Arrival
Lizzie entered the house through the internal door from the garage and was immediately greeted by an excited Stella, she leaned down as best she could while heavily pregnant and gave her a pat on the head.
"Jamie?" She called out as she slowly stood up straight.
"In the kitchen." Came his response from two rooms away. She headed to the kitchen and walked in to find him standing at the island chopping vegetables.
"Hi." She smiled, he stopped and looked up.
"Hi." He replied as he watched her place her handbag and a large gift basket of baby things on the kitchen table. She went over to him, kissed him then glanced down to see which vegetables he was cutting up.
"Stir fry." He told her by way of explanation, she nodded then went back over to the table.
"Gift from work?" He asked as she opened the gift basket and began to rifle through it.
"Yup, the girls at work organised a morning tea for my last day of work before maternity leave and then surprised me with this." She confirmed.
"That was nice of them." Jamie commented as he went back to chopping, wondering where they were going to put all that stuff in the already full nursery.
"Aww, Jamie look, aren't they adorable?" Lizzie cooed as she pulled out and held up a pair of tiny white booties. He looked over and smiled, deciding to temporarily abandon the cooking he went over to check out the gift basket.
"Very cute." He agreed as she handed them to him and kept looking through the gift basket. Jamie stared at the booties trying to imagine the tiny feet that would go in them. He placed them on the table then pulled out a tiny onesie with animals on it and held it up.
"Oh that's sweet too." Lizzie smiled and he nodded.
"So tiny." He mentioned as he placed it next to the booties. As he went to pull something else out of the basket he saw Lizzie grimace slightly and put her hand on the side of her stomach.
"You okay?" He asked concerned his hand joining hers on her stomach.
"Just a twinge." She assured him.
"Remember what Dr Jacobs told us?" She asked him as she gently rubbed her stomach.
"It's your body practicing for labour." He quoted and she nodded.
"Exactly." She smiled but he kept his hand on her stomach for a few more seconds.
"I should get back to dinner." He told her when he finally removed it.
"Good idea, I'm going to try and fit all this in the nursery." She said as she started repacking the gift basket, Jamie chuckled and kissed her on the cheek.
"Good luck with that."
When they arrived for dinner on Sunday Jamie and Lizzie found everyone milling around the kitchen, as they greeted everyone Jamie let Stella off the leash and Lizzie placed a cake on the counter.
"Lizzie, you didn't have to cook." Erin told her glancing at her stomach.
"I don't mind, I figured I better do it while I can as I'm sure I won't have the energy once the baby's born." She smiled.
"You sure about this baby thing?" Danny joked upon hearing Lizzie was going to stop cooking.
"Pretty sure." Lizzie grinned placing her hand on her stomach, a moment later her grin faded and she made a face.
"Twinge?" Jamie guessed when he saw it.
"Kidney shot." Lizzie smiled and his hand joined hers.
"The baby's kicking?" Nicky asked excitedly as she rushed over to Lizzie.
"Can I?" She smiled putting her hand out, Lizzie nodded and guided Nicky's hand to where she'd felt the kick.
"Oh, I felt it." Nicky's face lit up as she felt the baby kick against her hand.
"I want to feel it." Erin dropped what she had been doing, went over and placed her hand by Nicky's on Lizzie's stomach.
"Hey, what about dinner? Some of us are hungry." Danny complained.
"Maybe some of us could help, it might make things go faster." Erin shot back giving him a look.
"I don't know, do you really want him helping in the kitchen?" Jamie wondered aloud as he smirked at Danny.
"Good point." Erin grinned and went back to preparing dinner.
It wasn't long until Erin had finished making dinner and everyone made their way to the dining room. They all took their seats and after some discussion Danny offered to say Grace to speed things along. As everyone closed their eyes and lowered their heads Lizzie felt a strong twinge in her stomach. She held her stomach with one hand and held the edge of the table with the other, as Danny finished and the pain subsided she knew it had been more than a twinge.
"So Lizzie how are you finding maternity leave?" Erin asked as everyone began passing around the plates of food.
"I don't know, I only finished work on Friday." She replied as she served herself from one of the plates.
"Aren't you due in two weeks?" Nicky inquired surprised.
"Yes, I was actually planning to work right up until my due date and our OB said it would fine but Jamie wasn't too keen on the idea. So we compromised and I'm just taking two weeks off before I'm due." Lizzie explained and everyone looked at Jamie.
"I just thought she should take it easy and rest up, take care of herself and the baby." Jamie told the table defensively.
"He's a worrier." Lizzie grinned as she patted Jamie's leg.
"Oh believe us, we know. We grew up with him." Danny confirmed and everyone smiled.
"Right." Lizzie chuckled.
"And now he's a cop so by definition overprotective. Have fun raising kids with him for the next eighteen years, especially if you have girls." Danny joked and Jamie gave him a look. Lizzie smiled as she put down her cutlery, she went to get up and Jamie looked at her.
"Bathroom." She told him. She pushed her chair back and eased herself out of her chair, she got to her feet but immediately froze. She looked down and saw a small puddle on the carpet at her feet.
"Jamie." His name came out sounding slightly panicked. Everyone looked at her and Jamie followed her eyes to the floor.
"Is that?" He asked and she nodded.
"My water just broke." She confirmed and everyone at stared at her surprised.
"It's early, you're not due for another two weeks." He pointed out as he processed what was happening.
"It's not in my control." Lizzie smiled.
"We have to go." Jamie told her quickly standing and snapping into action.
"Oh, the hospital bag." He suddenly remembered.
"It's sitting at our front door." Lizzie reminded him as they began to make their way to the door with everyone following.
"It's okay, I'll swing past your place, get it and bring to the hospital." Erin quickly offered as they left dining room.
"Thank you." Lizzie smiled gratefully then stopped walking and started to grimace, she bent over and clutched her stomach.
"Was that your first contraction?" Erin inquired as they all waited for it to pass.
"Second." Lizzie admitted sheepishly as she straightened up.
"Second?!" Jamie looked at her stunned.
"I didn't want you to worry." She smiled and he gave her a that's not funny look.
"When was it?" He followed up.
"About fifteen minutes ago when Danny was saying Grace." She answered.
"Okay, we really have to go." He repeated now worried.
"Oh what about Stella?" Sean asked noticing the dog following them.
"Dad, could Stella stay here for a few days?" Jamie asked.
"Yeah, sure." Frank smiled as they all reached the door.
"I'll go with Mom and grab Stella's things, we'll give them to Grandpa at the hospital." Nicky offered.
"That would be great, thanks Nicky." Jamie smiled.
"No problem, you focus on having my new cousin, we'll take care of the rest." Nicky told them.
With Jamie's expert driving they made it to the hospital in twenty five minutes. Once he had parked he jogged inside and grabbed a wheelchair. When he got back to the car and opened Lizzie's door he saw she was having another contraction. He took her hand and held it as the pain coursed through her, he also quickly glanced at his watch.
"God that hurts!" She exclaimed once the pain had subsided. Jamie smiled sympathetically and help her into the wheelchair. He wheeled her into the hospital and right up to the front desk where they were approached by a friendly looking nurse.
"My wife is in labour, her waters broke about thirty minutes ago and her contractions are ten min..."
"Ahhh!" Lizzie interrupted Jamie as a another contraction came and he glanced at his watch.
"Five minutes apart." He finished and the nurse smiled.
"We better get you two upstairs." She told him and took control of the wheelchair, Jamie followed the nurse and Lizzie up to the maternity ward. In between contractions the nurse helped Lizzie out of her clothes, into a hospital gown and on to the bed. As she got on to the bed Lizzie had another contraction.
"Would like some pain relief?" The nurse asked her.
"No thank you." She replied once the contraction had passed.
"Are you sure?" Jamie checked as took up a position by Lizzie's bedside, she just gave him a look.
"I know, I know, women have been doing this for thousands of years." Jamie repeated what Lizzie had told him every time they had discussed the birth, as Lizzie smiled at him the doctor came in.
"Hello Mr and Mrs Reagan. I'm Dr Easton, I'm going to be delivering your baby." He introduced himself.
"Lizzie." She introduced herself shaking his hand as she recovered from her last contraction.
"Jamie." He added as he too shook the doctor's hand.
"It's nice to meet you both, I understand this is your first child." The doctor chatted as he washed his hands and put on gloves, Lizzie and Jamie nodded.
"Okay, Lizzie I'm going to need to examine you to see how far along you are." He informed her as stood at the foot of her bed and Lizzie nodded. The doctor lifted the sheet and put his arm between her legs, Lizzie winced as he internally examined her.
"You are ten centimetres dilated, so with your next contraction I want you to push." He told her as he removed his hand.
"Already?" She questioned surprised.
"Yes, looks like baby is ready to meet the world." The doctor smiled, Jamie and Lizzie shared an excited and scared smile and as Jamie took her hand another contraction started.
"Okay Lizzie, push."
Lizzie began to push, at the same the first of the Reagans arrived outside her delivery room. As Danny and Sean took a seat outside they could hear Lizzie yelling as she pushed.
"It sounds like it really hurts." Sean commented at hearing it.
"It does." Danny confirmed. He turned to Sean and saw his face at hearing his aunt in pain.
"She'll be okay. It'll be worth it." He assured his son.
"Is that what Mom said?" Sean wondered.
"Yep, both times." Danny smiled at the memory's of his son's births. They fell quiet for awhile until Sean had a question.
"What was it like for you Dad, when Mom was having us."
"Frustrating." Danny answered and Sean looked at him.
"Seeing the woman you love in pain like that and knowing there's nothing you can do." He elaborated and Sean nodded.
"And scary." Danny admitted garnering another look from Sean.
"Knowing you're about to become a dad, that another human being will be completely dependent on you."
"Sounds about right." Frank agreed as he and Henry arrived and joined Danny and Sean to wait. The four men sat and waited quietly for a quarter of an hour until Erin and Nicky arrived, Erin carrying a duffle bag.
"How's it going?" Erin asked as she and Nicky reached them. As she finished speaking they all heard Lizzie yelling as she continued to labour in the next room.
"She's still pushing." Danny stated the obvious with a small smirk and Erin gave him a look. Nicky saw her grandfather notice they only had one bag with them.
"We dropped Stella's things at your place on our way here, we thought it'd be easier." She explained.
"Thanks." Frank smiled as Erin and Nicky each took a seat.
Sean, Nicky and Jack, when he arrived a short while later, entertained themselves with their phones while the older Reagans waited in relative quiet interspersed with the stories of previous Reagan births. Nearly two hours later Danny was challenging Erin's recollection of a detail about Nicky's birth when the sounds from the delivery room changed.
"Shh." Henry silenced them. Moments later everyone smiled as they heard the distinct piercing cry of a newborn baby.
"Congratulations, it's a girl." The doctor told them as lifted up the crying infant from between Lizzie's legs, Jamie and Lizzie stared wide eyed.
"Would dad like to cut the cord?" The doctor asked Jamie, he nodded and walked to the foot of the bed. He was handed a pair of medical scissors and instructed to cut in between two clamps. Once he had the doctor handed the baby to a nurse who placed it straight on Lizzie's bare chest. Lizzie held the baby as Jamie returned to her side and they stared down in wonder at the tiny baby in Lizzie's arms, for a moment both at a loss for words.
"She's perfect." Jamie finally whispered as he stroked the baby's head. Lizzie managed to tear her eyes from the baby and looked at Jamie with a beaming smile, he smiled as broadly back and gave her a kiss, after which they went right back to admiring their daughter. After a couple of minutes a nurse came over and put a hospital bracelet on one of the baby's tiny wrists.
"Baby Girl Reagan." Jamie read out the name on the bracelet.
"Just until you've chosen a name for her." The nurse smiled.
"I'm just going to get her cleaned up and weighed if that's okay." The nurse held her arms out for the baby, Lizzie reluctantly handed her to her.
"I'll bring her right back." The nurse assured her, then walked to the far side of the room. The room was quiet as both Lizzie and the baby got cleaned up, once Lizzie was settled back in bed Jamie perched beside her and she rested her head on his arm. They watched the nurse swaddle their daughter on the far side of the room then carry her back over to them.
"Here you go dad." The nurse smiled at Jamie, he quickly got to his feet, held out his arms and the nurse gently transferred his daughter to him.
"She's six pounds two ounces." The nurse informed them though Jamie hardly heard as he stared awestruck at the baby in his arms. Lizzie grinned and the nurse chuckled then walked back to the far side of the room to write up some notes.
"Jamie. Jamie." Lizzie said his name louder the second time and he finally pulled his eyes away from the baby, he and Lizzie shared a smile.
"I have an idea for a name."
After what seemed like an hour a nurse came out of Jamie and Lizzie's room and walked over to the waiting Reagan's.
"Mum and baby are doing great." She smiled as did all the Reagan's.
"You can go in and see them now." She told them and they all immediately stood and made their way to the room. As they all filed into the room one by one their faces lit up as they saw Jamie holding his newborn baby. The Reagans all crowded around Jamie to get a look at the baby, he tilted her slightly and gently pushed the hospital blanket she was wrapped in away from her face so everyone could see.
"It's a girl." He announced proudly as everyone cooed over the baby.
"Yes!" Nicky quietly exclaimed causing everyone to look at her.
"I was hoping it would be a girl." She admitted and everyone chuckled.
"She's beautiful, congratulations kid." Danny smiled at his little brother and Jamie smiled back.
"How are you doing?" Erin asked remembering Lizzie was in the room.
"I'm great." Lizzie gushed, her tiredness forgotten.
"Would you like to hold her?" Jamie asked his father who smiled and nodded. Jamie carefully handed his daughter to Frank then took a seat on the edge of Lizzie's bed.
"Any idea what you're going to call her?" Erin asked curious.
"Actually, Lizzie had a brainwave about that." Jamie told her as Henry had a turn holding the baby.
"Have we definitely decided?" Lizzie checked with him, Jamie nodded then gave her a look encouraging her to tell everyone.
"Okay, we're going to name her Lily Nicole Reagan." Lizzie informed them. At this Nicky's eyes left the baby and she looked wide eyed at her aunt and uncle.
"Nicole? After me?" She asked stunned.
"We couldn't think of a better person to name her after than our favourite niece." Jamie told her.
"And someone who completely accepted me into her family from the day we met." Lizzie added. Nicky went over and hugged her uncle and aunt very touched by the honour, once she had Henry passed her the baby.
"Hi Lily Nicole." She smiled down at her.
"We're never going to hear the end of this." Sean groaned and everyone laughed.
"Any reason behind Lily or did you just like the name?" Frank inquired.
"Well because she was born two weeks early, Lily and I are born in the same month; May. The birth flower for May is Lily of the Valley." Lizzie explained.
"That's one of your tattoos, right?" Nicky asked after she had handed Lily to Erin, Lizzie nodded.
"Yes and Lily was on our short list of girls names." Lizzie finished.
"It was a very long short list." Jamie grinned.
"It's a beautiful name, she looks like a Lily." Erin smiled as she had a cuddle with her niece.
"It's also a family name." Henry mentioned and everyone looked at him.
"My great grandmother on my mother's side was named Lily and she was named after her father's mother." He explained and Jamie and Lizzie shared a smile as Erin gave Lily to Danny.
"If your dad's ever driving you nuts you come and see me." He told Lily as he smiled at her, garnering looks from his family.
"Yeah, because you won't be overprotective Uncle Danny." Jamie retorted.
"I'll still be cooler than you." Danny smirked at Jamie then slowly handed Lily to a nervous Sean, Jack watched the handover then grinned at his father.
"When you're a teenager anyone is cooler than your parents."
A couple of days later Jamie and Lizzie brought Lily home, once inside Jamie went about putting away all their stuff from the hospital as Lizzie placed Lily in her bassinet in the living room and started to go through the mail that had arrived while she was in hospital. Over half an hour after they had arrived Jamie finished and came downstairs, as he got to the bottom he heard Lily start to cry. He quickly jogged back upstairs and grabbed a cloth, by the time he got back down and entered the living room Lizzie had taken Lily out of her bassinet and was breastfeeding her.
"I'm going to make myself a coffee, would you like anything?" He asked her as he placed the cloth beside her on the sofa.
"A water would be good, thanks." Lizzie smiled at him. Jamie went to kitchen and set about making himself a coffee, he poured Lizzie's water while he waited for it to be ready. He removed the coffee bag from his cup and went to put it in the bin when he noticed sitting in the trash can was a small pink teddy bear and a card. He retrieved them before throwing away his coffee bag and placed the bear on the counter to read the card. When he opened it he saw the message was in Italian so he tucked the bear and card under one arm and carried his coffee and the water into the living room. As he entered the living room and put the drinks down on the coffee table the only sound was the soft suckling of Lily feeding. He put the bear next to the drinks and opened the card.
"Can you help me out?" He asked Lizzie holding out the card so she could read it, when she saw what it was she sighed.
"For our beautiful baby granddaughter, from grandma and grandpa." Lizzie translated for him and he nodded. He placed the card on the table and looked at the little bear.
"We could keep it, she'll never know who it came from." He pointed out.
"No, she won't, but I will." Lizzie replied and Jamie thought it best to drop the subject.
"Sorry, dumb idea."
"It's okay, it just feels different now." Lizzie gave him a small smile.
"Different?" He questioned.
"It's one thing to make an logical, adult decision to stay away from my family but now she's here..." Lizzie trailed off as she stared down at Lily.
"It feels like I'm denying them something...and her." Lizzie finally admitted.
"You're doing what's best for our little family. Between you, me and my family she's already one very loved little girl." Jamie reassured her and she nodded knowing he was right. They shared a smile before their attention was caught by the fact the Lily had finished feeding.
"Can I?" Jamie asked eagerly as he picked up the cloth between them and put it over his shoulder.
"Of course." Lizzie smiled as she straightened up her top. She passed Lily to Jamie and he placed her on his shoulder and started patting her on the back to burp her. Lizzie cuddled up to Jamie and began playing with one of Lily's tiny pink hands.
"So this is it." He mused and Lizzie lifted her eyes from Lily to look at him.
"This is life now." He clarified.
"Yup, we're parents." Lizzie beamed, Jamie grinned and gave his wife and daughter each a soft kiss on the side of the head.
"I wouldn't have it any other way."