If Only We Knew by Ancelli Read Free Book Online Page B

again, the nurse told him not to listen to what she was saying. He reached her bed, tak ing her hand and kissing it. “Shannon, yo te amo tambien ,” he said, staring into her eyes, trying to calm her down. Oh God, do I really? He squeezed her hand.
    “Sir, she is fully dilated. I’m going to get the doctor so she can start pushing before she gets any weaker.” The nurse left the room.
     
***
     
    “Push, Shannon.” Matt wiped the tears and sweat from her face.
    “I can’t push any more. I’m tired.” Shannon closed her eyes. “I’m done.”
    Matt cupped her face and looked at her closed eyes. “Shannon, look at me.” She opened her eyes, staring back at him. “Shannon, push! You’ve been waiting nine month to see your baby.”
    “I changed my mind. This hurts too much.” She closed her eyes again.
    “I know it hurts, but I know you want to see your baby, so stop your whining and push.” He held her hand as she squeezed his.
    “Don’t you talk to me like that!” she yelled at him, and continued push ing .
    He watched what the doctor was doing . “Push, mami , push.” She looked up at his smiling face. “I can see the head.”
    She pushed several more times, and the baby was out. “It’s a boy,” the doctor said.
    The doctor let her see her baby, placed him on her stomach, and asked Matt if he wanted to cut the umbilical cord. Matt kissed Shannon’s hand and released it, then cut the umbilical cord. The baby started crying his lungs out. The nurse took him to the side and cleaned him up.
    Matt walked back up to Shannon and wiped her forehead. “How are you feeling?”
    “I’m so tired.” Her eyes got heavy and eventually falling asleep.
    “Is that normal?” he asked, looking at the doctor.
    “Yes, her body is exhausted. She’ll be okay,” the doctor said, stitching her up.

Chapter Eleven
     
    They transferred Shannon to a private room. He sat in the corner , going over everything that had happened and how it would feel to have a baby of his own. He called Sherry, letting her know Shannon had a beautiful boy. He was waiting until Shannon woke up. After he made sure she was okay, he would leave. Should I call Melvin and tell him? No, Shannon should be the one to tell him he has a son.
    The nurse knocked on the door and came in with the baby wrapped in a blanket. “Sir, he weighed eight pounds, five ounces and me asured twenty-one inches long. I know it’s soon to say who the baby looks like, but he looks like you.” She smiled. “Would you like me to put him in the bassinet, or do you want to hold him?”
    What does she mean he looks like me? Well, she thinks I’m the father. People always think babies look like someone when they don’t. “Yes.” He got up and took the baby in his arms.
    “I’ll be back later to check in on the baby and Ms. Jones .” She walked out, closing the door.
    The moment he looked at the beautiful baby, he fell in love. He pulled the cap off the baby’s head and combed his fingers through his black, straight hair. His lips were rosy pink, and he had the cutest nose. What he couldn’t understand was the color of the baby’s skin; it was lighter than his own. How can two black people make a baby this color? He counted the tiny digits. “Ten perfect fingers.” He traced the boy’s face with his fingers, memorizing every single detail. He smiled. “You’re beautiful.”
    The baby slowly open ed his eyes. When his eyes were fully opened, Matt gasped, taking a deep breath, and his eyes teared up. “You’re my baby.” It was like looking into a mirror and seeing his own eyes. He bent his head and kissed the baby’s cheeks. “I have a son.” The tears ran down his cheeks. “I have a son.” Then he whispered, “I love you.”
    He sat in the chair, just mesmerized, looking at his son. He held him for more than an hour, kissing him. “You’re mine.”
    Shannon ’s eyes fluttered open, waking up.
    He looked over at her, still in shock at what