Aubrey wasn't sure when the dull ache that had resonated from her back had turned into full on pain, but all she knew was that she had a party to host and tradition to uphold so the pain that flittered through her body every so often was pushed furthest from her mind. It was the annual Mitchell Fourth of July barbeque that also seemed to double as a Bellas reunion, and each year Aubrey wanted everything perfect. This year was no different, however this year Fourth of July seemed to have fallen two days shy of her due date.
She stood in the kitchen of the gorgeous home in the outskirts of Atlanta that she and Beca had only moved into a few months earlier. She gripped the counter as a particularly strong pang—which she continued to deny to herself was a contraction—seared through her body. She hung her head, pinched her eyes closed and tried to keep her breath even until it passed. Lifting her head she glanced at the clock; there had been forty minutes between that one and the last. She mentally told herself that she had plenty of time before she needed to alert her wife, and certainly enough time to finish the party. The sliding glass door opened and Aubrey quickly tried to compose herself for fear of her secret being exposed and causing utter chaos at what she prided herself to be a implausible party.
"Hey, Beca needs the burgers…"
Chloe trailed off at the sight of the blonde and stood stark-still on the threshold after closing the door behind her. Aubrey turned around to face the redhead with a forced smile, trying a little too hard to act normal as the pain subsided. Aubrey felt her breathing begin to shallow at the sight of Chloe's face—she was busted. Chloe knew her better than anyone aside from Beca, and in some ways Chloe knew her better than Beca. Having lived with Chloe for nearly six years and been best friends for more the redhead knew all of Aubrey's body language and could read her like a book.
"I'll grab them." Aubrey assured a little breathless as she moved away from the counter—her biggest support system of the day—to the freezer.
Chloe arched her brow at her and Aubrey knew for sure she was busted. However, she was going to delude herself into believing she'd been utter convincing and moved around like everything was normal. Chloe rushed around the island counter in the center of the kitchen and glanced around to make sure they were alone before closing the fridge just as Aubrey was opening it.
"Chloe what the hell—" Aubrey protested, furrowing her brow and giving Chloe a very Aubrey-Posen-look most recognizable from her days as a Bella captain.
"Are you in labor?" Chloe hissed under her breath.
Though it was a question, Aubrey new the redhead meant it as a statement. Chloe was a pediatrician and Beca and Aubrey had decided that it would be her who they would use with the baby and all their future children to come, but with that luxury came the inability to deny something like this. Aubrey scoffed perhaps too animatedly as her face went from annoyed to incredulous.
"What?" She said feigning a chuckle. "No. No, no, no. I'm fine."
Before Aubrey could reopen the fridge, grab the burgers and head out away from Chloe's scrutinizing eyes, the redhead had her hands on her belly—her very taut belly. Aubrey had noticed as the day went on and with each contraction her belly got tighter and tighter—a normal occurrence during labor, and her undeniable kryptonite as the redhead's hands moved around.
"You are very much in labor Bree," Chloe said with a hint of admonishment.
Aubrey's façade quickly broke and she looked pleadingly at Chloe. She spoke quickly and quietly, "I know, but I have so much time. The contractions were hours apart this morning and they're still almost an hour apart right now. I've been timing them. Everything is fine—the last few ones haven't gotten closer at all." Chloe opened her mouth to protest, but Aubrey continued her defense. "Please, don't say anything. I just want this party to go off without a glitch; it's the first one in the house, it's the first time Jesse has been able to get out here in forever, I just want this nice for Beca. Please."
"Hey, what's going on?"
Both women turned to see Beca stepping inside through the sliding glass door, a wave of music and noise following before she closed the door for fear Aubrey would yell at her for letting the cool air out. Both Chloe and Aubrey looked like the cat that swallowed the mouse and Aubrey waited with bated breath—normally the redhead would comply with her wishes but with something like this Aubrey just wasn't sure.
"Nothing," Chloe said curtly. Aubrey let out a quiet sigh of relief as she resumed breathing. "Baby was kicking." Chloe said flashing the tiny brunette her dazzling smile.
Beca was easily satisfied with the excuse, and moved towards the two. "Well, as magical and mystical as that is I'm pretty sure Amy's gonna start eating the grill if we don't throw something on it."
She moved to the fridge pressing a kiss to her wife's lips before the blonde and the redhead stepped back to allow Beca access to the burger patties. Beca gathered everything she needed before closing the fridge once more. She turned around to see Chloe and Aubrey standing back against the island counter with Chloe's hands still on Aubrey's belly. Beca furrowed her brow at the two eyeing them wearily. Chloe upheld her smile and nudged Aubrey a bit as the blonde flashed her wife a smile as well.
"What?" Beca asked. She wasn't as intuitive as the redhead, but she could certainly tell when her wife was acting off and both woman simply standing there smiling at her was by Beca's definition off.
"Nothing." Aubrey said curtly and Chloe nodded with a speed to match her friend's tone.
Beca eyed the two for a minute before rolling her eyes and shrugging them off. She placed one more kiss on Aubrey's cheek before heading back out. When they were sure the coast was clear Chloe resumed roaming her hands over Aubrey's belly poking and prodding in certain spots as if looking for something.
"Thank you." Aubrey breathed.
"You need to tell her." Chloe said simply, almost mechanically. "How long have you been in labor?"
Aubrey shrugged, she suddenly felt so much better sharing the secret with someone else and everything just seemed to flow out, "Since like four this morning. My back started to hurt, but the contractions really only started at like I don't know…noon?"
Chloe worried her lip as she counted something on her fingers looking up at the ceiling trying to think. She then turned back to Aubrey, "If you keep progressing the way you are you're gonna have to go in by no later than eleven. But if you start getting closer you're gonna have to go. When they're twenty minutes apart you say something."
Aubrey nodded like a child given permission to stay up just a little later with the trade-off of going to bed early the next night, "I will."
"I mean it Bree," Chloe said adamantly. "This isn't something to joke about." Aubrey nodded as Chloe eyed her for a moment. Her face then broke into a smile as moved from doctor mode into best friend mode. The redhead couldn't contain her smile anymore and she threw her arms around the blonde, "You're gonna have your baby!"
Aubrey chuckled breathlessly as the words sunk in. She'd been so worried about the party and everything that she'd been doing her best to keep the labor a secret rather than see it for what it was—in a matter of hours she was going to be holding her baby, she was going to be a mother.
As the night progressed, the party powered on. Beca continued to man the grill with the help of Jesse, happy she could spend some time with her best friend outside of business trips to the Los Angeles office of their record label. Amy was teaching Stacie and Donald's kids the proper technique of sparklers while Cynthia Rose and Lily began setting up the fireworks on the opposite end of the yard for Beca to set off after dinner. Chloe had quietly mandated Aubrey, out of ear shot, to a chair at the glass table on the patio beside her where Chloe could keep a watchful eye. Every so often, Aubrey would excuse herself into the house and Chloe would glance at her watch. Soon it was dark enough to light the fireworks, and everyone began making the shift between dinner and dessert.
Amy cupped her hands around her mouth as she shouted from across the yard where she and Cynthia Rose were standing near the now fully set up row of fireworks, "Alright! Shawshank! Let's light these motherfu—"
"Coming!" Beca shouted cutting her off before she could finish her sentence.
Aubrey watched as her wife and Jesse bounded down the yard to where everything was set up. She internally cringed—very much aware it had nothing to do with the labor—at the simple thought of Beca lighting those things. Each year she got closer and closer to singeing her eyebrows off and last year had managed to get a second degree burn on her hand which Aubrey was convinced was third degree no matter how much Chloe assured her. Like clockwork Aubrey felt the dull ache that she had grown familiar with over the past few hours and excused herself to go get dessert. Chloe hopped up assuring her she'd help. When they were safely inside out of earshot and in the dining room where Aubrey had put all the unrefrigerated desserts the blonde clung to the redhead trying to keep the tears at bay. Despite trying to lure herself into the notion that the contractions weren't getting closer or more intense, she couldn't deny it.
"Just breathe," Chloe murmured into her hair pressing a kiss to her blonde locks as Aubrey buried her face into the crook of her neck. Chloe kneaded her palm into Aubrey's lower back in an effort to alleviate some of the tension as Aubrey took slow deliberate deep breaths—never in her life did she need to remind herself to breath until now. "Good, you're ok. Just breathe through it."
When the contraction had subsided, Aubrey pealed herself from her best friend blinking away the tears in her eyes. Chloe offered her a sympathetic but reassuring smile as she ran her hand up and down Aubrey's arm giving it a gentle squeeze. Aubrey took a deep breath and let it out in a huff trying to regain composure as she ran her hand along the underside of her belly where everything seemed to be stemming from.
"Are you ready to tell Beca yet? I already called the hospital so they'll be ready for you when you decide you wanna go—I mean unless you wanna pop this kid out real quick in the bathtub then head on back out for the finale." Chloe said with a smirk and wink. Her tone took a more serious note as she added, "You're contractions are like twenty minutes apart now and I don't know how many more excuses you can come up with to slip away especially once the fireworks start."
"Nope we still have time." Aubrey said turning around and picking up a tray of meticulously decorated cupcakes reminding herself that their OBGYN who would be delivering the baby assured them that they really didn't need to step foot in the hospital until the contractions were roughly ten minutes apart when Beca voiced Aubrey's fear of the place. Chloe gaped at her best friend as Aubrey brushed passed her calling over her shoulder, "Can you grab that other tray."
Chloe shook her head in shock before rushing over to catch Aubrey before she could get too far. She grabbed the cupcakes from her and pushed them into Benji's arms just as he was stepping inside with a handful of empty beer bottles. Chloe instructed him to take them outside to the kids before taking Aubrey by the hand and leading her somewhere she knew no one would find them—the laundry room. Despite it being the cleanest laundry room Chloe had ever seen Aubrey insisted the door stay closed when company was over and thus provided a perfect place to speak without fear of being interrupted.
"Chloe, for serious everything is fine." Aubrey insisted as Chloe all but thrust her through the door and closed it behind them.
Chloe folded her arms over her chest. She had tried to convince the blonde in doctor mode, but now she was transferring over to best friend mode. "Aubrey, you are in labor. You are very much in labor and I can't for the life of me figure out why you're doing this. You need to tell Beca and we need to end this party short this year—trust me nobody is going to care."
"It's not that Chloe," Aubrey grumbled.
"Well, then what is it Suzie-Homemaker? Because I've seen woman cripple under the pain you're in, and you would rather be walking around the house playing the perfect little Stepford-Wife!" Chloe hissed making it a point to stress her feelings but keeping her voice down at the same time.
She seemed to have struck a chord with the blonde because Aubrey's brow furrowed and her lip pressed into a thin straight line. If Chloe didn't know that Aubrey was passed her puking under stress phase through therapy she would have prepared herself for the blow, but instead stood her ground not even flinching.
"I'm not a Stepford-Wife, forgive me for wanting to host a nice party and for wanting my wife to enjoy her best friend while he's in town." Aubrey snapped.
Chloe snorted and reassured, "Yeah, and it was so nice people won't be upset when it's cut short and Beca is certainly not going to mind—neither will Jesse—"
Tears began cascading down her cheeks as Aubrey cut her off launching into an unexpected emotional epiphany, "I just wanted this to be nice, I wanted everything perfect because this is the last party that it'll just be Aubrey and Beca. This is the last night it's going to be just Aubrey and Beca, and after tonight everything is going to change and I am scared Chloe. The idea of a baby was great but now that all of a sudden it's actually time and this baby is coming are we really ready for this? I mean I want this, but does Beca? She says she does, but then I see her with Jesse like tonight and she's just so happy and when the baby comes she won't be able to see him as much and I don't want her to resent me for wanting this baby. I don't want her to start to think it was my idea and she wasn't ready! I'm scared Chloe I'm really scared."
Chloe didn't miss a beat as she reached out to pull the emotionally crumbling blonde into her arms.
"Honey," Chloe cooed as she ran her hand over the blonde's back feeling Aubrey's breath hitch with each quivering breath. "First of all it's too late to be having second thoughts, ok?" She smirked as Aubrey chuckled lightly through her tears. Chloe moved to hold Aubrey at arm's length as she continued making it a point to look into her green eyes as she spoke, "Second, Aubrey everyone is scared when they have a baby. But that's ok, don't ever think that Beca doesn't want this baby. Have you seen that nursery she put together? She's excited Aubrey, she wants this and so do you. So what if it's not Aubrey and Beca anymore. Now it's gonna be Aubrey, and Beca, and baby and you are gonna think how could you ever have gone through life without that. You have wanted kids for as long as I can remember—you've had names picked out since you were fourteen." Aubrey laughed again before pursing her lips together and rolling them swallowing hard. "Everything is going to be fine."
Aubrey nodded taking a deep breath and wiping her tears away. She felt so much better getting everything out and Chloe could see the tension in her visibly dissipate.
"Better?" Chloe smiled raising her brow. Aubrey nodded and Chloe continued, "Come on, let's go before we miss the entire show. Heck if we get out there now we might be able to see Beca set Jesse on fire, then you won't have to worry about her visiting him." Chloe chuckled at her own joke as she turned on her heel and headed for the door expecting Aubrey to be at her heels.
"Chloe."
Chloe smirked as she cast a look over her shoulder, "Too far? Sorry."
"No, Chloe," The drastic change in the blonde's tone caught her attention and Chloe stopped to turn expecting by the tone to find Aubrey clutching the drier in an effort to redirect the pain of a contraction. However, Aubrey stood stark still with wide eyes and one hand on the underside of her belly with the other supporting her weight on the drier. She looked to the floor then back to Chloe, "My water just broke."
"Ok, ok." Chloe said snapping right into business mode. She moved back to Aubrey, "Relax. You're fine." She looked around the room until her eyes settled on a neatly folded beach towel sitting atop the washer. "Here." Chloe said reaching around the blonde to grab it.
Chloe shook the towel out before crouching down before Aubrey. Chloe gently dried Aubrey's legs off before dropping the towel to the floor to cover the puddle that had formed. Chloe offered her a reassuring smile as she stood back up and eased her arm around Aubrey to help her step over the towel. There was certainly no way the blonde could deny telling Beca any longer, and the shock on her face was enough for Chloe to decide it was now her turn to start calling the shots.
"Ok, come on." Chloe said making their way out of the laundry room to the kitchen where Aubrey looked for a spot she could be reassured to settle the blonde for a moment. Her eyes hit the couch in the living room, but then Aubrey's voice played in the back of her mind and she could hear her protest about sitting on the couch after her water broke. Her eyes then hit the stools at the island counter in the kitchen, "Um, ok here. Let's get you over here." Chloe guided her to the stool and eased her up. She was hesitant to leave her side, but Benji who had taken it upon himself to carry out the rest of the desserts passed by from the dining room. Chloe called out to him, "Benji! Sit with Aubrey, I need to go get Beca."
Benji looked baffled from the redhead to the blonde, but nodded his head in compliance, "Ok. Sure."
Chloe rushed out the sliding glass door and slipped around everyone else with just enough speed to get to Beca as fast as she could without striking up questions from the others. Everyone was too enamored by the exploding balls of color against the dark night sky to take much note of Chloe, and obviously she'd gone unnoticed by Beca or Jesse or Amy who were too busy drinking and lighting the fireworks.
"Bec!" Chloe shouted over the echoing explosions. She winced as one cracked right above her. Beca had her back to Chloe hadn't heard her. Chloe rolled her eyes as she tried once more, cupping her hands around her mouth, "Beca!"
She still hadn't caught the tiny brunette's attention, but she did manage to capture Jesse's. Jesse tapped Beca's beer bottle with his one to divert her attention from Amy who was duct taping three fireworks together. He nodded in the direction of Chloe and Beca looked over her shoulder with a smile and a furrowed brow. Chloe hated fireworks and was more than content to watch from the house along with everyone else than to take part in the action.
"Beca, we gotta go. Aubrey's water broke." Chloe said leaning in close to her.
As luck would have it, just as Chloe spoke Amy had set off her homemade concoction and the explosion was enough to shake all of them as they jumped. Beca's attention shot to the sky and she pointed up nodding to the Australian approvingly before leaning in towards Chloe, "Huh?"
Chloe moved her lips almost to Beca's ear as she repeated herself calmly but assertively, "You're wife is in labor, we gotta get to the hospital!"
This was enough to capture Beca's entire attention as her eyes went wide and she looked past Chloe towards the house for any sight of commotion, "Oh shit! Now? Where is she!?"
Chloe took hold of her shoulders to bring her attention back to her, "She's in the house, let's go."
Beca nodded and set her beer down on the plastic table. In her haste, she swung her arm down to quickly and ignorantly only to have her hand come right into contact with the light stick Amy was using to light a slew of new explosives. Beca's hand retracted quickly, but the blisters were already forming on her hand.
"Jesus!" Beca hissed. She turned to Jesse, "Bree's in labor!"
Chloe grabbed her hand and looked at it shaking her head admonishingly as she looked at all three as if they were scolded children. They didn't have time for this, and Beca seemed to grasp that urgency as she yanked her hand from Chloe's grasp and took off at a sprint for the house. Pushing past everyone she headed into through the sliding glass door to find Aubrey wincing and breathing while Benji bit his lip—his hand locked in her vice grip. Beca hesitated for a moment as the panic sunk in; it was completely different having Chloe tell her rather than Beca actually seeing Aubrey amidst a contraction.
"Bree, you ok?" Beca asked moving to her side.
Aubrey looked at her with wide eyes brimmed with tears. Through gritted teeth she spat, "Do I look ok?"
Beca swallowed hard just as Chloe came rushing in after her. Beca looked over her shoulder to the redhead with a look of utter panic Chloe had never seen before in the tiny brunette. Again, Chloe stepped up to take over the situation. She eased Benji's hand out of Aubrey's grasp and he looked at her gratefully before slipping back out of reach.
Chloe slipped an arm around Aubrey's waist and began helping her off stool as she divvied out orders, "Beca, why don't you go get the bag and I'll start moving Bree to the car. Benji can you go tell everyone what's going on?"
Benji nodded massaging the feeling back into his head, "Sure."
With that he slipped out the sliding glass door. Beca on the other hand stayed rooted to the spot at Aubrey's side.
"Bag," Beca repeated with a nod. She went to run up the stairs before jogging back to the kitchen, "Bree where's the bag?"
Aubrey took a deep breath trying to relax as much as possible between contractions, "It's in the walk-in closet. My side under my jeans."
Beca nodded and took off sprinting up the stairs. It was certainly slow progress as Chloe and Aubrey made their way from the kitchen through the foyer and to the front door. They reached the front door just as Beca was bounding back down the stairs with car keys in one hand and Aubrey's bag in the other. She seemed to gain a new air of normalcy and Chloe was happy that Beca was able to pull it together knowing that Aubrey was certainly going to panic as the night progressed.
"OK, ready?" Beca asked gently as she swapped the keys and the bag for Aubrey.
Chloe gently transferred Aubrey's weight to Beca just as another contraction rippled through the blonde. Aubrey bit back a cry as she turned and buried her face into Beca's neck, her hand fisting around a ball of Beca's shirt on her back. Beca turned and did her best to murmur soothing things to Aubrey along with reminding her to breathe as she silently motioned for Chloe to go to the car.
"Just breathe," Beca soothed. She winced as Aubrey's nails digging into her back through her clothing. Small whimpers escaped the blonde as Beca did everything she could to sooth her, knowing she couldn't ease her pain. "You're ok. It's gonna be over in a minute."
True to Beca's words, the contraction passed and Beca gave Aubrey a moment to collect herself before they began the slow process to the car once more. Jesse came bounding down the short hall from the kitchen to the foyer where the two were. He looked out of breath and as wide eyed as Beca had when she had first laid eyes on Aubrey.
"You guys ok?" He said a little breathlessly moving to the door. He stepped up beside Aubrey to hold open the glass storm door to allow them an easier exit. Beca nodded as Aubrey took shallow breaths with silent tears sliding down her cheeks. "We're gonna clean everything up here, so don't worry."
Beca was about to respond to him when Aubrey's hand shot out like a snake's strike grabbing hold of Jesse's shirt in a fist, "No!" Both Jesse and Beca looked at the blonde in shock and confusion. She took a breath and shook her head as she looked to him with a worried brow, "No, Jesse I want you to come."
"What?"
"I want the godparents there." Aubrey said curtly.
Jesse glanced at Beca who lightly shrugged unaware of Aubrey's demand having only heard it for the first time herself. Jesse looked back at Aubrey who once more had her eyes pinched shut. He ran a hand over her back assuring as he said, "Sure of course." He looked back into the house as he added, "Let me just—"
Beca cut him off feeling Aubrey's nails dig into her again—the contractions were coming fast. "No, we gotta go now. If you're coming let's go, they can handle it." Beca said crooking her finger towards him to follow.
Jesse didn't hesitate to follow them, and with his help they made a little quicker progress down the driveway to where Chloe was standing and waiting with the car running. It was quickly decided that Jesse would drive do Chloe and Beca could sit on either side of Aubrey to offer her support. Beca had made the test run to the hospital at least six times, each throughout a different time of day and day itself so as to know what to expect. Never had she expected they would be fighting holiday traffic turning the normal fifteen minute drive from the house into the city to the hospital into a twenty minute drive just to get out of the neighborhood.
"Oh my god!" Aubrey grinded out between clenched teeth. "Oh my god, oh my god!"
Chloe ran her hand up and down Aubrey's arm, "It's ok Bree, you're ok."
With eyes pinched shut, and a thin sheen of sweat forming on her forehead Aubrey shook her head as she insistently whined, "No, I feel like she's right there."
"She?" Beca said, an utter look of aw on her face.
The couple had reached an impasse over the sex of the baby. Beca didn't want to know, but Aubrey being who she was needed to know for what she assured were practical purposes; to paint the nursery, to buy clothes, to pick names. However—and Beca chalked it up to Aubrey's baby brain hormones—the blonde respected Beca's choice and had the doctor tell her in private so that Beca would still hold the allure of surprise. Now, in her diversion and inability to think past what was currently happening to her body she'd let it slip.
"Shit, I'm sorry." Aubrey whimpered apologetically.
Beca shook her head, "No, it's fine." She pressed a kiss to Aubrey's temple before flashing her a soft smile, "We're having a baby girl?"
Aubrey whimpered, "I'm sorry honey, I know you wanted it to be a surprise."
"It's fine." Beca assured.
Aubrey ignored her as her head lulled back against the seat as she gritted her teeth and groaned. A new sensation seemed to have taken over her lower half and Aubrey tried to keep breathing. Her head fell forward once more and Aubrey felt her body begin to act on its own accord, "I feel like I have to push."
"Don't push!" The others shouted almost simultaneously.
Beca leaned back to capture Chloe's attention behind Aubrey and the redhead did the same as Beca said, "Jesus, is it supposed to happen this fast? They said she could be in labor for hours with her first! Her water broke like fifteen minutes ago!"
"Well, her water broke fifteen minutes ago, but she's kinda been in labor all day." Chloe said slightly sheepishly. Beca's face dropped as Chloe turned her attention back to Aubrey. Her tone had lost its soothing friendly demeanor in exchange for a more clinical one, "Just pant through it honey, we're almost there."
"What!?" Beca all but snapped looking from the redhead to her wife. She scoffed incredulously as she added, "She's been in labor all day," She looked to Jesse who was currently engrossed in nothing but weaving around the cars on the freeway to get to the exit for the hospital. She looked back at Aubrey who shot her a nervous glance from the corner of her eye, "You didn't say anything?"
Aubrey gave her an apologetic look for the second time in the past five minutes. She looked like she was going to open her mouth to offer an explanation, but her lips seemed as if they were permanently pressed together. The hospital came into sight just off the freeway and Jesse barely even hit the break as he sleekly guided the SUV onto the ramp. There was only a short drive down a street before Jesse pulled into the parking lot of the hospital.
"Beca not now." Chloe groaned. She turned her attention to Jesse and pointed, "Jesse, just pull up to the door. I called earlier they're expecting us."
Jesse did as he was told and threw the car into park letting it run. He climbed out just as Chloe was slipping out of her backseat behind his seat. The two ran around the other side where Beca was standing helping and guiding Aubrey out of the backseat. If Aubrey had her way they would have sprinted in and got this show on the road, but in reality it was a slow progress from the car through the doors and into the lobby. Beca made it a mental note to thank Chloe for calling ahead and being so familiar with the staff because the moment they walked in they got the royal treatment. The nurse had Aubrey's medical bands predominantly ready and gave Beca one that Chloe hastily explained would match one of Aubrey's and their baby's when Beca made a face. Another nurse eased Aubrey into a wheelchair, and Chloe assured Beca she would go with the blonde while she got stuck filling out unavoidable paperwork—and more importantly getting her hand checked out (which remarkably still went unnoticed by Aubrey).
By the time Beca, who Jesse had caught up with, had gotten her hand bandaged for yet another second degree burn and found the room they'd placed Aubrey in there was already a team of nurses and their doctor bustling around the room. Aubrey was already in bed and changed out of her clothes into a hospital gown. Chloe had pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail off her face which had taken on a red tinge and had a visible layer of sweat replacing the thin sheen on her forehead. Jesse and Beca moved across the room; Beca moved to the other side of Aubrey's bed that wasn't occupied by Chloe and Jesse opted to stand back near the head of the bed near Chloe. She took the blonde's hand and brought it to her lips to press a gentle kiss there before reaching out push back some of the wisps of hair on the blonde's forehead to keep from getting sweat soaked knowing Aubrey hated her hair plastered to her face.
"OK, Aubrey you are pretty much at ten," Dr. Wright said with a smile after he finished his exam. He patted her leg and added, "Any more time and we might have been delivering that baby in the lobby. When you said you hated hospitals you meant it, huh?" Aubrey didn't take to his quips and simply shot him a look. The doctor pressed his lips together and nodded once as if to say he got it and offered her a small smile as he reassured, "Just hang tight for a minute, ok? We're gonna prep everything as quick as we can."
He turned away to converse with a nurse and Beca rolled her eyes. She had never been a fan of the doctor, but he was certainly the best in the region and had delivered Aubrey's two nieces. Aubrey seemed to only focus on his medical reputation where as Beca saw him for what he was. She had Aubrey nearly peeing her pants on the way home from one of their appointments during which Beca explained her entire preconceived life story of the man; he'd been a douche in high school—the kind with perfect hair that vacation in Martha's Vineyard every summer with his bro's—and was one of those weird smart but cool kids, he went to college where it had been decided years earlier that he would be a doctor by his father but he chose to be a lady doctor so he could just boast to his friend's what he got to do while still pleasing daddy, and now he carried the air of a rich smooth talking handsome asshole who had probably cut her off once or twice on the freeway prior to their meeting in his sleek sports car that Beca was now paying for out the ass. Though Aubrey reminded Beca at the time that he was the best obstetrician in the region, she hadn't denied any of Beca's points.
Beca leaned in towards Chloe and hissed, "Where the fuck are we gonna go?" She turned her attention to the doctor's back and added mockingly with a scoff, "Hang tight."
"Easy." Chloe warned under her breath—the last thing they needed was for Beca to get the boot from the room.
Beca chose to turn her attention to Aubrey who for the moment seemed between contractions. Everything seemed to be happening quickly, and Beca liked that knowing her own mind and body wasn't catching up in time—her nerves hadn't set in and for the moment she knew she was running on simple adrenaline.
"Ok, baby are you ready to do this?" Beca whispered pressing a placating kiss to Aubrey's temple.
Aubrey pressed her lips together hard as her breathing turned into pants as another contraction soared through her body accompanied by the new sensation of pressure she'd begun feeling in the car. Only this time Aubrey couldn't keep it at bay, "Oh my god, I gotta push now. I can't…"
She trailed off unable to finish the sentence, but Dr. Wright caught her declaration. He motioned to the nurses before moving back to the bed.
"Ok, here we go." The doctor said positioning himself at the foot of Aubrey's bed. The nurse instructed Chloe and Beca on how to hold Aubrey's legs before Dr. Wright smiled; "When you're ready—" He cut himself off. Aubrey didn't need to be told twice and the moment he said ready, she was pressing her chin into her chest and bearing down—her body taking over with natural intentions. Dr. Wright smirked and arched his brow, "Ok, good. That's good. Six, five, four, three, two, one." Dr. Wright looked up at Aubrey as she tilted her head back breathing heavily. "Ok, breathe. You've got a little time before the next one. You're doing great."
"You're doing so good baby." Beca assured.
"Ok, Aubrey here we go," Dr. Wright said again. As per before, Aubrey took a deep breath and bore down once more with all her might. Beca bit her lip to keep from wincing as Aubrey grasped her hand with all her might and she was mindful to keep her bandaged hand out of sight and reach. Towards the end of this round, Aubrey let out a whimper and the doctor looked up to the blonde, "That was good, baby's crowning."
At his words, both Beca and Chloe looked down to where his hands were.
"Oh my god," Beca breathed, her eyes wide.
She looked at a crossroads between either throwing up or crying at the sight, but Chloe quickly diverted Aubrey's attention before she could notice, knowing that Beca's face would more than likely set Aubrey into a panic. She patted her leg lightly and encouragingly as she said, "She's right there Bree. She's so close."
"You don't want a look at your goddaughter?" Chloe murmured to Jesse.
He immediately put his hands up with wide eyes, "I'm not traveling south of the Mason Dixon Line, I'll have plenty of time to see the top of her head when she's out."
He kept his foothold right there at the top of Aubrey's bed much more content with simply dabbing the wet washcloth across Aubrey's forehead when requested to. Everything seemed to happen so quickly after that, one minute Beca is coaching Aubrey, and the next thing her wife's pained screams were intermixed with a new sound; the sound of their child. Beca watched with wide eyes of aw as everything suddenly appeared in slow motion. The doctor placed the squalling infant onto Aubrey's chest, and Beca heard the doctor announce they had a little girl but his voice seemed so distant from the scene before her as the nurse placed a blanket over their daughter in Aubrey's arms.
"Oh my god," Aubrey crooned through her tears and heavy breaths as she held the baby close.
Chloe had taken a step back along with Jesse to give Aubrey and Beca some much deserved privacy and opted to watch from the corner of the room. Jesse slung his arm around Chloe who was openly crying with a gentle hand over her mouth while he blinked away tears of his own. Beca gently pushed the sweat soaked wisps of hair that had escaped Aubrey's loose ponytail and plastered themselves to Aubrey's forehead and pressed a kiss to her temple.
"Relax baby, she's here." Beca whispered against Aubrey's head as the blonde heaved in deep breaths.
Beca looked down at their daughter. She was tiny, but she had long arms and legs that immediately reminded Beca of Aubrey. She also had a dusting of light brown hair that only seemed to be lighter as it began to dry at the ends. Through her meager but strong cries, Beca caught sight of her eyes when she opened one before pinching it back closed. It was the slate blue so many infants were born with, and Beca silently hoped they stayed that color. After a few seconds, the doctor handed Beca the scissors and instructed her where to cut the cord. Then the nurse all but had to pry the infant from Aubrey's arms to go through the standard clinical procedure and cleanup.
"Beca, don't leave her." Aubrey demanded.
Beca nodded and kissed her once more before stepping off to the side where the nurses were now weighing their daughter. She exchanged a look with Chloe, and the redhead stepped up to be with Aubrey as the doctor finished up with her, and Jesse opted to accompany Beca. Beca pulled her cell phone out and instantly began snapping pictures of everything suddenly finding the allure of capturing moments like this—she'd never really been one for taking pictures or having her picture taken but standing before her daughter she suddenly got it.
"Oh hey, it's ok." Beca soothed in a gentle voice she didn't even know she possessed, reaching her finger out; her heart melting as her daughter wrapped her finger around it tightly. "You're ok."
"Fourth of July baby," Jesse smirked blinking away the tears that were forming in his own eyes. He slung an arm around Beca as he quipped to the squirming crying infant, "I'm gonna make sure you have the best twenty-first birthday ever!"
Beca chuckled and rolled her eyes. After her footprint was taken, she was given a shot in her foot and her bracelet which true to Chloe's words matched the same one Beca wore and one of the ones Aubrey dawned, the infant was swaddled and handed off to Beca. The moment the bundle was placed in her arms, every emotion that had been kept at bay with the hasty delivery came flooding back; fear, excitement, love. It was overwhelming and Beca didn't even know she was openly crying until Jesse reached out to wipe her tears. She looked up at her best friend and laughed before turning around and walking carefully back to where Aubrey was now impatiently waiting. She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief however at the sight of Beca now holding their baby.
"Ok, baby-girl Mitchell. Born 10:32 July 4th, 2016." The nurse announced as she filled out the birth certificate form. She looked up at the couple as she asked gently, "And do we have a name ladies?"
Beca looked to Aubrey, whose attention was full engrossed in their daughter who Beca had placed in her eager arms. They had each picked out a girl's name and a boy's name that they were comfortable with. Now that the boy's were scratched out it just left Beca's choice of Riley Chloe, or Aubrey's choice of Emma Chloe. Looking down and seeing her daughter, Beca knew she didn't feel nor look like a Riley. She did however seem to fit the mold of an Emma.
"What do you think honey?" Aubrey asked glancing up to Beca only briefly before looking back to their daughter.
"Emma." Beca said without hesitation. Aubrey looked back up at her questioningly. Aubrey didn't want Beca to settle on the name just because she liked it. She tried to search Beca's face for any sight of that notion, but Beca was quick to stifle any further thought. "She just...she's an Emma."
Aubrey smiled as she asked just to be sure, "You want her to be Emma?"
"Yeah." Beca reassured with a smile and nod as she reached out to lightly stroke the infant's cheek. Beca turned to the nurse, "Emma Chloe Mitchell."
Chloe's face immediately lit up as more tears welled in her eyes at the middle name. She clutched at her chest as she pursed her lips together and looked at the couple in awe. Not once had they ever mentioned using her name as the child's middle name, but she was more than honored. Jesse wrapped an arm around her and squeezed her tight pressing a kiss to the top of Chloe's head. Aubrey was moved further down the floor to another room which looked more like a hotel room. Chloe assured them not to worry about a thing—one of the doctor's on the floor owed her a favor and she had made sure that Aubrey and Emma had the best room in the wing.
"Ok, I'm gonna run home and let everyone know what's going on," Chloe said as she stood from the love seat under the window jingling the keys in her hand. She walked over to the bed and rested her hand on the top of the bed railing that propped Aubrey up as held her daughter. Smiling as she added in a hushed tone, "Do you want me to bring anything else back? You guys' hungry or anything?"
Beca, who had just hung up the phone with her father looked over at Chloe with thankful eyes, "Just coffee."
Aubrey looked to the tiny brunette knowing the time and what the stuff did to her, "Babe, you'll never sleep." Beca scrunched up her face and shrugged. Aubrey turned to Chloe and shook her head.
"OK, let me get going then." Chloe said. She turned to Jesse, "You wanna come with?"
Jesse nodded and pushed himself up out of the one sofa chairs in the room. He yawned and stretched, "I need to shower and stuff."
Chloe leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of Aubrey's head before running a feather light finger over the cheek of Emma who was teetering somewhere between sleep and wide awake as her eyes took in everything around her. Beca moved to sit on the edge of Aubrey's bed before Jesse walked over to kiss both Aubrey and Beca on the cheek. With the promise of return, Chloe and Jesse left leaving Beca, Aubrey and Emma to sit alone for the first time as a family. The room was filled with a content silence as the two women marveled at their child.
"God, she's so alert," Aubrey murmured running the pad of her thumb atop Emma's hand which had poked out from the blanket and clutched her mother's index finger tightly.
Beca chuckled spreading herself out across the foot of the bed. Lying on her side she propped herself up on her elbow smiling and taking in the sight before her. "Of course she's alert. She's a Posen—her brain's probably moving a mile a minute." Beca reached out and placed her hand on Aubrey's knee gently. "You tired?"
Though Aubrey wouldn't admit it, she was exhausted. She shook her head, but her drooping eyelids betrayed her and Beca pushed herself up. It was then that Aubrey noticed for the first time Beca's bandaged hand. With a furrowed brow, her exhaustion seemed to dissipate.
"What happened?" Aubrey asked apprehensively. She hadn't noticed the bandage until now, and she wasn't even sure Beca had had it in the delivery room. "What's wrong with your hand?"
Beca raised her brow as she looked down at her scolded hand as if noticing it herself for the first time. She pursed her lips and shrugged for a moment trying to buy time knowing that Aubrey would only lecture her on fire safety and now was not the time.
"It's fine." Beca assured. "Just a little burn."
Aubrey scoffed, "From the fireworks?"
"I was being very careful until you decided to beat the finale starting the display off with a bang of your own." Beca quipped gently standing as she slid off the bed.
Before Aubrey could counter her or launch into a well deserved lecture, there was a soft knock on the door before the assigned nurse—a gentle older woman whose children were some of Chloe's patients—poked her head in. When she saw all was decent and slipped into the room before closing the door softly behind her. In a matter of a few hours, she had already bent and broken most of the hospital protocols by allowing Chloe and Jesse free passage despite clearly labeled visiting hours and allowing Aubrey and Beca much more time with Emma then normally designated.
"OK, you two," The nurse said softly wheeling the bassinet over from where it had been abandoned—empty—in the corner of the room. "I know you don't wanna give her up but it's time to take little Emma down to the nursery."
Beca smiled, "She'll be fine."
"I know, I just don't want her out of my sight." Aubrey said before pressing a few feather-light kisses to her little girls cheek.
"Here," Beca said extending her arms out to Aubrey for Emma. Aubrey reluctantly handed her daughter to Beca before Beca gently and carefully placed the newborn into the bassinet, making sure she was wrapped in her blanket properly, "There you go kiddo."
"Beca," Aubrey said suddenly.
Beca didn't need to hear another word. She knew what her wife wanted by the simple tone of her voice. Pushing herself up out of her chair, she called for the nurse to wait a moment. Moving over to Aubrey's bed, she pressed a kiss to the corner of Aubrey's lips.
"I'll walk down to the nursery with her." Beca assured gently. With one more quick capture of the blonde's lips she added, "Close your eyes ok," Aubrey nodded as she settled back into the pillows. "I'll be back in a minute."
With that Beca headed out of the room with the nurse walking along side the bassinet. She closed the door quietly behind them with one more smile to her wife. To Beca's surprise Aubrey was already seemingly passed out. Beca couldn't exactly blame her. After all, she had quite a holiday; hosting a party, being in labor, giving birth. Beca was positive if the roles had been reversed and the holiday had gone off with such a bang, she'd be just as exhausted as the blonde. Though Beca too was tired, for now she was content keeping a watchful eye on the newest little Mitchell.