Normal Life
Chapter 4
By: Bella
"Ready? And push!" said Tristen's doctor late that night. By now, Tristen was exhausted.
"No!" she refused. The doctor was becoming frustrated.
"Babe, we're never gonna get to meet our baby if you don't push it out," Benji said, trying not to make her mad but still get the point across that she really needed to start pushing.
She gave a tiny push and scrunched her face for emphasis, but quickly stopped and breathed heavily. "I can't do it! It's too hard."
"Tristen, we really need you to start pushing as hard as you can when you feel those contractions," the doctor said. She had been in labor for about 11 hours and was now dilated to 10 centimeters. Having been just about as afraid of having an epidural as she was about actually giving birth, she had been reluctant to get the shot in the back at first, but by the time she was dilated to 7 centimeters she was begging for one. The epidural had helped a lot, and she had begun walking around the halls with Benji trying to dilate further. She was now tired, cranky, and, as usual, stubborn.
"Please, Trissy, please," Benji begged, holding her hand. He, too, was exhausted and couldn't wait to see his child. Tristen finally gave in and began pushing with all of her might.
Five minutes went by. "Shouldn't it be out by now?" Tristen said, frustrated.
"Give it time," the doctor told her. "It takes some people hours."
"Hours?!?" Tristen exclaimed.
"Things seem to be moving along here. I don't think it will take you hours."
Five more minutes went by. "Ahhhhh!" Tristen screamed. "Can't you just reach in there and pull it out for me?"
Benji laughed. It was a typical Tristen remark. He had been standing next to her and holding her hand, but at the same time peeking down to watch her progress. He was starting to see the top of the head.
"It's got brown hair, Trissy! Our baby has my hair!" he said, excitedly. He had the biggest smile on his face that she had ever seen.
About 10 minutes later, the whole head was finally out. And then in two more pushes came the body. When it finally came out into the doctor's arms, a nurse quickly cleaned it's mouth out until it began crying loudly, the doctor wiped it off while laying it on the sheet he had put on Tristen's stomach. The placenta followed, as well as some liquid.
"Gross!" Benji exclaimed when he saw it. Tristen smacked him in the arm, knowing what he was horrified about.
"It's a girl!" the doctor shouted, and Tristen began crying. Benji stood there staring at his new daughter, still holding Tristen's hand in his right and touching the baby's head with his left. He couldn't believe that he had helped create her. She looked perfect, she was so tiny and had a little bit of dark hair, big blue eyes just like Tristen's and her father's, a miniature version if his (and Joel's) nose, and perfect little ribbon lips that reminded him of his mother's and sister's.
"Benji? Mr. Madden? Are you there?" he suddenly heard the doctor saying, as he snapped back to reality. "Would you like to cut your daughter's umbilical cord?"
"Yes!" he said enthusiastically, taking the strange scissors from him and cutting where the doctor had instructed. The baby was still crying as they took her off of Tristen's stomach and began cleaning her better. They weighed and measured her, and she was small. 5 lbs. 14 oz. They brought her back briefly so that the new parents could admire their new child before they took her to do some tests. She immediately stopped crying.
"She's the most beautiful thing that I've ever seen, I can't believe she's ours," he said, looking down at the small baby bundled in blankets and wearing a pink hat, still mesmerized. He was sitting on Tristen's bed next to her, and both were staring at their daughter. Tristen got to hold her very quickly as well, and then the doctors took her to run some tests. Benji kissed Tristen on the forehead and squeezed her hand and smiled at her. She smiled back and he followed the nurses who were taking the baby. He had decided to follow her wherever they took her until they made him leave. He didn't want his daughter out of his sight.
---
The next day everyone came to see Tristen and Benji's new daughter. Their hospital room was filled with balloons and flowers. The baby, who was still without a name, was a good baby. She took little naps, and hardly cried. She had immediately taken to Tristen's breast, which was good. It sometimes takes babies a while before they are able to get the hang of breast feeding.
The baby was sleeping in it's portable glass bassinet next to Tristen's bed, and both Benji and Tristen were resting comfortably in it. For the first time that day, they were the only ones in the room. Benji looked over at their sleeping daughter.
"I guess we're a family now, huh?" he said to her.
"Yep. Is it as satisfying as you thought it would be?" she asked.
"Even more," he said, smiling at her and giving her a quick kiss. "I can't wait until we can take her home."
"Me either," Tristen agreed. "Do you think she'll ever have a name?"
Benji laughed. They had not yet been able to agree on a name. They had gone back and forth, but neither really fell in love with one.
"What do you think she looks like?" Benji asked. They both stared their baby. "I think she looks like a… a Benji Jr. Yes, that sounds good don't you think?"
"Nice try!" Tristen said, rolling her eyes playfully at him and smiling. "No daughter of mine will be called Benji Jr., thank you very much."
They both thought hard. Finally, it hit Benji.
"Adah Joelle Madden."