" He asked timidly while Karina stared at him in disbelief with a frown.
"Is Sebastian even on a flight yet?" Lewis asked from across the room.
"He's doing his very best, young man." Karina glared, "He's a very busy man, I’ll have you know."
Lewis just shook his head, crossing his arms.
The hours crawled by in a blur of intense pain and doctor checkups. Sometimes I managed to rest, but most of the time I Just struggled not to cry.
By the time the early morning rays crawled through the window, rousing a sleeping Harry, Sebastian was still nowhere to be seen. Karina hadn't given any updates on his status in quite a while, and I had given up all hope of him even arriving before the baby.
"Good morning, dear." The nurse whispered, creeping past a sleeping Lewis. With each hour that passed, the blond man had moved his chair closer and closer to my bedside.
"We're going to check your dilation one more time and then we think it'd be best to get an epidural if you're going to go that route. It's almost time."
"Yes." I cried, voice more demanding than I realized, "Oh god, yes."
I couldn't take the pain anymore, it was near constant.
"I thought you may feel that way." The nurse winked, "The anesthesiologist is on her way."
"It's time?" Lewis said, one eye cracking open as he hurriedly pulled himself up straighter.
"It's time?" Karina gasped, doing the same.
"Almost show time." The nurse responded, glancing towards the doctor as she entered the room.
"Open wide, sweetheart." Dr. Alvarez joked as she settled in front of my legs.
Lewis, thankfully, averted his gaze while Harry went pale and looked as though he may pass out.
"Yep." The doctor said, gesturing towards the anesthesiologist as she entered, "Let's get this show on the road. It's almost time to meet your baby. Just a few more hours now."
Carefully, they rolled me onto my side as Lewis settled in front of me, grabbing my hands.
"Will it hurt?" I asked him terrified of the gigantic needle that was going to be entering my spine. I'd watched videos of the procedure on YouTube the week before, almost wishing I'd never gotten pregnant.
"Not at all." He said gently, "If it does, you hold on tight."
I nodded, absorbed his green eyes as there was a strong pinch in my back.
I sucked in a deep breath, clinging to his hands for dear breath as I held my breath. The nurse gently rubbed my shoulder.
"All done." She said before I even knew it had happened, "That wasn't so bad, was it?"
"No," I sighed, relieved, as they rolled me back onto my back. I felt like a beached whale.
"It'll take just a few minutes to set in." The doctor said as she scribbled on a chart.
Lewis still held my hands, thumb stroking my palm as I finally began to relax.
"Thank you." I murmured, turning my head to look at Lewis.
Just beyond him, in the doorway, stood my husband with a bouquet of pink and blue flowers, watching us in silence.
"Hello." I whispered, as Sebastian Davis finally entered the room.
Chapter Ten
"Alright, Macy!" Dr. Alvarez said firmly, "I just need one more big push."
Just how the hell did she sound so calm when it felt like my entire body was going to be torn apart?