Title: A Growing Family
Author: Michelle (jmorganforever2004, blue-eyedangel, shellbell822)
Summary: I orginally wrote this for a fan fic challenge but missed the deadline, so I decided to finish writing it and post it anyway. This is a story about the birth of Carly and Lorenzo baby. In this story, Michael is living with Carly (as played by TB) and Lorenzo. Diego is living at home and not the dorm. There is no mention of the kidnapping or Carly's breakdown here. I hope you all enjoy this one-shot story.
Pizza and Bonding
"Hey Carly, your pizza's here!" called Diego as he walked into the living room carrying the flat, steaming box. Smiling to himself, Diego set the box down on the table and shook his head. He knew Carly wasn't going to be able to keep up her new health food kick.
"Great, thanks Diego," said Carly as she waddled down the stairs and to the table. Diego pulled out her chair and helped to guide her into the seat.
"You know Pop's going to be disappointed when he sees this," Diego said, pointing to the box.
"Lorenzo is at a late meeting. And anyway, there is nothing wrong or unhealthy about my pizza," Carly said as she flipped open the box with a triumphant smile.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed it. Sitting in front of Carly – The Junk Food Queen, who had once out eaten him over a plate of Mike's Double Fudge brownies – was a Veggie Supreme Pizza.
"I need to get my camera," he said, moving toward the desk where his equipment was.
"Why?" asked Carly, her mouth already full of pizza.
"Because no one will ever believe me without proof!" Diego snapped a few shots of the pie and Carly actually eating it.
"Funny Diego," Carly laughed. "So are you planning on helping me to eat this or are you going to continue to make fun of me?"
"Hey, how can I refuse sharing a pizza with my beautiful step-mother?" Diego stowed his gear and joined Carly.
Once the pizza was done and all that was left behind were a few pieces of crust and a stray mushroom or too, Carly decided a walk was in order and asked Diego if he would join her on her walk to the lake. Diego gladly accepted.
"So Diego, what are you're thoughts about having a baby brother or sister?" Carly asked as they walked down the path leading to the lake. It was a comfortable early fall evening and Carly was actually enjoying the peaceful quietness around her.
Carly had been on high anxiety alert as the pregnancy progressed. She knew she was starting to drive Lorenzo a little crazy with her worries and frequent, un-needed trips to Dr. Meadows – whether she had an appointment or not – but Carly couldn't help it. Carly did not have a good track record with her past pregnancies. She had even been surprised she had conceived so quickly this time. It had taken over a year to conceive Morgan – and that had been with a lot of fertility treatments. But after being married three months, Carly had found she was pregnant.
Realizing she was lost in thought, Carly brought her attention back to her walking partner when he broke the comfortable silence between them to answer her question.
"Honestly, I don't know Carly. It's still all new to me, you know? I mean, I spent years moving from one foster home to another without ever really having a family – it's still a little overwhelming," Diego tried to explain. "Don't get me wrong," he quickly continued. "Having you, Michael and Morgan around is pretty cool. And I know I'm still getting to know my father and all, but he seems happy."
Carly nodded as she listened, she sort of understood how Diego was feeling. "Diego, I want you to know that even though Michael and Morgan are here and we have a baby on the way, your father will never push you to the side."
Diego nodded as Carly hit exactly on what had been going on in his head, but had been unable to put into words.
"Thanks Carly," he said as they reached the lake. Diego would never have imagined in a million years that he would be living in a mansion surrounded by beautiful grounds as he looked over the lake, appreciating the glow of the full moon over the black, reflective surface.
"Let's head back," Carly suggested after a few minutes. "There's a carton of Double Chocolate Chunk in the freezer just calling out my name."
Diego laughed and nodded, letting Carly take his arm as he guided her back to the house.
Reassurances
Lorenzo left the General Hospital Board meeting shaking his head; dealing with the Quartermaines on a daily basis was starting to give him a headache. Lorenzo was making his way to the elevators when he saw Carly walking toward the nurse's station with Dr. Meadows. Lorenzo knew Carly didn't have an appointment today – as he was at every scheduled appointment with her. Changing directions, Lorenzo headed over to the two women.
"Carly," Lorenzo said once he was close enough, getting her attention.
Carly looked up and saw Lorenzo coming toward them. She had known he would be there for a hospital board meeting and had hoped to get in and out without him seeing her or knowing she had been there.
"Is everything okay?" Lorenzo asked.
Carly could see the concern in his eyes and hear it in his voice. She instantly felt bad for causing him to worry when there was no reason to. "Everything's fine Lorenzo. I just had some questions for Dr. Meadows."
Lorenzo nodded. He was getting used to Carly's frequent, unscheduled visits to Dr. Meadows. Being familiar with Carly's history concerning pregnancies, Lorenzo had been patient, but he was concerned that Carly's anxiety was going to cause problems. All he wanted was for her to relax and enjoy this pregnancy and not worry about anything. He and Diego were even taking care of the nursery themselves. It was proving to be an interesting bonding experience for father and son.
After thanking Dr. Meadows and confirming her next scheduled appointment, Carly and Lorenzo boarded the elevator to the lobby and then climbed into the limo once it had pulled up.
"Carly, I know that you're nervous about something going wrong, but this pregnancy has been going smoothly," Lorenzo said softly after a minute, taking Carly's hand in his.
"I know Lorenzo, and I know I've been driving you crazy, but I can't help it. Every time I start to relax, a new worry or memory from my pregnancies with Michael, Morgan and the baby I lost pop up Lorenzo. I don't want to do something wrong to cause me to lose your child."
"Our child Carly," Lorenzo said firmly. "And I promise you, I will not let anything happen to you or this baby. All I want, Carly, is for you to relax."
Carly nodded as she rested her head on Lorenzo's shoulder. "I can't make any promises Lorenzo, but I'll try."
Lorenzo nodded and kissed the top of her head. "That's all I asked," he said.
Brothers
Diego walked into the living room and dropped his bag on the desk. Looking up, he saw Michael sitting at the table, obviously doing his homework. Morgan was on the floor with Leticia, who was rolling a ball back and forth to him. Grabbing his backpack off the desk, Diego walked over to where Michael was sitting.
"Hey man, can I join you?"
Michael looked up from his Science homework and shrugged his shoulders. He watched as Diego pulled out a chair and sat down, plopping his backpack on the table in front of him. Michael continued to watch silently as Diego pulled out a couple of large textbooks and a notebook. "Is that your homework?" he asked.
Diego nodded with a sigh. "Yup," he said. He looked over at Michael's books. "So, what do you have to work on tonight?"
Michael made a face and rolled his eyes. "My teachers gave me a TON of stuff," he began, getting just as animated as Carly. "First, I have to do 2 pages of long division, then I have to read a whole chapter and write about it and then I have to start my science project," Michael finally finished.
"Wow," said Diego with an impressive look. "How about this, I'll help you get that project going if you help me with my photography assignment."
"You would really help me?" Michael asked incredulously. When he had found out that his mom was marrying Mr. Alcazar, he had been upset – but his mom was so happy and it had been a while since he saw her that way. And besides, Mr. Alcazar wasn't that bad. He was always nice to him and Morgan and even had horses. In fact, Mr. Alcazar had told Michael that if he worked hard in school and kept his grades up, he would teach Michael how to ride. There was no way Michael was going to turn an offer like that down.
"Of course, we're brothers now," said Diego with a broad smile. "So, do we have a deal?"
Michael nodded. Being an older brother was cool, but he never realized how cool it would be to have an older brother himself.
Once all of Michael's homework was done, Diego grabbed his camera and the two of them headed outside where Diego took some candid shots.
"Diego, can I ask you something?" Michael was sitting on the wooden fence by the stable, feeding his favorite horse, Sable, carrots.
"Sure. What's up?" Diego asked, turning to face him.
"I was wondering if you like having me and Morgan here."
"Of course I do," answered Diego. "Why?"
"Well, my mom said that you didn't even know your dad when you were little and you just met him. Aren't you mad that you have to share him now?"
Diego thought about it a moment. "You're right Michael. I didn't know my father when I was your age, and we're still getting to know each other – which is why I decided to live at home instead of the dorms. And to answer your question, I like having you and Morgan here. And I am going to like having the new baby here too."
Michael nodded as he took in everything Diego said. "I hope mom has a girl," he said after a moment.
"Why's that?" asked Diego. It didn't really matter if it was a boy or a girl, as long as his father and Carly were happy and the baby was healthy.
"Well, there's me, Morgan, you and Mr. Alcazar," began Michael. "And then there's only mommy and Leticia. Us guys outnumber them."
Diego laughed as he nodded. The kid did have a point,
The Nursery
Carly's due date was getting closer and closer, which meant there was a lot of anticipation in the air. Carly and Lorenzo had decided to wait until the birth to find out if the baby was a boy or a girl.
Diego, Lorenzo, and Michael were almost done with the nursery and had forbid Carly anywhere near it. They wanted it to be a surprise for her.
Because they didn't know what the baby was, they had decided to go with a base color of white with splashes of pastels in blue, green, yellow, and lavender. The furniture was being delivered that afternoon – unassembled – and Lorenzo figured it would be a good bonding experience for him, Diego and Michael.
Making sure his afternoon and evening were clear, Lorenzo changed into a lightweight pull-over black shirt and tan slacks. Lorenzo went into the nursery, finding Michael and Diego looking over the boxes containing all the pieces of furniture.
"Umm . . . Pop? Are you sure we'll be able to get this stuff all put together before the baby's born?" Diego asked skeptically as he looked around the room.
"With some organization and team work, we'll get it done," Lorenzo assured the boys as he rubbed his hands together.
Four hours later Lorenzo, Diego and Michael stood around the assembled crib, the mobile slowly turning and playing a lullaby.
"That wasn't so bad," Lorenzo commented as he proudly looked over the crib. Its frame was white wood with soft green bedding and a mobile of moons and stars.
"It 'wasn't that bad'?" Diego asked his father in astonishment. "Pop, the thing fell apart when we put a teddy bear in it!"
Michael couldn't help but laugh as he remembered the astonished look on Lorenzo's face when the whole thing collapsed. "We can put Morgan in it," he suggested. "There are a bunch of stuffed animals already in it and its staying up."
Lorenzo looked over at Morgan who was zooming around the other end of the room in his walker. He shook his head. "Sorry Michael, I don't think your mom would appreciate us sacrificing Morgan."
Diego snorted in amusement since he knew his father had momentarily considered Michael's idea. "How about we just pile in all the toys and see what happens,"
"Good idea," said Lorenzo as he turned and helped Diego and Michael to gather all the toys and stuffed animals in the room. After piling everything in, the three of them stood back and waited. When nothing happened they all breathed a sigh of relief.
The Birth
The wind and rain pounded against the house as Michael, Diego, and Leticia went from room to room taping up the windows against the hurricane that had threatened to strike, finally hit.
"Okay Michael, we need to do everything we can to keep your mom calm," Diego said as they headed back downstairs to where Carly was in the living room with Morgan.
Carly was pacing back and forth, rubbing her lower back when they joined her.
"Carly, maybe you should sit," said Diego as he watched her.
"No. I need Lorenzo," she said. Diego saw the panicked look on her face and got worried.
"He should be on his way home," Diego answered, remembering his father's ELQ meeting.
Carly was about to respond when a sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen, causing her to double over and cry out in pain.
Diego rushed over and helped Carly to sit on the couch, but Carly shook her head and indicated the floor. Diego nodded and turned to Michael. "Go find Leticia and gather pillows and blankets," he said as he grabbed the phone off the desk and called 911. After explaining what was going on and telling them where they were, Diego disconnected and then dialed his father's cell number. "Pop! Listen, you have to get home now! Carly's in labor!" he yelled through the static.
"Diego! Diego, I can't hear you!" said Lorenzo as he moved out to the foyer of the Quartermaine mansion. Lorenzo could have sworn he heard his son say that Carly was in labor. Just before the line went dead and the lights went out, Lorenzo heard Carly scream.
"Damn!" cursed Diego when the power went out. Rushing back to Carly, Diego supported her back on his knees. "The ambulance should be here soon," he tried to reassure her.
Breathing heavily, Carly shook her head. "There's no time! This baby is coming NOW!"
Diego's eyes widened. "Carly, I have no idea what to do! Can't you wait?"
Carly glared up at Diego. "Sorry, but I have no control over this!" she yelled at him. "I need you to look and see if you can see the head," she gasped out as another contraction hit her.
Diego swallowed. He knew he didn't have a choice. There was no way he was going to let anything happen to either Carly or his little brother or sister. Taking a deep breath, Diego propped Carly up with some cushions and moved to the other end. "Carly, I have no idea what I should be looking for."
"Believe me, you'll know when you see it," Carly said.
Nodding, Diego finally looked and saw in amazement as the baby's head was crowning. "Oh my God," he whispered. "I definitely see the head Carly."
"I can't wait anymore Diego! I need to start pushing!"
Diego remembered watching his father deliver a teenage girl's baby last winter and tried to remember what to do. "Okay Carly, just breathe. I won't let anything happen to you or the baby."
Leticia hurried down the stairs with towels, pillows and blankets. She hurried over to Carly and kneeled behind her. "I was able to get through to Mr. Alcazar again. He's on his way here," she gently reassured Carly.
Carly nodded as she took a breath and pushed again.
Diego gently helped the baby out, knowing he would never forget this experience, and felt tears spring to his eyes when the baby let out a loud, healthy scream. "One more should do it!" he said.
Carly was tired. She shook her head and was about to protest when the living room doors flew open and Lorenzo rushed in, dropping to his knees next to Carly.
"I'm here Carly," he said holding her, neither of them caring how soaked he was.
Carly pushed one more time and heard Diego as he cried out, "It's a girl!"
It's a Girl!
"She's beautiful Carly," Lorenzo said, his voice barely above a whisper as he looked down at the tiny bundle cradled in his arms. His daughter – Millianna Sage Alcazar – looked up at him with her crystal blue eyes – eyes full of wonder, curiosity and wisdom.
Carly's eyes were on her husband and daughter as she watched the way father and daughter connected in that moment. You could almost feel the crackle of energy between them. Carly knew Lorenzo would never play favorites between Diego and Millianna, but she also knew there would always be this special bond – a bond that would survive anything thrown their way. And Carly was proud and honored to be the one to give that to the man she truly and deeply loved.
The End.