A/N #1: This is for emilycares, who asked so nicely for another story about Daisy Logan...
Joyous Noel
Wyatt woke gradually, drowsy eyes blinking slowly in the hushed quiet of their bedroom, unsure what had interrupted his sleep. He rolled over to check on Lucy, but her side of the bed was empty, apparently for some time, as her pillow was cool to the touch. Pushing back the covers, Wyatt climbed out of bed, shivering at the middle of the night chill of the room, and hastily dropped a long-sleeve tee shirt over his head and pulled on a pair of flannel pants before going to find his wife. "Poor Lucy," he thought. Between her increasing bulk and frequent trips to the bathroom, it had been quite a while since she had been able to sleep comfortably through the night. As each day past the December 14th due date of their first child came and went, the faint purplish shadows under her dark eyes deepened as she grew more weary and miserable (and irritable, unfortunately).
Wyatt couldn't really blame her, though, because it was now Christmas Eve, and he knew that in addition to her growing physical discomfort, Lucy was a little depressed about the possibility of spending Christmas in the hospital. "Your daughter is as stubborn as you are, Wyatt Logan," she had grumbled on more than one occasion in the past ten days or so, and he knew better than to offer any kind of a useless apology. He loved his wife with all his heart, and had been as devoted and supportive as any expectant father could be over the past nine months, and while he would never (not even under torture) admit it, especially to Lucy, every time he gazed upon her increasingly rounded stomach, Wyatt secretly felt a very masculine pride that his much loved wife was carrying their child. He was vaguely aware of a certain irrational guilt, though, that on top of seemingly continuous morning sickness the first three months, their daughter was now taking her own sweet time arriving, thereby prolonging her mother's misery. Thank goodness at this point, Lucy was far enough past her due date that their OB/GYN had already scheduled her hospital admission for early on December 26 to have her labor induced, so at least it wouldn't be too much longer.
Lucy's pregnancy hadn't been all bad, though. Once her morning (and noon and night) sickness had subsided near the end of the first trimester, one unexpected, extremely enjoyable side effect of his wife's crazy-intense pregnancy hormones was that her always strong desire for him came roaring back during her next trimester. She had been damn near insatiable at times, not that he had minded in the least (he sure as hell had zero objections). Nearly every work day during those weeks, he and Lucy met at home for a long "lunch" and by the third time, Wyatt was convinced his Mason Industries co-workers had a pretty good idea what was going on, if the not-very-subtle smiles and amused, knowing looks (especially from Jiya and Rufus) were any indication.
His suspicions were confirmed on Friday of that first week when he returned to his office and found a paper bag on his desk containing a couple of granola bars, an apple, and a can of Red Bull with a note that read, "I speak from personal experience, man, when I tell you, as your friend, that you need to keep up your strength or she will wreck you. Trust me, Rufus." Wyatt had blushed even as he unwillingly laughed out loud, but he very much appreciated his friend's thoughtful gesture, because as Rufus so easily guessed, not one of Wyatt's lunch breaks during the past five days actually involved food, and he was damn near starved by the time he returned to MI. From then on, he made sure to stock his office with plenty of snacks, at least until that particular stage of Lucy's pregnancy passed (damn, those were some good times).
Quietly making his way downstairs to the living room, lit only by the warm glow of their twinkling Christmas tree casting soft shadows here and there, Wyatt wasn't surprised to see his wife curled up in his recliner with a fuzzy throw around her slim shoulders, her favorite spot of late when she wasn't able to sleep. Crouching down beside her, he was surprised (and faintly alarmed), however, to notice in the dim light faint traces of tears shimmering on her drawn face. "Lucy, sweetheart, what is it? Is it the baby? Are you in pain?" Wyatt asked worriedly, putting a gentle hand on her cheek, and expelled a sigh of relief when she shook her head slowly.
When a few moments passed, and no further explanation seemed to be forthcoming, Wyatt stood, and leaning down, easily scooped his wife up, and sitting in the recliner, wrapped his arms firmly around Lucy as he carefully settled her on his lap. Even at more than nine months' pregnant, Lucy Preston Logan was still, as his Grandpa Sherwin had been fond of saying, just a "little bitty gal," and it only took a second for him to get reasonably comfortable, her immense bump nestled snugly between them. Lucy sighed contentedly as she tucked her cheek against his chest while Wyatt began rocking them slowly back and forth. After a few minutes, he asked casually, "Is she kicking up a storm tonight?" but Lucy shook her head absently, "No, just the opposite, in fact. She hasn't moved much at all the past hour or so..." her voice trailing off. A heartbeat or two later, when his wife didn't seem inclined to share with him the reason for her tears, Wyatt pressed a loving kiss to the crown of her wavy dark hair, and coaxed, "You want to talk about it, sweetheart?" and patiently waited.
He was rewarded for his forbearance when eventually Lucy murmured hesitantly, "This might seem silly, but Wyatt, I'm afraid," before falling silent. Not entirely sure what she meant, he ventured a guess, "Of labor pains? Or maybe delivery?" She shook her head, and leaning back, swiped at her damp cheeks before she looked him in the eyes, and forlornly admitted, "Wyatt, I don't think I'm ready to be someone's mother," and when he playfully quirked a dark eyebrow at her large belly, Lucy rolled her eyes, and smiling faintly, clarified, "Yeah, I know that probably sounds ridiculous, considering I will soon be approaching the gestation period of an elephant, but the closer I am to delivering this baby, the more I've been thinking about my own mother. I wish you could have known her from our original time line. She was such a wonderful parent to me and Amy, and so happy with Dad. We were a pretty tight unit, the four of us, even though there was seven years between my sister and me. And I never told you this, but before her big Rittenhouse confession, I would always try hard to see my real mom in this Carol because I wanted my mother back so badly. Don't get me wrong, there are numerous similarities, but," and here Lucy paused, trying to articulate for her husband the myriad emotions she was feeling.
With a despondent sigh, she added, "I know it's been three years since she went to prison and while I haven't even seen her once during that time, I keep coming back to the thought that in her own way, this Carol Preston truly believed that she was doing the right thing, living the life she was meant to, and was happily anticipating bringing her only child into the 'family' business, regardless of what that might do to me. What if some time in the future, I mess up our daughter like that? What if I'm more like this mom than I thought?" and as Wyatt continued to gaze into her unhappy dark eyes, Lucy's bottom lip trembled, and a couple more tears slipped down her pale cheeks.
Wyatt's face softened at her obvious distress, and he drew her to him and began tenderly running his hand up and down her back while they continued to peacefully rock back and forth. As her fresh tears dwindled away to intermittent sniffles, Wyatt looked down at his wife's sad face and began to speak. "Lucy, I've known you for over three years now and have been happily married to you for nearly two of those years. I love you very much and can say with absolute certainty that you are going to be an amazing mother to our daughter. You are one of the most incredible women I have ever known, smart, kind, beautiful, and I'm so damned proud to be your husband. This child is one lucky little girl, Lucy Logan, and don't you ever forget that, okay?" and Wyatt only smiled indulgently when she ducked her head against him and began to cry softly in earnest. "Shh...it's going to be all right, sweetheart, you'll see," he consoled, and was pleased when Lucy finally drifted off, lulled by the gentle sway of the recliner and Wyatt's soothing hand rubbing her back.
Lucy's eyes popped open, and she sighed in frustration as the familiar, near-constant urge to pee began to make itself known. Very comfortably curled up on Wyatt's lap, his strong arms holding her securely, she had actually been able to sleep for a short while, judging by the weak winter sunlight filtering into the room. "My hero," she thought affectionately, as she carefully leaned back slightly to study Wyatt's face. While he snored lightly, Lucy reached up and painstakingly smoothed back a wayward piece of chestnut hair, and delicately caressed his scruffy cheek. Her husband was the handsomest man she knew, but he was so much more than deep blue eyes and bashful dimples. Wyatt had been so patient and loving, just an absolute rock during this somewhat difficult first pregnancy, and Lucy knew she was a lucky woman.
She had been taken aback when, not long after finding out about the baby, a pensive, faintly brooding Wyatt had confessed to Lucy he had some misgivings about whether he would be a good dad or not, considering the fact that his own father had been a less-than-stellar parent. She had immediately shut down that kind of thinking in a hurry, gently scolding, "Wyatt Logan, you stop that right now, and I better never hear you say anything like that again. You are going to be a wonderful father. Just like me, our child will always know how much they are loved," and then she had thrown her arms around his neck and began peppering his face with fierce kisses as she touched him confidently, which naturally led to a rousing celebration of their impending parenthood. Afterwards, Wyatt wrapped an arm around Lucy as she laid her head on his chest, and they talked quietly about the baby before a suddenly exhausted Lucy drifted off to sleep, comforted by her husband's strong heartbeat under her ear.
Lucy reflected that having a baby was like riding a roller coaster for nine months, with so many ups and some downs as well. Take for example her morning sickness. Even though Jiya had kindly tried to prepare Lucy, she still suffered quite a bit during the first three months; some days, she had been doing well to keep down a saltine and a couple sips of 7-Up. Already slender when she'd conceived the baby, she was beginning to look fairly gaunt by the end of the first trimester, and her over-protective husband had been nearly worried sick. Fortunately, one day early in week 13, Lucy woke up and instead of running for the bathroom to empty her stomach, the mom-to-be suddenly realized that she was hungry, really hungry, for the first time in weeks. She rolled over and hastily shaking Wyatt awake, asked him if he would please make her some eggs and bacon, and wheat toast with peanut butter, no wait, an apple with peanut butter, and lots of grape jelly on the wheat toast, and a big glass of really cold orange juice. When he merely stared at her in sleepy confusion, Lucy laughed and kissed him hard before practically shoving him out of bed and in the direction of the kitchen.
She smiled now at the memory of waiting impatiently at the table for her breakfast, and when he finally set the meal before her, Lucy had fallen on the food like a starving dire wolf. An amused Wyatt watched in amazed silence, only raising a bemused eyebrow when she might have growled in protest as he tried to snag the last piece of toast. But that wasn't the only appetite of hers that returned after the morning sickness moved on, and Lucy blushed hotly as she recalled the weeks of not just wanting her gorgeous husband all the time, but physically aching for him when they were apart. And, damn, she snickered to herself, never let it be said that former Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan wasn't up to the challenge. Lucy sighed with satisfaction. It had been absolutely glorious, and given that she closely resembled a baby beluga whale right now, was eagerly looking forward to resuming intimacies with her sexy husband.
Lucy frowned in annoyance because now she really had to pee, and tried to climb off Wyatt's lap without waking him. Of course, as big and clumsy as she was now, Lucy naturally elbowed him in the stomach and maybe a few other places, and cringed when Wyatt grunted involuntarily. "I'm so sorry, love, but I need to get to the bathroom right now," she apologized, before staggering slowly from the room as she warned, "You better not be watching me waddle, Wyatt Logan," and grinned as his faint, "No, Ma'am," floated down the hallway after her.
Sighing in relief that she had made it to the bathroom in time, Lucy finished and then stood and began to pull up her underwear and pajama pants. She stopped and gasped at a sudden heavy pressure between her legs, and then her water broke, soaking her, her clothing and the rug at her feet. Dumbfounded, Lucy just stared at the sodden mess before it occurred to her that this was real, the baby was coming whether she was ready or not. Struggling not to panic, she yelled for Wyatt, who burst in the bathroom seconds later, and at his wide-eyed expression, Lucy started to giggle just when the first real pain hit. Gasping, she doubled over, holding on to the sink while trying to breath through the worst of it as Wyatt gingerly began gathering up the mess at her feet before taking it to the laundry room. Once the pain passed, Lucy pulled back the shower curtain and awkwardly leaned over to turn on the water before stripping off her sweatshirt and maternity bra.
Wyatt came back in the bathroom just as she was apparently trying to figure out how to get herself into the tub, "Lucy! You're naked! What the hell are you doing? We need to get to the hospital," he began just as his wife set her jaw stubbornly and declared she felt nasty and smelled bad and wasn't going anywhere until she had a shower. Wyatt started to argue, but then Lucy got the most pitiful look on her face as her dark eyes welled up, and dammit, he just couldn't take it when she cried, plus there was the fact that she was naked. Hugely pregnant, in labor, and not wearing a stitch of clothing (what the hell).
Taking a deep breath, he acquiesced, and helped Lucy into the tub and under the warm shower spray. She smiled blissfully at him when he hastily shrugged out of his clothes and joined her, quickly but carefully washing her body and hair in between pains, although he drew the line at shaving her legs (no one at the hospital cares, sweetheart, if you haven't shaved your legs). Turning off the water, Wyatt took a brief minute to dry himself off and wrapping the towel around his waist, grabbed another one and once she was safely out of the tub, began gently patting Lucy dry. He was dismayed to hear her teeth begin to chatter, but she assured him it was just nerves. Deftly wrapping the towel around her, he was slightly amused that her bump stuck out, and found another one for her wet hair before helping her to their bedroom and getting something for her to wear once he was dressed. Wyatt didn't mind blow drying her hair, but he absolutely refused to help her put on any makeup. It had been nearly an hour now since her water broke, and they really needed to get to the hospital, so when she frowned and began to argue with him about the makeup, his nerves couldn't take anymore, and the former Master Sergeant finally had enough.
In as calm a tone as he could manage, he said, "Lucy Preston Logan, no more arguing. Your water broke an hour ago, which means that you are in active labor, your pains are definitely getting closer together, and we really need to go," and he was startled when his wife immediately stopped fussing and smiling angelically at him, observed, "You take such good care of me, Wyatt." This woman was going to be the death of him, he decided, before picking up her suitcase in one hand and putting his arm around Lucy with the other, hurried her out to the car. During the short ride to the hospital, Wyatt called Rufus and Jiya to let them know the baby was coming, and promised to keep them updated on Lucy's progress.
Once Lucy was comfortably settled in the combination labor/delivery room, Wyatt began to relax a little even as it began to sink in that this was it. The baby would be born soon, and he and Lucy would become parents, and suddenly he couldn't wait to meet their daughter. The hours passed slowly, but once Lucy was fully dilated and ready to push, everything seemed to speed up and most of what Wyatt recalled later was kind of hazy, but in a good way. Suddenly, one last big push, and Lucy fell back against his chest as their little girl was born, loudly letting everyone in the room know she was pretty pissed off right now. Pressing his lips to Lucy's sweaty hair, Wyatt whispered how proud he was of her, and how much he loved her, and then the nurse handed him their daughter. His world tilted as he gazed at her perfect little face (she looks just like Lucy) and then his heart was stolen forever when she opened her eyes and blinked solemnly at him. Turning to carefully hand the baby to her mother, he whispered hoarsely, "Sweetheart, she's perfect. Thank you for our daughter," and as Lucy cradled the infant to her, she looked up, beaming tearfully at him and Wyatt knew he would remember this very moment for the rest of his life.
A short while later, Lucy was resting in a private room while Wyatt sat beside the bed holding their sleeping newborn as they discussed baby names. They hadn't really talked about names much after Lucy decided months ago they should wait and see their daughter before naming her, but now it was time. Lucy smiled wistfully when Wyatt suggested Amy after her beloved sister, and he got a little bit choked up at her idea to choose the middle name Elisabeth after Wyatt's mother. "Amy Elisabeth Logan," he said, saying it out loud, and they grinned at each other. Wyatt's phone chimed just then, and handing the baby to Lucy, pulled out his phone to see a congratulatory text from Rufus and Jiya. He quickly responded, and before putting the phone back in his pocket, noticed the time. "Hey, Lucy, it's midnight, so that means it's officially December 25th. Merry Christmas, sweetheart," and leaning over to tenderly kiss his wife, he murmured against her lips, "Best Christmas ever."
A/N #2: I know that nowadays, OB/GYN doctors don't usually let their patients go 10 days past their due dates, but I think I'm gonna claim "dramatic license blah blah blah" in this case to fit the plot line, LOL... I promise that I am still working on the next chapter of First Steps, in between doing Christmas stuff...December is such a busy month, isn't it? (sigh). My sincere appreciation to everyone for your kind support of my writing, especially if you're able to leave a review :))