Keep Your Girl Out of My Shoe Cabinet, Your Wife

Viviane looked at him with big expectant eyes. He knew there only was one correct way to handle this situation. Quickly the answer button of his phone was pressed and his coach’s deep voice filled the pregnant silence that had spread in the room.

„Hey Sid, do you have connection problems? The last message we got was in the 34th minute“

“Hey coach, No I think the internet is working well. I’m sorry but I can’t finish today’s game. Viviane’s water broke and we’re about to head to the delivery room. I’m really sorry but I guess this in one of the things that are more important than hockey.”

He heard the older man at the other end chuckle.

“Wise choice Sidney. Your marriage will thank you for that. Well then congratulations and have a good night. Oh and strong nerves. Try to not get your hand broken. We almost have you back due to the neck injury and we wouldn’t want to have you on IR again.”

Both men chuckled, bid good bye and hung up.

His wife and the nurse looked at him in question. He smiled at Viviane, put the technical devices into the locker next to Viviane’s bed and crossed the room.

“Let’s go” he sighed and took her hand squeezing it softly.
The nurse led them to the room they had visited about half a dozen times before when false alarms had risen their hopes. After the doctor checked the cervix and the baby’s vitals, he confirmed it was time to go. Viviane received her spinal. She didn’t make any sound but her face showed how uncomfortable she was. Sidney shivered at the thought of getting an injection in such an area and quickly was reminded of the treatment he had received in January. Once the nurse and the doctor were gone, Viviane laid back and closed her eyes.

“I’m too tired to get a baby now. All I want is sleep.”

Sidney laughed and ruffled the brown mess on her head.

“I should call the moms right?” he glanced down on her to find her nodding.

“Yes. They would have a field day if they found out through any other way but you.” She squeezed his hand one more time and watched him leave the room. When the door closed behind him she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“So it’s just you and me now.” Softly she laid her hands onto the belly knowing it would be gone soon. The baby would be by her side forever but the bump, a sign of the greatest intimacy between two people would be gone. Soon her belly would be flat again. Would she ever have another baby?
With a little frown she let her hands wander around it trying to mesmerize every inch of it. The uncertainty about where she stood and where life would go from here made her sad. All she knew was that she was laying in a bed all alone unable to feel anything waist down.

------------------------------

“Come on Vivy… stay awake… soon you can push… the doctor said it’s only a few more minutes.” Desperately Sidney was trying to keep Viviane awake. Her eyes were small and red. She looked exhausted.

“Shut up and let me sleep. I don’t care about the baby. I was stuck in this hospital for weeks now a night doesn’t matter.”

“No no no Viviane you have to stay awake… stay with me… ”

“But I don’t want to…” she pouted.
Sidney looked up to the window to see the nurse behind the glass. She shrugged and walked away after shooting him an encouraging smile.

“Stay awake for me. We are almost done. The doctor will be here any minute… all you have to do is push okay… just like they showed you in the classes.”

They were having the discussion since he had returned from calling their moms. Of course they made their husbands drive to the airport immediately to fly out with an impossible connection, changing flights in Toronto and Philadelphia. Viviane was tired from barely sleeping in the last weeks and in a terrible mood right now. Receiving an enema shortly after the spinal didn’t contribute at all.

20 minutes later Sidney sat by her head holding her hand and wiping sweat from her forehead. Two nurses and two doctors were by the bed.

“Okay Mrs. Crosby, like we trained in class take a deep breath hold the breath and push.” the doctor who sat at the end of the bed between her spread legs instructed.

Sid softly squeezed her hand and softly kissed her forehead before he watched her chest rise. The eyes snapped close and after a few seconds her face got red.

“Perfect, now exhale and breath normally for a moment.”

Her lips parted and she followed the doctors lead.

“And go… push go” the instructions echoed through the room. Soon the silent exhalations turned into sighs and moans and finally into screams.

“We’re close… just a few more pushed. We have the head, it’s almost out.”

“Sid…” Viviane gasped between breaths. “You wanna see the baby come out?”

He shook his head. “Cookie told me it’s better to stay by your side. You need my hand to break it.”

She giggled at his response but the doctors and nurses shot him a knowing glance.

“Okay Vivy… I count to three and you push okay???” Sidney looked into her eyes. Never had he thought he would say this to her in any other context than sledding in the winter. Viviane nodded eagerly and took his hands between both of hers.

“One… two… three…” he counted in the steadiest voice he could muster, while his head was going 200 miles an hour. His life would change in a second. He would be a dad. He would have his little offspring in his arms to take care off until the day he died.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah” her scream filled the air and after a second of silence Sidney heard the sweetest noise he had ever heard. The first scream of his new born child rang in his ears and a huge smile spread in Viviane’s exhausted face. Quickly he wiped the sweat from her forehead before placing a soft kiss onto her lips.

“Go… cut the cord daddy.” She whispered. Hesitantly he pulled his hands out of hers and walked over to the end of the bed. The baby already was wrapped in a towel and with shaking hands he cut the cord. The closest nurse took the baby and rushed together with the other room to clean the baby and check the health. The other nurse cleaned up a little while the doctor instructed Viviane to push one more time for the afterbirth.
She obliged and soon everything was done. While they waited for the nurse to return the rest of the medical staff gave them their privacy. Sidney held Viviane’s upper body with his left arm while his right hand helped her getting into a new shirt. Her powers were spent and her cloth were drenched in sweat. Thankful she smiled at him when he tucked her back in and sat down on the bed next to her.
Her eyes fell shut but he could tell she wasn’t asleep. Just resting for the moment she had waited for all her life. The door slid open and the nurse walked back in with the bundle in her arms. Sidney jumped from the bed and met her half way through the room. She smiled at him and placed the baby softly into his arms.

“Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Crosby. Your son is healthy and looks fairly strong. 18 inch, 6.5 pound. I’m right next door if you need anything.”

With the biggest smile on his face he walked back to Viviane and placed the sleeping baby onto her chest just like his mother had told him. Vivane’s eyes opened when the weight came down over her heart. Wrapped in yellow blanket their new born baby boy slept. Some dark hair grew on his head. The eyes still hidden behind the lids.

“Is he real?” Viviane asked lifting her hand slowly. “Can I touch him?”

Sidney laughed. “Of course. Soon he has to meet a bunch of rowdy hockey players. His mom will be his safe place.”

Viviane giggled and let the tip of her index finger brush over his cheek.

“I told the parents to go to the house… they will come visit in the morning…. But they want a picture…” Sidney explained some minutes later when the nurse came in to pick up the baby.

“How about I’ll take one for you so you can send it to them? Your room mate still is in labour so we put another bed into your room. If you want you can spend the night here. If everything goes fine during the night, you might be sleeping in your own bed tomorrow night.” The nurse explained. Viviane took her eyes of her son for a second and glowed.

“Really? I could go home? Like in our house? That would be amazing… can we take him home then?”

“Of course… now let me take a picture, bring him to bed and get you into a wheel chair to get back to your room okay?”

Viviane and Sidney agreed and handed the nurse Sidney’s phone. He sat down next to her, wrapped his arm around her shoulder and smiled into the camera. A couple of pictures later, they had to say good bye for the night. While their son had to spend the night at the new born station, Sidney and Viviane got back to the room that had been their home for a long time. After Sidney picked her up from the wheel chair and laid her onto the bed, he stripped down to his boxers and a shirt. Someone had pushed the beds together so they almost formed a double bed. He slid under the covers and pulled her into his chest.

“Thank you.” He mumbled while he watched her type the text to go with the photo into his phone.

“For what?”

“Enduring me and giving me the most perfect baby.”

“We’ll talk about ‘most perfect’ after some shifts of diaper duty okay?”

Sidney just chuckled and nodded to confirm the text she wrote to send to their parents, his sister and his team mates as well as Mario and some other guys that worked for the pens.

Welcome the newest member of the Pittsburgh Penguins into the world.
Anakin Patrick Crosby
February 26th 2012 11:27 PM

-------------Flashback------------

“Soooo….” Sidney exhaled. He had just finished toweling off the last pan they had used to prepare dinner. Viviane laid on the couch flipping through the channels and stopped at some station showing Star Wars Episode 3. Sid sat down next to her and allowed her nestling her head into his lap. In silence they watched the movie. During a commercial break Viviane suddenly asked: “Do you remember how you said as a kid that Anakin was a really cool name for a son?”
He laughed a little and replied: ”I still like it a lot. It’s something different. It is not as regular as calling your kid Chris and not as crazy as naming your kid after your favourite drink.”

“If we had a son… would you want to name him Anakin Crosby?”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know… don’t you think he’d get a lot of crap for the nickname Ani and for heading to the dark side?”

“No… For me Anakin’s decisions stand for many positive things. He became a yedi to save his mother. He did everything for his family and the love of his life. He for most parts was a loyal friend, a tough fighter and still not afraid to show his emotion. Even after his transformation to Darth Vader he has the spot for his family. In the end he gives up the possibility of living a little longer or even surviving to look into his son’s eyes. Those are personality traits a person should be proud of.”

“I’ll think about it okay?”

“Anakin Patrick Crosby… say it to yourself every day and think about it…”

“IF the stress is on IF we are getting a boy… you will see how I like the name when we spread the news okay?”

“Yes … commercial break is over.”

Sidney smiled at his wife.

“You’re the best…”

“No… just giving a special baby a special name that stands for all the things that make a person to a hero.”