Marrying a Boxer | H.S.

Chapter 88

I open my eyes slightly, seeing the sun peeking through the open blinds. I see Harry on the sofa drinking coffee and reading a book. He's wearing a yellow hoodie and black sweatpants, he must've gone home to change. I look around the room and see lots of flowers and balloons that have "It's a Girl!" scribbled on them.

"Harry," I croak out. My voice is hoarse and my throat feels sore from all the screaming.

His eyes snap to me and he sets his book down, then walks to me. "Hey, Sweetheart. How are you feeling?"

"Tired and sore," I say. "Where's our baby? When are they bringing her in?" Harry's face falls slightly and he lets out a breath. "W-what? What happened?" I panic. "Harry, what happened? Is she okay?"

"Hey, hey, she's okay, love," he says, taking my face in his hands and leaning down to kiss my forehead. "She's doing great, but she needs to be in the NICU for a while."

"In the what? What is that? Why?"

"Erm, the nurse should be here in a bit to explain it, but she told me NICU stands for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and-"

My eyes widen and my heartbeat quickens. "Intensive care unit!? Harry, you told me she was okay! She can't be okay if she's in intensive care! What happened to her, oh my god!" I start crying and wanting to get out of the bed, but Harry tries to calm me down and stop me from moving too much. "I want my baby!"

As Harry struggles to calm me down, Nina, the nurse, walks in. She rushes to my side. I keep repeating that I want my baby and demand to see her. I need to know she's okay.

"She's okay, dear. She's doing great!"

"Why is she in the intensive care unit?" I ask.

"Your baby was born before the forty weeks, love. She's just a bit underweight and we need to bring her to the right weight before she can be discharged. Premature babies cannot regulate their body temperature and they also cannot be breastfed because their suckling response is not fully developed. We have your baby in the NICU, where she is being taken care of, and she's in an incubator that keeps her warm." She explains. "I can take you to see her if you'd like." I nod. "Alright, love. I'll bring a wheelchair and then we can go see your baby."

She smiles and walks out. I take a deep breath, processing what she just told me. "Have you gone to see her?" I ask Harry.

"No, Sweetheart. I was waiting for you to wake up so we could go see her together," he says.

"Do you think they'll let us hold her?"

Harry leans down and kisses my lips softly. "I think they will. Our mothers went to see her, they weren't allowed inside, but they saw her through a window and said she looks great."

I take a deep breath, feeling somewhat relieved.

Nurse Nina comes back with a wheelchair and Harry helps me on it, then walks beside me as the nurse takes us to the NICU. Before we enter, she tells us we need to use hand sanitizer, and she explains that every time a nurse or visitor comes into the unit, they need to either wash their hands or use the hand sanitizer dispenser.

Once we are inside, I sit on a comfortable glider chair and she unties the left side of my gown once more before bringing my baby. She said that skin to skin is very important as she places my little girl on my chest, then covers us lightly with a blanket.

I try to not break down in tears again when I see her hooked up to some machines and an oxygen cannula in her nose. I gently caress her head with my fingertips and whisper loving words to her.

I thought I knew what love was. And I've heard many people, including Monique, say that you don't know what love is until you have a baby. I thought it was an exaggeration. That people who said this were crazy. But now that I have my baby with me, close to me, that I can touch her and see her and feel her tiny chest rising and falling as she breathes, I know those words are true. I feel like my heart doubled or even tripled in size. I never thought I could love this much.