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“Richard, put away your phone,” Ed rebuked his youngest brother. “This is the tenth time you checked it within an hour.”
“Ed, have some understanding,” Richard muttered. “It can be any minute.”
George only smirked. “Ed, cut him a break. Richard is excited to be a father.”
“Isn’t Anne supposed to be due in next month?” Liz walked in and asked. “She conceived back in August and it is only March.
Richard said nothing. That would be a secret between him and Anne.
Eight months ago…
Anne and Richard happily returned from their honeymoon from England. Richard carried all the bags and luggage at his insistence.
“Richard, let me carry something,” Anne whined.
“No, sweetheart,” Richard insisted. “You are accounted for two now.”
Anne took out her phone and muttered, “Should we tell our family now?”
They found out about her pregnancy only a few weeks shy of their wedding. To save face and drama, they decided not to tell anyone in the family, hoping to convince them that their child was conceived in their honeymoon.
“Let’s wait another week or two,” Richard suggested.
“Maybe, but I think Izzy will find out sooner than that,” Anne murmured as she went to the bathroom. She closed the door and then Richard heard her vomiting. With a glass of water in hand, he went to the bathroom. Rubbing Anne on the back, he offered her some water.
“No thanks,” Anne waved the water away. “It’s not helpful at all.”
After saying that, she vomited again.
“I’ll call the doctor,” Richard said.
Anne’s sickness and nausea were worse than they expected. She vomited all day to the point that she passed out at work. Her co-workers dialed 911 and she was rushed to the emergency room. It was then they finally informed the family that Anne’s pregnant. Immediately, Izzy came to see her at the hospital with her two munchkins, Margaret and Teddy.
“Annie, this is great! You are going to have a little one of your own!” Izzy cried excitedly.
Anne only replied with gagging and vomiting.
“This is worse than death,” she finally said after catching her breath.
Six months ago…
Everyone thought Anne was four months pregnant, but only Anne and Richard knew she was actually one month ahead.
It mattered a little. Her bump was now more visible. Anne spent hours with Izzy shopping for maternal clothes. After one day of shopping, sisters enjoyed the movie “Riding Cars with Boys”. They laughed at the maternal fashion back in the sixties. How lucky they were that now that there are jeans and fashionable outfits for expecting mothers.
Her nausea was not that serious anymore, but it still bothered her from time to time. Every time she felt sick Richard would call the doctor to the point of annoyance.
Anne was relieved that she survived so far in her pregnancy.
And she was excited that they to find out baby’s gender this month.
It was more dramatic than she imagined.
She was a nervous-wreck. On her way to the clinic, she played with her hands. Eenie meenie miney mo, it’s a boy or a girl.
Richard seemed to be more relaxed, or so she thought.
“Richard, you remember that you said you don’t mind if this is a boy or girl, right?”
“Of course,” he nodded. “And I stand by that.”
“Then why are we even finding out?” Anne said. “If we don’t care if this is a boy or girl, then maybe we can wait until the day of delivery. Then, it can be a surprise.”
“Anne, you are the one who insisted on knowing the gender,” Richard pointed out. “Plus, we need to decorate the child’s nursery soon. Blue or pink. And we need to pick a name.”
“You are not thinking of Middleham are you?”
Richard’s face fell. “Middleham? As Middleham York? And we can call him or her Middie for short? What are we? The Kardashians? Imagine our poor kid at school. ‘Jenny?’ ‘Here.’ ‘Jake?’ ‘Here.’ ‘Middleham? Is Middleham here?’”
Anne laughed at that. “I’m only joking. If this is a boy, then I want to name him after you.”
“Really?” Richard was touched.
“Well, for you and my Dad; and your Dad,” Anne realized that maybe there are too many Richard in the family.
“What if it’s a girl?”
“Alice,” Anne said without much thought. “I like that name.”
As excited as she was, Anne suddenly was not so sure if she was ready to find out her child’s sex. The clinic ended up putting the sonogram and baby’s gender in an envelope.
“You can see when you are ready,” the nurse told them.
Four months ago…
Her bump grew bigger and bigger. And she started to feel her baby kick more frequently now.
Nothing made Richard happier than feeling the baby kick. Every night he rested his head against her bump and listened to any possible movement of their child.
One day Anne came home and found piles of children’s book on the table.
“Richard, it’s too early for that,” she giggled.
“No, it’s not,” Richard said. Before they slept, Richard would read their unborn child a story. He wanted his child to be familiar with his voice.
By now, they were still too nervous to see their baby’s gender. That envelope still sat on the table.
Finally, Ed solved the problem.
“Look you two are being very crazy here,” he commented. “Boy or girl, it’s yours for the rest of your life. We are not back in old times when Richard might need to cut your head off because the child is lack of a penis.”
Neither Anne nor Richard said a word.
“I will look for you,” he offered.
“No!” Anne and Richard stood.
“Yes,” Ed said. “You want to know; you need to know.”
Both parent-to-be nodded.
Before Ed opened the envelope, he said, “On one condition, if this is a boy, then you have to name him after me.”
After a moment, Anne and Richard nodded in agreement.
Ed opened the envelope and looked. He smirked and said, “Looks like there is going to be another Edward York in the family.”
It took a few moments for Richard and Anne to realize what he meant.
“We…we are having a boy?” Anne muttered. “A boy? Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Ed handed her the results.
“Richard, we are having a boy,” Anne said with tears rolling down her cheek. Richard hugged her lovingly.
Two months ago…
The nursery was now painted blue. Anne folded the new clothes bought for her little boy.
She was huge now to the point that she could not dress herself easily and needed Richard to drive her to work. Her mood swings were not good to say at the least. Her feet were swollen and her back hurt.
How much she wished for her little Edward to be in her arms right now!
Liz recommended her to take a childbirth class, saying that can increase her confidence and reduce her fear. However, Anne became more frightened and nervous after attending only one session.
On top of that, Liz also suggested natural child birth.
The more she talked, the more Anne considered C-section, to which Aunt CiCi objected.
She could not sleep at night.
“Richard, what if I die in childbirth?” she asked meekly.
“You won’t,” Richard held her hand. “We are in the 21st century with the best healthcare. You are going to be fine. Before you know it, this whole thing will be behind you.”
“Really?”
“I promise.”
“Can you imagine that two months later, he will be sleeping in that crib in the other room…he will cry…need to be fed…it will drive us crazy, but we will love every second of it.”
“Yeah,” Richard said as he held Anne’s hand tighter. “I can’t wait to hear his first word.”
Currently…
Everyone thought Anne was eight months pregnant, but she was actually nine months.
Her due day was closer and closer. Anne read the brochure on signs of birth over and over again. She could not wait for the moment holding her baby in her arms.
Richard had a case today. Anne was due tomorrow. Izzy offered to be with her sister, but Anne said she prefer to have some room for herself. Once in the delivery room, she would be surrounded by doctor and nurses. Right now, she wanted some peace and quiet.
And she couldn’t pick a worse day to give birth.
Her water broke.
She called Izzy, who was stuck in traffic; she called Richard, but his phone was off. She called Aunt CiCi, who didn’t have a car. So to her disappointment, it was Liz who took her to the hospital. And she brought her daughter Bess.
Anne was scared and nervous. On the way, Liz instructed her to breathe and be calm. The contraction should not be that bad at this stage, Liz told her.
“Hey mom, look here,” Bess interrupted.
“Not now, honey. Your Aunt Anne is having a baby!”
“It says that Gwyneth Paltrow took 70 hours to deliver her child!” Bess said. “And that the longest childbirth is—“
“Bess shut your mouth!” Liz ordered as Anne groaned in pain. “Anne, let it out.”
“I am,” Anne gritted her teeth. “Can you hurry up? I don’t want to give birth here in this car.”
Finally, they arrived to the hospital.
Anne cried and groaned as the nurses put her in a wheelchair and sent her to the delivery room. Liz called her mother Jackie to bring Bess home while she stayed at Anne’s side.
“Where…where is that son of bitch…” Anne muttered as waves of pain racked her body. “I…I called him ten times!”
“I think he’s in court,” Liz explained. “Your due date is suppose to be tomorrow.”
“I…I’m filing…for divorce…and this is evidence….for he’s at…fault!” Anne screamed.
After hours of crying and groaning—with waves of contraction grew worse and more intense—Izzy arrived with Ed.
“Where is my husband?” Anne demanded.
“He is still in court,” Ed explained. “I haven’t told him yet. His phone is off, but you are in good hand. He will be here soon.”
“Soon?” Anne snarled. “By the time he’s here, we’d be celebrating Ned’s first birthday.”
Then, there was another wave of contraction. “Is…is he here yet?”
“He is!” Richard shouted as he rushed into the delivery room. “Sorry sweetheart, I did not expect—“
“Shut up and give me your hand!” Anne yelled as she slipped her hand in his. Now she felt more courageous.
A couple of hours later, the doctor told that it was time to push. Everyone left except for Richard.
If she thought contraction was bad, this part was even worse.
A slim woman with narrow hips—she was meant to suffer at this stage.
“Can..can we take a break?” she asked the doctor.
“No Anne, you have to push,” the doctor instructed.
Richard ran back and forth between holding her hand and checking the baby.
“I see him,” he whispered. “It’s going to be over soon. Give it another push. Just one more.”
Finally, they heard a cry.
It was done.
Weakly, Anne held up her hand and Richard gave her a five.
“Where…where are they taking him?” Anne asked. Her voice was barely audible.
“They are going to clean him,” Richard said while tears rolling from his eyes. “He’s ours.”
Carefully, the nurse placed their bundle of joy in Anne’s arms.
He was so small; he had hair, black hair; his eyes were closed. Anne opened the bundle look at her son. Both she and Richard cried as they holding their newborn.
***
Anne stayed at the hospital for three days and Richard never left her side. He could not keep his hands off his new-born son.
They named him Edward Richard York; they called him Ned for short.
Too many Edwards in the family…
Ed, Teddy, Eddy…
So their son would be known as “Ned”.
“Richard,” Anne called out gently as Richard rocked his little son in his arms. “Come on, hand him to me.”
“Not a chance,” Richard couldn’t keep his eyes off his son.
“He needs to eat.”
Hearing that, he carefully placed Ned in Anne’s arms.
Nothing could make him happier.