“Your fucking uncles, too,” Alec stated and bent forward, placing his hands on his knees, panting like he just ran a marathon.
Branna moved over to us and leaned down. She lowered her arms and gently rested the baby on Aideen’s chest. Both women adjusted Aideen’s T-shirt until our son was underneath it and resting against his mom’s chest. Aideen adjusted him so she could see between his legs.
“It is a boy,” she cried with happiness. “We have a son.”
I wrapped my arms around both of them and kissed the side of her face. “Thank you so much, baby.”
“For what?” She sniffled, looking back at me.
She was sweaty, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were red and swollen from crying, but I had never seen her look so beautiful in all the time I’ve known her.
“For giving him to me,” I answered and kissed her lips.
Aideen rested her forehead to mine, then we both looked at our son when he cried.
“Shhh,” Aideen cooed and gently rocked him. “Mammy’s got ye’.”
My heart burst with love at that moment. I was a father, and my girl was a mother.
“He looks just like ye’, Kane.” Branna sniffled. “He’s your double.”
“No way,” I murmured, looking at the baby. “He’s beautiful, so that’s all Aideen.”
My eyes roamed over his face. He had a cute button nose, chubby cheeks, a head full of dark brown hair, and plump pink lips. He was gorgeous, and he was ours.
“I love you,” Aideen whispered to him. “I love ye’ so much, baby boy.”
I repositioned myself behind her by putting my legs on either side of her hips and then pulled Aideen and our baby back against my chest. I leaned my head against Aideen’s, and we both continued to stare at our little piece of heaven. We had waited so long to meet him, and a huge part of me couldn’t believe he was here.
“I can’t believe we made him,” Aideen murmured. “He is perfect.”
“He is,” I agreed.
Aideen rested against me as Branna got her medical bag. I watched her approach the pool but said nothing. She silently placed a clamped on the baby’s umbilical cord, then place a second one about couple or so inches as from my son’s belly. Branna watched the cord, and I found myself watching it with her. I watched until there was no visible pulse on the cord, and when Branna checked it, and confirmed it, she got a scissors from her bag, smiled, and handed them to me.
“Cut between the clamp and my fingers.”
She pointed at the exact point. It was tougher than I expected it to be, but it was an experience I would always remember.
“Ye’ might want to claw me eyes out, but can I have ’im for a few minutes? I’ll dry ’im off and wrap ’im up nice and warm.”
Aideen looked up at Branna and said, “Why?”
Branna chuckled. “I have to help ye’ deliver the placenta, babe, and I want to weigh ‘im.”
“Okay.” Aideen sighed, and carefully handed our son to Branna.
“He will be back in your arms before ye’ know it.”
Branna weighed and measured the baby, and he was ten pounds even, and twenty inches long. After weighing him, Branna then cleaned him up, put a blue hat on his head, and wrapped him in a thick blanket then placed him in his bassinet. My brothers gave us their congratulations and left the room then to give us some privacy. Over the course of the next ten minutes, Aideen delivered the placenta.
“All done,” Branna announced then reached into the water and lifted the clump of bloody placenta, placed it into a plastic bag next to her, and sealed it. Branna removed her gloves, lifted our son from his bassinet, then gave him back to Aideen. She held her arms up to make sure the blanket the baby was wrapped in didn’t touch the water of the pool. I glanced up when I heard a soft click. I noticed Branna had left the room, so it was just Aideen, our son, and me.
“I was so scared there for a second.”
“Me too, sweetheart.” I kissed her shoulder. “My heart stopped.”
Our son wailed, and it made Aideen chuckle when I said, “I love your cry, little man.”
Aideen gazed down at the baby, and said, “Ye’ don’t think the smoke from that night hurt ‘im, right?”
“No,” I replied. “Look at him; he is healthy as can be. Pink and big all over.”
His little face was pressed against his mother’s chest, and his instinct took over. He tried to suckle on her skin, so Aideen nervously repositioned him under her breast. I reached around and adjusted her breast and nipple with my hand until it was close to the baby’s mouth. It took about a minute of adjusting and brushing Aideen’s nipple against our son’s lips, but he eventually latched on and began to suckle.