Disclaimer: I don't own FF8, so don't sue me. I know, I know; I should be writing IANA and TOOM, but I'm sorry, I'm having a brain fart with them. I can't seem to get past a certain point on either of them, don't worry it'll pick up, until then, here's the beginning of a new series to tide you over. ^_~ Enjoy!
-Rhyein
***
"AAAaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!" the woman screamed. The doctor was in between her legs; his attention was focused upon the object in front of him.
"There's a head! Just keep breathing, and push when I tell you, all right? It'll be okay," the doctor told her, his voice was soothing. She felt another contraction coming on and started to do her practised breathing. Soon, the pain became too much and she screamed as the doctor shouted for her to push.
"I swear to Hyne that I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch when he gets back!" she cried out angrily, as she pushed with all her might. She had already been in labour for twelve hours, and the baby was finally coming out. Why did it have to hurt so much and take so long!? She thought, as she pushed again.
"Just a few more pushes and the baby will be out, and then you can sleep," the doctor assured her. She nodded and pushed again, cursing her husband under her breath. The pain was almost unbearable; she couldn't imagine what it would be like without the anaesthesia, she didn't want to imagine.
"We've got shoulders! Just one more push and then you can rest." She nodded and breathed deeply, waiting for the right moment, and then pushed as hard as she could. Suddenly, the woman felt the pressure on her spine release and the pain began to subside. She tried to peer around to see what was happening. The doctor was holding something, which he smacked lightly, making it cry. The nurses took the baby and cleaned it up, cut off the umbilical cord, and wrapped it in a small blanket. The doctor checked her pulse and gave her some more medication. The other nurses began to clean her off as she slowly drifted to sleep.
***
"…Ma'am? It's a boy."
She had just awakened, and felt much better, she was clean and in a new room, with new clothes. The woman watched the nurse as she walked toward the bed. It didn't look like a boy; it looked like a moving bundle of cloth that could cry. The woman took the small baby from the nurse and held her son. She could see his face now and he was beautiful. He calmed a bit as she held him, rocking softly. The baby looked a little sickly, he was small and a little underweight for a new baby that had been born exactly on schedule. He stopped crying and stared curiously up at his mother. She smiled. He has my eyes, she thought happily. The baby boy continued to stare at her, furrowing his little brow and grasping at the air with his tiny hands. The woman let his hand wrap around one of her fingers and her eyes softened.
"Where's your husband ma'am?"
She looked up and seemed a bit embarrassed. Her husband was away at the moment, she didn't even know if her letter had reached him or not.
"…I'm not sure where he is at this moment, he travels a lot you see…" she answered timidly, avoiding the nurse's gaze. The nurse nodded.
"Well, you just feed him and I'll be back in about an hour to get him again, alright?" The woman nodded her understanding and watched the nurse leave. She glanced down at the boy.
"I hope he got that letter…"
***
A few days later…
She glanced down at the baby in her arms. She was a bit upset. It seems that her husband didn't get the letter. She would be leaving the hospital that evening and he wouldn't be the one taking her home. A few tears fell silently down her cheek and she kissed the top of the baby's head. He had dark hair, like his father, there wasn't a lot there, but she could tell that it was his father's hair, dark and straight. The woman sighed and stared out the window of her hospital room. She didn't want to leave tonight; she wanted to stay right there until her husband arrived. She didn't want to go home alone; she wanted him to take her home.
"…Where are you?" she wondered softly.
"I'm right here," a voice answered. The woman turned swiftly, still holding the baby, and saw a man standing in the doorway. He was tall, with short, dark hair, and piercing grey eyes. Her eyes widened and she smiled broadly.
"…Clay…"
"I got this letter from someone yesterday, said something about being a father?" the man said in an amused tone, as he walked toward her. She just stared at him in happy silence. "I'm sorry I wasn't there, Brook," Clay told her, kissing her forehead. He looked down at the baby in her arms and smiled.
"It's a boy," Brook finally said.
"What's his name?"
"I haven't decided yet. I was thinking something along the lines of Liam or Laguna or something like that."
"…Laguna. I like that. Laguna Loire."