Free Obsession (Endurance) by Shayne McClendon Page A

Bianca handed me crushed ice.  “Do not ask me what this is
for.  Theresa gave it to me.  I’m assuming you suck on it or some
damn thing.”  They chatted and tried to keep my mind off the contractions
for which I was grateful. 
    My
father has very strong hands.  There were no broken bones reported
later and I was relieved.
    Half
an hour later, there was a lull in the noise and I said quietly, “Theresa,
should I feel like I need to push?  Like I need to go to the bathroom
right now .”
    Theresa
was on a stool between my legs instantly and whispered, “The baby is crowning
already.  You quick and clever darling.  Okay, Ellie, we’re going to
sit you up so you can bear down.”  My parents put their arms behind my
back and held my hands. 
    When
Adam moved to stand between my spread legs I kicked him as hard as I could in
the face with my bare foot.  Shocked at myself as his eye began to swell,
I gritted out, “Contraction.  Adam, so… fuuuuck …so sorry!” 
    He
put his hand on my bare knee to tell me it was no problem, I could see the
words forming, but I was going to break his wrist if he didn’t take his fucking
hand off me.  Padme saw it and got between us, refusing to move one inch.
    Theresa,
focused on the baby, missed the byplay.  “Ready?  Okay you’re going
to push and keep pushing for five seconds.” 
    The
next minute was a blur to me as the most awful pressure built and released,
built again and released completely.  I lay back with Dad’s help and
panted frantically.  A small cry sounded in the room and you could have
heard a pin drop.  “Give us just a minute to clear her airway,
Ellie.  I need you to push once more, honey.  There you go.”
    I
may have passed out.  The next thing I remember is Theresa standing next
to my Mom and putting a pink wrapped bundle in my arms which were shaking too
hard to support her weight.  Mom helped so I didn’t drop her during our
first meeting. 
    “She…she’s
blond like Mom .  Hello, baby.  Hi, Kaitlyn.  I’m Ellie
but you can call me Mommy.  Wow, you don’t seem real.  Aren’t you
pretty?”  More hustle and bustle as I was cleaned up. 
    Hands
touching me, touching the baby.  My mom crying, my dad as well though he
tried to hide it.  Murmured words about the baby, how well I’d done, how
happy everyone was that mother and baby had come out alright.  Padme and
Bianca formed a block between the hapless Adam and me.  He was icing his
eye to bring down the swelling.
    My
eyes were drifting when large hands cupped either side of my face and firm lips
on faces with a trace of beard stubble kissed my cheeks at the same time. 
If I’d been in my right mind, I would have imagined it was Jordan and
Jonas.  Where they are concerned, I’m never in my right mind. 
    “Love… stubble .” 
Even exhausted, I managed to catch myself.
    I
fell asleep.  Once again, there were no dreams.

Chapter Eight
     
    Having
a baby was both exhausting and exhilarating.  It is also one of the most
frightening experiences I’ve ever gone through.  I ended up bringing in a
nanny because when Katie was two weeks old the shriveled bit of her umbilical
cord fell off and I ran screaming to Theresa. 
    For
a while it was touch and go on whether I would have to be sedated. 
    Mom
summed it up well.  “We’ve kept you sheltered your entire life,
darling.  Except for much older children, close to school age, you’ve
never been around babies.  It isn’t surprising you’d be worried when a
little bit of baby falls off.”  As my eyes widened further, she rushed
on.  “Bad choice of words.  I imagine getting a nanny will allow you
to stop your slow descent into madness.”
    “You
can’t watch her every moment, honey,” Dad added gently.
    These
were rational statements but I worried constantly that something would happen
to her.  That I wasn’t going to be allowed to keep anything good and clean
from that horrible day filled with