Worth The Wait

ONE YEAR LATER

“Mr. Crosby,” Sid heard as he walked through the tunnel back to the locker room after the final buzzer sounded. He lifted his head and saw the team employee who had clearly been waiting patiently for him. “We just got off the phone, your wife is on her way to the hospital.”

Sid’s eyes popped open and his stomach flip-flopped. His knees went weak and he had to grip the man’s shoulder in order not to hit the floor. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Why didn’t you get me off the ice?” Sid demanded as he composed himself.

“She didn’t want us to. There were only minutes left. She told us that the second the horn sounded she wanted you there.”

Sid yelled back “Thanks man,” as he ran into the locker room as quickly as he could. He kicked off his skates and grabbed his keys. He didn’t bother changing or taking off his gear, he saved that attempt for when he was in the car and speeding to the hospital where his wife was about to give birth to his first child.

His mind wandered back to the day she told him she was pregnant with his child. He’d just gotten back from a road trip and was in a bit of a funk. The team had been in a slump and he was tired. It was right around their three or four-month wedding anniversary when he walked in the door to find his beautiful Phoebe beaming with joy. The lights were off, candles were everywhere and dinner was set. She had on a black cotton dress and her slippers when she took his hand and dragged him into their home bursting at the seams. She sat him down on the couch, went into the bathroom and emerged with her home pregnancy test. It had two pink lines. His mouth dropped open wide as his eyes flickered back and forth between Phoebe’s eyes and the two lines on the little device “Oh my God,” he breathed out. “Does this mean…”

“Yes!” Phoebe squealed as he nodded her head. “We’re having a baby!”

Sid had lost his breath when he heard her say it. It took him a moment to absorb this life changing information but when he did he smiled as wide as the ocean and scooped her up into his arms. “I love you so much,” he whispered as he hugged her tightly to him.

“Don’t squeeze me too hard!” she teased. “I don’t want to squish the baby! I’m afraid it’ll like pop right out if you squeeze too hard!”

“I don’t think it works that way,” he laughed as he pulled her on his lap. “When did you find out? How long have you known? When are you due?”

“I just found out the day before yesterday…I went to the doctor’s today to confirm it and he did! I didn’t want to tell you before I knew for sure, and I didn’t want to tell you over the phone. I’ve been going crazy waiting for you to get back to me. I’m only about a month or so along.”

“This is…wow. Wow,” he sighed again. “The best thing that you have ever told me. I’m going to be a daddy.”

“Yeah, you are,” she smiled. “You’re going to the best daddy I could have ever imagined for my baby,” she reassured him. He crashed his lips to hers and needless to say, by the time they got to dinner, the food was obnoxiously cold.

After waiting nine long months and watching Phoebe’s belly grow with his child kicking inside it, it was time for him to meet his little angel. They opted to be surprised. They didn’t want to know the sex of the baby, they had both agreed to wait and let nature take its course. Sid was shaking and anxious with curiosity. He was worried about Phoebe, about how she was doing and he worried that his baby would be born before he could get to the hospital. ‘If it’s anything like Phoebe,’ he thought, ‘that stubborn baby will give me plenty of time before coming out.’

When he skidded up to the hospital, Sid parked in the first spot he found and ran, still in his hockey gear and sans shoes to the front desk where he was told where his wife was. He ran into the room and saw his wife, sweating and scared in the midst of a contraction. “Phoebe,” he called to her. When she heard his voice and looked up at him her body breathed a sigh of relief. “What took you so long,” she probed softly.

“I literally ran out the door the second they told me you were on your way. Why didn’t you let them get me off the ice? I would have left, I don’t care, I-I would have driven with you baby. Are you okay?”

“It’s okay, I didn’t want you to worry. I knew I wasn’t fully dilated so I had some time. I’m here, I’m almost ten centimeters dilated then I’ll be ready to push.”

Sid brushed the hair off her forehead and ran his fingers through it as he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, but when I start pushing, and it starts really hurting, I might hate you then,” she laughed. “Are you ready to be a daddy?”

“I am,” he smiled anxiously. “I can’t wait til our baby comes out of you.”

“Believe me, I can’t wait either. I’ve been carrying a basketball around. It keeps getting bigger everyday and it’s going to have to come out…I’m scared.”

“Don’t be scared. I really don’t know much about…all this…but, you’re so strong baby. Don’t be scared now. We’re almost there—you’re almost there.”

It took eight hours for little baby Isabelle to make her appearance in the world. Sid stayed by his wife throughout the entire labor and delivery, letting her squeeze his hand and feeding her ice chips. When she was on the verge of falling apart Sid would stroke her head and face, massage her back and feet and tell her how much he adored her. His encouraging words gave her the strength to overcome her fears and keep herself together.

Phoebe was exhausted and her body was beyond stressed, when she got to the point where she didn’t know if she could continue pushing without passing out Isabelle decided to come out. Sid fell to his knees when he saw his baby daughter being handled by the doctor. “You did it baby,” he cooed when he regained his balance. He kissed her forehead and felt hot tears stream down his face. “She’s so beautiful,” he smiled in disbelief.

“I want to hold her. Her.. We have a baby girl! We have a daughter!” she squealed. When the nurse put the baby in Phoebe’s arms she lost control of her emotions and began to sob. “Thanks for coming out of me!” Phoebe put her finger in Isabelle’s little fist and felt her daughter latch onto it. “She’s perfect. She looks like you Sid,” she looked up at him overjoyed.

“No, she doesn’t. I wish I could say that, but she’s gorgeous. That’s all you,” Sid kissed the side of her head. “You’re incredible.”

“No, I’m tired. I’m so tired baby.”

“I know you are. We’re gonna let you sleep. The nurse is going to take the baby and I’m going to go deal with some of the hospital stuff, then go home and get your clothes and everything….and make some phone calls. Just rest. I love you.”

Sid scooped Isabelle up into his arms from Phoebe’s and looked at her in disbelief. “She’s so tiny. I can’t get over it. She’s perfect Phoebe. I keep saying it I know, but its true.” He looked down at his daughter and began to speak gently to her. “Isabelle, I hope you like your name,” he giggled.

“We’ll call her Belle for short,” Phoebe said softly.

“I love it,” Sid answered. “Belle, that’s your mommy over there,” he said as he ever so gently turned his arms so that Belle was facing Phoebe. “Isn’t she beautiful? She took care of you for nine months, and she loves you more than you’ll ever know. So do I. Our life is a little crazy, but you have a happy home and we’ll always be a happy home. We’ll always be a family.”

“We better be,” Phoebe laughed through her tears. She dabbed at them with a tissue. “After everything we’ve been through you better not leave me!”

“I couldn’t if I wanted to, and I don’t want to, so don’t worry. I have you, and you’re perfect, and I thought you were all needed…but now we have Belle. I have two perfect, beautiful ladies in my life. No need for me to even glance at other ones. They can’t hold a flame to you….or her.”

“Wow, I guess we’re officially grown up’s now, huh? We’re married. We have a house, we have dogs, we have a baby. When did this all happen?” Phoebe joked as she nuzzled into Sid who was sitting next to her on the bed. “I wouldn’t trade one second of our life together though. Not one moment, not one fight, nothing.”

“I might trade in the very beginning,” Sid playfully shot back. “You know, the part where you were with someone else. Actually, no I wouldn’t. It made us what we are. It made us stronger…and when I met you, if I knew that it would lead to where we are now, I would do it all over again. You, this, it was certainly worth the wait.” Sid held his wife and new baby to him closer before kissing Phoebe again. His words had plucked at her swelling heart. “Hey,” he cooed. “Don’t cry.” Sid wiped the tears that were falling down Phoebe’s face. “I’m going to tell the world about my perfect family and hand out the cigars. Go to sleep, you’ve earned that. And when you wake up we’ll work on getting us all home as fast as possible.”

“Okay,” Phoebe yawned as she retreated to her hospital bed. “Don’t go too far though,” she said through her exhaustion as she grasped his hand.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered as he watched his wife drift off to sleep.