Forever Yours
©2025 Elder Road Books - Lynnwood WA
Chapter 58: Hey, Dad
“Finally, our new brain needs a purpose. A purpose is expressed as a series of goals. In the case of our biological brains, our goals are established by the pleasure and fear centers that we have inherited from the old brain. These primitive drives were initially set by biological evolution to foster the survival of species, but the neocortex has enabled us to sublimate them. Watson’s goal was to respond to Jeopardy! queries. Another simply stated goal could be to pass the Turing test. To do so, a digital brain would need a human narrative of its own fictional story so that it can pretend to be a biological human. It would also have to dumb itself down considerably, for any system that displayed the knowledge of, say, Watson would be quickly unmasked as nonbiological.”
— Ray Kurzweil, How to Create a Mind: The Secret of Human Thought Revealed
HENRY BARELY MADE IT to the birth center in time. As soon as he got the message, he stood and ran out of the room. Luke explained to the meeting that this was good news.
Henry got scrubbed and Jackie pushed him into the birth room where Chastity was with his wife, coaching her with the breathing they’d learned. Henry rushed to Lisa’s side and she immediately gripped his hand, nearly crushing it as another contraction hit.
“That’s good. We’re ready to push,” the midwife said. “When the next one hits, let’s go with it. Ready?”
It was only a few seconds when the contraction hit again and Lisa groaned as she pushed.
“That’s good. We’re making steady progress. Your little one wants out of there!”
The next contraction was a minute later and Lisa screamed out as she pushed, clutching Henry’s hand even harder. He winced in pain but wisely didn’t say anything. Chastity was breathing with Lisa.
“Puff, puff, puff. Now deep breath. Another deep breath. Ready?”
“And push,” the midwife said with the next contraction. “I see her head. Come on, Dad. It’s time to catch your baby.”
Lisa gave Henry a push and he moved between her legs where he could see the head of his child emerging. It was all a blur from that point for both Henry and Lisa. Chastity was lost in encouraging her lover as Henry held the baby emerging from the birth canal.
“She’s beautiful!” he gasped as he felt her weight fully in his hands.
The midwife quickly checked to be sure her nose and mouth were open and that the little one was breathing, then pointed Henry to Lisa. He carried the baby to Lisa who pulled the sheet down and he laid the infant on her chest.
“She’s so wonderful!” Lisa cried. “Look! She’s got blue eyes and curly hair.”
“She’s perfect,” Chastity said.
The baby already had a grip on one of Chastity’s fingers as she searched around for something to suck on.
“You’re not going to get much out of there yet,” Lisa said as the baby started sucking on her nipple.
“I need one more big push and then we can cut the cord. Ready? Here comes the last of it.”
Lisa didn’t even moan as she pushed out the afterbirth. She was too caught up in the miracle that was her daughter. The midwife handed Chastity the scissors and held the cord in the correct place for the cut.
“Oh, my!” Chastity cried. “I get to free you, little one. There! You’re no longer tethered to the inside.”
“Mommy and Mommy and Daddy are right here with you, sweetheart,” Lisa said. She was still panting a little. Everything had been such a rush job. It had only been three hours since labor started!
“Do we have a name for this little girl?” the midwife asked.
The three looked at each other. Lisa and Henry nodded. Chastity broke out in a broad grin.
“Her name is Cassie Benoit Pascal,” Henry announced to the room.
The door to the room was opened and Jackie and Sylvia were allowed into the room, just in time to hear the announcement.
“My maiden name!” Jackie exclaimed, rushing to the side of her daughter.
Lisa showed the baby to her grandmothers, but didn’t let go of her.
“Where does the name Cassie come from?” Sylvia asked. “It’s so pretty.”
“Castitas is the Latin root of Chastity. We decided Cassie was the nicest variant,” Henry said. “After all, Chastity is her other mommy.”
“A little bit from everyone,” Sylvia smiled.
“Okay. If little Cassie has had enough of Mommy One’s tit, it’s time for Mommy Two to learn to bathe a baby,” the midwife said after measuring the six pound-nine-ounce baby and clearing the birthing things away.
The family had enough time to admire the new addition and Lisa had only given up possession long enough to let the midwife record the baby’s weight and nineteen-inch length. Chastity gave Lisa a loving kiss and took Cassie from her. The birth room included a bathing station, so no one had to go far. The grandmas followed Chastity and Cassie to the bath and gave ‘helpful’ hints as she was shown how to cleanse the vernix from the newborn.
Henry took the time to hold his wife and kiss her gently.
“Hey, Dad,” Lisa said softly. “I hope you’re ready for this.”
“As long as you and Chastity are with me, I can face anything,” he said. “Almost. I’m still not sure I can handle the IPO next week. I think I’ll just stay home with you and our girls.”
“Proposition accepted,” Lisa sighed.
Once Cassie had been bathed and swaddled, the grandmothers were allowed to hold her for a few minutes, but pretty soon, Lisa wanted her daughter back. Colostrum had begun leaking from her breasts and she immediately let Cassie suck until she went to sleep.
The midwife left and told them the room was theirs until morning when their pediatrician would be in to check on the baby and approve her release. It was a major handoff from the obstetrician to the pediatrician.
While they chatted quietly, Henry took over the job of texting everyone about the birth. The first to receive word were Ryan, Bill, Beau, and Solange. He didn’t neglect calling the Hartmans in Cincinnati, Lisa’s other grandparents. Then he sent texts to Luke and Isobel before sending a general email to all the office.
Eventually, Ryan showed up and Henry realized Germaine was still in the lobby. He ran down the hall to invite them in to meet the baby. They were quietly monitoring traffic in and out of the birth center, maintaining their watchfulness.
Finally, people began leaving until only Chastity, Henry, and Lisa were left with their new daughter. Free of all the people, the three held each other and Cassie and quietly let the tears flow from their eyes. They were so pleased with their family.
Of course, the staff at the birth center didn’t let them just lie in bed. Lisa needed to get up and walk around. She’d had a natural birth, so there were no tubes or wires attached to either her or Cassie. They walked to a small dining room where they were served a good meal and were then allowed to return to the room, which had been changed and made up for the night instead of for the birth. There was a cradle next to the bed. They’d need to decide later whether they slept with the baby in their bed or if she would be in the cradle.
Chastity intended to leave and go home, so she wouldn’t wake up in the same bed or room. Eventually, though, she couldn’t bring herself to go.
“I might have to ... um ... slip out early in the morning, but I can’t bring myself to leave my beautiful family,” she said.
“You know you are always welcome for as long as you can stand it,” Lisa whispered, kissing her girlfriend.
“I’m getting better,” Chastity said. “I don’t wake up in a panic most mornings. Just ... if I go off the deep end in my sleep, push me out of bed.”
“We love you, Chas,” Henry said. “I’m so glad you are part of our family.”
All three new parents stripped off their clothes and pushed into the small but comfortable bed. The birthing rooms were set up like residential bedrooms and most fathers stayed with new mothers overnight. Cassie was in the cradle next to Henry’s side of the bed and he would be the one to get up in the night if Cassie cried.
After the pediatrician visited on Friday morning, the family checked out of the birth center. Germaine was there with the larger van from the company to take the family and all the items they’d brought with them home.
Once at the row house, Sylvia and Jackie took charge of the family and made sure they were all settled in their suite. They made lunch and got to hold little Cassie while the three ate.
“How are you feeling, baby girl?” Jackie asked her daughter.
“Oh, Mom. Your baby has a baby!” Lisa responded. “Isn’t she beautiful?”
“Yes, she is. But now I’m more concerned about my baby. Your delivery was fast, but sometimes that can be more exhausting for a mother than a birth that takes days.”
“I’m feeling pretty good,” Lisa said. “I’m tired, I guess, but still filled with a kind of euphoria. Cassie drank her fill from me this morning. I can’t believe I’m feeding a human being from my breasts!”
“Do you have a pump?” Sylvia asked.
“A pump?”
“If she’s eating heartily, you’ll increase your production. Then you’ll end up having to pump any time she doesn’t finish things up. It’s also handy to put in bottle bags for emergencies and times when you aren’t available to nurse her. You know, you might want to take Chas to a movie and leave Cassie with Henry,” Sylvia concluded.
“You mean she won’t be attached to a nipple 24/7 for the next eighteen years?” Lisa laughed. “Henry, love, I think we need more things from Baby Landing. And have we asked them to start the diaper service?”
“I called about diapers this morning before we left the birth center,” Chastity said. “First delivery should be here about three o’clock.”
“I think she’ll do okay with the disposables until then,” Lisa said.
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