Topsy Turvy Kinda Love
our apartment. Where we have room for all of this stuff is beyond me, but I don’t want to give up this place. It’s my home for years, where I feel the most comfortable in the whole world.“Thanks so much for helping us bring all this stuff home, Eddie,” I say with a sleepy yawn.
“No problem at all, Mia. I don’t mind a bit.”
“Alright, I’ll get outta your hair. See you in the morning, Brooks.” And with that, he’s gone. Finally, some alone time with my man.
“Geez, I’m beat! This mama needs some serious beauty sleep time.”
“You’re beautiful enough.”
“I’m still sleepy, Brooksy.”
He comes over and gives me a hug, kissing my head. “Go to bed, Pixie girl. I’ll get this all into the nursery, then come and join you.”
The room is dark, and I’m hot. It’s now the middle of summer and thank goodness I spent most of my pregnancy in the cold because I could not handle it now. I’m glad Brooks isn’t joining me now, or else I’d be hot for sure. He’s a death by cuddles kinda cuddler, and I wouldn’t be able to breathe.
“Hey, Brooks. Can you turn down the AC for a little while? I’m hot.”
“Sure thing, Mia.”
I hear the rustle of the air kicking on and know that I’ll be feeling much better shortly.
I shred my leggings, shirt, and bra and slip under the cool covers. This mattress Brooks got has some sort of cooling technology that helps me from burning up all night long.
Just as sleep is taking me under, I hear footsteps. The sheet rustles behind me, and the mattress dips. Brooks slips in front of me but stays on his own side.
Thank God.
His cologne’s heady scent worships my nostrils, and I breathe it in deeply. He’s taken off his shirt too because I can feel the heat radiating off his body. My fingers trail along his chest and play with the little bit of hair that runs across it. He lifts his hand, cupping my cheek, and kissing me on the lips. Heat shoots through me, but the desire for sleep is too overwhelming.
We lay there in silence for a few minutes longer. His steady beating heart is like a lullaby drifting me off to dreamland. He’s claimed me, heart and soul. He may not be perfect, but he’s everything good and pure in a man. He’s not perfect by any means, but our imperfections mar together perfectly.
“I don’t think I can do this!” she screams at me, squeezing the life out of my hand as she pushes.
“You’re doing great, Mia. You’re almost done. Just a little bit more.” I wipe a washcloth over her forehead, trying to get some of the sweat on her brow.
“Why are you rubbing my head like a dog?”
“You’re sweating, my beautiful girl.”
She glares at me. “Don’t call me that. Ever again. In fact, let’s go with never. I’m not beautiful right now. I’m gross.”
I shake my head. “You don’t mean that Mia.”
She swears like a sailor again and squeezes my already dying hand. “That goes for your dick too. I never want to see your amazingly large dick. I thought it ruined me, instead, it’s your children. Murdering me slowly from the inside out and I hate you.”
“Okay, hate me, Mia. As long as you push, you can hate me as long as you want to.”
“Good, because I really, really want to murder you right now… with a sharpened pencil, because a gun would be too painless.”
Okay, I think to myself. The crazy is in the building. I don’t react to her lashing out. I know she’s in a great deal of pain. She refused an epidural, and I’m fairly positive that she’s regretting that decision very much right now.
“Get it out of me. It’s splitting me in half!” she’s yelling again as our doctor smiles and looks up at me.
“You’re doing great, Mia. Only a couple more pushes, and baby number one will be here with us.”
“Are you sure I can’t have that epidural? It sounds really good right about now…”
“Yes, I’m sure, Mia. One more big push. You’re so close.”
Mia grits her teeth and pushes one more time, and the sweetest sound hits my ears. A loud, piercing scream. Mia falls back onto the bed, heaving and breathing heavily.
I lean over to kiss her, giving her every single praise I can think of because she’s literally pushed a baby out of her V, as she likes to call it, and there’s still one to go. I’m so damn proud of her.
“You have a beautiful baby boy, ” Dr. Morgan announces with a smile. My heart only grows as I watch the nurse take our little guy over to the table and wipe him clean. His lungs are definitely fully developed because he hasn’t stopped screaming since he came out.
“You have a very healthy little guy here. Looks like he’s eighteen inches and six pounds, one ounce. And very good lungs. My, oh my.” She smiles.
“Okay, Mia. We’ve got one more baby in there who wants to meet you.”
“I don’t think I can do this, Dr. M.” She adamantly shakes her head.
“You’re strong, Mia. You’re the strongest person I know. You can do this,” I say to her in a low voice.
She nods her head, a sheen of sweat on her forehead slipping down her chest. “Okay, okay.”
A couple more minutes of pushing and a second shrieking cry pierces through the air. “A beautiful baby girl.”
The nurse does the same thing with our baby girl. Taking her over to the table to clean her off. She’s not screaming like her brother, but she did cry a little. “Another very healthy little girl. She’s seventeen inches and five pounds, eight ounces. She’s adorable, you two.”
I thought my heart couldn’t take anymore, but it beats furiously within me, a happy melody. The melody of hope. Of new beginnings. Of a furious love that can’t be taken away. Our little girl is