First Born

Several months had passed, and things hadn't gotten easier for Camilla. Steven drank every day. He had even gone to work drunk and received various warnings for being drunk on duty.

By now, Camilla was in the last month of her pregnancy. Money struggles were real for the couple due to Steven's drinking. Camilla hoped that once the baby came, he would stop drinking and step up to being a dad.

At 4 one morning, Camilla awoke to the feeling of wanting to use the bathroom, but as she arose, everything on the bed was soaked through. She went to the bathroom, but she still couldn't stop. Eventually, she called for her husband, who was still hung over from the night before.

"Steven, please get the car!" She yelled, knowing it was going to be difficult for him to wake up. "Steven, can you get up, I need to get to the hospital now!" she yelled again.

In a groggy state, he said to her, "Just get some more sleep. It's okay, you'll be fine."

Steven hadn't realized his wife's water had broken until he shifted to her side of the bed and felt the wetness. He jumped up and realized then what she was shouting at him for. At the realization that his wife was in labour, he called the doctor and informed her that they were on the way to the hospital.

The procedure was very long. Camilla wanted to give birth naturally. After 12 that afternoon, the doctor suggested an induction as there had been no further progress on the birthing.

At 7 p.m. that night, a beautiful baby boy was born to Steven and Camilla. They had already picked out a name for their son.

Marshall Middleton weighed only 2.8 kilograms at birth. Camilla cried at the sight of her son, "He's beautiful," she smiled through the tears.

It had been a long, exhausting labour, and she just wanted to sleep. Steven allowed her to go back to the ward and get some sleep while he went and marvelled over his son until the next morning.

Around 5 the following morning, Steven and the nurse took baby Middleton to the room where Camilla was resting. She sat up and took her baby in her arms. "He ate well through the night," both Steven and the sister informed her. Camilla was elated. She couldn't wait to get home and get proper rest with her child.

"The doctor will be here shortly to check up on you and baby, then he will give you your discharge papers," the sister informed them.

After being released from the hospital, the couple, with their newborn, went straight home. Camilla wanted to sit up, but Steven assured her that she needed the rest.

Family and friends came to visit over the next few days. Camilla felt like she was in the honeymoon phase all over again, with her husband doting on her and helping her with everything. Sadly, this didn't last too long.

About a month after Marshall was born, Steven went back to his old antics. Camilla had to get back to work, so they had Camilla's aunt look after him. Camilla didn't want to put him in child care just yet. She didn't feel he was ready for that.

Camilla was going to work every day now, and after work, she would go fetch her son and go home, bathe Marshall, feed him, and get him ready for bed. While he was asleep, she would then put the food on for dinner while cleaning up the place.

Camilla was exhausted and felt like a train had hit her. Exhausted in the evening, she didn't feel like doing much. Steven would get home drunk as usual some night. Other nights, he would come home, shower, take out the trash, and head to the bar. Leaving her alone at home to deal with the baby.

Things at home started to flare up. The more she had to do and take care of, the more tired Camilla got. It wasn't easy holding down a full-time job, being a full-time wife, homemaker, and mother, plus having a husband who did the bare minimum to support his wife.

One day, Camilla broke down crying. "Steven, this can't continue. You need to be here more for me and your son!" she yelled, "I can't do it all by myself!"

Steven just looked at his wife and retorted, "I'm going out. I don't know when I will be back."

"Steven!" she said in exasperation, "it's the weekend, you don't need to go to work, you don't work on weekends."

"No, you are right, I don't work weekends, but I have a client to see today for the company," he responded half willingly. Camilla didn't say anything. Steven got in the car, and off he went. Little did Camilla know that this client was a female, but this meeting wasn't business.

At 2 a.m., the next morning, Camilla sat staring at the phone and clock. She'd been up all night waiting for her husband to come home.

Earlier in the evening, he had told her that the boss had taken him and the client out to dinner and that she shouldn't wait up, but later that evening Steven had not answered any of her numerous calls, and she was in a state of panic. "Where was he?" she wondered, "Just how long would he be before getting home?

It was just a few hours until Camilla had to get up and go to work. She was exhausted and had not slept a wink all night. Half beside herself, she cried intermittently, praying that he was safe and that he would return home soon.

As the time ticked away, the minutes seemed like hours. She listened to the local radio news for any information on road accidents, praying that none of them were her husband.