Note- Sorry for the long wait between updates.
Chapter Eleven Hold On Now
December 18, 2002
Carly told Kendall, as the dark haired woman panted and tried to push out her child, "All right, I am gonna deliver this baby for you, since it seems you are leaving me very little choice...but you have to make me a promise. Nothing in this world is free, we both know that."
"Greedy...bitch..." Kendall hissed at her "AHHHHH!"
"Okay, he's right here...he's coming...are you gonna agree to my terms?"
"What...the ...hell...AHHH! Max, friggin do SOMETHING to help."
He eased one inch closer, "Okay...Miss Hart, sure, ...like what, ma'am? I could boil water or get towels or maybe I should just walk to the hospital and drag back a doctor..."
"JUST SHUT UP! AHHHHH! No...I'm done...no more, Carly, I'm not doing this...I'll wait..."
Carly could barely think straight, as she prepared to catch the head that was starting to slide out, but she knew she had to keep Kendall's mind off of her fear. "I'll only do this for you... if you agree to hold my hand when I give birth next summer...you can hold one and Jason can have the other...deal?"
"Ahhhhhh! Since...when...are ...you...ahhhh!"
"I just found out. Now...deal or not?"
"Deal! Fine! Whatever! Get this baby out of me! Ahhhh!"
"Then push...he's coming...he's ...oh wow...Charlotte..." the little boy's body slipped into her grasp. Her eyes widened at the sight of him, and then she jumped into action, yelling at Max to get over there and help her.
They worked quickly to clear the child's airway and clean him off, as all three of them waited for his first cry...
Kendall fell backwards onto the cushions of the couch, but her eyes stayed on her newborn. "Is he...Carly...is my son okay?"
Ryan skidded through the door, yelling Kendall's name. He stopped dead in his tracks at the scene before him. Then he was hurrying closer and seeing his son for the first time. He saw the coloring of the baby and his heart twisted.
"Ryan...thank God you're here..." Kendall cried "How's the baby...he's beautiful right?"
Ryan ran for scissors, as Carly's mouth moved to try and breath life into the infant. Ryan cut the cord and then they moved the baby onto the coffee table, laying his small body on a blanket. Ryan leaned down and breathed into the baby's mouth and nose.
Kendall cried out in anguish. "Come on, my baby...come on, come on, come on son...breath..."
Carly reached out and grabbed her hand. She prayed God, save this child...save my nephew...save him...make him breath...she needs him...don't take this baby...
Ryan lifted his mouth away and then leaned close to his son. The baby let out a wail. Ryan lifted him up and cuddled him close to his body. He brought him over to Kendall.
Soon Jason, Brenda and Johnny were coming in the door. Carly stood on shaky legs. Jason came over and with one look he saw how she was barely holding it together- he saw all her love, joy, fear, pain and worry.
"Jase..." she whispered
He pulled her into his arms and, as usual, Carly began to feel that everything would work out just fine.
XXXXXXXXX
Max and Johnny went walking to the nearest fire department, it was five blocks away. Paramedics were there, and after commandeering a snow plow they made their way back to the apartment building. It took longer for an ambulance to get there but the paramedics were able to give Kendall and the baby some care in the interim.
"I love you," Ryan whispered as he kissed her sweaty forehead "You did great, babe."
"He's really okay?"
"Listen to those cries. Loud and healthy. He's perfect," Ryan promised her, though he couldn't really know for sure.
"I was so scared..." she whimpered. Then her eyes moved across the room to Carly. Jason stood behind her, with his arms wrapped around her waist. She leaned back to rest against him. Kendall said to her, "Thank you, Carly...if you weren't here with me..."
"Where else would I be?" Carly asked with a smile.
They stared at each other for a moment, thinking about the past and present, about these men who were next to them that they loved, and about their children who they never expected to have but couldn't live without now. They thought about how easy it was to fight with and for each other, to love each other, to always rely on each other when they were teens and now.
Crazy . Damaged. Lying wench. Cold hearted bitch. The world called them all that and more. And they were, at times, to everyone and to each other. But it didn't matter what sins they committed. All that mattered was they knew who they loved in this world, they knew who they were to each other.
(I don't like you, but I love you
Seems I'm always, thinking of you
Oh,
oh, oh, you treat me badly
I love you madly
You
really got a hold on
You really got a hold on
You really got a
hold on
You really got a hold on me)
( Beatles)
XXXXXX
After Kendall was taken to the hospital, Jason had to argue with Carly to make her stop trying to force Max to drive her there. It was decided they would wait till morning so the roads could get plowed.
Carly was taking a bath later, when Jason walked in and crouched by the tub. "I'm really proud of you..."
Her smile lit up her whole face. She got teary at his admission. "I don't think you ever said that to me before..."
"No? Well, I'm always proud of you...you know that, right? You raise our son everyday and you give him everything he needs..."
"You help me, Jase. Sometimes I think you are the one thing Michael needs most. I see a difference in him when he is with you...you make him feel secure...just like you do me."
She took his hand and pulled it underneath the water. Lazily, his hand brushed over her skin. She pressed it onto her stomach. "You up for doing it all over again? Being the best thing in
our new baby's life...what do you say?"
Carly's heart squeezed as she saw his blue eyes fill with unshed tears. He smiled. "I say I want you to be my wife before our kid gets here."
Then he was lifting her out of the tub, with water splashing everywhere. Carly bit her lip, trying not to cry but by the time he laid her on the bed she was sobbing, huge happy tears fell all over her cheeks. He leaned down and kissed her stomach and then pulled her into his arms.
"Jase...Jase, man, this is...everything I ever wanted...don't let this ever end, okay?"
He murmured, "I'm not going anywhere, not without you and our kids. You know I'm
no good without you...never have been."
Her wet body pressed closer to his, her arms wrapped around his neck, and then his lips were sliding over hers, making her moan with pleasure and need.
Jason knew what she craved, every single thing and just how to take her ache away. He did it every night, and never- not yet and he figured this was one thing he could count on to not change- did it fail to thrill him to give it to her.
It was in the eyes, he decided. The way Carly looked at him- that sweet devotion, that hot hunger- that made him a sucker for her, that made him never able to get enough of these kisses, of her hands on him, of sinking into her body and feeling like he was complete.
She was the only woman he ever met he made him feel like this. She was all he knew about the word love. To him, love was Carly and for her, to his utter joy, love seemed to equal him and their children.
"You're amazing," he breathed out, his mouth next to her ear as they moved together.
"You better believe it, Jase." Carly dug her nails into him and the way her eyes changed told him to move his hand to stroke her and take her right over the edge. "This is...amazing...oh...we're amazing..."
(I
just can quit now
You really got a hold on
You really got a
hold on
You really got a hold on
You really got a hold on me
Baby,
I love you, and all I want, you to do
is just, hold me, please
Hold
me, squeeze me
Hold me, hold me
You
really got a hold on
You really got a hold on
You really got a
hold on
You really got a hold on me.)
(The Beatles)
