Alpha's One Night Bride
Alpha’s One Night Bride – Chapter 66

It was time…

I was going to be a mother. Jonathan was going to be a father.

We were going to be parents.

I couldn’t help but think that I wasn’t ready for this next step into adulthood. I don’t turn 18 for another few months and I felt unprepared for what was going to happen next. I want to be the best mother and luna that I could be. But at such a young age, how could I possibly be what Jonathan and this little girl need.

We didn’t even have an actual name for her yet except for “baby girl”.

I felt pathetic for not coming up with a name. What kind of mother doesn’t name their young?

I wasn’t supposed to be giving birth for another few weeks. Was it normal for it to come this early? I thought I would have more time.

I was thankful that Beverly was able to get to the house on such short notice. We were going to call Dr. Emily and Rock. But the thought of Rock being around made me uneasy. Especially knowing he was after my child. We had to do everything we could to protect this child. Which meant keeping her away from Rock and anyone associated with Rock.

It was true that I wanted my mother’s belongings, but there are other ways to get them and not oblige to everything Rock demands.

Jonathan was up and alert, running around the place trying to make me as comfortable as possible. He definitely seemed to be doing a lot better than he was when he first got home. His strength was returning to him, and he was gaining the color in his face back.

Erick and Ronnie were already on their way.

I didn’t want to give birth in the bed or on the couch because the thought of that was unsettling for me. So, Jonathan set up a bunch of pillows on the ground for me to lye on. Jess was sitting at my head, trying to keep me elevated while Beverly was at my feet, propping my legs up and peering inside my v****a to see if she can see the baby.

It felt like electricity was shooting through my body and paralyzing me. It was difficult for me to move, but all I could feel was the pain of the baby trying to tear its way through my stomach. The bruising that Naomi got rid of was beginning to return and I could feel my ribs cracking as the weight of the baby was pressed against them.

I screamed out in agony, beads of sweat piling on my forehead and dripping down my features. My body was trembling as another wave of pain hit me suddenly. It was getting harder to breathe with each breath I took. No amount of medication was able to stop the amount of pain I was facing at that moment.

“Arina, stay with me!” Beverly said from my feet.

I could feel the walls of my v****a beginning to tear as the weight of the baby pressing down my lower region.

Soon, Jonathan was finally by my side. He had a cold washcloth and placed it on my forehead to keep me cool. I breathed out in relief as the coldness of the cloth soothed away the heat that’s been trapped in my face. The water dripped down my features and soaked into the pillows that lay underneath me.

“Breathe…” he told me softly. “Keep breathing, you’re doing great.”

To be honest, I wasn’t too sure about that. I felt like I was a dead fish on the floor. Flopping around without direction and gasping for air. At that moment, it seemed as though there wasn’t enough air in the world. I just wanted it all to be over.

I knew childbirth was going to be painful, but I couldn’t have possibly been this prepared.

To my surprise, appearing next to Jonathan, Naomi stood. She had a faint white aura surrounding her which amplified her tanned features. Her dark hair was still in a long braid that went in spirals down her back and wrapped around her waistline. She had a small smile on her lips as she stared around my body and her eyes caught mine.

She knelt beside me and placed her hands on my stomach. I could feel the warmth of her fingertips radiating off my skin. It was a soothing and magical sensation I never thought could be possible. She breathed in deeply, allowing her chest to puff out and grow and then she exhaled, shrinking her chest back down. With each breath she took, her white aura grew brighter and stronger.

The heat in her fingers amplified and it almost felt as though it was stinging my skin. However, it didn’t hurt as badly as childbirth itself. It still felt soothing and comforting. I could feel the baby within me calming down. She was no longer trying to tear through my skin and tearing apart my v****a.

I heard Beverly, still at my feet and staring into my v****a, exhaling in wonder. I could only imagine what she must be seeing.

I came to realize after a few moments that the pain was completely gone. It was like my entire body had gone numb and the pain of the childbirth was completely non-existent. I couldn’t help but worry that something was wrong. But with one look into Naomi’s eyes, I knew everything was going perfectly.

I sighed out in relief as I caught Jonathan’s eyes. He looked just as amazed as I felt. He kissed the top of my damp forehead and smiled into the k**s as he took in my musky scent.

“It’s time to start pushing, Arina,” Beverly said as she widened my legs.

My heart was pounding heavily against my chest; I was terrified.

Jonathan gave me some space, but he allowed me to hold onto his hand tightly as I pushed. I was surprised at the lack of pain I was feeling. However, I was still losing a lot of breath by pushing this hard and it felt as though I was about to pass out.

A couple of times I think I did pass out. Thankfully I had some help at keeping consciousness. I screamed as I pushed harder. Beverly kept telling me I was doing great, but it was hard to know that for sure when I couldn’t actually feel anything that was happening.

When I say I was numb; I was NUMB.

I didn’t mind being numb, but I would have liked to know how close I was to end this misery.

“Again!” Beverly ordered.

I did as she said and pushed again, this time a bit harder. I let myself scream out as I pushed, hoping it would help loosen my body and make the passage more open for the baby to slide through.

“You got this,” Jonathan whispered from beside me.

His eyes were locked on Beverly though as she continued to pull the baby free from my v****a.

“A little more!” Beverly ordered again.

I pushed harder.

I felt myself beginning to blackout; I was seeing black dots circulating around my vision. I was trying to gasp out for air but there was no airflow to my lungs, which made pushing any further that much harder.

I wasn’t sure how much more of it I could handle; I thought for sure I was done for and that this would be my last breath. I hated the fact that I wasn’t going to be able to be there for my daughter. I didn’t want her to grow up without a mother.

Tears began burning in my vision as I thought about leaving this world and leaving my daughter and husband behind. My heart was broken at the very thought. What I wouldn’t give to have my mother by my side at that very moment.

As I thought of my mother, something caught my attention in the corner of my eye. I had lost track of time entirely, so I wasn’t sure what time of the day it was. But as I glanced over at the window, through the blinds I saw the fullness of the moon. The moon’s rays reflected off the window glass and danced on my features. I could almost feel the warmth of my mother beside me.

The faint smell of lavender made its way through my nose and soothed away my heartache and worries.

She was with me. She has always been with me. Now I felt tears burning in my eyes for an entirely different reason. I felt myself smiling up at the moon, knowing my mother was watching me and rooting for me as she always did.

Turning back to focus on Beverly, I got a wave of strength and I felt more determined than ever to make it through this childbirth process.

Squeezing Jonathan’s hand with all my strength, I pushed again and this time harder than I had ever pushed before. If I learned anything from my mother, it was the strength and love that goes into being a parent. My mother would have done anything for me, and I plan on doing the same for my daughter.

I needed to stay alive for her.

As I continued pushing, Beverly was cheering me on. It appears everything was happening in slow motion. I screamed out one last time and then I heard the faint crying of a little baby.

I felt her release from my v****a; Jonathan had tears of utter happiness in his eyes. I finally felt as though I could breathe. I let my head fall back onto the mound of pillows and struggled to catch my breath. I could feel myself slipping out of consciousness.

I saw a glimpse of Beverly cutting off the umbilical cord and wrapping the b***d-soaked baby in a blanket to clean her off.

After a few moments, I realized I could no longer hold my consciousness. My breathing was becoming shallow, and I felt weak all over.

The last thing I remembered was Jonathan coming to me with the baby in his arms and he was smiling from ear to ear.

“Arina, I’d like you to meet our daughter.”

Then I blacked out.