Chapter 1- 2013
I was woken abruptly on the 4th of June by a harsh, loud ringing from nearby. I didn't move, I felt the bed rise as Nick sat up to get the phone. The baby that was inside me, due in a week, was awake too, and moved slowly, it was a strange feeling and sometimes it was uncomfortable, but not always. It wasn't tonight.
"Hello?
Seriously? Jesus, Jenny's asleep, OK, yeah Ill be there, Ill leave her a message!"
And he hung up, apparently its very irritating to only hear one side of a conversation.
He stood up and went to get some jeans and a tee-shirt. I sat up quietly and he jumped a foot in the air as I spoke.
"Whats happened? Where are you going?"
"Shit, Jenny, I didn't know you were awake, Abby's gone into labour, she's having the baby!" Nick said, looking excited and bouncing on his heels.
"Gosh, if this is what you're like when its your friends baby, I cant wait to see what you're like with ours" I smiled at him.
"Connor wants us at the hospital, are you up for it?" I nodded and stood up, only to immediately sit back down when my baby kicked my rib and wedged it's foot between two of them. I prodded my stomach and it moved its foot.
I despised referring to my child as it but I'd refused to find out the sex, well, Nick had convinced me not too.
He made to walk forwards, but I smiled reassuringly at him, "I'm fine, baby's fine, don't worry, I just moved too quickly!" I assured him, and I stood up slowly this time, making sure not to wince as the baby kicked again.
I dressed simply, as I had been doing for a while, just jeans a white shirt and white boots now.
We were out of the house in ten minutes, after I'd quickly raked a comb through my hair and we'd left food for the cats in case we weren't back for a while.
My Angel, the pure white cat we had, was pregnant too, Pepper, the pure black tom cat we owned, was almost as excited as Nick was and as Connor had been, or he looked it.
Nick drove frantically, there was almost no traffic and we were both incredibly awake.
We raced through the hospital and I gained a few panicked looks from a few nurses and a doctor stopped me to ask weather I was in labour.
"No, but one of my best friends is!" I said, "Can you tell me which room Abigail Sarah Temple is in, please?" I asked, frantic.
He pointed us in the right direction and we raced down another three corridors.
Sarah and Danny were already there, sat together, hand in hand, Danny beaming, Sarah on the edge of her seat.
Two weeks ago, after months of trying, no complaints on Danny's side, Sarah had been to her doctor and he had pronounced her pregnant, Sarah had actually thrown a party because she was that happy.
Sarah had been desperate to become a mother and me and Abby being pregnant at the same time hadn't exactly helped that.
Sarah was three months pregnant and was due late December time.
"We're hoping for a Christmas baby!" She had announced the last time I'd been around, which was barely ten hours ago.
I sighed, children had absolutely no consideration for their parents sleep.
I yawned, sleep creeping back, but I fought it as Nick steered me towards a chair.
I had a sudden need for the bathroom, but I had barely stood up before I felt a gush of liquid down my legs.
"Jenny…was that your…'' Nick said, staring at me like I'd just given him the shock of his life. .
"Nick…" I whimpered back, Sarah was looking dumbfounded and Danny was at a loss.
"Nick, I think I'm having the baby!" I said it slowly, and realization washed over me.
"Nick, I'm having the baby!" I screamed at him, and he rushed towards the nurse that was stood close by as I just stood there, my hands held out in front of me.
Nick was back in seconds, with a chair. He was wheeling me towards a nearby room.
My stomach suddenly convulsed and I momentarily had the breath knocked out of me.
I gasped for air as another contraction hit me seconds later, and again…and again!
I felt Nick close to me, I felt him squeeze my hand, and I felt the pain…Jesus, people did not over exaggerate this stuff!
I suddenly remembered the breathing that the baby person had taught me.
"He, he, hoo, hoo!" Nick chimed with me and I laughed as he looked more shocked and scared than I did.
I kissed him, but gasped as another contraction hit me.
I didn't scream those first few times.
I heard the cry of a nearby baby and wondered idly weather it was the sound of Connor and Abby's baby coming into the world.
Then, I was only aware of pain, as my baby fought his or her way towards the world.
I heard one of the nurses say something, it sounded like "Nine inches!"
"OK, ready to push?" Another nurse asked me, I nodded, and Nick stroked my hair from my head, I hadn't realized I'd been sweating so much.
One push, Two Push, Three Pushes…
"I can see the head, Come on now, Jenny, another big push and that's all the hard work done!" A third nurse who was at my feet said, calmly.
I gave another push, the hardest yet, and I heard a cry, the most beautiful sound in the world.
"It's a girl!" I heard Nick whisper, close to my ear.
"A girl? My little girl!" I said, weeping now.
The nurse handed my baby to me, she was beautiful, she looked up at me with big, green eyes, I wondered idly where those had come from. She was the most beautiful thing in the world. Even though we hadn't had found out the sex, we'd still had names ready.
"Hello, my little Lydia Abby Cutter!" I spoke quietly to her, Nick just stood and looked at us.
A few minutes later, a fourth nurse came over and told me that they had to clean my little princess up.
"OK, but bring her back to me soon!" I said, quietly.
Nick went to tell Sarah and Danny.
I rested my head on a pillow and thought back over the past few months.
I'd been so worried, worried about how much of a crappy mother I'd make, and worried weather or not Nick and I were ready for a child, but now I knew that nothing was going to go wrong, she was my baby, mine and Nicks, and nothing was ever going to come between that.
My very own precious little family. A few minutes later, Nick came back in and announced that Connor was a father to a little boy, a little James Nicolas Temple. I told my Lydia this, she seemed quite pleased.
