CHAPTER TEN - WELCOME TO THE WORLD
They had made it back to the Impala all in one piece, and John had been right, it was a tight fit especially since Dean and Pepper were the only ones sitting in the back leaving the other three men to cram into the front. John was driving and Bobby was in the passenger seat with Sam sitting in between them. Sam was holding his arm gently. Even though John had popped it back into place after Jake had dislocated it, the thing still hurt a bit and it was probably bruised as well. Bobby was fiddling with everyone's cell phones trying to get a signal on one so that he could call 911 for help but he wasn't having much luck.
Pepper was stretched out in the back with her legs braced against one of the doors. Dean was sitting behind her and was taking most of her weight against his chest as she leaned against him. He kept rubbing his hands along her back and stomach in the hopes of helping her some how.
"Breath, Sweetie. Breath." Dean said into her ear.
"Oh shut up, Dean." Pepper snapped between deep puffs of breaths.
Dean closed his mouth and looked up, catching John's eye in the rearview mirror as Pepper cried out again.
"Getting anything there, Bobby?" John asked as he broke eye contact with Dean to watch the road again.
John was finding it hard to keep the car steady as he drove since he knew the movement was probably making Pepper feel worse. It didn't help that they seemed to be driving on the windiest, bumpiest road in the country.
"'Fraid not." Bobby gritted in frustration. He shook his head and placed the phones in his lap. He craned his neck back to look at Pepper. "How are you doing back there, Pepper?"
"How do you think I'm go--Aah!" Pepper screamed through gritted teeth as she was hit with another contraction.
Dean used one hand to brush her hair away from her forehead while the other took hold of one of hers, linking there fingers together before letting her squeeze as tightly as she wanted, which as it turned out was pretty damn hard. Dean bit back any comment he may have had about the pain in his hand and instead pressed his lips against Pepper's temple.
"It's gonna be alright." Dean murmured against her skin.
The car fell into an uncomfortable silence after that, with only the sounds of Pepper's cries and harsh breathing filling the air.
"Hey, Dad?" Sam began softly, hoping that Dean and Pepper couldn't hear him. "What are we going to do about the Demon? I mean, he is still out there and we don't know what he's planning. We should--"
"--Sam, seriously shut up!" Dean yelled from the backseat. Apparently, Sam hadn't been as quiet as he thought. "Now is so not the time for that."
Sam looked over his shoulder and nodded sheepishly. Dean was right, they could deal with Yellow Eyes another time, like maybe when Pepper wasn't about to give birth to Dean's child. Sam was about to apologize but just as he opened his mouth he was cut off by Pepper's scream.
"Aaah! Oh god!" She screamed and punched Dean's knee accidentally. "Oh that's it. John you need to stop the car."
"That may not be such a good idea." John called over his shoulder. "We're still miles from any help and like Sammy said, the demon is still out there somewhere."
"Yeah, I know but..." Pepper trailed off while breathing through clenched teeth once more.
Dean squeezed her hand again then looked up at his father, again catching the older man's eyes in the rearview mirror.
"Dad, please." He pleaded. "Pull over."
John paused for half a second. The tone in his son's voice sent a slight chill down his spine. John had heard that tone come out of his son just once before. Last year when they when in that cabin and he had been possessed by the Demon. Dean had pleaded with him then in a voice laced with deep fear. It was something that John dreaded hearing from either of his sons.
John nodded and as carefully as he could, he pulled the Impala off to the side of the road. He turned off the engine as the others began climbing out. Dean helped Pepper get to her feet. Sam and John took their phones from Bobby and joined in on trying to get a damn signal.
Less than a few minutes later, Pepper was leaning against the hood of the Impala. Her hands clasped together in front of her and her head bent low resting on her hands. She tried to focus on her breathing like Dean was instructing her to. Dean was of course right by her side. He rubbed smooth circles on her back while trying not to show her how terrified he really was.
"Someone please tell me you got something with those phones!" Dean yelled over another scream.
"Sorry, Dean." Sam shook his head before trying his phone again.
"Fantastic." Pepper spat sarcastically. She stood up and tilted her head back, looking heavenward and shouted angrily, "I'm going to give birth on the side of a road!"
"Well if anyone has the strength to do it, its you Pepper." John told her, hoping to be comforting.
Pepper glared sharply at him. "Do not patronize me, John Winchester."
John was stunned. Apart from Ellen and Missouri, he could not remember the last time he'd gotten that look and tone from a woman before. Well apart from Mary when she had been in labor. He turned to Dean and noticed that his son looked...almost amused.
"-I-" John began.
"I think we're only 2 hours away from the last town we passed." said Bobby, sensing that John could use some help. "One of us could go and get help and--"
"--What! On their own?" Sam demanded. "You want to go out there with the Demon still around? Bobby are you insane?"
Bobby advanced on Sam until they were standing toe to toe.
"I'm not going to just stand here doing nothing while my granddaughter is in labor, now am I." Bobby snapped at the younger man.
Sam opened his mouth to say something but John cut him off with a quick and forceful, "Enough."
"Look," Bobby continued. "We don't have a lot of options here."
"I don't want anyone to go." Pepper said suddenly. Fresh tears sprung in her eyes.
"Pep," Dean gently began.
"No, Dean. Sammy's right the Demon is still out there. What if one of you go off and then something happens?" Pepper asked.
"Pepper, it could be our only shot." said Bobby. "And if I or John go then we can protect ourselves."
"But you can't guarantee that, Granddad. And none of you have the right to give me anything else to worry about right now."
"I'm sorry, Pepper." Bobby apologized.
Pepper nodded before turning to lean against Dean's side.
"Okay, I-I need to sit down." She announced.
"Bobby, there should be a blanket under the seat, could you..." Dean started and Bobby was opening the car door before he could even finish asking.
Bobby grabbed an old looking blanket from under the passenger seat. The boys kept it there encase they needed to hide something while going through a road checkpoint so it was a bit dirty. Bobby shook it a few times to get most of the dirt and dust from it. John helped Bobby lay the blanket out on the ground at the side of the Impala, on the side facing away from the road so that she was hidden behind the car. After the blanket was straighten, Dean gently guided Pepper over and helped her to sit down.
Pepper leaned her back against the Impala. Dean was right by her side. He hadn't left her since they had found her and Sam, and he had no intentions to do so either. He took a hold of her hand again while peppering her temple with random kisses.
"So, um..." Sam mumbled to John and Bobby. "We're in a bit of trouble. Unless one of you knows how to deliver a baby."
"Well...we've both had kids before." Bobby replied slowly and unsurely.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you know how to deliver a baby." Sam responded.
Dean rolled his eyes and breathed sharply from his nose when he heard his brother's tone. This was not the time for Sam to pull his smart-ass routine.
Out of nowhere, they heard the distinct sound of a car engine approaching. John looked over at Bobby and then down at Dean and Pepper as they all tensed up. There was no way of knowing who or what was going to be behind the wheel of this car. John gave a quick nod to Bobby and Sam then the three of them moved to grab their weapons from the Impala. Sam tossed a handgun to Dean.
As the lights from the car grew closer, Bobby, Sam and John stood along the road, their guns aimed and at the ready. Meanwhile, Dean crouched down in front of Pepper and placed one hand over her mouth to muffle her cries as he held his gun in the other hand. Dean carefully looked up over the car to the other men. He heard a muffled cry come from Pepper and lowered his head again.
"Sorry," Dean mouthed and pressed his hand against her more tightly.
Pepper closed her eyes and fought against her body's desire to cry out as her contractions hit her.
The car stopped a few feet away from them. The car door flung opened and the driver slowly got out. Everyone's guns immediately aimed towards whoever it was.
"Ellen?" Sam called out, after recognizing the person in the car.
"Sam," Sam sighed in relief. "It's so good to see all of you."
Sam lowered his gun and walked towards Ellen just as she came towards them.
"Ellen, what--" Sam began
"Sam!" Bobby yelled, causing Sam to stop before he actually reached Ellen.
Sam turned to look at him, "What?" he asked.
"You boys got holy water in that trunk right?" Bobby asked.
"Ah, yeah." Sam nodded.
John caught on to what Bobby was thinking and quickly moved back to the car. It would be too simple if Ellen were simply just Ellen and since nothing in their lives was ever simple, the chances of her being a demon were around 80 percent. As John grabbed the bottle of holy water, he tried not to look over at Dean and Pepper. Ellen had yet to notice that they were there and until they were sure that she was not possessed; John wanted to keep it that way.
With the bottle of water in his hand, John approached Sam then held the bottle out to Ellen. She gave him a look of confusion that matched that on Sam's face. Sam was too busy being happy to see Ellen that he hadn't thought of the possibility that she wasn't her.
"John, what's that for?" Ellen asked, indicating the bottle.
"Drink it." Bobby ordered.
Ellen eyed the bottle then looked over at Bobby.
"Bobby, are you serious?" She asked, shaking her head slightly. "Is that really necessary?"
"It's just holy water, shouldn't hurt." said Bobby. "And I'm bettin' you can imagine the kind of day we've all been having."
"Just drink it, Ellen." John replied.
Ellen reached out and finally took the bottle from John. All three men watched as she took two deep gulps. When she was done, she lowered the bottle and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
"There," She said before throwing the bottle to John, who caught it against his chest. "Don't suppose you boys have something stronger?"
Sam smiled and did what he wanted to do since he saw her. He hugged her tightly, while she hugged back. Behind them, John and Bobby relaxed slightly.
"Ellen, what are you doing out here?" John asked her.
Ellen pulled back from Sam and said, "After what happened... I needed to know what was going on. I called a psychic friend of mine. She pointed me in your direction."
"Why come? You know its dangerous." said Bobby.
"I was worried about...Where's Dean and Pepper?" Ellen asked, looking around.
Suddenly Pepper cried out and obviously, Dean had moved his hand because everyone heard her loud and clearly. Ellen looked at the others for a brief moment before running around the side of the Impala. Dean had dropped his gun and was back to sitting at Pepper's side. Ellen took one look at Pepper and instantly knew what was going on.
"Why the hell is Pepper, sitting on an old blanket when she is clearly about to have a baby?" Ellen demanded.
"Ah, none of our phones are working." Sam supply weakly.
"You've got a car. You could drive to a hospital."
"We tried that." John said, shaking his head slightly. "The ride was getting too much for Pepper."
"Oh," Ellen turned back to Pepper, her eyes wide. "Oh, Honey." She knelt down in front of Pepper and placed a hand gently on her forehead. "You doing okay?"
Pepper violently shook her head.
"Alright." Ellen thought for a moment. "Pepper, Hun," She began gently but with an air of firmness. "I'm going to check and see exactly how far along you are. Is that okay?"
"Yes." Pepper nodded.
Ellen gave her a brief smile before she got to work.
"Good to see you, Ellen." Dean breathed in relief. It was good to have someone who was seemed a little calmer about the situation.
"Just your luck too." Ellen replied before moving back from Pepper slightly after checking her. "Now, Pepper, I'm sorry but you're just about fully dilated. We're gonna have to deliver this baby now."
"You sure you know how to deliver a baby, Ellen?" asked Bobby.
"Well, I am a parent." Ellen replied, looking up at Bobby. "So I guess that qualifies me somewhat."
"We're parents' too." said John.
"Yes, but you two aren't mothers." She explained. "You haven't gone through a labor nor have you actually given birth. I have which makes me more qualified then you to. Besides I think it will be less uncomfortable for Pepper this way."
"And for Dean." Dean added. The thought of anyone else there besides himself or Ellen being down...there was just way too creepy to think about.
Ellen laughed at that and turned back to the couple. She sobered up however when she saw Pepper's face contort in pain again.
"I'm afraid this is going to get a lot worse for you, Pepper." Ellen told her.
"Great." Pepper breathed. "Dean Winchester, you are going to owe me so much after this."
Dean nodded, "You can have Sammy, babe." He said while moving and arm around her back so that he could take hold of her other hand. He moved closer to her so that she was half leaning on him, half leaning against the Impala.
"Yeah, sure give me up before you give up your precious Impala." Sam joked.
Pepper laughed but winced a second later.
"Ok, we need to get started." Ellen announced. "Sam, I've got an old police radio in the back of my car. You should be able to get a hold of someone with it. Once you do, tell them we need urgent medical assistance."
Sam nodded and ran to Ellen's car. Bobby turned and followed him to help. While Bobby would rather stay with Pepper, it was hard for him to see her in pain even though he knew that it would be all worth it.
"Now, John, I'm going to need a sharp knife and whatever alcohol you got."
"Why the hell do you need a knife?" Dean asked alarmed.
John was already searching the back of the Impala for the bottle of whisky he knew he'd seen earlier. He didn't know how old the thing was but it was the only alcohol they had so it was going to have to do. Of course, he had no trouble finding a sharp knife as the trunk was full of them.
"It's for the cord, Dean." Ellen replied, easing Dean's worry a little.
John poured a generous amount of whisky over both sides of the knife. Ellen held her hands out to him and John poured what was left of the drink over them. Dean watched them with a frown. He hadn't realized that all of this would be necessary but he trusted Ellen and wouldn't argue what she was doing. Once the bottle was empty, John tossed it into the woods where it smashed against a tree.
"Yes!" Sam yelled excitedly.
Ellen, Dean and John all looked up as Sam came running towards them.
"Bobby's got someone." He said in a rush. "They're sending an ambulance. I mean, it's still going to be a while, hour and a half at the most but they are coming."
"Good job, Sam." Ellen smiled at him. She looked over at Pepper and her expression became very serious. "Right now, Pepper..." She paused as she checked Pepper's progression once again. "The baby's head is crowning so you need to start pushing."
Pepper nodded and Dean gave both of her hands a reassuring squeeze.
"You can do this." He whispered to her.
John, Sam and Bobby all moved closer. Bobby left the radio on but realized that he could not miss this. He wanted to witness his great-grandchild be born. The three of them stood on Pepper's other side from Dean and watched with great amazement.
Ellen got into position with her hands between Pepper's legs. "Okay, now Pepper, I need you to give me a big push." She instructed. "Ready...1. 2. 3. Push!"
Pepper screamed and clutched tightly onto Dean's hands as she pushed. Dean leaned forward, unable to take his eyes away from Ellen's arms even though he couldn't see anything from his position. Time seemed to disappear in those next few minutes and all anyone could focus on was the sound of Ellen instructing Pepper to push.
"Alright, Sweetie. One more big push should do it." said Ellen.
Again, Pepper pushed as hard as she could. A second later, the air was filled with the sound of a newborn baby's cry making everything else in the world melt away. Pepper released her grip on Dean's hands slightly and stared opened-mouth at her new baby.
"We have a girl." Ellen announced happily. She lifted the crying baby up to show her parents.
"Wow," Dean breathed as he stared at his new daughter. His eyes shining with tears of happiness and wonderment.
She was so small. Smaller than Dean would have imagined. On top of her tiny head was the lightest sandy brown hair Dean had ever seen, and her eyes were closed as she screamed so he couldn't see her eyes. And even though she was covered in blood (and other things Dean didn't want to think about), he thought she was the most amazing and beautiful thing in the whole of creation.
Ellen quickly got to work cutting the cord and finishing what she needed to, then she held the baby close to her chest and looked up at John, Bobby and Sam. All three were staring at the new baby agape with tears in there eyes.
"Do we have another blanket?" Ellen asked, rocking the baby slightly against her.
Before any of them could form a response, Dean was moving away from Pepper just enough to take off his leather jacket, all without looking away from his daughter. Once the jacket was off, he held it out for Ellen. Ellen smiled warmly at him before carefully wrapping the baby up in the warmth of her father's jacket. Dean held the baby in his arms; looking down at her while, Ellen did a double check to make sure she was secured. Once she was certain that the jacket was around the baby properly, Ellen let go and leaned back.
Dean shifted the baby slightly in his arms bringing her closer to his chest. Then he leaned down and kissed her tiny nose. Pulling back slightly, he took a deep breath and inhaled her sent. Her cries became softer until she made no noise at all but her eyes remained close, leading Dean to believe that she had fallen asleep. He kissed her forehead before gently (and a little reluctantly) placing her into her mother's arms. Pepper cradled her daughter close to her chest. She still had tears in her eyes from the pain of labor but they were now mixed with tears of overwhelming happiness.
Dean leaned forward and placed one hand on his baby's sandy-brown hair, stroking gently with the tips of his fingers. John and the others seemed to have broken out of their trance and the three of them had all moved closer to Pepper and Dean. Sam knelt down on Pepper's opposite side from Dean and stared down at the baby's head. John and Bobby were standing right behind him and both were still looking at the baby.
"She's gorgeous, Pepper." Bobby said fondly.
"I know," Pepper replied, smiling down at her daughter.
"Yeah," Dean agreed before leaning over to kiss the baby's forehead again. Then he went back to stroking her hair.
The baby opened her eyes and looked up, wide-eyed at her father as he leaned over her. Dean smile grew with so much pride when he saw the same green eyes as his own looking back at him.
"Hi, Sweetheart." He began softly, stroking her hair again. "Daddy loves you."
Dean continued smiling down at his daughter. After several moments, he leaned back and lightly kissed Pepper on the lips murmuring "Thank you" to her.
"She's so tiny." Sam said in amazement.
"I'm going to go check on that ambulance." said Ellen as she slowly stood up. "Congratulations you two."
"Thanks, Ellen." Dean nodded and looked over at her. "For everything."
Ellen smiled warmly down at the new parents and then walked over to her own car. Dean looked back down at his baby and smiled at her.
John watched Dean silently and couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. He knew that it was common for a mother to visibly glow after having a baby, but you never really hear about the father doing the same and yet that was exactly what Dean was doing. Dean was actually glowing with pride, love, and everything else that John had never seen but always hoped his son would feel one day.
"Don't suppose you two ever came up with a name for this little one?" Bobby asked. "Or are we just calling her baby girl for now?"
Dean thought for a moment and then turned to Pepper. "Guess we should have thought of that earlier."
Pepper shrugged ever so slightly, "I already have a name picked out." She said.
"What?" Dean raised a brow. "Since when?"
"Ah, about five months ago." She replied, and bit her lip nervously.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Dean asked.
"I guess I wanted it to be a surprise."
"So, what is it?" asked an eager Sam.
John smiled because he knew what was coming, after all everything else in the dream was pretty close to the new reality even the baby that was now in Pepper's arms looked like the same baby from his dream, though a bit younger. So John had no doubts that she would have the same name as she had in the dream - Ayla Rosetta. That was why John nearly fell over in shock when Pepper replied.
"Mary."
"W-what?" John asked, thinking he had heard her wrong.
"Her name is going to be Mary." said Pepper.
"Really?" Dean asked.
"Yep." Pepper grinned.
Slowly, Dean's face broke out into a huge mega-watt grin. "Well then," He began and looked back down at his daughter. "Welcome to the world, Mary Winchester."
THE END
Stay tuned for the 4th part in the 'Colored Lights' series, titled --- 'Four Men And A Baby'
Author's Notes - I know that I was very vague in regards to what actually happens when you give birth, but what can I say I'm lazy lol. I changed the baby's name from 'Ayla' to 'Mary' because in the first story, Mary(the boy's mother) was alive so there was no need to name the baby after her, while in this story she is dead so naming the baby after her honors her memory. Oh and her middle name is going to be good too I promise. Any comments of feedback would be great. Thanks all for reading :-)