The next two months went by very, very quickly. Alex watched as her father and Winnie fell in love. He had stayed longer than he had originally planned. He said that it was because he wanted to be there for her and the baby, but she knew that he was using it as an excuse. She would never say I told you so to Bobby, but she had been tempted on a few occasions. Especially when the couple announced that they were going to take a trip to Las Vegas. Alex's eyebrows shot up at the news, but she didn't say a word. She just had this really big smile on her face.
Alex was growing bigger and bigger and she was getting more and more uncomfortable as the days went by. Sleep was getting harder and harder to come by. Their daughter was definitely a night owl. She slept during the day and then at night she would turn all kinds of somersaults and some well placed kicks.
Then there was the pain in her back. It was a constant companion lately. She remembered that from when she was pregnant with Nate. She was nearly eight months pregnant when she felt the first twinges. Twinges that she knew weren't normal. She woke Bobby from a deep sleep and said, "I'm in labor."
Bobby was up and out of the bed in record time. He dressed and had her out in the car in no time. She felt another pain shoot through her and she took Bobby's hand and said, "Oh God..."
"Hold on sweetheart. Everything will be fine."
Alex shook her head, "She can't come now. It's too early..."
Bobby took her hand and she squeezed tightly with the next labor pain. She was afraid. Not for herself, but for their daughter. She was afraid that if she was born now that she wouldn't survive.
By the time they arrived at the hospital, Alex was convinced that her baby wasn't going to make it and she was in tears. Bobby walked beside her and when they got to the emergency room doors, the nurse stopped him and said, "You can't go back with her. We will come and get you when we know what's going on."
"I want to be there for her..."
"And you will be. But right now we need to examine her and then we will come get you."
Bobby nodded and then said, "Okay..."
He went and sat down on one of the hard chairs in the waiting room. Then, he stood up and paced the floor. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. If they lost their daughter he didn't know what they would do. After a few minutes later, Bobby found his way in front of the chapel. He hadn't prayed in years. He felt strangely out of place, but sat in one of the pews and closed his eyes.
Then he whispered, "Hello. I'm not sure if you will even listen to someone like me. I haven't prayed in years. And if I had to admit it, there are times that I'm not sure you even exist." Bobby laughed sarcastically and then continued, "That's probably not a smart thing to say. Especially here." He closed his eyes and whispered, "But I'm not here asking for myself. I'm asking for our daughter. She's too little to be born now. If you're there, can you look over her and Alex. I don't know what I'd do... if I lost them. I..."
He closed his eyes and a tear fell. They'd already come to love their little girl and they hadn't even met her yet. He was anxious to, but not this early. He sat there for a few more seconds, but then stood and walked out of the chapel.
He walked back to the waiting room and sat down. It was a few hours later when the doctor came out and called, "Alexandra Goren's family?"
He popped up and said, "Here. She's my wife. How are my wife and daughter?"
The doctor smiled and told him, "They are stable. We were able to stop the premature labor and she's resting now."
Bobby nodded and then asked, "Can I see her?"
The doctor nodded and then said, "Yes. If you will follow me."
He walked into the room at the same time that Alex's doctor did. He sat beside her and took her hand. Her eyes opened and then whispered, "They said that they stopped the labor..."
Bobby smiled, "I know."
Then Alex's doctor smiled and said, "They were able to stop it. For now. However, I don't like how strong the contractions were."
Alex nodded and said, "I thought she was going to come today. I..."
The doctor smiled and said, "You were lucky that you got to the hospital so quickly."
"How's the baby?"
"The baby is fine. She's definitely not ready to come out yet. She could survive, but I want her to stay in there as long as possible."
Alex smiled and closed her eyes. She was very upset and she said, "I, have never been quite so scared."
The doctor whispered, "Well, you are fine now Alex. You aren't dilated and your cervix appears to be in tact. I would like to keep you in overnight for observation."
The baby picked that exact moment to give Alex a swift kick and nothing had ever felt so good to her before. Knowing that he daughter was still safely inside her was a wonderful feeling. She took Bobby's hand and placed it on top of her stomach and she looked at him and smiled. He smiled back and whispered, "Love you..."
She whispered, "Love you to."
Bobby whispered a silent prayer of thanks to the man upstairs. He still wasn't sure that he existed, but he wasn't willing to take a chance. He knew that they'd been given a gift. A gift of more time and that was exactly what their baby girl needed...
