Lion's First Roar Read Online Free PDF Page A

does that mean?
    “Okay, kiddo,” the midwife said, “if you want to give birth here, that’s fine. But if you think you want to be up in bed it’s time to move.” She patted Vivian’s knee again. “Because this baby is on his way.”
    On his way? Now?
    “Bed,” Vivian grunted. “My legs hurt so badly right now.”
    He didn’t even wait for the midwife to stand. In the next heartbeat, he was on his feet and scooping Vivian up into his arms. He carefully placed her on the bed and stroked her hair while the staff flew into a whirlwind of activity. Kiki moved to the other side of the bed and talked quietly with the midwife about the birth plan and the things Vivian wanted to try to avoid.
    Turning her face, Vivian gripped the front of his shirt. “Oh my God, Nikolai.” He could hear the fear in her voice now. A tear dripped from the corner of her left eye. “This hurts so much. I literally can’t— unnnhhhh .” She squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered pitifully. “ Blyad! ”
    Hearing her curse like that drove home just how intense the pain had grown. Guilt hacked away at him but he ignored his own issues and focused on her. “ Solnyshka , you can do this. You’re right here. You’re so close.”
    “Oh, God, Nikolai,” she said, almost panicked. “I know I said I wanted, like, five babies with you, but maybe one is enough?”
    “ Sladest .” He brushed damp hair behind her ear and trailed his thumb over her lower lip. “One is a perfect number.”
    “Good.” She blinked dazedly and then grimaced. Pushing up on her palms, she let loose a wild growl that stunned him. “Oh, God. I think it’s time!”
    The midwife was at the foot of the bed in an instant to check Vivian. “Oh, sweetheart, it’s definitely time.” She instructed one of the nurses to get the obstetrician into the room, but Nikolai wasn’t sure the doctor was going to make it. “You need to hold your breath and bear down hard.”
    The bed was quickly broken down and transformed. The nurses draped the area for the impending arrival of the baby. A team from the nursery entered the room and stood off to the side, ready to intervene if anything was wrong with the baby.
    “Daddy?” The midwife addressed him with a smile. “Take Mama’s foot in this hand and cradle the back of her neck. Kiki?” She seemed to have a long-standing rapport with their doula who took Vivian’s other foot.
    Scrunched up in a ball, Vivian exuded pure feminine power as she tackled the hardest phase of the process. In the back of his mind, he knew pushing could take hours in some cases, but judging by the response from the midwife and doula, Vivian seemed to be breaking a record. Seemingly consumed by her need to birth their son, she stared at a spot on the ceiling and inhaled slow, measured breaths before bearing down with each contraction.
    One, two, three, four pushes and suddenly the midwife was urging her to breathe and stop pushing. He kept his eyes focused on Vivian’s face. She broke concentration as the pain overwhelmed her and glanced at him with an expression of sheer torment twisting her beautiful face. Grimacing, she clutched at his shirt and arm and whimpered. Sweat raced down her hairline and soaked the top of the gown. Tears dripped from the corners of her eyes.
    “On this next contraction, bear down and push, Vivian,” the midwife urged. “Your baby is ready to be born.”
    “Breathe through the pain,” Kiki coached. “Embrace it. Own it.”
    Vivian inhaled a deep breath and began to push. She expelled a loud cry and primal growl as their son was gently guided into the world by the midwife’s skilled hands.
    When Lev was placed on Vivian’s chest, Nikolai felt woozy. It had all happened so fast he almost didn’t believe it was real. Vivian sobbed as she gingerly touched their tiny baby boy. Her fingers were shaking as she smoothed them along the wisps of dark hair atop his little head.
    A nurse stepped in to suction the baby’s