The Keeper of Wickets

Baby Stanley

•Kate•

"Kate you're doing amazing!" Daisy grips my hand as I scream out.

"I'm doing better than you did!" I reply. She laughs heartily.

"Whatever, think what you must." She winks at Lou who also laughs.

"Why are you laughing? I'm having my baby in Australia, I should be at home!" I grunt as the nurse orders another push.

My family falls silent. Daisy and Dylan shrug at Lou.

"She's not lying." He says, pushing my hair from my face.

"C'mon Darling, give it all you got."

I scream, louder than I've ever screamed before. For thirty seconds a pain I've never felt before shoots through my body, making my head spin and my stomach churn.

"Bowl Lou bowl!" I yell and he shoves it under my chin as vomit pours out of my mouth.

The nurse looks concerned. She twists her lips up into her cheek, as she pulls the rest of my baby from my body.

The colour drains from her face.

"We've got a blue baby, quickly run and get those doctors." She orders her assistant.

"What? What's going on?" I scream, as she cuts the cord and races our baby to the table on the other side of the room.

"Please talk! What's wrong?!" I order as doctors begin filing in. They run oxygen to our baby's nose and I can just see it's limp body on the steel.

I hold my breath, as Lou grabs my head. He draws me tight as we stare in fear.

"It's alright, everything's okay." He reassures, the panic in his voice frightens me. I see them wrap it up and rush it outside.

"Where are they going?" Lou questions forcefully.

The midwife sighs; "she's having a little bit of trouble breathing, she'll be okay but we've just got to make sure that she's stable before you can see her."

"A little girl Katie, a little girl." Lou presses his lips to mine and as he pulls away my eyes spin. The room crashes down around me.

"Somethings not right, I don't feel well." I swallow heavily, attempting to blink the blur away.

"Now the baby will be taken to ICU, and they will analyse her." The nurse's voice turns to water.

"Kate? Katie!" Daisy's voice yells, her hands shaking my shoulders. I feel my eyes grow heavy and it all falls dark.
-
I wake up in recovery, my whole body aching and tubes up my nose.

"Katie!" Lou tightens his grip when he realises I'm awake.

"Shit Lou, what happened?" I ask groggily.

"We have a little girl Katie, and you bled out, quite badly, 3 blood transfusions, go hard or go home." He kisses my forehead lovingly.
"Glad you're okay."

"How's the baby?" I moan.

"She's alright my love, they got her breathing and her little heart beating, in fact they want us to be in there as soon as possible." He explains, his proud face beaming.

"Where Daisy, Dylan and Delaney?"

"They're outside, Del's been screaming." He informs.

"It must be late, I want Daisy." I sniff, my emotions running wild.

Lou smiles softly, I can see he's tired but still he rises.

"Lou." I call softly. He turns and I'm instantly settled by his beautiful blue eyes.

"Thank you." I reach out my hand.

He takes it and strokes it gently.

"Anything for my family." He steps forward and tucks some hair behind my ear. "I love you."

"I love you more." I kiss his lips before he smiles and goes out to fetch Daisy.

I let out a heavy breath and try to recollect the events that happened only hours before. I can't remember seeing her little nose or her little face. I never got to feel her freshly born skin against my chest, I didn't get to hold my baby girl.

How am I going to live with this?
What are we going to call her?

"Kate." Daisy stands in the doorway, bags under her eyes.

"Dot." I sigh.

"I'm sorry I put you through what I did, Jesus that was torture." She draws me into a hug.

"I'm sorry." I whisper.

"Na, hun, I'm just glad everyone's okay." She blinks back tears.

"I didn't get to hold her Daisy." I whimper. Daisy sighs;

"I know Katie."

"I gotta meet her!" I jump. "I need to go!" I swing my feet over the bed.

"Hold up solider, Lou's getting a chair. He'll be here in a sec." She chuckles.

"God I'm a mess." I say, we laugh.

"Aren't we all!" Daisy hugs me again.
-

"You ready my darling?" Lou asks, I look up at him and nod.

"Mr and Mrs Stanley, someone's been waiting for you." Our Nurse Sandy grins.

I grin too as we're guided towards her little crib. I gasp and my heart fills with hope and love when I see the beautiful blue eyed baby in the cot. An open cot.

"Oh she's so beautiful!" I cover my mouth as tears drip.

Lou cries, a smile lodged on his lips as they hand him out baby girl.

"Hello sweetheart, hello, what a life you're gonna have." He whispers in her little tiny ear.

"Georgia." I say, capturing the beautiful seen in front of me. My husband and his daughter.

"Huh?" Lou questions lost in his daughters eyes.

"Georgia Louise Stanley." I complete, stroking the cheek of my daughter. Lou places her in my arms and instantly I'm in love.

"It's a gorgeous name Kate but what made you pick those?" Lou asks.

"Well, George was my brother, he wanted this baby just as much as we did, so Georgia, Louise is like a longer and much more feminine version of your name, and she's already her daddy's girl and Stanley because we've been blessed sigh the most loving and compassionate, caring, cricketer the northern side of the equator and maybe the southern side too." I giggle as Lou presses his lips against mine.

"I'll gladly love the two of you for the rest of my life." He whispers as we fall in love.