Send Me by Marty Skovlund Jr

Author:Marty Skovlund, Jr.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2024-02-22T00:00:00+00:00

BETHESDA, MARYLAND, 2015

Finally, the big day arrived. Colt was on his way to join the family. Joe was terrified of Shannon having the baby while stuck on the notorious DC Beltway, so he helped Shannon into the car as soon as her contractions started.

They drove from Annapolis to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, but in his haste, Joe managed to get caught speeding by a traffic camera. The ticket now makes a great souvenir in Colt’s baby book.

After arriving at the hospital, Joe had no idea what to expect. He had been to several doctor’s appointments, so he knew where to go, but figured everything would be different on game day. For some reason, Joe thought the dad was supposed to stand back or out of the way, maybe even in the waiting room like they often portray on TV shows. Fortunately, the doctors let him stay with Shannon the entire time.

“Joe, you doing okay?” Shannon joked. Not even her current situation could get in the way of her usual cheerful self.

Joe never received formal training as a medic but had seen some gore through the years. It felt good being in a hospital for an exciting, positive event for a change. I’ve experienced enough of the other end of the life cycle for the past thirteen years, he thought as the medical staff prepared for the birth.

“Do you want an epidural?” the doctor asked.

Shannon’s contractions were underway, and they were both anxious to welcome their first son into the world.

“Nah, I think I’m just gonna suck it up,” she said with a deadpan expression.

“Uh, okay . . .” the doctor responded, unsure what to think.

“No, I’m kidding,” she said, laughing. “Give me them drugs!”

Joe laughed, but the doctors still didn’t know what to think.

“I’m going to put my headphones on, so if you have something important to say, yank ’em out,” she told Joe as her contractions got closer together. She didn’t want to be disturbed by the doctors unless necessary.

She put on the headphones and cranked up her “Colt Infil” playlist that she’d prepared for the occasion. To nobody’s surprise, it was mostly Iraqi hip-hop and Bollywood music. As Colt made his way into the world, Shannon squeezed Joe’s hand and made giving birth look easy.

Colton Kent was born on August 11, right before midnight, which gave him the same birthday as Joe’s father. He didn’t cry as Joe and Shannon stared into his eyes for the first time.

“Look at what we made,” Shannon said.

Joe knew immediately that watching his son come into the world was the most beautiful moment of his life. He and Shannon were no longer a couple—the addition of Colt made them a family.

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