You guys rock my sock! Reviews are amazing!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You're too good to me!

Okay, I don't know if you guys are ready for this. Are you ready for this? 4 months and 34 chapters...are you totally sure you're ready? Cuz I could squeeze a few more chapters in before that baby gets here...

Alright, I'm not that cruel! You've waited long enough. Without further ado...

Chapter 34

"I WANNA GO TO THE HOSPITAL! I WANT DRUGS!!" Maureen roared as she continued to push. She was still kneeling in front of Joanne on the floor. Kate was sitting on the floor behind her, Blair was getting the last few things ready for the birth, and Collins, Angel, and Mimi just stood together in the corner watching everything unfold and trying to stay out of the way.

"Sweetie, you wouldn't even make it to the hospital. The baby is right inside," Kate told her. "Here, give me your hand." She took Maureen's hand and guided it between her legs. "You feel that right there? That's the baby's head!"

A look of awe and terror crossed Maureen's face. "Holy shit!" she gasped. "That's the baby's head?"

"Yep! We're getting close. Just hang in there."

Joanne did her best to try to encourage Maureen. "Baby, I'm so proud of you. You're doing so awesome. I love you so much."

She pushed through a few more contractions before Kate stopped her. "Okay, sweetie, this little one is getting close. If you wanna have this baby on the bed, then this is pretty much your last chance to move, okay. It's now or never."

Getting up and moving the few feet to the bed was the last thing on Maureen's mind, but she knew giving birth sitting on the bed would be easier for everyone, not to mention her knees were killing her so she agreed. Collins came over to help her up onto the bed, grabbing her underneath her arms. Once she was on the bed Kate helped her recline back against some pillows and bend her knees.

When Collins saw that she was in a good position he started to go back over to Mimi and Angel, but Maureen would not let go of his flannel shirt. "Stay with me," she said breathlessly. Without thinking twice he sat on the bed next to her, holding her hand with his right hand and putting his left arm behind her to help support her. Joanne climbed up onto the bed on Maureen's left side and Maureen immediately took her hand. Mimi and Angel stood at the end of the bed in awe of the situation that was unfolding in front of them.

Maureen continued to push and as the baby began to crown she experienced an incredible burning sensation between her legs. It was so intense that she could have sworn she was splitting in two.

"Oh Jesus! It burns!" she sobbed, throwing her head back and digging her finger nails into Collins and Joanne's arms. "I swear she must be bringing luggage!"

"I know, sweetie, but you're so close," said Kate, trying to hold back a laugh about the 'luggage' comment.

"C'mon Maur, you're doing great, babe!" Collins said.

"Oh God, please take me to the hospital! I want the epidural!" Maureen screamed again. She knew there was no way she'd make it to the hospital, but it didn't matter. It was a cry of utter desperation.

"Maureen, you wouldn't even make it to the car! The baby is right here! Just push and it'll all be over in a few minutes."

Pressing the back of her head against the headboard and letting out a loud, gravely growl, she pushed until the contraction was over before collapsing over onto Joanne's chest.

"I just want this to be over. I wanna be done," Maureen cried weakly, tears and sweat streaming down her face.

"I know, baby. You're almost there!" Joanne said, kissing Maureen's sweaty forehead. She could taste the salt from the perspiration on her lips. This would have grossed some people out, but not Joanne. In her eyes, Maureen had never been more beautiful than she was at this very moment.

"Hang in there, Maureen" Kate said, rubbing the Maureen's leg.

Maureen laid still against Joanne trying to catch her breath. "Oh no," she groaned as another contraction started to build.

"C'mon, baby, you're almost there! You can do this. Let's go!" Joanne said, pushing Maureen into a sitting position and pressing her forehead to Maureen's temple.

"C'mon, chica. You're so close! You can do this!" Angel said, gripping Mimi's hand tightly. Mimi stood in stunned silence, tears beginning to cloud her vision.

"Good, Maureen. We're almost there!" Kate said as Maureen began to bear down once more. "Jo, come here," Kate motioned for Joanne to join her at Maureen's feet. Joanne's eyes widened.

"Th-that's okay. I'm doing uh…I'm doing good with the hand holding," she stammered uneasily.

"Jo…come here," Kate said again, this time with a tad bit of force. "Come see your baby." Joanne nervously peered around Maureen's leg and was shocked at what she saw.

"Oh my God," she choked back, covering her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes.

"That's your baby," Kate explained as Maureen continued to push.

"Look at all that hair!" Jo cried, looking up and smiling at Mimi and Angel who were watching as well. "Oh baby, you're so close! Keep going! It's right there! Push!" she encouraged, rubbing Maureen's thigh as she continued to bear down.

"Okay Maureen, stop pushing. Blow, blow, blow!" Kate demonstrated the panting technique. Maureen did her best to not push as the baby's head emerged.

"Oh my God! It burns!!" she grunted.

"I know! Almost there! One little tiny push for the ears," Kate spoke calmly. Maureen pushed, and with a throat grinding roar, the baby's head was born. Angel, Mimi, Collins and Joanne were speechless.

"Okay, sweetie. Head is out and Peanut has a sweet little face!" Kate announced as she suctioned the baby's nose and mouth. "One more big push and we're gonna have a baby!"

"I can't!"

"Sweetie, yes you can! You have to! Push!" Kate said firmly.

As the next contraction built, Maureen gathered all the strength she had left, squeezed her eyes shut, and pushed as hard as she could, screaming in a way that could only be described as 'primal' as the shoulders emerged one at a time. Joanne covered her mouth with her hand and stared in awe as the baby was born.

"Maureen, open your eyes," Kate said calmly as she delivered the baby's chest, tummy, and legs. Maureen peeked her eyes open and looked down in shock just as Kate laid the baby directly on her chest. Blair covered the baby with a warm towel and rubbed it gently as it began to make its first gurgling mews.

"Oh my God!...Oh my God!" Maureen stammered as she looked at the wiggling creature in her arms. She couldn't believe it. The little person who had been living within her for 9 long months was now in her arms. "Oh my God, I did it! Holy shit, I actually freakin' did it!" she said, looking up at Joanne and her stunned friends and then back down at her baby. "You're out! You're here! Holy cow, I can't believe you're here! Oh God, and you're beautiful!" she cried stroking the baby's face and head.

Joanne was completely overwhelmed as she snuggled closer to Maureen. She laughed and cried and kissed Maureen's forehead as she stroked her baby's downy head.

"So are you guys gonna tell us what we got?" Kate said, which seemed to somewhat startled both the girls who were in such awe of the petite person in Maureen's arms that they had almost forgotten there were five other people in the room. "We've been waiting nine months to find out if we have a little girl or a little boy. Are you gonna keep us in suspense or what?" In all the excitement of the baby finally being here, Maureen and Joanne had forgotten to look.

With tear-filled eyes, Maureen looked at Joanne. "You look."

Unable to hold back her smile, Joanne gently lifted the blanket and peeked between the baby's legs before covering her face with her hand. "You guys aren't going to believe this," she said, looking over at Angel, Mimi, and Collins, who were standing next to the bed. "She was right!"

Angel's jaw dropped. "Oh, you have GOT to be kidding!!"

Joanne shook her head. "I'm serious as a heart attack," Joanne said, looking up at Maureen. "You were right, baby. IT'S A GIRL! It's Averie" Joanne exclaimed, laughing through her tears of joy and relief and kissing Maureen.

Maureen quickly had a look under the cover as well. "I knew it!" she said, kissing the baby girl on the head. Unhappy about the cold breeze on her bottom, Averie finally began to let out a few robust cries. Maureen and Joanne quickly covered her back up. "Oh I know, sweet girl! That whole 'being born' thing is a bitch, isn't it?" Maureen cooed. Averie let out another tiny wail as if to agree. "Yeah, I know, but it's gonna be okay because me and your momma have waited a very long time for you and we love you so much. And you have aunts and uncles and grandmas and grandpas and friends who love you too."

Angel, Collins, and Mimi were sharing hugs and tears amongst themselves. "Oh my God, you guys, she's precious!" Mimi squealed, moving closer to the bed.

"Hey, someone should go tell Mark and Roger that we have a baby girl," Joanne said.

"No need," came a voice at the door. "We already know." Mark and Roger's heads and Mark's camera lens peeked through the half-open door.

"Mark! Oh my gosh! How long have you been standing there?" Joanne asked.

"Well, I had my eyes shut most of the time, but I think we peeked in somewhere around 'I think she's bringing luggage!'"

Everyone giggled a bit. "Get in here, you two," laughed Collins, wiping his eyes with his sleeve and pulling a slightly peaked, but happy Roger into a bear hug.

Mark rewound his camera and started shooting again. "It's March 1st…..no wait," Mark corrected himself, looking down at his watch. "March 2nd, 1993, 12:31 AM, Eastern Standard Time. Our little family has just gotten a little bit bigger. Maureen, would you like to introduce our new star?"

Maureen giggled slightly. "This is Averie. Averie Colleen Johnson-Jefferson…our daughter," she smiled.

"So, Jo's cutting the cord, correct?" Kate asked, clamping Averie's umbilical cord.

"Yes," Jo sniffled, wiping her eyes and clearing her vision. "Now you promise she can't feel this, right?" she asked, taking the scissors that Blair handed her.

"Right, she won't feel a thing," Kate reassured her. "Promise. Now just cut right between the two clamps." Joanne clipped the cord and handed the scissors back to Blair.

"How about we get this little girl cleaned up and measured and weighed?" Kate asked, scooping up Averie. "And we'll get Mommy cleaned up and the sheets changed too."

Kate and Blair cleaned up the baby and got her measurements as Joanne and Collins helped get Maureen cleaned up and the sheets changed.

"6 pounds, 8 ounces," Blair announced, reading the scale as Joanne helped Maureen back into the clean bed.

"She's so little," Mimi cooed, as she watched Blair and Kate check Averie's reflexes.

"She didn't feel that little," Maureen sighed as she relaxed back onto the bed and Joanne sat down beside.

"Alright, who wants her," Blair asked, scooping up the baby after outfitting her with her first diaper.

"It's Mama's turn," Maureen said, looking up at Joanne. "I got to hold her for nine months."

Blair made her way over to the bed and gently laid Averie in Joanne's trembling arms then covered her with a receiver blanket. "Oh my goodness," she whispered looking down in awe and examining the tiny hand that was now resting on her chest. "Hello, precious girl."

Averie truly was a beautiful little girl. (a/n: Check my profile to see her!) Her complexion was a light caramel. Not as dark as Joanne's mocha skin tone, but darker than that of Maureen. She had a full head of dark, shiny hair and Joanne's sweet little nose and cheekbones. There was no denying that even though Maureen had carried and delivered her, Averie was Joanne's daughter.

"Pookie, she looks just like you," Maureen said, resting her chin on Joanne's shoulder and fondling Averie's tiny fingers as they wrapped around her own. Joanne smiled knowing that Maureen was right. "Look how long her fingers are……and those fingernails. Meems, I bet we could paint 'em!"

As Maureen and Joanne continued to study their little girl's precious features her eyelids fluttered and opened, revealing big, beautiful, dark brown eyes. "Hi, little one," Joanne whispered. Avervie calmly gazed up at Joanne, seeming to know exactly who she was. Looking down into the eyes of her daughter was too much for Joanne and she was overwhelmed again. Tears streamed down her face and Maureen wiped them away with her the back of her knuckle.

"Thank you," Maureen sniffled, her breath catching in her throat as she looked over at Maureen.

"For what?" Maureen asked with a content, smug grin.

"For what?? For this," Joanne said, looking down at Averie. "For making me a Mama."

"I didn't do that," Maureen said, shaking her head. "We both did that."

"But you carried her. You kept her safe and warm. And you delivered her."

"But I couldn't have done it without you. You kept me together through this whole thing. She's definitely a team effort."

"You three make an amazingly beautiful family," Collins smiled, as he snuggled Angel in his lap.

"Family," Maureen repeated, stroking the fingers of her new baby girl and looking over at her girlfriend. "I really like the sound of that."

Joanne leaned over and kissed Maureen gently on the lips. "Me too."

TBC...

YAY!!! Averie is here!!!! Was she worth the wait? I hope so! Stay tuned for her first few weeks of life and then I'll figure out where I'm gonnna go from here. If there is enough requests, I might think of writing a sequel...wink wink. We'll see though.