Camp Caughnawaga
(I have rewritten this story- eliminating the mob element- to make this a story of teenagers meeting at camp and how their meeting changed their lives).
Dante/Lulu AU that begins with the birth of Dante and Lulu's baby girl-as Dante is overwhelmed with joy over the newest member of the Falconeri clan, he shares how it all started when a hazel-eyed, blond-haired girl showed up at camp and stole his heart.)
Present Day, General Hospital
"Breathe, baby. Hee, Hee, Hee...Huh, Huh, Huh," Dante sounded out, practicing the breathing techniques that he had learned with Lulu, while she stared at him with sweat pouring down her face, shooting daggers at him.
"Are you sure that this is normal?" Dante said, turning to Dr. Lee, "It doesn't seem to be working. Maybe something is wrong. Shouldn't you be doing something? Maybe give her something for the pain," Dante told the obstetrician.
"Honey, think beautiful things- the pier overlooking the water...um, the first Yankees game I took you to...oh, I know, that tree where we met for the first time," he said looking at Lulu with worry, as she squeezed his hand once again, cutting off all circulation in his body.
"Dante?" Lulu asked him, as he leaned in closer, "What is it baby? Whatever you need, you just tell me?" he said taking a cloth and wiping her brow.
"I wish I had NEVER met you! I am too young for this shit. Oh My God, here comes another one. I changed my mind, give me a fucking epidural!" she shouted nearly into his ear, as Dante jumped back, with a look of horror on his face, the contraction hitting Lulu so hard that her body jerked upwards.
"THAT is not normal, Dr. Lee!" Dante yelled, frantically, wondering where the hell his sweet Lulu had gone.
"We're almost there, Lulu. Nice and easy. I can just see the baby's head," Dr. Lee said, from a crouched position, between Lulu's legs.
"Baby, that hurts, don't squeeze so hard," Dante told her, trying to retrieve his hand from her grasp.
"That hurts! Why don't you try squeezing something the size of a watermelon out of a hole the size of a lemon! Then, you can complain!"
"Lulu, women have been doing this for centuries. You're doing fine," Dr. Lee said, trying to reassure her.
"See, baby, there's nothing to scream about. You're doing great!" Dante answered, as both women shouted in unison, "SHUT UP!"
Lulu released his hand and Dante stepped back, the feeling once again returning.
Jesus, he thought to himself, he had thought the hormones were bad when Lulu was carrying for nine months, but this...They should tell expectant fathers about this.
"Hee...Hee..Hee...Huh...Huh...Huh.," Lulu breathed quicker, as the contractions became closer and Lulu's fist gripped the sheets beneath her, "Oh God, " Lulu shouted, as a wave of pain hit her and she instinctively wanted to push to expel it.
"That's it. Yes. Push, Lulu. Come on. Almost," Dr. Lee said excited, as she reached down, guiding the baby's head gently from Lulu and reaching for the shoulders.
Dante walked slowly toward Dr. Lee, wanting to catch a glimpse of the miracle that Lulu and he had made. Dr. Lee leaned over Lulu and he had to step on the tips of his toes to get a look. She had her hands wrapped around something, "OH MY GOD."
"WHAT THE HELL is that?" Dante shouted, jumping back toward the wall.
"Ok, THAT should be in the book, Dr. Lee!" Dante yelled, shaking his head to dispel the vision of a bloody ball coming at him, like something straight out of a horror movie.
He heard Lulu scream and then drop to the bed exhausted, as he raced to her side. They both heard the sound of their baby cry, glancing at each other with tears in their eyes and huge grins spread across their faces, as they both looked expectantly at Dr. Lee for confirmation.
"It's a girl," Dr. Lee said, after cutting the umbilical cord and placing her in swaddling, handing her to the nurse on duty, who carried her to Lulu's waiting arms.
"A girl, you're sure? Dante, we did it." Lulu exclaimed, as her baby girl was placed in her arms and she smelled her perfect scent.
"No, baby you did it!" Dante answered softly, kissing her on the forehead, as tears streamed down his face.
"She's perfect. Look, Dante. Her fingers and her toes," Lulu cried, her voice choked with tears.
"I know, ten," Dante counted, using his hands to touch each and every one of his daughter's fingers and toes. She had a grip like her mama's, Dante thought, smiling.
"Dante," Lulu whispered, as exhaustion began to take hold and a nurse came to take her baby girl from her arms, "Here, let me get her settled," she cooed, walking away and murmuring to their baby.
"What is it, Lulu?" Dante asked her, kissing her softly on the lips.
"I like Gemma," she answered, collapsing from exhaustion.
"Gemma," Dante smiled, "Yeah, I like that too, honey. Gemma Rose Falconeri."
Lulu awakened to her body's aches, as Epiphany stood next to her monitor, glancing at her chart.
"You're awake. Someone is going to be very pleased to meet you," she said, looking at Lulu, as she turned to her husband asleep in a nearby chair.
"He looks exhausted," Lulu answered, smiling at how sexy and amazing he was even in sleep.
"The fool refused to rest until he knew that you were ok. He was out as soon as his head hit the pillow," she told her, "Do you want me to wake him?"
"No, let him sleep. Can I see her?" Lulu whispered, wanting to hold her baby in her arms.
"Do you want to see your, Mommy?" Epiphany cooed to the baby cradled in her arms, as she walked toward Lulu.
"I must be a sight to see, huh?" Lulu said, as Epiphany placed her daughter in her arms, "Hi, baby. It's your mommy."
"Lulu?" Dante said, awakening from his nap.
"Hey, daddy. Why don't you come say hello to your daughter," Lulu told him, grinning, as he bolted from the chair and stood next to the side of the bed.
"Oh, god she is so beautiful. Both of you are. Hi Gemma," Dante cooed, smiling down at his baby girl.
"Oh, Dante, look, she has your hair," Lulu laughed, noticing the full head of dark brown hair atop her daughter's head.
Dante leaned over Lulu, as tears of joy continued to stream down his face, "Honey, she's got your eyes," he exclaimed, kissing the top of Lulu's head and then the crown of his new baby girl's.
"She's so tiny," Dante questioned, in wonder, amazed at how perfect she was. His baby girl opened her eyes just then and two small, hazel eyes stared back, with a questioning look of their own.
"Hi, princess, it's your daddy," he told her, as she blinked multiple times and her mouth dribbled.
…...
Hours later, Dante sat in the chair, his baby girl cradled in his arms, as his wife lay asleep on her bed. He never thought that he could feel for anyone else what he felt for Lulu, but he was wrong. God, looking down at this perfect human being that they had created, he became overcome with emotion. He felt his eyes well with tears once again and grinned at what the guys at the precinct would think if they could see him now.
"She gets to you, doesn't she?" he heard his mother say, as she stood in the doorway, misty-eyed.
"I never understood, what you said before, mom," Dante told her, wiping the tears from his eyes, "about how you took one look at me and just knew that everything was going to be all right. Everything was just perfect," Dante replied, beaming with joy, as his daughter reached for his hand and held on tight.
"She's so beautiful, Dante," Olivia said, walking toward him, "Did you decide on a name?"
"Gemma Rose," Dante answered emotionally, standing carefully, and walking toward his mother.
"Do you want to hold her, Nonna?" he smiled, as his mother looked back at him with amazement at her granddaughter.
"Could I?" she said, as he placed little Gemma in her arms, "Oh, she is so perfect, Dante."
Dante Falconeri leaned against the wall, his heart completely filled with joy. On the bed to his right was his beautiful sleeping wife and to his left was the woman who had brought him into this world.
"And to think this almost never happened," Olivia said, crying and laughing at the same time.
"What do you mean?" Dante asked, uncertain what she was referring to.
"You fought me tooth and nail that year, don't you remember. You said that coed camps were lame. You wanted to go to baseball camp," Olivia laughed.
"Hey, I remember now. What was that camp called? Oh, yeah, Camp Caughnawaga," he recalled, a huge grin erupting across his face. That was the first day of the rest of his life, he remembered fondly. The day that he lost his heart to a freckle-faced, blonde-haired girl who didn't want anything to do with a rascal like him.