Chapter Fourteen - A New Life

The moment that Greg was introduced to the anaesthesiologist, he started to feel a little light headed. He tried to listen to every word the man was saying, but all he could hear was white noise as he looked over all the equipment laid out on the tables behind him. He heard the part about the epidural as he spied the large needle being prepped, reaching for Nick's arms the second he came back in a set of scrubs of his own.

Ignoring how cute he looked in the teal, Greg clung to him as if he was a life source, getting ready for the epidural that was supposed to numb him from the waist down. He was okay with that part as he knew it would stop the pain of the contractions, but the huge needle going into his lower spine was another matter.

"Don't move." The man spoke softly.

"Hard not to." Greg whispered, looking up at his partner in front of him. He kept his eyes on the Texan's the whole time, feeling the pinch in his lower spine. He tried to stay as still as possible, but his leg started to shake with nerves after a moment. "This feels unreal."

"The needle?" Nick gave him a curious look. "I think it's meant to."

"No, this." He glanced up at the operating theatre they were sat in. "If it wasn't for the pain, I'd think I was dreaming this whole thing."

"It shouldn't hurt for much longer." The anaesthetist assured him, taking just a little longer to set up the epidural. "Let me know if you feel any unusual discomfort or pain. It won't take long to take effect."

"Isn't a contraction considered an unusual discomfort?" Greg released his grip on Nick's wrists, watching the colour returning to his fingers as his circulation improved without the vice grip. "Are you sure Warrick will be alright with Sadie?"

"She was a little cranky when I left her, but he said he'd be okay. Catherine called, she's gonna take over as soon as she's finished up with her case. And your Dad called Warrick's cell. Your Mom's on the plane over now. He's gonna catch one first thing tomorrow mornin'. Oh and he told your Nana Olaf and she wants to wish you luck."

"My Mom's gonna be so pissed she missed this." Greg sighed softly, feeling the pain beginning to ease up already.

"Alright Greg, we're going to lie you down now. Nick, you can sit over here." The man set him up a stool to sit on, while the covers and things started going up in prep for the surgery.

It killed him not being close to Greg at this point, but he had to remain out of the way while they finished their prep. He noticed a warming table being wheeled in behind him for the baby, watching the doctors and nurses arranging the towels, blankets and equipment that they might need for the baby. He recognised most of them during his time in the Neonatal unit with Sadie, bringing back the fear he had of losing her every day.

He had been so worried up until this point about Greg, he had completely forgotten the fact that his second baby was about to be born four weeks early. He feared the never ending visits to neonatal. The infections that set them back weeks and all the pain his little baby would have to go through to stay in this world.

"What's the date?" Greg lay back helplessly against the table, feeling the various pokes and prods from the doctors below. His stomach felt like a huge bowl of jelly at this point, but he didn't want to look what was going on in case it started to make him queasy again.

"The date is... the twentieth. Of October." The man behind him reported, clipping something to Greg's finger. "They're just disinfecting your stomach." He smiled at him, noticing Greg was trying so hard not to look. "They'll let you know when they start. You shouldn't feel anything sharp and let me know if you do." He placed some more monitors on Greg's chest, checking over the machines beside him, before he took a seat on the stool behind Greg's head. "Do you know what you're having?"

"A baby I hope." Greg smiled, turning his head to watch Nick. He looked more nervous than him at this point, but he couldn't quite reach him from his position. "Will the baby be alright? It's four weeks early."

"That's why we've got the neonatal team in here." The anaesthetist motioned towards the other team setting up in the corner. "That's Doctor Hardy. She's a paediatrician from the neonatal unit. As soon as your baby is delivered, they'll be handed over to her to be checked over. It'll be a few minutes before you get to see your baby and if there's any problems she'll let us know right away."

"Alright Greg, you may feel a tugging sensation in your lower half." The doctor spoke up over the clattering tools. "If it gets too much or you feel any sharp pains, let us know." He checked that he was listening to him as they wheeled him into position under the bright lights.

Greg tried to see as much as he could before the screen went up, but he rather wished he hadn't after he saw the sharp blades of the scalpels dangerously close to his lower half.

"Hey." Nick brushed his thumb across the younger man's cheek. "Look at me."

"I'm okay." He managed a smile back, looking a little more lively now that he was no longer experiencing the intense pain of his contractions. "I'm nervous."

"You think I'm not?" Reaching for Greg's hand at his side, Nick weaved their fingers tightly together, looking into his eyes. "We're in this together remember. I love you... more than anythin'."

"I love you too."

"Okay Greg, we're about to begin. Let us know if you even feel the hint of anything sharp." The doctor advised him once again, but Greg could barely feel his fingers in Nick's hand at this point. He glanced to the side to look at Nick, hearing the beeping of his pulse going a little quicker as they began. He tried to judge Nick's reaction to tell how it was going, but the man masked it with an excited smile each time he looked back at him.

"What are they doing?" Greg spoke softly, hearing a lot of strange sounds coming from behind the screen.

"You don't wonna look." Nick looked away, focusing his attention on Greg. "Trust me."

"They're just cutting down through the underlying tissue, working their way towards your uterus." The helpful anaesthetist filled them in. "The sucking noise you can hear is the suction. It clears away all the blood and fluid, so the doctor can see what he's doing."

Greg breathed in a deep breath, feeling the familiar pressure of the baby against his ribs. "This is going to be a rude awakening."

The anaesthetist behind him smiled, checking on the monitors beside him as the heart beat monitor started to go a little quicker. He didn't look worried, so Greg tried to relax, despite all the distractions in the room. He caught Nick taking another peek after a moment, returning with an equally excited smile across his lips.

The process seemed a lot slower than he imagined it would be. He yawned with boredom after a while, getting sick of staring at the white ceiling above him. "I can feel something." He spoke up.

"Can you tell me what it feels like?" The anaesthetist checked the monitors, making sure the drip was still going into Greg at a steady flow.

"I feel a little sick." Greg confessed.

"The nausea is a side effect from the spinal block. Let me know if you feel something coming up."

"You're going to hear a gush in just a moment. It's nothing to be worried about, it's just your waters breaking from the uterus." The doctor advised them again, right before they heard the gush of the waters.

Greg thought he should have been able to feel that, but he couldn't feel anything but the pressure against his stomach, making him feel as though he was about to throw up at any moment. It got a little more intense over the next few minutes, until he heard the commotion of the doctors and nurses down the other end talking to one another.

"It's alright." The anaesthetist tried to assure them both, giving them a smile. "The placenta is blocking their path to baby, but it's detached from your uterus wall, so it shouldn't take too long. As soon as the placenta is out, they just have to pull baby out and cut the cord. Sometimes the baby is in an awkward position, so you'll feel some pressure as they try to move them closer to the opening."

"Don't look." Greg reached for his partner's hand, fearing the image of it himself.

"It's okay, Greg." The older man assured him, taking a quick look as he heard them talking.

At first, all he could see was a brain looking thing attached to the long bluish umbilical cord. But after a while he saw a tiny set of legs being brought out of his partner's body, followed by a bottom, wrinkled little back and one arm. They twisted and turned the baby awkwardly to try and finish the job, but it didn't give him a very good view of his newborn.

Greg heard an odd gurgle sound before the staff erupted into a happy cheer. He wished they would be quiet as he tried to listen to the softest new sound in the room that he had never heard before.

"Eyes open, looking around." The doctor reported, quickly clamping and cutting the cord. "Do you wonna see your baby?" He nodded to the anaesthetist to lower the screen slightly, giving Greg the first view of the shrivelled little thing in his hands. He didn't register it as a baby at first. A small part of him was still hoping that this was all just a dream, but then the shrivelled blue little thing started to move and take form. He heard the gurgled cries a little more clearly and saw straight into his big beautiful brown eyes.

A boy.

He was shrivelled, small and covered in gunk and blood, but that was definitely his beautiful baby boy.

Before he could get a proper look at the infant, he was whisked away to an area that was out of sight. His cries were a little quieter, but he was definitely still in the same room as him. Greg clutched his partner's hand a little tighter, envious that the man could see everything that was going on, while all he could see was his anaesthetist's nose hair and the bright lights on the ceiling above.

"He's really blue." Nick finally spoke, anxiously shaking his leg as he watched them getting to work on his newborn son. He thought his cries would be more reassuring to him as he had never heard Sadie cry until she was nearly four months old, but instead it only made him worry more.

"They get their colour pretty quickly as soon as they start opening up those lungs with a good ole cry." One of the nurses tried to reassure them both, getting a view of the baby for herself. "He's a nice healthy size and he's crying which is always a good sign."

"He's really cryin'. Can you hear him, G?" Nick turned back to him, giving him a smile as he saw the tears in his eyes. "That's your baby, Greg. He's real."

"Are you cutting the cord, Daddy?" A nurse called over to him. "C'mon, you can cut it if you want to."

"Go." Greg practically insisted trying to peer around the edge of the screen to watch, but all he could see was the teal of everyone's scrubs.

Nick cautiously snipped through his son's umbilical cord, feeling a little squeamish as he saw the blood. He let the nurses clean it up, while he tried to get a better look at his baby's features. He could see a lot of Greg in his scrunched up little face, but he reminded him more of Sadie than himself. "Is he okay?" He asked Doctor Hardy in front of him, watching her performing a few tests on him.

"Yes, I'm just checking his Apgar score. Activity, pulse, grimace, appearance and respiration. He came out a little curled up, which is why he came out so blue. But he's getting his colour back. He was a seven at one minute." The woman turned to report to her colleague. "He appears to be breathing well on his own. His crying will help clear the gunk out of his lungs. Good flexibility." She gently pulled and pushed on his arms and legs, leaving him alone for a moment, before she started more tests. "Oh I'm sorry, sweetheart. Did we wake you up? All his fingers and toes." She smiled up at the father. "He's a nine at five minutes." She reported, glancing up at the clock. "Can we get a hat and blankets sorted out?"

They proceeded to carefully wrap the baby in the warm blankets, pulling a blue hat down on his head, before a fresh diaper was placed between his tiny hips. He had his hands in the air either side of him the whole time, looking as though he was trying to reach out for the warmth he was taken away from.

"I think he's falling asleep." A nurse reported, smiling at the father as she gently wrapped the baby in a warm blanket. "Let's go say 'hi' to Papa. Yeah?" She ushered Nick back to his seat, before she lifted the little bundle from the table.

Greg tried to bite his bottom lip to keep it from quivering, but his tears started to flow in his vulnerable position. He felt even more numb as he got a top up of his pain killers, starting to make him feel even more spacey. He vaguely heard the doctor telling him what they were doing next, but his focus turned towards the baby as they finally brought him back to him.

His lips and tiny fingernails were still a little blue, but the rest of him was bright red now. He looked even more beautiful now that the gunk and blood was gone, showing off his adorable little features, his tiny fingers and the very fine patches of hair sticking out from beneath the blue hat on his head.

"Wow." The younger man finally spoke, letting his tears flow free. "We made that."

"Yeah we did." Nick chuckled softly, sitting back in his seat as the nurse handed him over to him for the first time. He wasn't expecting to be able to hold his newborn right away. He felt like he had to wait months before he could even touch Sadie's little hand, but he was holding his son before he was even ten minutes old. He listened to his delicate cries, watching his every movement in amazement. "I can't believe his eyes are open already. I had to wait months to even see the colour of Sadie's."

"Are they yours or mine?" Greg queried, trying to see from his position on the table. He smiled as Nick gently lifted the little boy a little higher, giving the younger man a better look of his big chocolate brown eyes. "Definitely yours. What colours his hair?"

"Blue." Nick teased him, gently lifting the hat a little to try and see his hair underneath. "It looks... blonde, maybe mousy brown. It could be your natural colour." He smiled at the younger man, replacing the hat to his son's head. "He's beautiful, G."

Greg smiled back at him, starting to feel a little sleepy as the long process of stitching him back together continued. He felt about ready to sleep once he was finally carted out to a recovery room, but instead he just let his tears flow as he tried to picture what his baby even looked like. He honestly couldn't remember, starting to feel like a failure already.

"Hey, no tears, beautiful." Leaning across the bed, Nick pressed a kiss to his partner's forehead, before he sealed one to his lips. "You had a baby, G." He pecked multiple kisses to his cheek, taking a seat beside him. "How do you feel?"

"Exhausted." Greg tilted his head back, feeling as though his body had been ripped in half. "I can't believe he's out. It's just me in here now. Where is he?"

"The doc is just givin' him a final check over in the nursery. They're gonna weigh him and all that, before they bring him to us. She told me he's healthy. He's got a strong set of lungs on him and a healthy steady heartbeat."

Wiping his fingers across his cheeks, Greg brushed away his tears, feeling a little empty without the weight of the baby against his bladder. He felt oddly hungry too, but he was more concerned about seeing his baby then filling his stomach with food. The wait to see him again seemed to take forever. He wanted to sleep, but he managed to keep jolting himself awake every few minutes, seeing Nick in a different position every time.

"I think I hear him." Nick stood up straight, hearing a gurgled cry echoing down the hall. He reached out for Greg's hand as the tiny cot was wheeled into their room, feeling the younger man's hand shaking in his own as the nurse wheeled it right to his side. "Wow, he's loud."

"I know, he woke up all the other baby's. I think somebody wants his Papa." The nurse smiled, gently sliding her hands beneath the tiny bundle. "Your little boy is seven pounds exactly. We've got his foot prints and hand prints ready on the birth certificate, we'll just need your names and his name once you've decided. Who wants him first?"

"Nick." Greg motioned towards him, too afraid to hold him at the moment.

"Okay." She made her way round the bed to him. "You'll need to be careful when you hold him, Greg. We don't want you to pop your stitches. Over the next six months you shouldn't lift anything heavier than your baby." She waited for Nick to sit down, before she gently placed the baby in his arms. "There, you're a natural. We'll get his first feed ready soon. You might wonna look out for his first diaper change too. There's some things on the trolley, but if you need any help give us a shout."

"Thank you." Nick smiled at the woman, brushing his thumb across his baby boy's cheek. He continued to screech at the top of his lungs for a few minutes longer, before Nick moved a little closer to Greg. "He likes you." He spoke softly, moving the baby even closer to Greg. He found that when he was actually touching him, he settled completely, looking quite content for the first time. "You sure you don't wonna hold him?" He leant closer, pressing a kiss to Greg's forehead. "I love you, baby."

"I love you more." Greg repositioned his arm, letting Nick lower the baby against his side. "Wow, he's really light." He reached his other hand out for the tiny baby fingers, feeling his tears starting to flow already. "This feels unreal."

"You keep sayin' that." Gently perching himself on the bed, Nick carefully placed his arm the other side of Greg's body, noticing the size of his stomach had dramatically decreased already. "He's your baby boy, G. This is what you've been waitin' for all this time." He caught a smile on Greg's lips as he watched his baby moving ever so slightly, looking so peaceful. "Will you be alright for a minute?"

"Where are you going?" The younger man looked at him wide eyed as if he was terrified to be left alone with the tiny human in his arms.

"Just outside to call your Mom, Catherine and Warrick." Nick wanted to call his own mother like he did last time, but he knew that wasn't an option for him anymore. He could probably call his brother or a few of his sisters, but it wasn't the same as telling your mother that she was a grandmother again. "I can go later if you want."

"No, you can tell them. Just hurry back."

"I will. I'll get Warrick to bring my phone in so I won't have to leave you anymore." The man leant forwards, sealing another kiss to the younger man's forehead. "I won't go far. Shout if you need me." He smiled at him, watching the two of them for a moment, before he reluctantly got up to leave. He found his way back to the pay phones, giving Warrick a call first.

While Nick was away, Greg gently placed his finger in his baby boy's palm, smiling as his tiny little fingers curled around his own, clutching him ever so tightly. He had read that it was a natural instinct for a baby to cling on, but seeing it first hand was more amazing than reading about it between the pages of a book. "So you're the one that's been causing me all this trouble?" He spoke softly, smiling as the baby gave out the most adorable yawn. He was worried that he wouldn't be able to love his baby once it was born, but he adored this little bundle more than anything already.

Even though he felt completely exhausted, Greg couldn't sleep now that he had his baby in his arms. He watched his every tiny movement, counting each of tiny breaths, watching as he tried to open his eyes in the brighter surroundings.

"It's so bright in here isn't here?" He shielded his son's eyes from the bright light, smiling as he watched his eyes flickering open. "You definitely have your Daddy's eyes. You're lucky there. You'll be luckier if you look like him too." He brushed his thumb across the baby's chin, noticing a cluster of moles near his ear. He smiled as he had the same patch on the opposite side of his face. He couldn't see what his teeth were going to be like from the shape of his gums, but he hoped he wouldn't have to go through head gear and braces like he did. "So, what are we going to call you?"

"Hey." Nick appeared at the doorway. "Are you up for a visitor?"

"Who is it?" Greg tilted his head back, smiling as Catherine and Sadie appeared beside him in the doorway. "Yeah, come in." He grinned widely at Sadie, watching her curiously studying the little baby in his arms. "Hey, little monkey."

"She's really excited to see her baby brother." Nick lifted her from Catherine's arms, carrying her over to the bed. "Look Sadie." He perched himself on the bed, smiling as she cautiously examined the new life in Greg's arms.

"He's so tiny." Catherine approached the other side. "Look at those little fingers."

Greg smiled at her, turning his attention towards Sadie as she bounced in her father's arms. "What do you think, Sadie? Should we keep him?"

Sadie pointed her sticky fingers towards him, giving out an adorable gurgle.

"He's the baby now." Catherine smiled at her. "And he's so adorable, look at that little face. He looks just like you, Greg. But those eyes are definitely Nicky's." She leant closer to get a better look, nodding as he really did have his father's eyes.

"Do you want to hold him?" Greg suggested, not sure he was willing to give him up even for a moment, but she looked like she really wanted to hold him. She hesitantly reached out for him, carefully scooping up the tiny infant into her arms. He started to stir the moment he was away from Greg, bursting into full blown tears and a high pitched screech as she tried to settle him in her arms.

"Wow, he's really got a pair of lungs on him." Catherine spoke softly, gritting her teeth together as he squirmed and screamed against her.

"He did that with the nurse too." Nick smiled at her. "He only settled with Greg."

"You better have him back then." Adjusting the baby in her arms again, Catherine lowered him back into Greg's arms, giggling softly as he settled almost immediately. "Wow, look at that. Check you out, Mr Dad. Not even a parent for a day and you've already got the basics down."

"The baby books say that baby's are comforted by the scent of their parents." Nick leant across the bed, watching his son snuggling closer to his partner's warmth. "He knows where he came from. I can't wait for your Mom to get here. You realise we haven't taken any pictures yet."

"I know. She's gonna be so mad she didn't get those early shots in." Greg brushed his hand across the length of his baby, finding his tiny toes tangled in the blanket. His little feet were quite blue, so Greg instinctively bundled him a little tighter, trying to keep him warm. "Can we dress him yet?" He realised he only had a diaper and a little hat on.

"Yeah, I got some clothes in the bag." Nick motioned towards it for Catherine to pick up. "There should be a onesie in there somewhere."

"I remember when Lindsey was born, we completely forgot to pack any clothes for her. She went home wearing an outfit that one of the teddy bears were wearing." The woman giggled, handing over a onesie that had a teddy bear printed on the chest. "Will this one do?"

"Take Sadie a moment." Nick transferred her to the woman's arms, taking the onesie out of her hands. He gently slid his son a little closer to him, carefully unwrapping the little bundle from the blanket. His son reached his arms out now that they were free, wriggling and squirming as he grunted through his nostrils. He brushed his thumbs across his son's tiny little feet, before he lifted them into the leg holes of the onesie. He smiled as he lifted him into the rest of the outfit, carefully buttoning the poppers up the inside of his leg, towards his chest. He snugly wrapped him back in the blanket, moving him closer to Greg's side so he felt comforted by his warmth.

"Just looking at you is making me tired." Catherine smirked, catching Greg yawning again. "I didn't think a c-section would be as exhausting as the full labour."

"I had contractions before I went in for the op." Greg defended himself. "I feel like I've been cut in half to get him out. You try having your stomach cut open while you're awake and a baby ripped out."

"I didn't mean it like that. I was in labour with Lindsey for six hours and I felt exhausted for days afterwards. I just always wondered if a c-section would have been less exhausting."

"You do look exhausted, baby." Nick agreed with her, bending to press a kiss to his partner's forehead. "You should get some sleep. You've got six months of recovery ahead of you." He gently combed his finger through the younger man's hair, giving him a wide smile. "I love you so much."

"I love you." Greg gazed up into his eyes, feeling even more in love with the man then he was before. He turned his attention back to his son, watching him peacefully sleeping beside him. He vaguely heard parts of Nick and Catherine's conversation, before she decided to leave to get Sadie down for the night. He didn't really want to sleep himself, but the top up of pain killers sent him off into a deep sleep.

When his mother finally arrived from the airport, he couldn't pry his eyes open for even a second to see her. "Oh my goodness." Jean spoke softly, leaning over the cot to look at her newborn grandson. "He's beautiful, Nick." She smiled at her son in law, gently brushing her fingertip across the back of the baby boy's hand. "He looks just like Greg at this age." She started to get all teary, glowing with pride for her new grandson. "Is he alright?"

"Yeah. The doc said there's nothin' wrong with his heart. As far as they can tell, he's a perfectly healthy baby." Nick nodded, knowing she was eager to hold him. He scooped his son out of the cot, placing him in the woman's arms for the first time. He didn't settle for Catherine, Sara or Warrick, but he remained silent in his Nana's arms for the first time, not even kicking up a fuss as she opened the blanket to look at his little fingers.

"I don't think I've held a newborn in my arms since, Greg." She smiled at him. "He's adorable. Congratulations, sweetheart. How's Greg?" The woman glanced towards her son on the bed. He looked a little pale in colour, but other than the dark circles around his eyes, he didn't look as though he had suffered too much. "Is he doing okay?"

"Yeah, the last shot of pain killers really knocked him out. He could barely talk through the contractions earlier. He brightened up a bit after the epidural was put in. I've never seen him cry so much either." He confessed, smiling as his son gave out the most adorable yawn.

"And you, sweetheart?" Jean reached out for his hand. "Are you doing okay?"

"I'm okay." He smiled at the woman, feeling chills running up his spine as she squeezed his hand tightly in her own. It was exactly what he wanted from his own mother, making him glad she was here. He realised that it wasn't only Greg that he wanted from the Sanders clan. He wanted the whole package. The loving overprotective mother and the supportive father, everything he lacked from his own parents.

Thank you for reading. Next chapter hopefully by next weekend.

Hope you're enjoying the story so far.

~ Holly