Several weeks later,Dylan and Hermione were camped out on Dylan▓s couch, thoroughly engrossed in a special on "Twilight" Halfway through, Dylan felt a weird twinge in her stomach. A few minutes and a commercial break later, she felt it again, a tiny bit stronger this time. By the third time, realization was beginning to dawn on her, but there was still five minutes left in the show. Finally, after seeing the previews for next week, she turned calmly to her friend.
"Hey, Hermione?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I'm in labor."
Hermione's eyes bugged out. "What? Since when?"
"About a half hour ago."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
Dylan shrugged. "The contractions aren't intense or anything. I wanted to watch the end of the show."
Hermione just looked at her and shook her head. "You're hopeless, you know that? Here," she said, handing Dylan the phone. "Call your doctor."
Dylan did, and the doctor advised her to go ahead to the hospital. Hermione got up and started to gather up some of Dylan's things, while Dylan dialed Harry's number.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Harry."
"Hey, Dyls. How are ya? Can I call you back? I'm in the middle of something."
"I don't think so. We're on."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I'm in labor."
"What?! You cant be. It's October 30th!"
"Yes, I'm aware of that, Harry, but babies don't read calendars very well. I think this one's ready."
"Shit. OK Shit. All right As soon as I find a vehicle, I'm on my way. Try to wait for me, OK?"
"I don't have much control over that. But the contractions only started a little bit ago, so its going to be a while yet. There's no need to do 200 miles an hour, you hear me?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll be there as soon as I can."
"OK. Be careful." But he was already gone.
"Ready?" Hermione asked as she appeared with Dylan's bag. Her cellphone to her ear filling Draco in.
"I guess," Dylan replied, hoisting herself to her feet and heading for the door.
Well I just heard the news today
It seems my life is gonna change
I closed my eyes, begin to pray
Then tears of joy stream down my face
---
Dylan was propped up in the hospital bed, resting as comfortably as possible. She had requested a private room, telling her healer there were "unusual family circumstances." The healer hadn't questioned her but had just made the arrangements. It was a pleasant room, and there was even music playing softly. But it was getting harder for Dylan to notice, as the contractions had grown much stronger in the past hour. Now they were actually starting to hurt.
She watched the clock tick past midnight and said something inane to Kara about how she was glad the baby's birthday would be on the 31st and not the 30th. The 31st just sounded nicer. Hermione's response was not encouraging. "Don't count your chickens, there, girlfriend. His birthday might be the 1st."
Dylan groaned, "Some coach you are. Get out." But she was smiling. One of the reasons she and Hermione were so close was their similar sense of humor. They had been friends since college, and Hermione was the one who convinced Dylan she should call Harry to let him know about the pregnancy. Sometimes Dylan didn't know what she would do without her.
Hermione tried to distract her by launching a dissection of the "Twilight" special they had watched earlier. The tactic was only mildly successful, however. Dylan kept finding her eyes wandering toward the clock on the wall. It was after one now, and her contractions were getting closer together. She knew there was still a ways to go, but she couldn't relax at all until Harry arrived. She knew he'd be beyond heartbroken if he didn't get there in time.
Just then, the strongest contraction yet hit her, and she squeezed her eyes shut. She only half heard Hermione's instructions, but she tried like hell to breathe to fight off the pain. Slowly, the tension in her body subsided. She lay back against the bed, saying, "Great Merlin." As she tried to breathe normally again, she slowly opened her eyes. Her pain washed away in a wave of relief as she spotted Harry standing in the doorway. He looked kind of comical, with a bandanna covering his his unrully hair, a hat over that, and a pair of large, tinted glasses perched on his nose. But somehow he was still a sight for sore eyes. "Hey," she called to him, "You made it."
Well I don't know if I'm ready
To be the man I have to be
I'll take a breath, I'll take her by my side
We stand in awe, we've created life
Slowly, he approached the bed. "That looked like it hurt. You doing OK?"
"Hermione's been a huge help"
"As far as I can tell, it worked."
"Did you come by yourself?"
""No I stopped in an picked up Draco"
"You made pretty good time. How fast were you driving?"
"Um┘ Never mind," he said, averting his eyes. "The important thing is that I made it."
"Yeah, now maybe she'll stop looking at the clock every two seconds," Hermione chimed in.
"Shut up, Hermione. Ow!" she exclaimed, as another contraction grabbed her. At some point during the pain, she became vaguely aware of Harry's hand in her own. When she came through the other side, she realized she was crushing it in her grip.
"Sorry" she said, releasing him.
"It's OK," he said, slipping his other hand into hers, "Although I think it's probably a good thing I'm a righty and not a a lefty."
"Or a pianist," Harry added.
"Yeah, you're both a bunch of funny guys," Dylan growled, "I'd like to see you doing this."
"I don't think I could," Harry said, seriously, "I'm in awe of how well women handle it."
"That's OK. We get our revenge when you guys go bald," Hermione said, and the three of them cracked up. "I'm going to get some coffee. I wasn't planning to be up all night. You guys want anything?" They both said no, and Hermione headed for the cafeteria.
"She is the closest thing to a sister I'll ever need," Harry commented.
"I adore her," Dylan answered distractedly. She was wriggling around on the bed, but no matter which way she shifted, she couldn't seem to get comfortable. Her whole body just felt miserable now. Harry watched her for a moment and then finally spoke up.
"How about a back rub? I've heard that can help."
"I suppose it can't hurt."
"Oh, your enthusiasm is going to knock me over. I'm no expert, but I can give a decent back rub. Come here."
With arms wide open
Under the sunlight
Welcome to this place
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
He turned her slightly on the bed so that she was leaning against his chest. He began gently kneading her shoulders, using just enough pressure to have an effect. His long fingers and strong hands were like magic on her aching muscles, and she let her head drop back against his shoulder. It was several minutes of pure nirvana.
Without warning, her body suddenly seized up again. Harry supported her from behind, stretching out both his arms so she could hold onto his hands. His voice low in her ear, he reminded her to breathe. The contraction was intense, but brief, and when it was over he started rubbing her back again.
"How'd I do?" he asked.
"You did great," she replied, "Are you sure you haven't done this before?"
"Hell, no," he said, "I just said Breathe over and over again. That's what they always do in the movies, right?"
"Right," she said, laughing. "I think that's all Mione says, too, but I'm not sure because it's kind of hard to listen."
"I can imagine," he replied.
"Anyway, you're doing great," she said, reaching behind her to touch his cheek lightly. "I'm really glad you're here."
"Me, too," he said quietly.
Just then, the nurse came in to check on her. "How're we doing?" she asked, as she lifted the sheet covering Dylan's legs.
"OK, I guess," Dylan answered, "They're getting stronger."
The nurse briskly checked Dylan's vital signs and dilation. "You're looking good. Up to seven centimeters already. I don't think this will be too drawn out."
"That would be fabulous. I really don't want this to go on forever."
The nurse chuckled. "That's understandable. If you want, you could get up and take a short walk. Sometimes that speeds things up a little."
"OK. I just might do that. Thanks."
"Welcome. I'll be back in a little while."
As the nurse left, Natalie turned to look at Harry, who was frowning. "What?" she asked him.
"A walk? What the hell are you going to do if one of those things hits you while you're walking?"
"I don't know. Ride it out, I guess. Come on, help me up."
"OK" he said, doubtfully. But he helped her to her feet.
"I wonder where Hermione got to," she mused, "It can't take that long to get coffee."
Slowly they made their way out into the hallway, his hand resting lightly on the small of her back. It did feel good to move around a little, and she was glad she had taken the nurse's advice. They rounded the corner by the nursery, only to find Hermione standing there Draco's arms wrapped around her waist, sipping her coffee and gazing at the babies.
"Hey, where you been?" Dylan asked.
"Um I just decided to take a little walk,with the hubby" Hermione replied. "What are you doing out here?"
"The nurse said walking might goose things along. But I think I'm ready to head back now. You coming?"
"In a minute."
"OK," Dylan replied, and she and Harry began the walk back to her room. About halfway up the hall, she stopped. "Uh oh," she said, "Here we go" He immediately wrapped his arm around her back as she braced one arm against the wall. She feared her knees would buckle, but she managed to stay upright. With Harry's support and a lot of huffing and puffing, she got through it. "Whew," she said, "I'm ready to get back in bed."
With arms wide open
Under the sunlight
Welcome to this place
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
They got back and he helped her into the high bed. A few minutes later, Draco and Hermione strolled back in, and they took to chatting aimlessly. Gradually, her contractions came closer and closer together, until she mostly dropped out of the conversation. She dimly realized Hermione was telling Harry all about how the Lamaze concept worked. At one point she interrupted them to ask Hermionne to get her barrettes out of her bag. She was perspiring now, and her hair was sticking to her forehead. As Hermione went over to the bag, Harry leaned over and said to Dylan, "I'll be right back. I'm just going to go use the facilities."
Dylan smiled up at him in return. As he left,Hermione came over and started pinning back Natalie's damp hair. "I think" Hermione began, "I think I'm going to sit out the delivery room, OK?"
"What? Why?" Dylan said, shocked.
"Because I think that moment should belong to the two of you. I'll just be the third wheel."
"No you won't. Come on,Hermione, you've been with me through all of this. You're supposed to be my coach."
"Mostly all I do is say Breathe. I think Harry can handle that. I think he'll be great, actually. He seems like a terrific coach."
"Yeah, he is. He's a real sweetheart. But I don't think you'll be a third wheel at all, Mione."
"I'll be right outside, I promise."
Dylan would have continued to protest, but she was hit with a long, hard contraction. She never even heard Harry come back into the room. When she opened her eyes again, he was standing there with a concerned look on his face. "Are you sure you don't want those drugs?" he asked.
"I really want to do this without them if I can," she replied. Harry just shook his head.
The contractions started coming almost on top of each other, then, and the pressure was almost unbearable. "I'm going to go get the nurse," Hermione said.
---
The room seemed to her to be filled with people, although in reality it was only her healer, the resident healer, two nurses, and, of course, Harry. For his part, Harry looked bewildered as the efficient medical team bustled around them, preparing her to give birth. Monitors were hooked up, she was moved into position, and a baby warmer stood at the ready. If Dylan hadn't been in so much pain, it would have all been a bit scary.
Soon, everything was set, and the healer took up her position and told Dylan to start pushing when the next contraction hit. Harry came around and stood next to her, holding her hand tightly. For a few seconds it seemed as if the whole room was in limbo, waiting for her body to give the cue. Then she felt her stomach start to tense again, and she began to bear down with all her might. The first two pushes didn't feel like they accomplished much, although the pressure lessened somewhat. On the third push, she leaned forward and threw her whole body into it. Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she could have sworn he was pushing, too, in his own way.
Just when Dylan thought she would die from exhaustion, a whole new level of pain hit her.
"OK, Dylan, the baby's crowning now. You're doing great, right on schedule," the doctor reported.
"Oh my God, that hurts!" was her reply.
"Shh OK, Dyls, come on, you're almost there, you're doing awesome. Just a little while longer," Harry breathed in her ear.
"It fucking hurts!" she exclaimed. Then she thought she heard him chuckle, and she looked quickly up at him, prepared to let him have it. But all she found was his look of concern and a lip that was almost bleeding where he was chewing on it. Reassured that he wasn't laughing at her, she returned to the task at hand.
"Come on, Dylan," the healer exhorted, "We need another push here."
Gathering up what was left of her strength, Dylan bore down. She felt significant movement this time, and heard Harry gasp. Looking up at him again, she saw that he was transfixed by the mirror that allowed him to watch. She turned her gaze to the mirror as well, but her vision was too blurred by sweat and tears. She heard the doctor say, "OK, the head is out. Come on, Dylan. Just one or two more." She did as she was told, and with one last effort, it was over.
There was a crowd at her feet, and she tried to prop herself up to see, but she had used up the last of her reserves. Suddenly, the healer's voice rang out cheerfully, "It's a boy, Dylan, and he looks pretty healthy to me." She fell back against the pillows, overcome with exhaustion and relief and emotion. Just then a tiny cry split the air as the baby lodged his first protest. Dylan's laughter mingled with her tears as her son exercised his newly discovered lungs.
If I had just one wish
Only one demand
I hope he's not like me
I hope he understands
That he can take this life
And hold it by the hand
And he can greet the world
With arms wide open
---
lyrics With Arms Wide Open-Creed
