The contractions start about 2:30 in the morning. They pull Lizzie out of a fitful sleep consisting of dreams about her mother blowing a gasket over something to do with Jane and Bing's impending arrival back to California.
"William," she starts, words heavy with sleep, "Will, wake up."
"What is it, sweetheart?" comes his slow reply. Even in this moment, Lizzie finds it incredibly endearing that Will isn't a morning person.
"If my suspicions are correct, I believe the baby's coming."
That wakes him up.
William Darcy, morning person that he isn't, springs into action, like the devoted husband and father he is. "I'll get Anna, and the bag, and oh! I have to call Gigi to meet us at the hospital!"
"Calm down, Will," Lizzie says. "It's not like he's coming right this second, okay?"
"Right, right. But still, we should get to the hospital," William replies, pulling on a sweatshirt and jeans. (Jeans that, up until they moved in together, Lizzie wasn't even aware he owned.)
Lizzie goes to put on a maternity dress, and braces herself against the dresser when another contraction hits. It's a little more painful than before, but still not a cause for immediate alarm. Until, that is, her water breaks. Right there on their bedroom floor.
"Ho boy," she says to herself as she reaches for a towel. Will comes back in the bedroom, bag slung over his shoulder and daughter asleep in his arms.
"You ready?" he questions, looking suspiciously at the towel on the ground.
"Yeah!" Lizzie replies, grabbing a sweater and her shoes from the foot of the bed. Seeing her husband's slightly worried look, she adds, "Oh, that? My water broke… It's fine!"
They get into the car and arrive at the hospital twenty minutes later, Will shaking Anna awake. As is expected of a sleepy three year old, she isn't too pleased. There's a lot of groaning and crying. Finally, exasperated, Will lets her climb up on his shoulders and sleep. Lizzie laughs through all of it.
It's almost 3:30 when they finally check into the hospital, Gigi sitting in the waiting room with a cup of coffee for her brother. She sees her niece and smiles. "Here, I'll take her," she tells William. "Lizzie! Oh my gosh, you're about to have the baby! Are you excited?" she adds, trying to take Lizzie's mind off of the contractions currently wracking her body.
"Yep," Lizzie grunts, "Super excited- ah!" she cries.
"Elizabeth!" William rushes to his wife. "Here, squeeze my hand."
After a couple more minutes of pain, Lizzie is wheeled to a room. Gigi cradles her niece and calls Lydia and Fitz. Thirty minutes later, all of Lizzie's family appears in the waiting room. Mrs. Bennet is pacing the room, cursing the fact that she hasn't gotten to see her own daughter yet, while Jane and Bing entertain the now completely awake Anna.
Four and a half hours later, William Bennet Darcy is born. Lizzie lays in the bed, completely and utterly exhausted as William holds William. That could get confusing, she thinks. But really, she doesn't care. Her son is perfect, just as perfect as his sister was, and as perfect, surely, as their subsequent children will be. He has dark hair and the cutest button nose Lizzie has ever seen.
Two kids, Lizzie thinks to herself, I have two kids. It's crazy to imagine that she really has two kids, but there they both are, right across from her. Anna is asleep on the tiny hospital room couch, and Will is settled in the crook of his father's arm. A feeling of complete and utter joy washes over Lizzie as she thinks about the day's events.
"Will," she calls, wanting to see both of her boys up close.
"Which one?" her husband laughs, holding his son closer to his chest.
"Hardy-har. Both of you, here."
William walks over to her bedside and Lizzie scoots over, patting the empty space next to her. He hands her the baby and climbs up beside her, sighing when his wife's head hits his shoulder.
"It's been quite the day," he starts, running his fingers through his son's soft hair.
"Sure has," Lizzie agrees, starting to nod off. She notices Anna stirring on the couch and motions for her to climb up with them. ("Be careful," Lizzie reminds her. Sure, Anna's a pretty mellow kid, but babies are new and exciting, so it's best to be a little cautious.)
Suddenly, Lizzie feels ridiculously tired, like her eyelids are lined with lead or something. She hands Will back to his father and pulls Anna up to snuggle with. She falls asleep to the gentle sound of her daughter asking why she didn't get to be named after William, and her outrage at the fact that she's not the baby anymore. But then, just as dreams approach, she hears the faintest whisper from her daughter.
"I love you, baby."
And then she is gone.