I'll Take a Chance (20 page)

I unpack the food and put everything in the refrigerator
, and when I come back in the family room Amelia is fast asleep in the chair next to the fire place. I cover her with a blanket and kiss her on the cheek. She’s so tired lately. We have been remodeling one of the bedrooms into the baby’s nursery. She’s poured her heart into every last detail. We haven’t found out the sex of the baby so the room is painted a cool mint green. Everything is ready and waiting for when we bring the baby home from the hospital.

I let Amelia sleep for a few hours. I know her body needs
the rest. I can’t believe in only three short weeks our lives will be blessed and we will have a son or daughter. Amelia has already planned on taking six weeks off work then returning and putting the baby in the day care with Abbey at work. I know it’s a relief for her to be close to the baby.

As Amelia sleeps
peacefully in the chair, the weather outside turns from bad to really bad. The rain hasn’t let up and at this pace the roads might get washed out. I head into the kitchen to make us some dinner. Amelia wakes up from the smells and wonders into the kitchen.

“That was an amazing nap. The fresh moun
tain air always does me wonders,” she says and snatches a tomato from the salad.

“
Can I help you with anything?” she asks.

“Nope, I want you to take it
easy and go sit back down. I’ll bring dinner out to the family room when it’s ready,” I tell her and swat her hand playfully. She has been saying how fat she is, but I only see her as my beautiful, sexy wife carrying precious cargo.

She puts her hands on her lower back and walks back out
into the family room. I think a massage is in order after dinner. I put the finishing touches on dinner. I made chicken parmesan and a green salad with garlic bread. I dish two plates and head out to the family room. Just as I hand Amelia her plate the power goes out.

“
Good thing we have a fire going,” she says putting the plate on top of her belly. She digs into her food then stops her fork half way to her mouth. I only catch it out of the corner of my eye, but she continues to eat so I don’t think anything of it. She finishes her meal and I take our plates back to the kitchen. I see the wince on her face and I rush back into the room.

“Amelia, what is it?” I ask her concerned.

“Nothing, it’s probably just Braxton Hicks contractions. My lower back has been hurting and I all of a sudden got this really sharp pain in my belly, but it went away. It’s fine now. You need to relax, I’m not due for another three weeks.” She tells me this as if I’m not an OB/GYN. I know how far along she is, and I also know that thirty-seven weeks isn’t unusual to go into labor either. She seems to be fine now. I’ll keep a closer eye on her for sure.

Amelia

The back pain is what woke me up from my nap. Shortly after that my stomach started to hurt. I’m not due for another three weeks so I’
m pretty sure they are Braxton Hicks contractions and this is totally going to suck having to deal with this for the next three weeks.

The storm outside has not let up
, it’s raining cats and dogs, and the power is still out. It sounds like there’s a tornado outside, the wind is howling so badly. Oh, here comes another contraction. As I stand to walk around the unthinkable happens, a gush of liquid flows down my leg.

Oh my God
, my water just broke. We are nowhere near any hospital and we are in the middle of a huge storm in the mountains. I look to Kyle with such fear on my face he instantly shoots out of the couch and sits me back down.

“Amelia
, don’t panic and stay calm, we’re going to get you in the car and get you to the hospital. Everything is going to be OK.”

As soon as he says that there is a huge crash just outside the door. Kyle rushes to the door, th
rows it open to see what it is.

“Now don’t
panic and I need you to stay calm. This is your first pregnancy and labor usually takes several hours. I need to try and call for help. There was a big tree that just blew over and it’s blocking our way out and down the mountain.”

He reaches for the land
-line phone and it is dead. He digs in his pocket for his cell and there’s no service. I immediately start to do what he just told me not to do, panic. I’m three weeks early and my water just broke and I’m stranded on a mountain. Kyle senses my fear and sits next to me on the couch.

“Honey don’t worry, you’re in good hands. Remember I’m an OB/
GYN, I deliver babies all the time. This is no different. We’re going to have our baby right here in this cabin. Everything will be fine. Do you trust me?” he asks me ever so calmly.

“Yes I trust you
, but Kyle, I’m a big wimp, I didn’t plan on doing this el natural. You don’t have any drugs. I can’t do this. I really can’t do this. Please we have to try to get out of here. Oh God, I’m having another contraction.”

I try to remember the stupid classes I took and how to breath
, but damn it, it’s not helping.

Kyle looks at his
watch, and I know I’m seriously freaking out, and he has
that
look on his face.

“What?” I ask him.

“Your contractions aren’t that far apart. We need to get you ready. Let’s go into the bedroom. I’ll get you comfortable then I need to try and find some supplies. We are going to have ourselves a baby very soon.”

It seemed to take forever to walk to the
bedroom, we had to stop while I was having another contraction. All I could do was put my forehead against the wall and stand still and pray it passed soon.

Kyle get’s me comfortable on the bed then starts to leave. I immediately start to panic.

“No, don’t leave me. Please don’t go,” I yell.

“Honey, I will be right back it will take me only a few minutes to get what I need.
I will be right back, I promise,” he says, kisses me on the forehead and leaves the room.

It sounds like he’s tearing the place apart
, but to his word he comes back in no time. He places everything on the bed next to me and tells me he needs to examine me.

Ok
, now I know he’s my husband and he knows me better than anyone down there, but this is just strange. As another contraction hits, I suddenly don’t care. He waits until it subsides then takes a look.

“You’re close hone
y. We should start to push soon,” he says calmly.

Start to push
, what in the hell is he talking about. What happened to this is your first pregnancy and it will take hours? I’m not ready for this. Oh, God, now I feel like I have to push.

At
8:49PM we welcomed our son Noah Maxwell Peters into the world. He is absolutely perfect. I counted all ten little fingers and ten little toes myself. Kyle was amazing during the birth. I honestly couldn’t think of a better place for my son to be born than at the cabin I adore. I am so honored that it was his father that brought him into this world. All the excruciating pain vanished the second I laid eyes on our son. Kyle placed him on my stomach with tears in his eyes and Noah screamed bloody murder.

Kyle
got everything cleaned up and started snapping photo after photo. We did not stick with the A theme with our son’s name. We both loved the name Noah and knew the instant we saw him that it fit him perfectly. Kyle wanted to name him after Max since without him there wouldn’t have been a Noah. I think it’s honorable and I couldn’t be happier about it. The storm outside has calmed down, but the phones are still down.

The next day we were able to call for help with the tree and help is on the way. We only have our son wrapped in makeshift cloth diapers and a blanket since we were totally unprepared for
his arrival.

We aren’t due home until
Monday night, but Kyle and I thought it would be fun once we get off this mountain to get checked out at the hospital then show up for Sunday dinner at my parents with Noah and surprise everyone.

By the time the tree was cleared and the rest of the road heading out of the mountain was drivable it was late Saturday night before
we got to the hospital. They keep us both overnight, but we are both completely healthy.

Sunday morning we took our son home to his house and to his nursery. I was so excited to get him into his own room and into his own clothes. The hospital provided
a onesie and a baby blanket, but having him in cute little baby clothes that I picked out is just precious. He has been the perfect baby too, he’s so content and hardly fusses at all.  He gets up every few hours to feed, but I don’t mind at all. I don’t know, it’s just so peaceful nursing my son, I have to say, I enjoy it.

I don’t know what to do with myself for
the few hours I have before we go to my parent’s house. I can’t wait to introduce the newest member of our family. I think I actually might die from excitement. Oh, wait, I know what to do, sleep.

I did get about a twenty minute nap in
, but I’m just too excited and I end up watching Noah sleep instead. I wait until just before it’s time to go, to dress our son in the cutest baby outfit and secure him snug in his car seat.

W
e arrive just a little late on purpose to make sure everyone is already there. Then with Kyle in the lead he opens the door, the baby and I step in behind him. Everyone looks confused and surprised to see us. Everyone is here too. Both of my parents, Asher, Willow, and Abbey, Adrian, Aiden, Ava, Chloe and Max and even Mary and Steve, Kyle’s parents are here.

“What are you two doing here? You
’re not supposed to be back until Monday,” Willow says.

I step out around Kyle with baby Noah sleeping soundly in my arms. Everyone’s face is a mixture of shock and adoration. My mom, Ava,
Chloe, Willow and Mary all stand and rush over.

“Amelia you weren’t due for
another three more weeks. What happened?” my mother asks concerned.

“
It’s a long story. Let’s just say Noah Maxwell Peters just couldn’t wait to meet his family.”

Kyle

The look on Max’s face was priceless when Amelia announced our s
on’s name. Dinner ended up getting cold while Noah was passed around to each and every member of the family. That look of utter love, peace, and joy on my wife’s face as she watches her son being passed around is a look I will never forget. Even Max held him and suddenly this ruff and rugged man melted into a cuddly teddy bear.

It’s now November and Noah is two months old and officially the cutest baby ever. The whole family has planned a getaway at the cabin. It will be a little crowded
, but no one minds.

My parents are in
Paris on their honeymoon and even Chloe is coming to the cabin with Max too. Amelia can’t wait to get everyone on the ice. I’m not so sure about giving skating another try, but I could never refuse anything my wife asks of me. The car ride up the mountain was not a fun experience, I think Noah screamed the whole way.

Both Abbey and
Noah are now sleeping soundly in the cabin as everyone unloads the cars. There is about seven inches of new snow and it’s as beautiful as the day I proposed to Amelia. Asher and I get to work in the kitchen making everyone lunch. The girls are talking a mile a minute in the other room. Max, Samuel, Adrian, and Aiden are bringing in firewood.

We all gather around the fire and eat our lunch and make plans to go out to the pond to go ice skating
after everything is cleaned up.

Everyone is about to get bundled up to go skating when Willow stands and asks for everyone’s attention.
Asher takes his place next to her side and holds her hand.

“
Before we all head out, Asher and I wanted to talk to everyone about something.” She pauses then looks up at her husband who is looking down at her with love.

“We
want to tell everyone that we found out a few weeks ago that we are expecting,” she says. Everyone erupts in cheers. The girls all rush over and hug Willow while the men shake Asher’s hand.

It’s a crisp cool day and several people from
the surrounding cabins have gathered at the pond and are already skating.

My mother-in-law
Samantha agreed to stay back at the cabin and watch her grandchildren with Samuel. Amelia laces up her skates and is right at home skating around like a professional figure skater. She’s twirling and doing all sorts of fancy maneuvers. She sees me off to the side and skates over to me grabbing my hand, pulling me back onto the ice. We skate together at a slow pace and join the rest of the family. We are all huddled in a tight group skating around the pond.

Out of the corner of my eye I see someone losing their balance headed right for Adrian
at an alarming speed. I can’t get the words out fast enough, it’s like watching a train wreck.

“Look out Adrian,
” I yell. But it was too late. They collide sending the other person to their bottom. It’s a woman judging by the outfit.

“Oh, I am so sorry.
Are you alright? Here let me help you up,” Adrian says and bends over to help the woman up.

We have all stopped and
we’re standing around watching the poor woman on her ass on the ice. The woman looks up and I am confused by the angry look on her face. It was an accident after all and it was her fault. Adrian did apologize. What’s her problem?

She swats his hand away and clumsily gets herself up on her skates.
She takes her hand out of her glove and smacks Adrian across the face. I’m just in shock that she is taking this so far.

“Hi
, Doll,” Adrian says.

Say what? Why is he calling her doll? I look to Amelia and she has a
n angry look on her face just like everyone else except for Willow and Max, they look just as confused as I do.

“Honey, why did he call her doll?” I whisper to Amelia. Adrian is massaging his face where the woman slapped him and has a goofy smug grin on his face.

“That’s Adrian’s ex-wife, Shay,” she tells me.