Page 112 of Paging Dr. VanRyan

I bent and kissed Maddy’s mouth. “We’ve got this. Our little one is anxious. Let’s meet her.”

She smiled then bared her teeth. I moved behind her, getting into position the way I learned in our birthing classes.

The doctor chuckled. “Here we go.”

I stared down at our daughter in wonder. Small, wrinkled, with a bright-red face and wisps of dark hair on the top of her head, she squirmed and wiggled, making the oddest faces, then quieting down, her eyelids fluttering shut once again, long lashes resting on her full cheeks.

I looked up at Maddy. “She’s out again.”

She smiled, sleepy and content. I’d ordered her in dinner, and she’d eaten the Chinese meal as if she hadn’t seen food for a month, making me laugh when I tried to take a piece of the crispy shrimp, only to have her growl at me. She relented quickly, and I’d eaten my fill as well, although I hadn’t worked the way she had to bring our daughter into the world.

“She’s so perfect, Maddy,” I whispered, totally in love with the tiny bundle I was holding.

“She is.”

I took her hand after tucking our baby into my chest. “You should go to sleep. I’ll watch over both of you.”

“We haven’t named her.”

“Do you still like Cordelia?” I asked. “She sort of looks like one.”

“Cordelia Katharine sounds nice, doesn’t it?”

I squeezed her fingers. “Mom will be ecstatic.”

“I can hardly wait until Mom gets here,” she whispered, her lip trembling.

I smiled in agreement. Maddy and Mom had become extremely close. They spoke almost daily. FaceTimed. Packages and letters arrived constantly. I was thrilled seeing the two women I loved the most become real family to each other.

“Tomorrow, sweetheart. They’ll be here tomorrow.”

She shut her eyes. “Good.”

I looked down at my daughter. “What about you, baby girl? Is Cordelia Katharine okay? I know it sounds big, but you’ll grow into it.”

She grumbled a little, her feet moving under the blanket. I took that as a yes.

“Maybe Dilly for short,” I mumbled to myself. I liked the sound of that. It was cute.

Maddy gave a little snore, exhausted from the day. What had started out as a regular one had taken a turn we hadn’t expected, yet I wouldn’t have it any other way. Mom had been shocked when I’d called to tell them their granddaughter was here. She laughed when I told her about my car and how confused Dad had been when I’d screamed at him then hung up.

“You’re just like him,” she informed me. “He was so anxious with every delivery, he was nothing like the usual calm, in-charge Richard. He was an utter chaotic mess.”

And she was right. I had been a mess until I knew they were both safe and well.

And now, I was alone with them. My little family. My parents would be here soon. I was off from the practice for the next two weeks, although I already knew it was going to be difficult to return to work. The thought of not seeing the precious little bundle I was holding every day, all day was oddly unsettling.

I wanted to soak up as much of her as I could. Babies were babies for such a short time, and I wanted every second I could with her.

I moved her to the crook of my arm and slid my chair closer to Maddy’s bedside. I wrapped my hand around hers and held our daughter.

Everything was right with my world.

I had a career that fulfilled me. Fabulous parents and siblings who loved and supported me. A huge, rowdy, extended family that made life full and rich.

A wife I was head over heels for who completed me.

And now the start of my own family.

My father told me to be the man I was meant to be.

I think I finally figured it out.