Lifehack
It all seemed like a pretty average day at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, with workers preparing for a long, hard and busy day, getting travellers to their various destinations; but by now you’d be right in thinking that something quite extraordinary happened next, because it did!
One of the workers at the gates happened to spot a soldier in a combat uniform sitting all by himself, with his eyes glued to his phone. Nothing unusual about that, you’d have thought? Well, just as a worker approached him, he began to cry hysterically, which opened the flood gates to one of the worst days and best days of this man’s life.
Meet the Couple
The man in question was Brooks Lindsey. In 2015, he was living a quiet life with his wife, Haley Wilson, in their hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. From the very first moment they met, they fell head over heels in love with each other and no-one could prise them apart, however hard they might try.
All her life long, Lindsey had dreamt of joining the US army as a soldier. It was only when he found himself married to Haley, his darling wife by his side, that his dream came true and he was accepted into the army. Although still quite young, Lindsey and Wilson just couldn’t wait to start a family of their own. However, a short while after they had tied the knot, the couple received some of the biggest news of their lives.
A Fantastic Surprise
When Brooks and Haley Lindsey got married in November 2017, they had no idea at all that Haley was pregnant with their first child. But as soon as they found out, they couldn’t contain their joy at this unexpected news. What news could be better!
With huge excitement, they shared this wonderful news with their family and friends, and it was apparent to everyone that they just couldn’t wait for the nine months to be over so that they could hold in their arms their little bundle of joy. After one of the ultrasound scans, Haley and Brooks went straight into preparation mode, having been told the beautiful news that Haley was carrying a baby girl.
Time to Serve
However, to his dismay, it was Brooks’ country that needed him, when all he really wanted was to stay at home with his wife to support her fully throughout her pregnancy. As you will already know, he was in the army and after he joined, Brooks became a member of the 2nd Battalion, 114th Field Artillery Regiment.
His job in the army meant that he was to report to Fort Bliss, Texas, for training, and after that, be deployed to Kuwait for a nine-month tour. Brooks definitely wasn’t ready to kiss his wife and unborn daughter goodbye, but there was absolutely nothing he could do. Duty called. The dad-to-be began to prepare for his shipment, unsure whether he would be able to be present at the birth of his already much-beloved baby daughter.
Time to Leave
Finally, the day arrived for Brooks to leave for Texas. He kissed goodbye his seven-months-pregnant wife, Haley, and made the trip to the airport to board his flight. While they were immensely sad to be separated, the couple completely understood how important it was for Brooks to serve his country.
It was a sacrifice they both had to make but they still held out hope in their hearts that they might find a way for Brooks to witness the birth of his daughter, but just in case he couldn’t get back, the couple made sure, ahead of time, to choose a name for their daughter. She would be called Millie. It seemed to them quite straightforward, how things would pan out, but, at this point, the couple had absolutely no clue where their journey would lead them.
Growing Strong and Healthy
As the days went by, Haley’s pregnancy continued to progress. Apart from a little bit of high blood pressure, which was quickly brought under control, everything seemed to be going along nicely, and she, herself, was doing well. Above all, little Millie was growing into a strong and healthy baby, which was exactly as it should be.
Although Haley wished so much that Brooks could be there with her so that he, too, could see his baby girl, she knew he had done the right thing by obediently answering the call of duty. Meanwhile, Haley and the rest of her family were anxiously counting down the days to Millie’s arrival. By now, she had only a few weeks left until she would be holding her daughter for the very first time.
Planning Ahead
Sadly, not many soldiers are given permission to return home to witness the birth of their kids. To begin with, The Red Cross would need to have approved the case, declaring the soldier’s leave justified, but that is a task that is actually much more complicated than it sounds, which is why it is not something that happens on a regular basis.
“Brooks and I have been practising my call to The Red Cross because we heard it was really hard to get men home for their kids’ births, and we were told that the only way it could actually work would be if I were in some distress,” Haley said. So, while they really wanted Brooks to come home for Millie’s birth, it really didn’t seem possible.
A Not So Welcome Change
However, things were about to change drastically for the couple. On one of her routine visits to the doctor, one Thursday morning, Haley received some shocking news. Upon Haley’s arrival at her doctor’s surgery, she underwent her usual check-up… but to her great astonishment, her blood pressure had risen extremely high.
The doctor had some troubling news to give her. He told Haley that it was highly likely that little Millie was experiencing difficulties in the womb, and so he immediately ordered some comprehensive blood tests to be done to ensure there were no complications. He wasn’t going to take any risks.
The Wait
In the meantime, he sent her home, pending the results of the tests. Naturally, Haley became extremely anxious, fearing there might be something badly wrong with her precious unborn child. At the same time, this unexpected news could mean that Brooks would now have a reason to come home. Then, all of a sudden, the phone began to ring.
As Haley waited anxiously for the test results to come through, you can all too easily imagine the possible scenarios racing through her mind. However, only an hour after she got home from her appointment, she received a phone call. She was shocked by what she heard.
A Tough Situation
“After telling Brooks there was no hope of him getting home, my doctor told me my blood pressure was sky-high, that the baby was in distress, and that I was pre-eclamptic,” Haley remembered. It couldn’t have been a more worrying catalogue of complications for both Haley and the baby.
Pre-eclamptic means the mother-to-be has very high blood pressure, which then starts to affect and damage other organs, such as the liver and kidneys…and, most unfortunately, Haley’s medical profile ticked all of these boxes. However, Haley was more concerned for her baby than for herself. Milly was in harm’s way and something had to be done urgently and quickly!
Final Call
The doctor decided it was best not to wait until her pregnancy reached full-term; Haley must be induced immediately. “She told me to be at the hospital within the hour, that they would go ahead and induce,” Haley recalled. At that moment, all that mattered was the safety of the mother and her child.
Nonetheless, Brooks had to be filled in on what was happening. She said, “I called frantically Brooks, but instead of expressing panic about the implications of all this, he was crazily excited!” This news now meant Brooks was eligible for emergency leave, so that he could witness Millie’s birth. However, before he could actually begin his journey home, Brooks had first to be granted emergency leave by the Red Cross.
What About Brooks?
Immediately after Haley informed Brooks of her situation, he told her to call the Red Cross and tell them too. “I then went on to call The Red Cross and let them know it was indeed an emergency, and they said that all they needed was clarification from my doctor. I was to get to the hospital for 3 pm Thursday, and they would confirm my state,” Haley explained.
As soon as The Red Cross confirmed Haley’s condition, they quickly granted Brooks emergency leave. Although he was elated about going home and seeing his wife and child, he was also worried about their fragile condition, but what he didn’t know was that the coming days would lead to the biggest heartache of his life but also result in the greatest joy he’d ever experienced.
Finding a Flight
At long last, the time came for Brooks to return home. While he felt bad that he couldn’t be beside his wife when she needed him most, he tried his utmost to get home as quickly as possible. Yet everyone knows how challenging air travel can be sometimes. Brooks first needed to source the quickest and shortest flight from El Paso to Jackson.
Whatever Is Available
When Haley learned her husband might not get back home on time, she was heartbroken. She knew there was a good chance he would miss the birth. “I was sure that we would already have a baby by [the time he arrived]! But at least he gets to come home for 4 days so I was taking whatever I could get,” Haley recalled.
Meanwhile, the soldier kept on trying to find an earlier flight, but there weren’t any. It felt like the odds were stacked against the couple, and by the time Brooks would make it home, Millie would have long been born. Sadly, this was just the beginning of what would turn out to be a roller-coaster ride for them.
Her Water Broke
While a very pregnant Haley waited in the hospital, Brooks was stuck in the airport. And the next morning, her waters broke.“Friday morning my waters broke at 7 a.m., and Pitocin (a drug used to induce labour) began,” Haley said later.
At the same time, Brooks had just arrived at the El Paso airport, all set to board the 10 a.m. flight to Dallas. Everything was going very smoothly on both ends and Brooks only had to wait a short while at security before boarding the plane. If only he knew, just how bad things were going to go next…but he was oblivious.
Looking Bad
Brooks landed in Dallas at about 2 p.m. Then he immediately called Haley to see how she was doing, whether she was in labour. The doctor informed Brooks that his wife was five centimetres dilated already. It didn’t seem like he would make it home in time after all!
Things went on a downward spiral after that. Brooks’ next flight was delayed, with the take-off time-shifted from 3:55 p.m to 5:45 p.m. To Brooks, that was the final blow. With this unexpected delay, there was just no way he would be able to witness his baby daughter make her entrance into the world. He was utterly crestfallen.
Secretly FaceTiming
The doctor had warned everyone present at Haley’s delivery not to record anything that went on inside the delivery room. But there was no way, my mother in law, Teresa was just going to stand there and let this once-in-a-lifetime moment slip past her son. So, she proceeded to act against the doctor’s warning and started dialling numbers on her phone.
“My mother in law secretly FaceTimed Brooks and shoved the phone into the front of her shirt,” Haley remembered. Ultimately, that was the only way Brooks would be able to see his daughter come into the world. However, not long afterwards, the doctor noticed what Teresa was doing and asked her about the camera.
Pull The Phone Out!”
Halfway through Haley’s delivery, the doctor noticed Teresa behaving quite strangely. Then he asked her what she was doing. “When I began to push, the doctor asked what she was doing, and she showed my doctor Brooks’ face on the screen, and she realised what was going on,” Haley said.
Apparently, it was a different doctor who had told them not to record the birth, one who didn’t know about the family’s situation. “My doctor told her to pull the phone out and show him what was going on,” Hayley later said. Back at the airport, Brooks was astounded. He was actually being enabled to watch his wife give birth to their beloved daughter. The wonders of modern technology!
Being There for His Family
After the doctor gave Teresa the green light to FaceTime the birth, Brooks began to speak up and support his wife as though he were actually in the delivery room with her. “Brooks was telling me it was okay, and I was doing so good, and I heard him wincing and saying ‘wow!’ through my pushes,” Haley remembered.
In the course of all of this, Brooks suddenly realised it, it was time to board his flight to Jackson, although, understandably, he was still glued to his phone’s screen. The moment they had been waiting for, for months, had finally arrived. Overwhelmed with joy, this very new dad broke down into tears, and it was at that precise moment that he noticed airport personnel approaching him.
One Passenger Remaining
As is routine, a member of staff started making the final boarding call for the last passengers flying to Jackson. However, since Brooks was so totally caught up in the moment, he had missed the announcements. One of the employees hurriedly went up to him and politely urged him to board the plane. If not, he’d miss his flight back home.
“Brooks then went on to say that they were making him board and needed to get off the phone as soon as his tiny daugher’s head finally started to crown,” Haley recalled. However, there were other travellers who had noticed the soldier, and they tried their best to get the flight delayed a while longer. One person even ran up to the flight team and requested that they postpone departure.
Don’t Let Him Board!”
The soldier was on the brink of bowing to pressure and ending the call when the doctor screamed: “Don’t let him board the flight! She’s here! She’s here!” And instantly, Brooks’ tears turned into the biggest, most heartfelt smile, you could ever imagine. Fortunately, “the airport personnel let him sit there and watch till it was over,” Haley said.
Millie Fritz Anne Lindsey arrived at 5:23 p.m. This gave her dad enough time to catch his flight home to kiss and hold her for the very first time. Word about the brand new father quickly spread in the airport and Brooks was soon surrounded by well-wishers. What’s more, the airport’s workers later said these good vibes lingered in the terminal for the rest of the day, long after Brooks’ had flown home.
Everyone Erupted Into Cheers
He may have been alone when he arrived at the airport, but fortunately, Brooks didn’t leave alone. As a fellow-passenger recalled: “There was a whole crowd of us around him. We all felt like we were part of the family. And when that baby was born, and we could hear it crying, it was just amazing.”
“Everybody was just beside themselves with excitement,” another passenger added. Miles away, Haley could hear people at the airport cheering. It must have been the sweetest and most touching scene to experience. Also, Brooks was actually thankful his flight had been delayed and felt it was a blessing in disguise.
A Special Time with Baby Millie
During the following four days, Brooks spent his time learning how to change diapers, taking photographs, and wake up in the middle of the night to give Haley a hand with Millie. While some may loathe this, Brooks enjoyed every bit of his labour of love. He was essentially having the time of his life.
However, the couple had another big surprise awaiting them — their story had gone viral. “He told me about the people on his flight cheering and watching, and I told him it would be crazy if Ellen called,” Haley joked. The couple woke up the next morning to discover Brooks was trending online.
A Secret Recording
One of Brooks’ fellow passengers, Tracy Dover, had been deeply touched by his story. Therefore, she decided to record Brooks as he watched his wife give to birth. After the trip, Dover uploaded the video on Facebook, and unexpectedly, it went viral in the space of a few hours… it was incredible.
“This Army soldier was on my delayed flight home yesterday to MS,” Dover wrote. “He had to watch the birth of his daughter on FaceTime. He was crying, and our hearts were breaking. We all gave him space. When we heard the baby cry, we all rejoiced with him. I wanted to share this because I never want us to forget about our soldiers who serve us every day and the sacrifices they make.”
A Big Hit
The heartwarming video of the soldier watching his baby being born melted hearts the world over. “The next morning, we woke up to someone telling us to check Facebook where we had over 1,000 shares and 20,000 likes. We thought that was it but NO WAY it’s still going strong!” Haley recalled.
Recalling the emotional event at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, Brooks explained that he was unaware he was being filmed. “I was just in my own little zone,” he said. “My only intention was to get home to see my daughter being born, but it turned into something much more than we ever anticipated.”
Loads of Lovely Messages
Both Haley and Brooks were astonished by the multitude of warm wishes they received from strangers. Haley stated: “I have the sweetest messages, and I also have other military wives and mothers messaging me about how I got in touch with Red Cross and got him home and whether I had any tips to give them.”
“We had random people bringing gifts to our rooms and nurses coming in and thanking Brooks for his service! It has been an amazing, emotional time full of so much support!” she added. The Lindseys also received a congratulatory message on Facebook from Brooks’ regiment. They included a sweet photo of him and little Millie.
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