Page 57 of Bryson

"Far be it from me to complain," she whispered, arching her back to take him in more deeply.

"Good, because I'm hungry for you again."

Bryson dragged agitated fingers through his already tangled hair as he paced towards the window. His mother was in the waiting room along with Brian, who had arrived two days ago when he was told the birth was imminent. Jack was also present, seated in the corner of the room, as far away from the others as possible.

If the situation wasn't so dire, he would have been amused at the man's discomfort. Jack was alternately sipping coffee and twisting the brim of his well-worn hat between his stubby fingers. But the situation was dire and even the conversation going on between his mother and Lewis did not interest him. The man had walked over to try and engage him in some tasteless jokes but had hastily backed off at the frigid look he received.

Bryson was not in the mood to be civil. It was going on twelve hours. Twelve damn hours of labor and still nothing. Now they were talking about a C-section, something Julianne was violently opposed to.

"I want to have our baby naturally," she stubbornly declared.

He had agreed with her at first, but as the hours ticked by and he saw how weary she was becoming, he was ready to demand that they take the baby out right now. He had left the room on the pretext of getting something to drink. It was a cowardly thing to do, but if he had stayed one more minute in that room, he would have passed out. He was scared to the bone and did not want his wife witnessing his fear. So, he had made up an excuse and bolted. He was due to go back in and demand they do something.

He was so deep in thought, he did not realize his mother had detached herself from Lewis and had come to stand next to him.

"The winter refuses to leave us," she murmured.

He did not bother to respond.

"You were born in April. There was snow. It was supposed to be spring, but the day you came into the world, it was snowing. I sat in bed after almost twenty-four hours of labor and held you in my arms. I recalled cradling you at my breast and thinking that it was such a beautiful day. Not because of the pretty snow coming down, but because I finally got to hold my baby boy in my arms. It was perfect."

All he heard was the twenty-four hours of labor.

"An entire day?" he asked hoarsely. "How the hell did you stand it?"

"Because like your wife, I knew the end result." She touched his arm briefly. She had seen his suffering and felt her heart move at the tortured look on his face. She had never had anyone care for her that way. "Go back inside."

"I'm afraid to." He rubbed the back of his neck wearily. "I told her I would be back..." He glanced at his watch and gave a start. "She should..." He lurched around when the doctor came into the room. "My wife..."

"Would like you to come and meet your son."

For a minute, he could not move. "How is she? Is she..."

"She's fine. So's the baby."

"Thank God!" he whispered reverently. Without a word to anyone else, he strode from the room.

"I suppose we'd better give him a little time with his family before we barge in," Brian murmured with a wicked smile as he walked towards her.

"I suppose that's best," Barbara agreed with a smile.

"He's tiny." His eyes lifted from the baby in his arms to the woman propped up on the pillows. "Should he be this small?"

An indulgent smile touched the new mother's lips as she stared at her family. "He weighed in at seven pounds five ounces. I understand that's a normal weight. Darling, he's perfect."

"You're perfect and wonderful and amazing. I ran out of here like a coward," he admitted hoarsely. "I could not stand..."

"Come here." She stretched her hand out and he came to sit on the side of the bed, carefully cradling his son.

"You're not allowed to call my man a coward," she told him softly, her fingers curling into his.

Leaning over, he kissed her softly on the lips. "Christ, baby, I'm not sure I can put you through that sort of thing again. It was terrifying."

Her hand lifted to touch his unshaven jaw. He looked positively haggard. "I'm told the first one is always the most difficult. And look at the end result." They both turned their eyes to the now-sleeping baby. His wisps of dark hair barely covered his soft scalp. His creamy complexion was smooth and beautiful, and his lashes were already long. He was adorable.

"Still..."

"Let's just enjoy the moment. Want to hand him to the nurse?"