it wil be okay,” Mrs. Pond promised.
“Jordyn, look at me.” Zack waited until her tear-fil ed brown eyes met his and he wiped the tears
from her cheek. His heart ached for her. He wished he could take away al her pain. But he knew she
had to be the one to do this, she had to be the brave one. “You can do this. We’re waiting to meet
Marianne, remember? She’s our little girl and we want her here with us. So you do it, baby. Push
hard and let’s greet our baby girl.”
“Oh, here comes one,” she muttered and Zack watched her bel y tighten.
“Bear down now, Jordyn. Do it!” Mrs. Pond said firmly.
Zack supported her back as she brought her chin to her chest and pushed. He encouraged her
every step of the way, wiped her face when she had to rest and she pushed again. At exactly one
minute after midnight Marianne came into the world. Zack had watched Jordyn push until she cried
out and the little body slipped from her womb into the world. Mrs. Pond worked quickly to clean out
her mouth and tie her umbilical cord with surgical thread and then wrapped the baby in a towel. She
tapped the little feet until the baby wailed and it was then that Zack felt as if he and Jordyn took a
simultaneous breath. It came out as laughter and tears as the new life wailed her displeasure at
leaving her protective home.
Mrs. Pond did an examination. “She looks wonderful, Dr. Patel, healthy and pink and no
breathing problems that I can hear.”
“Great. I’l get off the phone and get working to get emergency services to your home
immediately. I wil meet you al at the hospital,” Dr. Patel said. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” Jordyn said and Zack repeated the words.
“Look at that. You two got the best Christmas present in the world. Each year you get to
celebrate her birth and the holiday,” Mrs. Pond said gently and handed Jordyn the baby. “Look at this
little one and tel me it wasn’t al worth it.”
“I’d do it over again in a heartbeat,” Jordyn said and then kissed the baby’s head. “Hey, my
precious little girl. I’m your mom and this is your daddy. Merry Christmas, sweet pea.” She looked up
at Zack. “You take her, my love.”
Zack took Marianne with exquisite care and looked down at the little scrunched up face under
soft brown curls that were damp. He felt himself fal in love al over again and this time it was with the
second woman in his life. He fel in love with the child that would cal him daddy.
“My little princess, welcome to the world,” he cooed and traced his finger along her tiny palm.
Zack chuckled when those little fingers grabbed at his own.
“Zack, you have that big boat of a vehicle out there. Those damn EMTs wil take forever to get
here. You continue to hold the baby and let me help Jordyn get cleaned up some. Then you’l take her
to the car and we’l put down that backseat and we’l get them there ourselves.”
“You’re not driving my truck,” Zack murmured, stil looking down at the baby.
“Of course not, that’s for you,” Mrs. Pond scoffed.
In the end, the ambulance arrived shortly after Mrs. Pond delivered the afterbirth and Jordyn was
cleaned up. They had to make sure she’d expel ed everything that helped sustain the baby’s life from
her body. Mrs. Pond rode with Jordyn and the newborn while Zack drove his truck. At the hospital, Dr.
Patel announced that both mother and daughter were perfectly healthy and Jordyn was settled into a
room and by sunrise he was taking Mrs. Pond home. He dropped her off and was going to clean up
the bedroom and grab a few hours of sleep.
On impulse, he grabbed the older woman tight and kissed her on her cheek. “Thank you. I don’t
know what we’d have done without you.”
“You’d have been a Navy man like my Mr. Pond and delivered that baby yourself,” Mrs. Pond
said gently. “He was at Pearl Harbor that day when it was attacked. He was fifteen years older than
me when we
“Jordyn, look at me.” Zack waited until her tear-fil ed brown eyes met his and he wiped the tears
from her cheek. His heart ached for her. He wished he could take away al her pain. But he knew she
had to be the one to do this, she had to be the brave one. “You can do this. We’re waiting to meet
Marianne, remember? She’s our little girl and we want her here with us. So you do it, baby. Push
hard and let’s greet our baby girl.”
“Oh, here comes one,” she muttered and Zack watched her bel y tighten.
“Bear down now, Jordyn. Do it!” Mrs. Pond said firmly.
Zack supported her back as she brought her chin to her chest and pushed. He encouraged her
every step of the way, wiped her face when she had to rest and she pushed again. At exactly one
minute after midnight Marianne came into the world. Zack had watched Jordyn push until she cried
out and the little body slipped from her womb into the world. Mrs. Pond worked quickly to clean out
her mouth and tie her umbilical cord with surgical thread and then wrapped the baby in a towel. She
tapped the little feet until the baby wailed and it was then that Zack felt as if he and Jordyn took a
simultaneous breath. It came out as laughter and tears as the new life wailed her displeasure at
leaving her protective home.
Mrs. Pond did an examination. “She looks wonderful, Dr. Patel, healthy and pink and no
breathing problems that I can hear.”
“Great. I’l get off the phone and get working to get emergency services to your home
immediately. I wil meet you al at the hospital,” Dr. Patel said. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” Jordyn said and Zack repeated the words.
“Look at that. You two got the best Christmas present in the world. Each year you get to
celebrate her birth and the holiday,” Mrs. Pond said gently and handed Jordyn the baby. “Look at this
little one and tel me it wasn’t al worth it.”
“I’d do it over again in a heartbeat,” Jordyn said and then kissed the baby’s head. “Hey, my
precious little girl. I’m your mom and this is your daddy. Merry Christmas, sweet pea.” She looked up
at Zack. “You take her, my love.”
Zack took Marianne with exquisite care and looked down at the little scrunched up face under
soft brown curls that were damp. He felt himself fal in love al over again and this time it was with the
second woman in his life. He fel in love with the child that would cal him daddy.
“My little princess, welcome to the world,” he cooed and traced his finger along her tiny palm.
Zack chuckled when those little fingers grabbed at his own.
“Zack, you have that big boat of a vehicle out there. Those damn EMTs wil take forever to get
here. You continue to hold the baby and let me help Jordyn get cleaned up some. Then you’l take her
to the car and we’l put down that backseat and we’l get them there ourselves.”
“You’re not driving my truck,” Zack murmured, stil looking down at the baby.
“Of course not, that’s for you,” Mrs. Pond scoffed.
In the end, the ambulance arrived shortly after Mrs. Pond delivered the afterbirth and Jordyn was
cleaned up. They had to make sure she’d expel ed everything that helped sustain the baby’s life from
her body. Mrs. Pond rode with Jordyn and the newborn while Zack drove his truck. At the hospital, Dr.
Patel announced that both mother and daughter were perfectly healthy and Jordyn was settled into a
room and by sunrise he was taking Mrs. Pond home. He dropped her off and was going to clean up
the bedroom and grab a few hours of sleep.
On impulse, he grabbed the older woman tight and kissed her on her cheek. “Thank you. I don’t
know what we’d have done without you.”
“You’d have been a Navy man like my Mr. Pond and delivered that baby yourself,” Mrs. Pond
said gently. “He was at Pearl Harbor that day when it was attacked. He was fifteen years older than
me when we
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