FROM THE BEGINNING
A/N: one-shot of when the five main boys- Stan, Cartman, Kyle, Kenny, and Butters first entered the world. A second fic with them meeting for the first time will follow. Enjoy!
March 22nd, 2001
635 Gilbert Road South Park
Carol McCormick sighed as she felt he stomach move yet again. It had happened quite often that day. She was sure the baby inside wanted to come out today, not like it mattered when. Her good for nothing husband would not have enough money to support it if it came today or next month. It was hard enough to keep an eye out for their first child, four-year-old Kevin. This kid inside her wasn't going to make anything better. It was hard enough to go so long without drinking these past nine months. She felt anther kick.
"Stop it down there!" she snapped at her stomach. "Oh!" she suddenly gasped.
"What's goin' on?" her lousy husband Stuart asked, coming into the living room.
"Damn kid's coming," Carol said.
"Huh?"
"I said the damn kid is coming you jerk!" Carol screamed.
"Oh no! Well I'll be, guess we've gotta get to the hospital."
"No shit we have to get to the damn hospital! Kevin! KEVIN!"
"Yes Mom?" their son asked, poking his head into the room, holding onto a broken toy car.
"Your little brother or sister is comin', we've gotta go."
He merely shrugged and followed his parents into their green pickup truck and they were off to Hell's Pass Hospital. It didn't take long for little Kenneth McCormick to be born but when he was he was not breathing.
"Oh darnit, I know we can't afford another kid but that don't mean I want him dead"- Carol gasped when the doctors informed her.
"We're trying the best we can," called a nurse at the end of the room as she and another tried to get the infant to breathe.
Carol looked up at her husband sadly. "Oh no, it's all my fault! I had a few drinks here and there during these last weeks. Oh it's my fault he's dead!"
"We're going to take him to the NICU Mrs. McCormick, we're doing all we can," spoke a blonde nurse.
Tears filled Carol's eyes as she saw her newborn son rushed out of the room. He had to make it, he had to… it was an hour later before the doors opened and in walked the doctor and a nurse who was holding a little bundle in her arms.
"You won't believe it Mr. and Mrs. McCormick but, your son is alive," the doctor told them with a smile.
Carol looked up with wet eyes. "Wh-what?"
The nurse handed over her baby in her arms.
"He is completely okay. It took a while to get him to breathe but when he did- he didn't stop. We've looked him over and he is in perfect health. It's as if nothing even happened. We can't explain it," the doctor explained.
Carol stroked the puff of blond hair on her baby's head. Watery blue eyes looked up at her. "Oh, oh my little Kenny. Oh, it's a miracle!"
"You've got yourself a miracle child right there, I'll tell you that right now," smiled the doctor.
Carol barely listened. She just stared down happily at her little Kenny, her little lucky boy.
Late March, 3040 Talley Street Middle Park…
Sheila Broflovski sighed as she sat down on the couch fanning herself, looking around her small home. It was only March but she felt like she couldn't carry her baby any longer and she still had two more months to go. She knew it was going to be a chore, being pregnant, but she wasn't expecting this. Morning sickness had been horrible and to this day she still woke up sick. But her wonderful husband Gerald kept reminding her it was all going to be worth it. They were going to have a little boy and Gerald couldn't wait to pass down his Jewish blood onto a new Broflovski.
"Don't worry dear, once you see our boy's face for the first time those past nine months won't matter one bit," Gerald smiled at her as he rubbed her aching shoulders.
"For your sake you better be right. I don't know of anyone who has complained about being pregnant more than me," Sheila told him.
"I don't mind it one bit," Gerald said a little too happily.
She glared.
"Well, for the most part… and hey, by the time the baby arrives we'll be ready to pack up and head off to a new home in South Park."
She sighed. "I don't know Gerald, by the sounds of it; it doesn't sound like the best spot to raise a child."
"It may not be New York but, we'll have a great time there. I grew up there, it was wonderful. I can't wait to get back. I know a few of my old collage friends still live there."
She sighed. "We'll think about it."
Garland smiled at her. "Thanks."
Late March, 28201 Bonanza Street, South Park…
Liane Cartman was having almost as much difficulty getting around as Sheila and she was only five months pregnant. Doctors had informed her she eat right and follow all orders or her baby might end up too heavy for her to carry. The last thing she needed was a C-section to get her child out. But if her baby did end up heavy, she wouldn't be too surprised. Her whole family was obese. She was the only lucky one to be able to walk away thin. Many people didn't believe she was even related to the Cartmans but she just past it off like no big deal. What she really wanted to focus on was to make her growing child as happy as possible. She went out to buy new items as each month passed. She felt like she owed her baby the best for he was an accident. She couldn't help it that so many people wanted her at that Drunken Barn Dance five months ago.
"Don't worry poopsykins, Mommy is going to give you the best childhood ever!" Liane spoke to her stomach as she dressed up the new crib with bumpers. She felt a kick. He sure was an angry baby she thought, he never seized from waking her up. But it was okay, he was going to be the greatest little guy ever! She would make sure of that.
Late March, 1020 Krafton Street South Park…
Linda Stotch was excited, constantly placing her hands over her small belly. The baby growing inside her was only three months along but she could hardly wait to meet it. Granted, her husband, Steven was excited as well, but no one was more anxious than her. They had been trying for a couple years now to have a child but to no avail. That's why the one inside her now felt very special. She wouldn't admit it to anyone but she was a little afraid of how life would change once the baby was born. Steven was nervous about becoming a father. He was afraid he wouldn't be good enough, that he would be too soft. He had told her the last thing a child needed was parents who allowed them to walk all over. And when he came downstairs into the living room to find his wife looking at her stomach he sighed.
"Linda darling, you have to stop that."
"Stop what Steven?"
"Looking at it. It's only a few months along and you're already coddling it."
"I am not; I'm just excited about him or her, that's all."
"I am too but we can't let him think we're going to be looking down after him his whole life," he said.
She frowned. "Look who's looking ahead. It's barely a baby yet. He or she isn't aware of what we think yet at all."
He placed a hand where hers was. "Maybe not, but we have to train ourselves."
Linda rolled her eyes. "Really Steven, it is way too early to be thinking about that right now. Can't we just enjoy these nine months? We're finally going to have a baby; we should be thinking of all the fun it will bring us, not how to frighten it."
Steven kissed her. "You're right, I'm sorry dear."
Linda sighed; it was going to be a long pregnancy if her husband continued to act this way.
Late March, 2001, Bonanza Street, South Park…
Sharon Marsh could not be happier in her life at the moment. She had a beautiful three-year-old daughter and found out only last week that she was pregnant again with her second child. When she told her husband Randy about it he was over-the-moon.
"Maybe it will be a boy this time," he had told her.
She frowned. "And if it isn't that doesn't mean we won't love it any less."
"I know but, don't lie, you want a boy too."
Sharon sighed, thinking about what he had said days ago. She didn't want to admit it but she did want a son. Randy had the usual dad reasons- he wanted someone to play baseball with, to throw a football around with, who would share his same 'thoughts' with. But Sharon had adored little boys for years. She wanted a little man of her very own. She wanted to buy those darling little suits she always saw at the mall, buy him blue and red clothes and toys, and listen to him as he talked of monsters, dinosaurs, and cars. One girl, one boy, it was the picture-perfect American family.
Currently she was trying to reason with her struggling toddler in her arms.
"No!" three-year-old Shelley screamed.
"Shelley please, just sit down so I can serve you lunch," Sharon said heavily as she tried to put her in her booster seat.
"No! No no no no no!" she then chucked her plate to the floor.
Sharon finally gave up and allowed her daughter to eat on the floor like she wanted. She sincerely hoped her stubborn child would get better as the months went by and her stomach grew. There was no way she could struggle with the weight of her pregnant belly and a kicking Shelley.
"I want raisins!" Shelley demanded.
Sharon could feel a headache coming along. She then felt her body grow clammy. She placed a hand to her mouth and ran to the bathroom to vomit. The fetus inside her was causing her to have morning sickness five times worse than with Shelley. She hoped it would go away soon.
May 26th, 2001
Broflovski house
Sheila Broflovski woke up early in the morning. Feeling different. She could barely fall asleep that night and was plagued by nightmares when she was asleep. But as soon as she woke she knew things were different. There was wetness down her leg, her water had broken.
"Gerald! Gerald wake up now!" she cried, shaking him.
"Huh?" he said sleepily. "Sheila, it's 5:30."
"Gerald, my water broke!"
"Your what-?" he almost fell out of bed. "Oh my god! Oh no, okay, okay, just calm down. Get into the car; I'll get your bag. Go! Go!"
Sheila wasted no time walking out in the cool morning. Meanwhile Gerald was in a state of nerves. He was half nervous, hoping everything would be alright, half excited to see the face of his first child. He finally located his wife's bag and hurried out and drove off to Park County Hospital. Gerald paced the waiting room one hundred times during the hours after he brought his wife in. He had phoned family members about what had happened and they promised to arrive as soon as possible. The closest members were his parents who would be arriving from Fort Collins. Everyone else would arrive after, most a week later in time for the child's bris.
Suddenly Dr. Matthews' head popped out from where Sheila was.
"Mr. Broflovski? It's time."
"It's time? Oh my god it's time!" Gerald hurried back into the room and helped coached his wife during the birth of their son. "C'mon Sheila, you can do it! Come on!"
Kyle Abraham Broflovski came into the world at 2:15 PM to relieved parents. The first thing both parents noticed about their son was the soft red curls on his head.
"Oh look honey, he has your hair," Gerald smiled.
"I was afraid he might. But look at him Gerald, he's beautiful. My little bubbeleh." Sheila hugged her crying son to her lovingly. Her difficult pregnancy was finally over.
Late May, 2001
Cartman house
As the months went by Liane Cartman grew more and more tired. Lugging around her baby was proving difficult work. She had been following doctor's diet but it still felt like she was walking around with bricks attached to her body. But it didn't matter; her little man was going to be so handsome when he arrived. She was going to make up for the fact that he was an accident. But she did miss sex. Of course any woman did when they were pregnant. But she didn't have a husband and at the moment, having sex with whoever didn't feel appropriate. She would just have to wait one more month. In the meantime, she was still finding it difficult to rest on a name for her baby. How does one ever decide? She felt a kick and smiled.
"Ooohh, looks like Mommy's little man is awake again huh?" she loved talking to her belly, she loved that it made her soon-to-be-born son feel special, even before birth.
Late May, 2001
Stotch house
Linda Stotch was a little restless. She wanted to know the sex of her child but at the same time didn't. Steven wanted it to be a surprise and if he knew his wife knew, it would bother him.
"You know I don't like it when secrets are kept from me," he had told her a few weeks ago.
At times Linda was tempted to just call her doctor and ask if she was carrying a boy or girl. But she couldn't lie to her husband and say she didn't do such a thing. So she had to settle on looking down at her expanding stomach and wonder if there was a boy or girl growing inside it. Steven walked in the door from work at that moment.
"How are you and the baby doing?" he kissed her and placed a hand on her belly.
Linda got to her feet. "We're fine." She paused. "Steven… are you sure you don't want to know the sex of our child?"
"What's that?" he put his coat in the closet.
"I was just wondering if you wanted to know."
"You already know I don't dear."
"I know but…" Linda thought for a moment. "Well, think of it this way: not knowing is sort of like a secret right? I mean, the doctor knows what it's going to be. It's our child and we don't know."
Steven frowned.
"So, in a way, it's a secret," Linda tried.
He smiled. "Maybe but, this is one thing I want to be surprised about. We've been trying hard to have a kid for a while now. I want the feeling of the unknown to last- just a while longer. I want all that build-up to reveal itself when the time is right. When the baby is born."
Linda sighed as she sat back down. "I don't think I can wait until September, Steve."
"C'mon, if I can do it so can you. It's sort of nice not knowing. Your perception of your child can change dramatically if you know what sex it's going to be months before it's born."
She thought for a moment. "I suppose you're right."
Steven kissed her lips. "The wait will be worth it, you'll see."
Late May, 2001
Marsh house
Sharon Marsh was in a state of nerves today. Today was the day she was going to find out the sex of her child. Randy had told her up front that he wanted to know as soon as possible. She did too but she never told anyone. Randy was at work so she had to call for a baby-sitter for Shelley, who was not pleased.
"I don't wanna!" Shelley cried.
"But you're going to be so bored if you come to the hospital with me honey," Sharon tried to reason. Why did she feel as if she had to reason with her daughter far more than the average mother?
"No I won't," Shelley said innocently.
"You were last time," Sharon reminded her.
"But I don't like Anna!"
"But Anna loves looking after you! You two always have so much fun. Plus she lives down the street so she's very convenient," she said the last bit to herself. That sixteen-year-old had a strong backbone to be able to look out for her unruly preschooler.
Shelley only crossed her arms over her chest.
"Shelley, you just turned four so I do not want to see you acting like a two-year-old, got that? Now Anna is going to be here soon and you are going to have a fun time."
It was almost a miracle for Sharon to leave the house fifteen minutes later. So far, Shelley had not taken lightly to the thought of a new brother or sister. She hoped that it would change. Sharon arrived at the hospital thirty minutes later, nervous about what was going to happen. She was four months along now so she should be able to know the sex that day. She found out at that moment she didn't care what it was going to be, as long as the baby was growing at a normal and healthy rate.
After Dr. Garbell had completed her exam on Sharon she went for the ultrasound.
"All right, everything looks normal." The doctor smiled at the woman. "Do you want to know the sex Mrs. Marsh?"
Sharon was very anxious now. "I do, please."
The doctor looked at the monitor for a moment before answering, "You're going to have a boy."
Sharon clasped a hand to her mouth. "A- a boy? Really?"
The doctor pointed it out on the screen for her.
"Congratulations Sharon."
Sharon felt tears well in her eyes. "Thank-you. A boy- oh my goodness, I'm going to have a boy! Oh, my husband will be so happy."
She couldn't hide it any longer, she was going to have a boy and she didn't think Randy would be as happy as she was, and she couldn't wait to tell the world the news.
June 30th, 2001
Cartman house
Liane Cartman had been feeling ill all day. She hoped it meant something for her baby was one week late already. The weather in Colorado was very warm for once, even for the summer. Carrying around that extra weight was no easy chore. But just to make sure she was prepared, she looked over at her son's nursery one last time that day before resting on the couch to watch late-night TV. No way would she be able to sleep tonight. Then it happened- her water broke.
"Oh my!" Liane gasped. The baby was finally coming. She hurried over to the kitchen for the phone and called for an ambulance. She could not risk driving to the hospital herself; her belly prevented safe driving in the first place. An ambulance arrived soon enough and she was rushed to the hospital all the while trying to keep calm and allow nature to take its course.
July 1st, 2001
Hell's Pass Hospital
The hours passed by, longer and longer with each one. It was almost ten in the morning when Liane finally knew it was time to deliver. Unfortunately, her baby was too big to be delivered naturally so she had to have a C-section. When she finally heard her baby cry at 10:41 AM she felt a tear roll down her cheek.
"Nine pounds, two ounces," announced one of the nurses.
"Oh my, he's a bit big isn't he?" Liane chuckled.
A couple minutes later Liane was finally able to see her precious son. She was handed over a chubby flailing baby wrapped in a white blanket. She caught site of a few light brown strands of hair on his head before a hat was placed on his head for warmth and he was taken away again.
"Do you have a name for him?" Asked Doctor Willis.
Liane smiled. "Eric. Eric Theodore Cartman."
The doctor repeated the name back and wrote it down. "We'll take you into recovery and you'll be able to hold him soon."
Another tear just rolled down Liane's face. Her perfect little baby boy was finally here, a week late, but here nonetheless. She couldn't wait to show him what a special little guy he was.
Early July, 2001
Stotch house
At this time Linda was growing more and more excited about her baby. She was growing outward more than ever before and the thought that she still had almost two months to go was almost killing her. Steven was excited as well but still nervous about little things. He still didn't feel like he would be a good enough father and sometimes doubted if all of this was a mistake. But Linda made him change his mind easily and instead had him focus on where they would put the baby after he or she was born.
"Well I was thinking in the room by the bathroom," Steven was telling Linda that day.
"I don't know honey; I think it would be better to put him or her in the room near ours so we can be closer if anything happens."
"Nothing will happen darling. I don't want to be kept up all night by his cries. If he has the room near ours then the cries will be louder," Steven said.
Linda rolled her eyes. "You're really talking about it crying? No matter what it will keep us up. Having the room further down the hall won't help us any."
"But does it need such a big room?"
"Yes he does! We might have another, down the road. I will want our first to have the bigger room."
Steven sighed as he sat down on the guest bed. "This one right here is stressing me out enough as it is. I can't even think of another kid right now."
Linda sat down next to him. "Do you really want a child Steven?"
"I do, you know I do."
"It's just that, you're finding a lot to stress out about it. I know we've been trying for years, but now that we are finally having one… I think you might have second guesses," Linda looked at her folded hands over her stomach.
Steven kissed her belly. "I want this baby Linda, trust me. I'm just nervous about how different our lives will be after, like anyone is. I'm going to love our son or daughter, don't worry a bit."
Linda looked into his deep brown eyes and smiled, kissing him. "I believe you Steve."
Early July 2001
Marsh house
By now, Sharon was feeling restless. She still had a few more months to go along but time felt extra slow because it was summer and the heat was on. For once snow was not visible on the ground in South Park and walking in the sun while six months pregnant was not something a woman wanted to do if she could avoid it. But she still had to go to work and she still had to care for a stubborn preschooler, and what she hoped would not happen was still happening. Shelley was still hard to deal with and still put up a fight with her daily. Currently she was screaming in the living room and Sharon was trying to calm her down. She finally couldn't deal with it any longer and had to go outside and shed some tears.
Randy walked downstairs with a beer in his hand and noticed his unruly daughter kicking her doll across the floor.
"Shelley, don't do that. It's your favorite doll," Randy told her.
"It's not the doll- it's the baby," Shelley told him.
Randy's brows rose. "Um… okay. Where's- where's Mommy?"
"Outside," Shelley shrugged and continued to throw her doll around.
Randy went out in the backyard to find his wife crying on the bench by the door.
"Sh-Sharon? You all right?"
Sharon quickly dried her tears. "Fine."
He frowned. "You don't look fine."
Sharon looked behind her a moment before spilling the beans.
"Randy, I'm scared."
"About what?" he took a seat next to her.
"About how things are going to be once the baby is born. Shelley- I thought she would be getting better as the months go by. She would get used to the thought of having a baby in the house, but it's not happening. On the contrary, she's gotten worse."
Randy frowned deeper but allowed her to continue.
"She's in the living room right now pretending her doll is the baby and is throwing it around!"
"Yeah, I saw that too," Randy told her.
"What if- what if one night- when I go to feed the baby- I find out he's outside the crib, on the floor, crying, because of her? What if she wants to hold him for a minute and ends up breaking his neck? I don't understand it Randy, why is our daughter so- so"-
"Difficult?" he tried.
"Yes," Sharon sighed heavily.
He rubbed his chin. "Not sure. But c'mon Sharon, she's four. She wouldn't really hurt the baby. We just have to spend the rest of these months showing her how to properly handle him. Then before you know it, they'll love each other just as much as any other brother/sister relationship," he finished with a smile.
Sharon raised a brow. "For his sake, I sure hope so."
"Every kid is difficult at this age, it'll pass," Randy added, still smiling.
Sharon hugged him. "Yes, it has to. And it will."
September 11th, 2001
Harrington house
Linda was currently at her mother's house, two hours away from South Park. It had been a difficult ride with many rest stops, but Linda could never pass up a visit with her parents. Their small little home with its beautiful garden was reason enough to visit. Sadly, this was not going to be a very pleasant visit. She had been spending a few hours now, eyes glued to the TV with her mother and father, for the Twin Towers in New York City had just been destroyed by hijacked planes. And this was only the beginning- she felt her water break by 2 PM.
"Mom- Mom- the- I think the baby's coming!" Linda suddenly gasped.
Jolene Harrington sat bolt upright. "What?"
"The baby's coming!" Linda began to breathe deeply.
"Oh no- George! George! Get out here now!"
Her husband ran from the kitchen. "Do they have more information about what happened?" his eyes turned to the news again.
"George, the baby's coming!"
George's eyes bulged. "What? But it's not due until the end of the month!"
"Are you sure it's coming dear?" Jolene asked her daughter.
Linda nodded. "Yes, I'm sure!"
Jolene began to fret about, hands over her mouth.
"That's not helping Jolene!" George snapped.
"Oh, it's going to take forever for an ambulance to get here!" Jolene stated.
"Well I'd better call them now then. You look after Linda," George said and raced to the phone.
Jolene sat her daughter on the floor and tried to help her daughter any way she could.
"The ambulance is coming but it might take a while," George told them minutes later.
"Ohh, times like these I wish we lived in a city," Jolene noted.
"Nothing we can do but hold tight then," George said, brow heavy with worry.
Twenty minutes later an ambulance pulled up. By then Linda knew the baby was coming and could not be loaded up onto a stretcher into the van. Instead, the paramedics had to deliver the baby right then and there in the living room. George had cut the cord of his grandchild before the infant was wrapped up in a blanket and rushed into the van, mother in tow.
"Is- is it a boy or a girl?" Linda asked, face drenched in sweat in the ambulance.
"It's a boy," spoke the paramedic. "He's breathing okay for now but as you told us, he's two weeks early. We have to get you both to the hospital quickly."
It was after six in the afternoon when Steven Stotch ran down the halls of the hospital and into his wife's room. He saw that she was smiling and holding onto a little bundle in a blue blanket.
"Linda! Your father called- I tried coming as fast as I could"-
"It's fine honey, it's fine. We're both fine."
Steven let out a calm breath then before walking over to them, worry on his face. In her arms was a little baby boy with a tiny puff of blond hair.
"It's a boy," Linda told him. "He was six pounds, six ounces."
Steven smiled and stroked his son's head. "What are we going to call him?"
"Well, I was thinking about that one name we were on the fence about. The one from the book Leopold's Adventure in Space."
Steven frowned. "My favorite book as a boy…"
Linda blinked blue eyes at him. "Well?"
Steven's face broke into a grin. "Yes, I'd love to use that name."
"Well, welcome to the world, little Leopold Butters Stotch," Linda kissed the plump cheek of her son.
Linda and Steven kissed before Steven touched his son's head again.
"Well little Leopold, you sure decided to be born at the most inconvenient of times. What with the world in a state of panic at the moment because of what happened in New York this morning, and your mother being at her parents." He turned to his wife with a smirk. "Sure hope this doesn't mean our son's going to be a little trouble-maker. You can't pick any other day worse than this to be born, that's for sure."
Linda just rolled her eyes as her husband began to yammer about who-knew-what. She just hugged the child she had longed for for years, close to her.
Mid-September, 2001
Marsh house
Sharon could not remember feeling this excited and nervous about something for a long time. She stepped into the nursery that was finally completed, the room to the right of the master. The walls were painted a sweet blue and as she looked around, everything else around her was blue too, or red, or green. Ever since she had told Randy they were having a boy he made sure to ask the doctor many times to confirm it. By now, it was almost month eight and they knew for a fact it was a boy. Plus it sure would suck to have to exchange all these items.
She sat down on the blue gilder in the room, lost in her thoughts. Randy came in a minute later. He kissed her lips then her belly.
"How are my wife and son today?"
"We're fine Randy," Sharon smiled.
"Boy, all those things everyone gave you at your baby shower sure did help."
"I know. It was so nice of your mother to buy me a new crib. I cannot believe the other one is broken."
"Well that's what happens when Shelley gets a hold of a hammer."
"Still… she intentionally broke her old crib that was in the basement so we couldn't use it for the new baby. It was such a nice crib."
"It's fine. Besides, I like this one better. I don't think white would match well in the nursery anyway," Randy smiled as he ran a hand over the rich brown wood of the new crib.
"I know the shower was a little early but, it's fine. My cousin was in town so she had to be a part of everything before she left."
"Will she stick around for the birth?"
Sharon sighed. "I don't think so. The baby's due early November, I don't think she can stand living here for another month and a half. She loves me but, the shorter time she has in South Park the better."
Randy looked at her. "You seem to have something else on your mind."
"Oh, it's nothing big. But, when I think of it…" she pulled out a sheet of paper from her pocket. "I would like us to rest on a name soon. You never know what could happen. The baby can come before November so we have to be prepared."
"Shelley was on time."
"Randy!" Sharon snapped. "Now come on, it can't be this difficult to choose a name. We already know we want it to start with 'S'."
"What names have we written down so far?"
"We've narrowed it down to: Shane, Sebastian, Spencer, Swanson, Sawyer, Seth, Seamus, or Stanley," Sharon read off the list.
Randy rubbed his eyes. "That's a lot to choose from still. It's too hard, let's just think on it later."
Sharon glared. "No, we are going to choose a final name and we are going to do it now. You keep putting it off."
"Sharon, this is what our kid's going to be called his whole life! It's a huge responsibility!"
"It's a name for Christ's sake! If you don't have any favorites then I'm just going to pick his name myself."
"Are you sure you want it to start with 'S'?"
"It's been decided for two months! Yes I'm sure."
"And those are the names you like?" Randy went on.
"That's it," Sharon got to her feet (with difficulty). "You had your chance."
"What?"
"I'm going to name him myself."
"But"-
"And you won't get to hear it until he's born."
"Come on now Sharon. Honey…"
"You're the one making this difficult, I'm not. I love all these names."
"Well so do I but"-
Sharon pulled a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm naming him. You got to name Shelley; I get to name our son. And I've already narrowed it down to three of those names."
With that she walked out, Randy standing open-mouthed in his unnamed son's nursery.
October 18th, 2001
Marsh house
Sharon had been feeling horrible all day. She could not keep anything down and had dizzy spells whenever she got to her feet. She finally decided it best to go to bed early that night, hoping it would help. Of course Shelley had none of this and walked into the master demanding a bedtime story.
"Mommy- mommy-mommy"- she kept shaking her.
Randy walked in. "Shelley, honey, Mommy isn't feeling well. Why don't you get to bed and I'll read you a story okay?"
Shelley crossed her arms angrily and walked out. Randy sat down next to his wife.
"Sure you don't need anything?"
There was a pained look on Sharon's face. "I need- to go to the hospital."
Randy looked worried. "What? Are you sure it's that serious?"
Sharon nodded. "It's serious all right. The baby's coming."
"What?" he leapt to his feet.
"Contractions started an hour ago. I- I don't know why I didn't say anything. I thought they might be Braxton hicks but I know they aren't," Sharon said quickly.
"You're sure you're contracting?"
"I know what contractions feel like Randy!" Sharon bit back.
"Oh Jesus! Oh no, okay. Okay, have to calm down, have to calm down. Shelley! SHELLEY!"
"Daddy, you need to read me a story!" Shelley held up Dr. Seuss to him.
"Get your coat on- Mommy's having the baby!"
Randy hurriedly buttoned his daughter in a warm coat and put boots on her feet before holding her in one arm and Sharon's bag in another. The family got into the car and sped off to the hospital twenty minutes away.
October 19th, 2001
Hell's Pass Hospital
Nobody got any sleep after the ride to the hospital. Randy was too busy pacing the floor, waiting when it would be time for Sharon to push again. He finally had his answer. He left Shelley in the waiting room with her babysitter Anna (who agreed she'd look after her if something like this were to happen) and hurried into his wife's delivery room.
"Go on Sharon! Go on! Push our boy out! Come on!" Randy had one hand squeezing his wife's, the other holding a video camera.
At 7:17 AM a baby's wail broke out in the room.
"He's here! He's here! He's- it's a boy right?" Randy asked the doctor.
"It's a boy," smiled Dr. Garbell. "Do you want to cut the cord?"
Sharon was able to hold her son for a moment and caress his head which held a few strands of black hair before a nurse took him from her.
"Ohh, he's beautiful," Sharon choked out, wiping her eyes.
"Do you have a name?" asked one of the nurses.
"Yeah, what's his name? What's his name?" Randy asked, jumping around like a toddler.
"Stanley. Stanley Quintin Marsh," Sharon answered.
Randy looked shocked for a second, mulling the names over, before smiling and kissing his wife. "That's a perfect name honey."
"Are you sure? It's a little unusual."
"It is but it's perfect. He is without a doubt a Stanley Quintin."
A tear rolled down Sharon's cheek as she kissed him in return.
"He's six pounds, four ounces," noted the nurse that had taken him away.
"He's over two weeks premature correct? He's having a little difficulty breathing. We'll be taking him to the NICU all right?" said the same nurse.
Randy got one last shot of his newborn son for the camera before he was wheeled out. He planted a kiss on his wife's lips.
"One girl, one boy. We have the perfect family now," he told her.
Sharon could only nod in agreement through her tears.
All five women lived only miles apart, yet had no idea that their newborn sons would soon get into situations no one thought possible. For now, they just enjoyed their new babies like the next normal family would.
End of part I
I hoped you like this. It was a lot of fun to write, and to get a good feel from the parents. Liane's pregnancy was a bit more difficult to write as she did not have the support of a husband. Part 2 will be the boys as toddlers and how they finally meet and become friends. So stay tuned! Please review.
Magical love: Rose, May 1, 2010