Married at First Sight – Episode 88
Summer refused the ambulance Christian summoned from half a block away because the hospital stood ten minutes down the road and her doctor had already approved the car.
He canceled it, retrieved the bags, and drove with exaggerated obedience to every traffic law.
At the secured maternity entrance, staff verified Summer’s identity by voice, wristband, and a question only she had selected. The precautions felt different now because she had helped design them.
Labor unfolded slowly. Christian counted contractions until Summer threatened to throw the timer through a window.
He put it away and offered his hand. She squeezed hard enough to leave crescent marks in his skin.
Fiona and Diane waited together. Grandma Norton attempted to command the waiting room television and was overruled by a nurse half her age.
Alexander remained near the exit, where open space helped him breathe. Victoria sent flowers without entering the hospital.
Jess arrived carrying the first printed proof of Summer’s novel and wisely kept it outside the delivery room.
Hours later, the doctor warned that Lily’s heart rate was dropping during contractions. A surgical delivery might become necessary.
Christian’s fear sharpened, but he did not answer for Summer. The doctor explained the options directly to her.
Summer chose to continue briefly under close monitoring, with clear conditions for changing course. When the heart rate fell again, she consented to surgery.
The operating room lights recalled too many Continuum laboratories. Christian named every person who entered and repeated that Summer could ask them to stop.
She held his gaze while anesthesia took effect. This room contained risk, but it also contained consent.
Lily was delivered minutes later with a furious cry. The sound broke something open in both parents.
The nurse showed Summer the identification bracelet before fastening it, then placed Lily against her chest.
Christian touched one tiny foot and cried without restraint. He did not call her an heir.
Summer studied the face of a person MIRROR had tried to classify before birth. Lily looked like no prediction, only herself.
After recovery, their families entered one at a time according to Summer’s list. Grandma Norton asked permission before holding her great-granddaughter.
Alexander stood beside the bassinet and whispered Caleb’s name once—not as a burden placed on Lily, but as proof that memory and future could share a room.
When everyone left, Christian unfolded their old marriage certificate beside Lily’s crib and asked Summer if she would still choose him now that there was no contract left to fulfill.