Read Novel Full Chapter 1223: Take Her Place In A Heartbeat
Chapter 1223: Take Her Place In A Heartbeat
With the help of Su Shen and the attending doctor, Gu Zi was carefully eased onto the rolling gurney.
The short journey from home had already left her drained. Sweat clung to her brow in glistening beads, sliding down her face like rain on a windowpane. Her lips pressed tightly together as low, pained murmurs escaped—quiet yet agonizing—each one cutting straight through Su Shen’s heart.
The medical staff began briskly wheeling the gurney toward the delivery room, moving with all the urgency of a Code Red emergency.
Su Shen followed immediately, refusing to let even an inch form between them. Behind him trailed Su Jing and the three children, all struggling to keep up with the momentum.
But Su Shen’s eyes never left Gu Zi. Not once. He stared at her as though she might vanish the moment he blinked—as if she were a dream threatening to dissolve. For a brief, surreal moment, he couldn’t even distinguish whether this was reality or another one of those haunting nightmares where she went into labor and he was helpless to protect her.
Then came the nurse—stern, no-nonsense, and definitely not in the mood for dramatics. She extended an arm to block him. “Sir, you’ll have to wait outside.”
The words snapped him back like a rubber band to the present. Su Shen blinked and finally registered the bright red sign above the doors: “Delivery Room—Authorized Personnel Only.”
Right. This was the boundary line. From here on, he couldn’t go with her.
For the first time in his life, Su Shen understood what it meant to feel utterly powerless. He couldn’t follow her. He couldn’t ease her pain. He couldn’t fight for her. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides.
A wave of frustration and helplessness washed over him, swallowing him whole. If there were any justice in the world, he would have taken her place in a heartbeat. It was all his fault anyway. Why did he let this happen? Why did he let her get pregnant?
A leaden weight pressed on his chest, every heartbeat heavy and aching. Su Jing, watching him unravel like a schoolboy who’d lost his puppy, finally stepped forward.
“Brother, you have to pull yourself together,” she said gently. “Don’t panic. Gu Zi is our lucky star. The baby will be born safely, you’ll see.”
Su Shen inhaled sharply, his breath shaky but steadying. He gave her a faint nod, forcing himself to quiet the turmoil within. He wasn’t particularly religious, but in that moment, he found himself whispering silent prayers to every deity he’d ever heard of, begging them all for a safe delivery.
But barely a few minutes had passed when the anxiety started creeping back, invasive and insidious. His mind flashed back to a memory from his military hospital days—one he had buried deep. A soldier’s wife had gone into labor, but complications arose. By the time her husband arrived, there was only tragedy: both mother and child, gone.
The memory was a knife slicing through his composure.
Childbirth, they said, was like stepping through death’s doorway and hoping you could find your way back. That horrifying thought took root in his chest like a parasite, and he could no longer sit still. He stood up and began pacing the sterile corridor, murmuring under his breath with increasing desperation, “Please, God. Please let them be safe. Please…”
Meanwhile, inside the delivery room, Gu Zi was breathing as instructed, deep and rhythmic, following the doctor’s voice like a metronome.
After a few minutes, the pain began to shift, becoming more tolerable. Unpleasant, yes, but not unbearable. Nothing like the screaming dramatics she’d seen in TV dramas where women howled like banshees.
Then came the next instruction.
“Alright, push now! Let the pelvis contract steadily. Follow my count. One, two, three…!”
Gu Zi did as she was told, albeit a little confused. Wait—was it really happening already? Weren’t first-time moms supposed to be in labor for hours? Days, even? She had been mentally prepared for a marathon, not a sprint.
Before she could overthink it, the doctor’s voice cut in again.
“Breathe! Breathe gently—small breaths. No need for gasping. Relax your pelvic floor… let your body do the work…”
Snapping out of her daze, Gu Zi nodded and followed the instructions, trying to keep her body loose. But then came that final, ripping pain—a bolt of lightning surging through her lower abdomen—and she let out a sharp cry.
That was it.
“It’s out! Baby’s out!” the doctor announced jubilantly. “Big, healthy boy—my goodness, you have incredible genetics! I haven’t seen a delivery this smooth in years.”
Gu Zi exhaled, her body going slack with relief. It was done. She had become a mother. Just like that. And oh, that final pain? Totally worth it. Whether boy or girl didn’t matter—this was her baby, and she was going to love them with everything she had.
She raised her head, eager to catch a glimpse of the tiny human she’d just brought into the world, but noticed the doctor’s expression stiffen slightly.
“Hm. This little guy’s quiet. Not a peep!” the doctor muttered, more amused than alarmed. “Come on now, time to let your Mommy know you’re here.” Gently but swiftly, she cradled the baby and gave his tiny bottom a firm little pat.
“Waaa—!”
The sharp, clear cry cut through the hush like a trumpet announcing victory.
The doctor smiled and carried the newborn over to Gu Zi. “Here’s your little prince.”
And there he was.
A plump, rosy-cheeked baby boy—none of that scrunched-up, alien-like newborn look. His skin was soft and luminous, his cheeks round as peaches, and not a single wrinkle in sight. Quite frankly, he looked like he belonged on the cover of a luxury baby brand catalog.
Gu Zi stared at him, utterly mesmerized. Her eyes welled up with tears, but a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. It was joy—pure, overwhelming joy. The kind that cracked open your chest and filled your soul. This, she realized, was the magic of motherhood.