Working Daddy

Work. It's this little thing everyone in the world does if they want to keep a roof

over their heads. Right now that was pretty damn important seeing as Alex was due any day now. She's all ready a week past the due date so I've been dreading these eight hour days. Demi is with her so that takes a little stress away but its too much to handle not being with her right now. I'm stuck here working eight hour days, coming up with advertisements. It's alright, I'm feeling calm, I'm A-okay. The worst was yet to come.

"Grey, we need you to go up to Chicago today, There goes that calm moment,

"we almost got the Kellogg's deal, we just need you to go over and sell it!" Tyler Schmitt, he was ecstatic, me on the other hand I'm not so hyped.

"WHAT?!" I jumped up from my desk. "I'm NOT going, your going to have to find someone else!" I was oblivious to the fact that I was yelling and everyone in the cubicles around me were staring. I coughed and sat back down.

"I can't go Tyler," I ran my hands through my hair stressing over Alex like I had been for the past week.

"Come on Nate this is depending on you!" I couldn't say no, no matter how much I wanted to.

---

I work five minutes from home, if I worked any further I would be going crazy. Des Plaines is a nice little suburb of Chicago, just what me and Lexie wanted. Chicago is only a half hour drive- but that's only an understatement when your wife is 9 months pregnant and ready to pop any day, then factor in the traffic. Hey though its fine, she's kept it in a week, today can't possibly be the day.

To late to turn back now, we were halfway into the city. 10:00 a.m. traffic was minimal and I was beginning to relax, until a crazy driver-what's new?- passed us unexpectedly, causing us to swerve and resulting in me freaking out once again. I wasn't usually like this, usually I was used to the crazy drivers and the swerving, today was different I could feel something bad was going to happen today.

"Jesus Grey, what's with you today?" Marcus was always the type to joke, him and Dan, the two I was going to present with.

I sighed, "Alex," everyone knew she was pregnant and due last week, this was had to be some kind of torture.

"Relax, its not like were going across the country," then why the hell did it feel like it?

I exhaled, "I'm fine guys, just nervous," I shuddered at the thought of Alex having the baby without me there.

"Come on, what are the chances that she is going to have the baby while your in Chicago, It'll be fine," Dan put his hand on my shoulder to try and lighten me up, I just ignored him and looked out the window as we entered the city.

This was going to be a loooong day.

---

We were heading up the elevator and it was about 10:30, I still had a few hours to get through. Things to remember: breathe. You would think I'm the pregnant one. I was going crazy. We walked into the presentation room and I sat down, nodded my head to the other guys at the table and started tapping my fingers on the table. I was getting looks evil looks from Marcus regarding my obvious impatience, warning me that its not going to land us Kellogg's if I kept it up. For the sake of my job, I stopped.

We were about to begin the presentation, and I was a mess. I was tapping my foot so it was less obvious how impatient I was, at least no one could see that. The president of the company walked in and it was time to keep my cool. That's when it happened. My cell phone was vibrating and I was expecting the worse. I checked it, it was Shane, who knows it could be time.

"Excuse me a moment," I had to take it so I stood up and walked out of the glass room and answered my phone quickly.

"Hello?" I was panicking.

"Nate, what's up, you okay?" I was suddenly getting mad.

"Shane is everything alright?" I was irritated, if this didn't have anything to do with Alex...

"Yeah, why do you ask?" I was pissed.

I whisper-yelled, "I don't have time Shane!" if it didn't have to do with Alex then I didn't give a damn, so I hung up.

I took a deep breathe to recover from the anger and I slipped inside where they had already started the presentation and sat quietly in my seat.

I pretended to listen focusing on Dan while he presented, and when he pointed things out on the chart I looked at the chart. My mind was no where near the topic of the rest of the room. I was worrying my ass off about Alex, I had been doing this since she got pregnant, but now that she was due anytime, and I was half an hour away I was freaking out.

"Nate Grey will come up now and talk about the profits," Dan gestured for me and I stood up and walked to the front of the board room.

"Thanks Dan," I said with a bit of a laugh and then tried to focus.

"Kellogg's has always had fairly decent profits, not where it could be though," I was doing great, I flipped the chart and continued to talk.

I was talking but for all I know I was rambling because I couldn't concentrate at all. I was doing fine until my pocket vibrated, I panicked. Froze. The other people in the room were whispering things like if I was okay. I opened my mouth to talk but nothing came out. I held up a finger and took my phone out not caring what happened. It was Mitchie.

"H-hello?" my throat was dry and it was hard to get out.

"Nate, it's Mitchie," I could hear Alex breathing heavily in the background and I knew what was about to come, "Uh, Alex's water just broke, we're on our way to the hospital, you might want to get here quick."

"I'm in Chicago," I was still trying to process the fact that this was actually happening.

"What?!" Then I heard Alex in the background asking what's wrong, "He's in Chicago," Mitchie was talking away from the phone. "Give me that!" Alex sounded scared, "Baby?" she asked she was defiantly as scared as I was.

"I'm right here baby, are you okay?" I forgot that I was still in the room and people were whispering.

"I'm okay," she was panting, "Just get to the hospital," she said right before she started moaning obviously having another contraction and handed the phone back to Mitchie.

"Nate just get here quick!" Mitchie said before hanging up leaving me standing in front of all these people while my wife was about to have a baby.

"I have to go," I turned towards everyone and grabbed my stuff from my spot.

"What?!" Marcus stood up shocked, "You can't go now!"

"Alex is in labor," I was halfway out the door, "Sorry!" I called as I ran to the elevator.

I knew that was the end of the Kellogg deal and probably the end of my career. I would be able to explain it to the boss on Monday. Right now I was focused on getting to the hospital. I was out of the elevator and to the street to hail a taxi.

"TAXI!" I waved and one pulled up and I climbed in.

"Where to?" the driver had brown hair with a receding hair line and a few gold teeth, large.

"Des Plaines hospital," I was freaking out, "Hurry," I added with haste.

He sped off and I was in the back trying to keep my cool, twiddling my thumbs and occasionally tapping a beat on my knees. I needed something to calm my nerves. That wasn't going to happen though, so I decided to just let some family know. Mom and dad first.

"Hello?" my mother, Denise, was on the other end.

"Mom? It's Nate"

"Oh Nathan!" she must have been happy to talk to me.

"Mom, Alex is in labor, I'm on my way to the hospital now, I was in Chicago." I provided her with information first so I wouldn't be bombarded with questions.

"We're on our way," I could hear the smile and happiness in her voice.

I chuckled and hung up still tapping away. I was hoping she was breathing like we practiced in Lamaze. Alex insisted on having a natural birth, meaning no epidural and no drugs. I was against this seeing as that meant double the screaming, but it was up to her. We were just about to leave the city when we were backed up by traffic.

"Come on!" I hit the sit in front of me out of frustration, "Can't you get out of this?!" I was stressed big time now.

"I'm sorry sir, there is no other way," I put my face in my hands frustrated and just wanting to be with Alex, she needed me.

---

Twenty -long- minutes later we were out of traffic and almost to the hospital, "Come on! Come on!" I was screaming at the driver, I would never act like that, but now was different.

We were finally there and I threw a few twenty's over the seat and ran out of the cab and into the hospital.

"Alex Grey's room please," I was wide eyed and dying to see Alex.

"Room 263, only family is allowed in sir," she added.

"I'm her husband!" I was screaming at this poor nurse.

"Come with me," she was startled and she took me to Alex's room. I ran in and kissed Alex's forehead and took her hand.

"Baby, I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner," I held her hand.

"It's okay, you're here now," she smiled at me.

"How far are you?" I knew all about this stuff from Lamaze.

"Nine centimeters," she squeezed my hand, "You missed most of the contractions."

I pushed some hair behind her ear and kissed her hand, "I'm here now."

Mitchie walked in with a happy meal in her hand and walked in looking through the bag not noticing me standing there yet, "Lexa, this is for the baby," she pulled out a Polly pocket toy, and looked up, "Nate!" she ran up and hugged me, "What took you so long damn it!" her good mood turned into anger.

"Traffic," I sighed and looked back at Alex, "but I'm here now."

"Damn right you're here," she sat down on the couch that was in the room and ripped open the hamburgers wrapping taking a huge bite.

Alex and I laughed and I looked at her, "Nervous?" I sure as hell was, and I wanted to know how she was feeling.

She nodded, "Very," she looked at our hands and smiled, "But you're here now," she looked up at me and grinned. That quickly changed when she clutched my hand tightly and held her breath. "Breathe baby," I pushed her hair out of her face while she bit her lip to keep from screaming. She was squeezing my hand so hard it might explode, but that wasn't important.

It was finally over and she threw her head back and panted, "Good job Lexie," I kissed her cheek and stroked her hair.

The nurse came in and looked in-between her legs. "Alright, ten centimeters, lets have this baby," she laughed and a few other nurses rolled her out of the room and down the hall to the delivery room. I held her hand on the way down there, Mitchie had gone to the waiting room with Shane and the rest of the family.

They moved her in and she propped herself up on the pillows and put her legs on the thing they go on while she delivers. "Ready?" I asked squeezing her hand while the doctor took her position at the end of the bed. Alex nodded and put laid her head back and breathed in and out.

"Alright," the doctor said putting her hands 'down there' to grab the baby when it came out, "Push," I held Alex's hand and looked at her while she started to push.

Alex was screaming and holding her breath when she pushed, "You're doing good sweetie, keep pushing," I was doing my best to encourage her but it wasn't helping, "DAMN IT NATE, SHUT UP!" the nurses snickered and I just held her hand, while she squeezed the crap out of it and continued to scream.

"It's crowning," the doctor announced, "You're almost there, keep going."

Alex screamed one last time and pushed harder than before and seconds later I heard crying and looked down at the blood and gut covered baby and smiled, while Alex laid back on the pillows and smiled too. "It's a girl," the doctor announced. A girl, I always told Alex I didn't care what we had, but secretly.. I hoped for a girl.

"Want to cut the cord?" The doctor asked handing me the scissors, I cut it and handed her back the scissors.

That's when they took the her and wrapped her up in a little pink blanket and put the little pink hat on her and handed her to Alex.

Alex was crying and smiled pulling me closer with one hand and cuddling the baby in the other.

I kissed Alex and then held my daughters hand with my thumb and index finger, She opened her eyes slowly and looked at me and smiled. I'll never forget the way she looked at me with her big brown eyes, same as her mothers, along with her cute little nose, but she had my hair and my smile.

She wrapped her little hand around my index finger and I had the biggest grin on my face. Alex looked at me and giggled. Despite the pain she just went through and the sweat dripping down her face, she was still beautiful.

Alex wrapped the blanket closer around our daughter and handed her back to the doctor who took her into the baby room for a bit to do a check up and clean her up while Alex went back in the room she was in before.

---

Alex was sleeping so I took this opportunity to call the office and tell them about the baby and apologize for earlier. The good news is I didn't lose my job, bad news is I have to work in the copy room for a month when I go back. I could deal.

That's when the nurse came in with my daughter in her hands, bringing a smile to her face when I told the boss I had to go.

"Oops, mommy is still sleeping," this nurse was a bit too peppy.

"I'll take her," I hung up the phone and held out my hands and took my sleeping daughter in my arms, "Thanks," I whispered as I walked over to Alex's bed as the nurse left.

"Mommy," I teased as she opened her eyes a smile emerging on her face when she saw me and the baby.

She scooted over on the bed wanting me to sit with her. I handed her the baby and sat down with her putting my head on hers and rubbed my daughters fuzzy head, "What should we name her?" I said kissing Alex's temple and taking in the moment.

"What about Jessica?" Alex asked looking down at the baby.

"No, I don't like that one," I paused and looked at my daughter peacefully sleeping, "What about Carson?" I suggested.

"I like that," Alex smiled and finished the name, "Carson Natalie Grey."

I grinned and kissed Alex and then Carson, "I love that name."

Just then there was a knock at the door and before we had the chance to tell them to come in our family was through the door.

"Where's my god daughter?" Mitchie called racing to Alex's side and looking at Carson, "Aww," Mitchie cooed and kissed her forehead, "You two make beautiful babies," she grinned, "I knew you would."

Everyone laughed and Shane came up next to Mitchie and put his arm around her waist, "Our babies will be beautiful too," he said planting a kiss on Mitchie's cheek. Mitchie looked at Shane, "Hah, not anytime soon, did you not hear Alex screaming in the waiting room like I did?" Alex's cheeks went red, "You could hear me?" Mitchie laughed, "Yeah, now let me see her!" Mitchie held her arms out and scooped up Carson.

Shane was looking over Mitchie's shoulder and tickling her little feet. "You jerk," I teased him, "She was sleeping," Shane just snickered. "She had to meet Uncle Shane," he laughed and they passed her down to my mom.

"My first grandbaby!" she exclaimed cuddling Carson.

"Yeah, I can't believe Jason and Danielle haven't had kids yet," I laughed as I watched my mom and dad fight over Carson.

This basically went on the rest of the day, Carson was passed around a few times, When everyone left was the first chance I actually got to hold her. Alex rested her head on my shoulder still exhausted and smiled, "You'll make a good daddy," she put her hand on my leg while I rocked Carson.

I kissed Alex, "I love you," she smiled more, "I love you too," she said kissing Carson's little foot and laying back on the pillows and snuggled into my shoulder falling asleep. I smiled and stood up carefully trying not to wake Alex and walked over to Carson's temporary bed.

"You know I've never been a daddy before," I was whispering to her while rocking her to sleep. "So go easy on me," I kissed her head and smiled, "I love you," I whispered to her putting her in her bed and quietly sang Please Be Mine to her from back in my rock star days.

By the time I finished the song she was sleeping, I kissed her head again and walked back to Alex and laid down next to her, "I love you," she whispered and I knew she had heard everything. "How much of that did you hear?" I asked wrapping my arms around her. "All of it," she had her eyes closed and she smiled. I smiled and kissed her again, "I love you too."

Now I was in store for a whole different work.

Parenthood.