Madeline was used to having people she didn't know over at her house. She was always told the same thing, that they were there for their own protection. But she never found out why they were there, until after they left and sometimes even then she never found out. This time was no different. Michael, Sam and Fiona had dropped off a young couple. The woman, Debbie, was very pregnant, and the man, Nick, was very nervous. Not just to be a father, but that Debbie might go into labor while they couldn't go anywhere. Madeline wasn't too nervous about it, until she noticed Nick hovering around his wife, making sure her water hadn't broken or that she wasn't having any contractions. He wasn't sure if they could go to a hospital if she did go into labor because if they did, they would be processed and the people who were looking for them would be able to find them. Madeline was constantly telling Nick to calm down, that both her boys had come late, but it was starting to make her nervous. What if Debbie did go into labor? Would they have to deliver the baby in the house themselves? Sure, she had done it twice herself, but that didn't mean she could help someone else deliver a baby.
For the first two days, Debbie was fine and it looked like she was going to make it through this ordeal without going into labor. But at about noon on the third day, Debbie started to feel contractions. She brushed it off as Braxton Hicks contractions, but when her water broke, that's when both her and Nick knew it was time to have their baby.
Nick was frantically pacing the room, trying to figure out what to do. Debbie, a little more calmly than Nick, was sitting on the edge of the bed in the guest room, waiting for the contraction she was having to pass. When it did, she looked up at Nick.
"Go get Madeline," she said, a little too calmly. "She'll know what to do." Nick nodded his head and walked out of the room.
"Madeline?" he called out as he walked down the hallway to the kitchen. Madeline walked out of the laundry room with a laundry basket full of clean clothes.
"What's the matter, sweetheart?" she asked. That's when she noticed the frantic look on Nick's face. "Is Debbie okay?" she asked as she set the laundry basket on the kitchen table.
"It's time," is all Nick said. Madeline knew exactly what he was talking about.
"Has her water broken?" Madeline asked as she grabbed the home phone and made her way to the bedroom Debbie was in.
"Yeah, a few minutes ago," Nick replied as he followed the older woman to the guest room. Debbie looked up at Madeline when she walked into the room. She was surprised at how frequently the contractions were coming. She was starting to realize that the cramps she was having earlier that she contributed to gas where actually contractions. When Madeline stepped closer to Debbie, another contraction hit and she let out a sigh of pain. Madeline sat down on the bed and softly rubbed the younger woman's baby bump. She remembered when she went through labor, her stomach would become rock hard every time a contraction hit and that's exactly what Debbie's abdomen did.
"How far apart are your contractions, sweetheart?" Madeline asked.
"A couple of minutes," Debbie replied when the contraction ended. Madeline knew that if they didn't get Debbie to a hospital soon, they would be delivering the baby themselves. She started to dial Michael's number and then put the phone to her ear. When her son answered, she didn't bother to say who it was.
"Michael, she's having the baby," she said. "We're taking her to the hospital." Before she could hang up, Michael stopped her.
"No, Ma, you can't take her anywhere," he said. Madeline was worried that he would say that.
"Michael, did you not hear me?" she asked. "She's having this baby. She needs to go to the hospital." She knew that she wouldn't get through with Michael and that deep down, he was right, that it would be more dangerous for Debbie and Nick to go to the hospital, but she didn't know the first thing about delivering a baby.
"You've had two kids," Michael replied. "You can do it, can't you?" he asked. Madeline couldn't help but to laugh. That was such a Michael Westen thing to say.
"Jesus," Madeline said under her breath. "Do I have a choice?" she asked.
"Thanks, Ma," Michael said and hung up the phone. Madeline put the phone down on the table next to the bed.
"Looks like we're having this baby," she said as she stood up and walked into the hall, grabbing things as she made her way around the house.
"Where are you going?" Nick asked as he followed Madeline out of the room.
"I need to get a few things," she said. She then handed Nick the towels she had just grabbed from the closet. "Take these and go back to your wife. She needs you more than I do," she added. Nick did as he was told and walked back into the guest bedroom. Madeline followed close behind when she realized she had everything. Debbie was in the middle of another contraction.
"I have to push," she said as she breathed through the pain.
"Madeline," Nick said as he looked at the older woman that had just walked into the room, worry written all over his face. He had no idea what to do. Sure, they had gone to those birthing classes, but those don't prepare you for when you have to deliver your own baby.
"Women have been doing this for hundreds of years, sweetheart," Madeline said, brushing off the worried husband. She wasn't paying much attention to Nick. All men seemed to act like he was when their wife was about to have a kid, even her asshole of a husband, so she wasn't too worried about him.
The minute Madeline heard that Debbie needed to push, she knew exactly what do do. She wasn't sure what it was, but her instincts kicked in and she started giving out orders to Nick while she helped Debbie get ready to deliver her baby. When another contraction hit, Debbie breathed in sharply and Madeline noticed this.
"Okay, Debbie, I'm going to need you to push," Madeline said. And Debbie listened. She pushed and pushed. A half hour past before they made progress when the baby's head finally showed. "One more push, sweetheart," Madeline added supportingly. Debbie pushed one more time and the baby was out. Madeline brought up the baby and rested it on Debbie's stomach. "It's a girl," she said as she grabbed the scissors to cut the umbilical cord. She looked over at Nick, who was completely white. She figured Nick might want to do it, so she looked over at him before she cut it and offered him the scissors. "Do you want to cut the umbilical cord or am I doing it?" Nick didn't respond as he took the scissors that Madeline offered him and cut the umbilical cord. He set the scissors down on the bed as Madeline took a towel, wrapped the baby up and then passed the baby to the sobbing mother. Nick walked over to Debbie's side and peered down at his newborn daughter, tears in his eyes. She figured a minute or two with the baby wouldn't hurt before she took the newborn to clean her up and put her in some baby clothes she found in storage. She got up from the bed and started shuffling around, doing her own thing. After a couple of minutes, she figured it was time to clean the baby up.
"Debbie, sweetheart, I need to clean the baby up and put her in some clothes," Madeline said. Debbie, not wanting to, passed the newborn over to Madeline. As Madeline was making her way out of the room, she heard the front door open and familiar footsteps. She could tell it was her son and she met him in the hallway, baby in arms. The first thing that Michael noticed was the baby.
"Is she okay?" Michael asked, referring to the mother. Madeline moved the towel away from the baby's face as Michael walked towards her.
"Both of them are," she said as she turned so Michael could look at the baby. Michael walked behind Madeline and peered over her shoulder at the baby in her arms.
"Good job, Ma," he said softly to his mother. She softly leaned up against her son as she looked up at him. "I knew you could do it." Madeline looked up at her son and smiled. They stayed like that for a few seconds before the baby started to stir. Michael's face contorted in a confused manner and Madeline laughed. Michael looked at his mother and gave her a crooked smile, knowing that she was laughing at him.
"I don't suppose I'm going to get a grandson from you anytime soon?" Madeline asked teasingly.
"You're going to have to make due with Charlie for now," Michael replied. Madeline knew that Michael wasn't ready to have a child anytime soon and she was okay with that. "Anyways, I should get back to Fi and Sam, they're waiting for our guy to leave a bar," Michael said as he kissed his mother on the head and left the house. Madeline went about her business, cleaned the baby up, put her in a onesie and then took her back to the happy parents.