Hey guys! I AM OFFICIALLY ON SPRING BREAK! Whoo hoo! The good news is I also passed all of my classes with reasonably good grades! There was one class that I could have done better on, but I'm just happy I got a passing grade XD And I did okay on my jury. (for all you non music majors, it's basically when you sing/play your instrument for the head honchos of the music department. Talk about scary!) The thing is, I get so nervous when I sing in front of people that I tense up and I don't sound as good as I usually do. But enough about that – at least I passed!
Voldemortisback1: You are too freaking sweet! Thanks for all the uplifting PM's and for keeping me motivated :D
AmberEmber7: your French has been pardoned XD lol!
BookButterfly11: fear not, all shall be well soon!
Salsadenougat: You're very welcome for writing a sequel! I'm so excited for it, too!
Catsrawesome: it snowed on April Fools Day, too! Talk about irony!
Disclaimer: I own the grades I deserved in college and this story, nothing more.
Hazel – Delivery
"Calypso, you are a lifesaver." Hazel sighed contentedly as she leaned back on the couch. She rubbed her huge, swollen belly and grimaced; she'd been having fake contractions – or Braxton Hicks, as Calypso called them – all morning. She thought she'd try to pick up her apartment this morning but her body obviously thought otherwise: everytime she even attempted to bend over it resulted in her not being able to get back up.
"No problem," Calypso said cheerfully, standing at the sink and washing yesterday's dishes. "You look like you're about to pop!"
"Well, that's to be expected at 37 weeks…" Hazel said, patting her stomach. "I just want to see her already!" she groaned, leaning her head back against the couch.
"You never know," Calypso said as she grabbed a towel from a drawer. "She might decide to come out early just because she's ready. No baby that I know of has ever actually arrived on the due date."
"I really want her to come when Frank's here, but I know that's just not possible." Hazel chuckled. "If I had a choice, I'd stay pregnant until Frank came home!"
"You'd be twelve months pregnant! You'd be as big as a whale!" Calypso doubled over, laughing hard. "And you would barely be able to move!"
"Well then, I take it back." Hazel pushed herself up off of the couch, arching her back as she stretched. "I'll be right back; I have to go to the bathroom for the millionth time..." That's one thing I'm NOT going to miss when all this is over…she thought to herself as she waddled over to the bathroom. Before she could even do her business, a huge splash of liquid whooshed between her legs. Even though no one was around Hazel felt her face heating up. Did I somehow lose control of my bladder…? And then it hit her. Wait, this is just water… she felt relief for a brief second, and felt herself go pale. If it's water, then…the baby is coming. A sudden burst of pain shot through Hazel, forcing her to sit down. She put her head on her knees, forcing herself to take slow, deep breaths. Every single cell in her body was on high alert and seemed to be screaming: "RED ALERT! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING!"
Through the cloud of pain Hazel heard a small knock on the bathroom door. "Hazel? Is everything alright in there?" Hazel let out a quiet groan and said nothing as she struggled to stand up. When she managed to get to her feet she opened the door slowly, gripping the doorframe for support.
Calypso gasped. "Hazel, you're as white as a sheet!" Her almond eyes glanced down to Hazel's hands clutching her stomach. "Oh my goodness," she whispered softly, realizing what was happening.
"I-I think I…" Hazel paused and bit her lip as another wave of pain shot through her. "I think I'm in labor…" She tightened her grip on the doorframe, her heart racing. She felt like she had transported into some sort of soap opera, except in this version Calypso was the bumbling husband.
"Do you have a bag to take to the hospital?" Calypso demanded. Hazel nodded. "Okay, I'll go find it and drive you there." Hazel felt the heat of tears starting in her eyes. Calypso laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It's gonna be okay, Hazel."
Hazel told her where her bag was and proceeded to waddle to the front door, grimacing the whole time. Calypso soon followed, hospital bag in hand. She opened the car door for Hazel and helped her inside before hopping into the driver's seat. "Just take deep breaths and don't stress," Calypso said as she backed out of the driveway.
Only one thought was on Hazel's mind, however. "I wish Frank were here…"
"I know," Calypso said gently.
It wasn't long until they reached the hospital (Calypso was going at least 90 miles an hour), and by the time both of them were pale: Calypso with anxiety and Hazel with pain. Hazel couldn't remember who said what, but somehow it got explained. The next moments were all a blur: she remembered being placed into a wheelchair, changing into a hospital gown, and then a hospital bed. Various tubes and wires were hooked up to her, measuring her heartbeat and other things.
"You just sit tight," the nurse said after hooking her up to the machine. "You're not quite there yet, but you should be by the time I get back with the main doctor. Just take deep breaths and don't stress out." And with that, she left. Hazel had always heard about people having conniptions, but she had never personally seen one. However, she was pretty sure she was having one.
"Are you alright?" Calypso asked, taking her left hand.
"…Peachy." Hazel grumbled. She didn't intend to sound mean, but everything hurt too much. She let the tears fall.
"You'll do fine," Calypso said reassuringly. "Is there anything else I can get for you? Another blanket or a glass of water?"
Squeezing her eyes shut, Hazel said: "I need Frank…"
There was a long pause, and Calypso squeezed her hand. "I know," she said quietly. "I'm so sorry…" She sounded like she truly meant it.
At that moment, crying in the hospital bed while in the worst pain she had ever experienced, Hazel felt utterly alone. They were silent for the next few moments, waiting for the doctor to return, as Hazel took Calypso's hand between both of hers and cried. How in the world could she do this seemingly impossible task without the person she needed most? And it wasn't just that: this was one of the first of many precious moments she knew they'd share in their marriage, and he wasn't here to see it.
And then, it happened. A warm, peaceful feeling filled her from top to bottom, the same way she felt whenever Frank put his arms around her. Hazel pictured him: his warm smile, comforting words and sweet kisses. Yes, she needed him here. But if, Hazel realized, he couldn't be here, her best friends could. "C-Can you call the other wives?"
"Of course!" Calypso pulled out her phone and pushed the button.
A little while later…
Piper stuck her head into the room, smiling widely as she saw the other wives. She was the last to arrive. Annabeth was holding Hazel's other hand and Thalia stood nearby with a cup of ice chips. "Hope I'm not too late," she said as she looked at the monitor.
"Nope," the nurse said behind her. "You are right on time. She just had an epidural."
"About time, too…" Hazel mumbled. The other wives laughed and she attempted a weak smile. It was Go Time.
"Alright," the main doctor said as she put on latex gloves. "Let's get that baby here."
For nearly an hour, the wives coached and persuaded Hazel, boosting her with the confidence and kind words she dearly needed. Even if Frank wasn't here, Hazel had never felt so much love and support from others before. She pushed, breathed, pushed some more and repeated the whole process. Hazel didn't think she had ever felt so exhausted.
"Alright, you're almost there." The nurse said. "Just one more push and she should be out; try to push as hard as you can with this next one, okay?"
Hazel wanted to smack the woman upside the head with her foot; she'd been pushing as hard as she could every time – what did that stupid nurse think she was doing?! But before she could get too annoyed, it was all over. Hazel leaned against the pillow, breathing heavily with her eyes closed. A loud, piercing cry filled the air.
"It's a girl," the nurse said. Hazel could hear the smile in her voice. "And she looks great!"
Calypso heard a small squeal from Annabeth. "Oh, Hazel – she's beautiful!"
Hazel opened her eyes and attempted to sit up, but before she could get a good look the nurses whisked her away to the other side of the room where, Hazel assumed, they were making sure her baby could breathe and was otherwise okay.
"What are they doing?" Hazel asked weakly, craning her neck around the other wives to try to get a peek. "Is she okay? What's going on?"
Thalia chuckled. "You nurses better hurry up, Mama Bear has officially come out!" She leaned forward and gave Hazel a hug. "You kicked butt, Hazel." As if on cue, the rest of the wives leaned forward and wrapped their arms around Hazel in a group hug. Hazel hugged them all back tightly; her heart was so full of love and gratitude she thought it was a wonder that it didn't explode.
"I'm a mom." She said aloud. The word felt strange and foreign in her mouth, but it gave her a sense of pleasure. That little kid on the other side of the room belonged to her. That was her daughter.
The wives broke apart as the nurse walked over. "I think its time this little lady meets her mama." She handed him over to Hazel's outstretched arms. Everything seemed to be in slow motion, which was a good thing; it gave Hazel enough time to imprint this moment into her mind like a hot iron. She brought the small bundle close to her chest and studied it carefully. In the little girl's tiny face Hazel saw Frank's high cheekbones but her round eye shape and a small tuft of dark hair on the crown of her head. Her wide eyes looked around as if trying to take everything in.
She was absolutely beautiful. Hazel gulped, trying to swallow the huge lump in her throat. "She has her daddy's nose…" she said, her voice quivering as she traced her new baby's nose with the back of her finger.
"Have you thought of a name?" Annabeth asked softly.
"Yeah," Hazel said, feeling herself smiling so wide it's a wonder her face didn't break in half. A new type of joy, one she had never experienced, was filling her veins. She could spend forever looking at her sweet daughter's face. "It's Emily Marie Zhang."
I'm starting my new semester next week, but I promise I will update as soon as I can! I'm kinda sad this is the last Frazel chapter – I really enjoyed writing them! Only four more chapters to go…