...a white room...laughter...feet scuttling around...more laughter...happy calls...and a beautiful melody.
Cagalli woke up suddenly. "Ow." she said. She didn't feel right. Where was she? Her eyes weren't focused properly, and she was surrounded by bright lights. She could hear it –that song! Her baby's song.
"My baby!" she gasped, feeling her belly. That's what felt wrong! It looked wrong, too.
"No. No, no, no." she muttered. Then she screamed, "No!"
Someone called her name. Cagalli barely noticed though, she was crying so loudly. There was a hand on her shoulder. "Cagalli, Cagalli!" she was being shaken.
Athrun's face appeared before her, pleading with her. "Cagalli, love, what's wrong?"
"Athrun! Oh, my love, what happened? The baby! Oh, the baby..." she sobbed.
"Cagalli, the baby... our precious baby... she's fine!"
--
Athrun had run to Cagalli. She was screaming about her arms – they were raw and bloody. He picked her up, tears running down his face. "Oh, my love, I'm so sorry! How could I let this happen? Oh, love... my love..." She never stopped screaming, and crying. He ran down the hall, rage and grief pushing him faster and faster until, finally, he reached the hospital. He ran to a room, and laid her on the bed, screaming for the doctor.
...
Kira and Lacus ran after Athrun, but couldn't match his speed. When they got to the hospital, there were attendants running around every where with shiny tools.
...
"Anaesthetic!" cried the doctor while she washed her hands, and put on her surgical gown. "Is my operating area set up? Hurry, we need to help her now!" Got to get the baby...the baby...the baby!
...
The doctor pulled out the babe, but it was still. "No..." she said.
"Get me some water, now!" she cried out. Attendants ran to her with a bowl of water, a clean towel.
She tried to put water on the baby's brow with a damp towel, but it didn't help. She tried so many things, minute after minute ticking away... Faster, faster! Got to work faster to save the babe. And Cagalli!
"Someone, take care of Cagalli, now! Close her up, I want to be able to keep her belly scar-free!"
Then, finally, there was a cry. The baby was crying! She had done it – the doctor had saved the baby.
...
An attendant came out to the waiting room. Nobody noticed her: Kira, Lacus and Athrun all sat, staring at their hands, and shaking. "Ahem..." they jumped. "You can come in now. Congratulations, it's a healthy ba–"
Athrun stopped him. "Don't tell us what it is. I want to see."
--
"So... you had to operate? My fall was that bad? How's the baby –she– doing? I can't believe this..." Cagalli was on the verge of tears. Athrun put a finger to her lips, then held it up to indicate 'one minute', and he left. She was about to cry, but then Athrun came back in, followed by the doctor. In her arms was a squishy, pink thing wrapped in a yellow blanket. The doctor handed Cagalli her baby, and she saw the most beautiful face on the world, with ginormous, gorgeous blue eyes blinking at her. She smiled, and tears flowed freely down her face. "My baby..." she sighed.
She noticed that, on top of the bundle of blankets was a piece of paper with brightly coloured ink. She opened it, and looked down the list quickly.
"My joy...my Paige Louise."
The End
(Or is it? I always thought of this story as having 11 chapters... you decide o_-)