"Are you sure your water?" Jonathan became panicked
"Pretty sure .." she said looking down at her pants completely soaked through
"Alright so what do we do?" Jonathan had never been in this situation before
"We get into the car and go to the hospital" Jennifer was trying to stay calm but this was becoming painful
"Alright, Can you walk?" Jonathan didn't wait for an answer, he picked her up and ran to the car
"Jonathan! Wait," She was laughing," I need my bag and someone has to tell Pa!"
"I'll do them both, Just wait here," He said putting her down so she could get in the car and ran into the house
"Stephen! Joe!" Jonathan screamed throughout the house
"What in the world is going on ?" Stephen said from the banister in the library
"Jennifer's having the baby!" Jonathan running to her room, this baby and all the running around was going to be the death of him
He grabbed her suitcase and ran past her father, then thought better of it, grabbed the old man and dragged him out the door
Jennifer laughed hysterically when she saw her father being dragged out in his slippers, reading glasses and book out the door by Jonathan who look like he had run the length of the house
"You do realize it could be hours before this baby is born right?" Jennifer said to Jonathan getting in the car
"I know but I'd rather be at the hospital for hours than wind up on 11'clock news saying I delivered our baby on some back road" Jonathan drove quickly
It made Jennifer's heart swell when he kept saying our baby and he was barely at the end of hillhaven when the contractions started
"Ooh boy" She had taken the childbirth classes and seen the videos to which she had nearly thrown up but they didn't mention how much they hurt
The entire half hour ride the contractions kept getting stronger and stronger and Jennifer was bent over so much it she was pretty sure she could fit under the dashboard
By the time Jonathan screeched to the front of the hospital, Jennifer was pretty sure the baby was trying to physically walk out of her body
"Oh my god!" Jennifer screeched as an orderly ran to the car with a wheelchair
"I think she's full dilated," a nurse said running behind the orderly," Let's get her into an exam room"
"This baby wants out now!" Jennifer growled
"Alright let's just make sure" the nurse said as the orderly wheeled Jennifer into an exam room
Jennifer's clothes were cut off because there was no time to get her into a gown, although she was covered from the waist up
She was quickly examined and the baby was indeed 10 centimeters dilated, enough to push but there was also a quick decision to move her to the labor and delivery ward
As she was loaded onto the elevator, she realized Jonathan wasn't with her
"Where's Jonathan?" She screamed
"I think he's still filling out forms" Stephen said holding his daughter's hand
"I want Jonathan now!" She cried
"He'll be here soon," Stephen attempted to comfort his daughter
They got off the elevator and was waiting in the hallway for a delivery room when Jennifer made a decision
"I'm not having this baby unmarried" Jennifer declared
"Honey I think it's a bit late for this decision," Stephen was stunned by his daughter's declaration for months she'd preached about being a modern woman raising her daughter on her own, just as he was about to respond with that remark, Jonathan came streaking down the hall
"Ooh Baby I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lie" Jennifer babbled
"Darling, don't worry about that, let's just concrete on having a baby," Jonathan tried to soothe her
"Let's get married," Jennifer said," Right now!"
"Now? Darling, your about 10 seconds away from giving birth, might be a little hard to get a reception together and some witnesses?" Jonathan was so frantic because she was writhing in pain but yet she was talking about getting married
"We're getting married or there is No Baby!" Jennifer cried
"Uh you better go find a priest and fast, Buster" the nurse said sympathically
"Where am I going to find a priest on five minutes notice..without a marriage license?" Jonathan wondered
"I don't care if it's a priest a monk or some punk ordained off the internet.. just find someone now!" Jennifer growled
As luck would have it, a rabbi was getting off the elevator to say a prayer for the sick babies on the labor and delivery floor
"Rabbi, thank god!," Jonathan ran over to the rabbi and nearly knocked him over, "Can you please marry my fiancée and I right now?"
"Now?" The Rabbi was slightly thrown, he'd never been asked before to perform a last minute marriage ceremony in the maternity ward
"Please, she won't go into the delivery room without feeling like we're married " Jonathan said tempted to blame hormones but figured she'd get off the gurney and beat the hell out of him for even thinking it
The rabbi walked over to Jennifer and noticing she was white knuckling the railing of the gurney asked her "Is this what you really want"
"Yes Rabbi Please marry us I don't want my baby to come into the world without having married parents," Jennifer said
"Are you sure?" the Rabbi pressed
Jennifer grabbed him by the shirt and yanked down "either marry us or don't just hurry please!" the pain was making her nuts
"Alright …What are your names?" The rabbi untangled himself from her grip
"Jonathan Charles Hart," Jonathan stated
"Jennifer Sophia Edwards" Jennifer said
"Do you have a license?" The Rabbi Asked
"No," they said together
"A ring?" he pressed
"No not exactly" Jonathan thought of the engagement ring she'd thrown in his face eight months prior and how it was sitting in his suitcase
"then how am I supposed to marry you without a ring or a license" the rabbi asked
"Look I just want to hear the words, just the words" Jennifer said gripping the rails even harder
The Rabbi sensing, she was going to lose her mind if he didn't begin..
"Alright let me think, Dear beloved we're gathered here," the rabbi started to ramble
"Uh Rabbi, could you get to the point because she's going to drop the baby right here!" the nurse said waving her hands
"Oh right, Jonathan Charles do you promise to love honor and cherish this woman until death do you part," The Rabbi asked
"I do .." Jonathan said
"Now Jennifer Sophia, do you promise to,"
"I do!" She practically screamed
"I now pronounce you man and wife …have a happy baby Mazel Tov" The Rabbi declared
"Congratulations ..Now can we get into the delivery room?" the nurse asked
"Yes Yes!" Jennifer said after kissing Jonathan, temporarily forgetting where she was after being wrapped up in the moment
They wheeled Jennifer into delivery and Jonathan followed behind but not before he realized Stephen wasn't behind him
He saw Stephen sort of stepping back into the shadows
"Dad..you coming?" Jonathan grinned
"I think this a time for the two of you .."Stephen said
"JONATHAN!" Jennifer screamed
Jennifer was in labor for another three hours and finally their daughter was born, screaming and weighing in at 6lbs 8oz
She had her Mama's red hair and her daddy's crystal blue eyes
"Our daughter is so beautiful" Jennifer cried over their daughter's blanket
"Oh Darling, thank you so much for this amazing gift," Jonathan kissed the top of her little hat
"We need to think of a name for this amazing gift," Jennifer said she couldn't stop crying, it was a mixture of exhaustion and just the thrill of meeting her daughter after all these months
"Well, "Jonathan sat on the bed next her ," Did you pick any names?"
"I thought maybe Deliah or Pearl but now I'm not sure," Jennifer said studying the baby's face she certainly didn't look like a Pearl…"Darling, what was your mother's name?"
"Aubrey Catherine," Jonathan said having known very little about his birth mother, he always made sure he knew at least her first and middle name
"Hmmm what about Aubrey Rose?" Jennifer said
"Perfect name for the perfect baby," Jonathan said taking his daughter " Are you little Aubrey Rose," the baby stretched and gave a sort of gummy smile
"Where's Pa?" Jennifer asked leaning back against the pillows
"Oh that's right, He apparently didn't want to get in the way so I think he's still in the waiting room," Jonathan said giving Aubrey back to her mother and going out to the waiting room
Stephen had fallen asleep with a paper in his hands, Jonathan shook him gently
"Stephen!," Jonathan called
"Jennifer?" He immediately asked
"She's great …come meet your new granddaughter," Jonathan couldn't wipe the smile off his face he was so excited to get back to the two loves of his life
"Granddaughter? " Although he had known for months that the baby was going to be a girl, he was slightly disappointed he didn't have a grandson to carry on the legacy of not only Jennifer but Jonathan as well
"Yes and she's so beautiful," Jonathan said walking beside Stephen to where Jennifer had finished nursing the baby
"Hi Pa!" Jennifer said pushing the blanket back to reveal a round little face, with just a hint of freckle and smooth round forehead
"Oh Sweetheart, she's absolutely perfect," it was at that moment Stephen lost his heart to that little girl, "Are you going to name her after your mother?"
Jennifer and Jonathan traded whoops looks and it was Jonathan who after clearing his throat said "No We've decided to name her Aubrey Rose, after my mother.."
That didn't bother Stephen, "Oh well the next one can be named after your mother,"
"The next one?" Jonathan had always imagined himself with a big family,"What do you think Darling,"
"I think you better go it alone on the next one," Jennifer laughed and took her baby back
She could have stared at her baby all day and night but she needed sleep so did Jonathan and Stephen so she sent them home and when the nurse came to put the baby in the nursery, Jennifer almost held onto her baby like a life raft but knew that it wouldn't do the baby or herself any good if she was just plain exhausted and so with a longing look she left her baby to the care of the nurses
Jennifer immediately fell asleep and was suddenly plagued with a nightmare of being in a long corridor and someone calling "Mama, Mama," she couldn't place where voice had come from and every door she opened was the wrong one and yet she continually heard "Mama"
Jennifer suddenly woke up and realized that she needed to see her baby, IV pole or not
She quickly got out of bed and went down to the maternity ward nursery where all the babies were and She quickly spotted the Isolatte that said "Aubrey Hart" but it was empty
"Where is she?" Jennifer began to panic and pounded on the glass
"Yes?" a Nurse asked coming out from an office
"I'm looking for my baby Aubrey Rose Hart, Where is She?" Jennifer demanded
"Let me check," the Nurse said going into the nursery and after looking into the isolate and conferring with the other nurses, realizing that Baby Hart wasn't with them either, she immediately called security
"Where is my baby?" Jennifer kept repeating
