Gretchen took a sip of the coffee, "Mmm...I missed this."
"I offered to go off coffee so you wouldn't-" Ferb began.
"And I told you the same thing you told me when you had your heart attack, I wouldn't do that to you," Gretchen cut him off.
"Shane comes on shift in an hour and half, and he'll be here in an hour," Jen said.
"He's working today?" Gretchen asked.
Jen nodded, "I'll ask Sabrina to pass the message along."
Ferb looked at food on the tray, "That brings back some dreadful memories."
"Not fond of hot cereal?" Jen asked.
"I love hot cereal, I don't like the boiled cardboard that passes as 'hot cereal' in hospitals," Ferb replied.
Jen laughed.
Gretchen took a spoonful, "Eh, better than some school lunches."
"I've also included a few items that have a high iron content," Jen said.
"Thank you for that Jen," Ferb replied.
Gretchen nodded in agreement.
"You'll need it, after what you went through you must be low," Jen noted.
Ferb gave her a curious look.
"Blood loss," Jen explained.
Ferb's eyes roll back momentarily, and he shuddered, "That makes sense."
Gretchen nodded.
"I'll be back shortly," Jen said.
"All right," Ferb replied then Jen left.
Gretchen finished her breakfast, "I'll take him so you can go get yourself some boiled cardboard," she said with a giggle.
"I'm going to get some toast and marmalade, and a large coffee," Ferb said.
"Bring me back one," Gretchen said.
Ferb raised an eyebrow.
"The cafeteria coffee is so much better than the sludge that's served to patients," Gretchen replied.
Ferb nodded and handed Alexander back, "All right. You sure you'll be okay for a few minutes?"
Gretchen rolled her eyes, "Yes. You need to make those calls soon."
"I will...I just don't want to wake anyone up," Ferb promised.
"Phineas woke you up when Sienna was having Lillian. I was working," Gretchen pointed out.
"That was also 10:00pm, not 6:00am," Ferb replied.
"Okay, fine. Are you going to be heading home?" Gretchen asked.
"I was going to after a little while. I want to change. I thought it would be easier to call from home as well," Ferb replied.
Gretchen cuddled Alexander, "I suppose, could you bring me back a few things?"
"Such as?" Ferb asked.
"I'll write you a list while you're at breakfast, just stop by before you head out," Gretchen replied.
"All right," Ferb smirked, "It's a date."
In less than half an hour Ferb returned.
"Have a good breakfast honey?" Gretchen asked.
Ferb nodded and handed her a coffee.
"Thank you," Gretchen said.
"The list?" Ferb prompted, with a glance his sleeping son.
Gretchen handed the list to him.
Ferb looked it over and gave a slight nod, "I'll be able to manage this."
"Thank you," Gretchen repeated.
"Do you know if you're going home tomorrow or after a few days?" Ferb asked.
"I'd guess tomorrow or the day after, why?" Gretchen returned.
"We still need a car seat and Alexander could use some clothes," Ferb pointed out.
Gretchen sighed, "We're not prepared for this, are we?"
"We'll manage," Ferb said.
"At least we got the diapers," Gretchen said with a slight sigh, as they had purchased some for a just in case.
Ferb nodded, "I'll take care of a few things, you just worry about you and Alexander right now."
Gretchen replied uncertainly, "Okay."
"I'll be back after lunch," Ferb said, hugging and kissing Gretchen, then lightly touched Alexander with his finger.
"I'll see you then, don't forget to call everyone," Gretchen said.
"I won't," Ferb promised.
Gretchen was alone for about a half hour, when a familiar face walked in.
"Hello Starshine," Shane greeted.
"Hello Shane," Gretchen returned the greeting.
"Sabrina told me you had your son. Now do you care to share his name?" Shane asked, looking at the sleeping child.
Gretchen smiled slightly, "His name's Alexander."
"That's a strong name. I hope he can live up to it," Shane remarked.
"I'm sure he will," Gretchen predicted.
"Where's Ferb?" Shane asked, looking around for Ferb's easily identifiable hair.
"He went home," Gretchen replied.
"You let him into the room, I hope," Shane said.
"I did," Gretchen replied, picking up her son.
"That's good. So how long were you here before you delivered?" Shane inquired.
"Half an hour," Gretchen admitted.
"What?!" Shane yelped.
Gretchen gave a shy smile, "Half an hour."
"You waited at home? You should have come in, I'm sure we could have made things easier on you," Shane pointed out.
Gretchen shook her head, "I was getting a tight feeling for a while, then I was woken up at one o'clock. I needed a glass of water and that's when he decided to put as much pressure on me as he could. After a couple of hours I was in the worst pain I'd ever known and we came in. Six o'clock... there he was."
"He must have really wanted out," Shane noted.
"That's what Eric said," Gretchen replied.
"Did your water ever break?" Shane asked,
Gretchen shook her head.
"How early is he?" Shane asked.
"Three weeks, almost four," Gretchen replied.
Shane looked at Alexander, "He's almost perfect."
Gretchen looked at her son, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"He doesn't have green hair," Shane replied with a grin.
"Shane..." Gretchen sighed.
"Maybe the next one," Shane said and gave her a wink.
"Shane!" Gretchen scolded as Alexander opened his eyes and yawned.
Shane laughed, "Easy Starshine. How much does he weigh?"
"Five pounds six ounces," Gretchen replied.
"That's a good weight for a baby that's nearly a month early," Shane noted.
"I wonder if the dates are off," Gretchen mused.
"That could be. It's not uncommon," Shane said.
"I was so sure though," Gretchen said.
"I'm not a doctor," Shane reminded her.
"Hmmm..." Gretchen hummed.
"What are you thinking Starshine?" Shane asked.
"I'm going to have to talk with Eric soon," Gretchen replied.
"Do you know if you were early?" Shane asked.
"I'm not sure now," Gretchen replied.
Shane kissed the top of her head, "I've got to start my shift, I'll stop by later. Don't go anywhere."
Gretchen smiled, "I'll see you later Shane."
Shane placed his finger under Alexander's hand, and smiled as the small fist clamped down, "Be nice to your mother, you only get one."
Alexander yawned and blinked.
Shane left the room to go on shift.
Gretchen tilted her head and softly sang the lullaby to Alexander. He closed his eyes and drifted off for a few minutes, then his eyes flew open. He closed them tight and started crying.
Gretchen asked Alexander, "What's wrong? What do I do?" before pressing the nurse call button.
Jen came into the room, "Is something wrong?"
"He just started crying and I don't know what to do," Gretchen replied.
"Did you try feeding him?" Jen asked.
Gretchen gave her blank stare, "No."
"It's all right.," Jen said.
Gretchen began sheepishly, "I don't know-"
"It's okay. Were you planning on feeding him naturally?" Jen asked.
Gretchen nodded.
"Okay so here's what you do," Jen said and gave out a few simple instructions, correcting Gretchen only once.
"See? All better. Now once he's had his fill, you're going to have to burp him," Jen advised.
"How do I know he's finished?" Gretchen asked.
"He'll let go," Jen replied as Alexander let go and started to fuss, "Now you need to burp him. Just sit him up, that's right..."
"Thank you," Gretchen said, as Alexander burped and snuggled into her neck.
"It's not a problem," Jen replied with a smile, "You should know that a majority of the day nursing staff is aware you've had your baby."
Gretchen nodded, then remarked, "He came almost a month early and yet he's a healthy weight."
"Not all first born children arrive on their due date, some arrive later, some arrive earlier," Jen pointed out.
"Almost a month? I've heard that a week is normal, but not three," Gretchen replied.
"Do you think you had your dates wrong?" Jen inquired.
"I don't know. I guess it's possible I miscalculated something," Gretchen answered.
"You carried him well, no one could tell you were pregnant for the longest time," Jen stated.
Gretchen nodded.
"It would have shown up on the sonograms," Jen pointed out.
"I think I'll ask Eric the next time he comes in," Gretchen said.
"That would be a good idea," Jen said with a slight nod.
Jen left as Dr. Manson came into room, "Gretchen, how are you feeling?"
"Can I ask you something?" Gretchen inquired.
"Of course," Dr. Manson replied.
"Is it possible I was wrong about the dates?" Gretchen asked.
"Is something wrong?" Dr. Manson inquired in return.
"Well my son's nearly a month early," Gretchen said.
"Yes," Dr. Manson said.
"But he's a healthy weight for a baby arriving a month early," Gretchen continued.
"He would have been roughly eight and half to nine pounds at his due date. Babies have been known to arrive a month early," Dr. Manson explained.
"Would it have shown up on the sonograms?" Gretchen asked.
"If the dates were wrong? Yes," Dr. Manson answered.
"Is there any reason he was early?" Gretchen asked.
"Did you have a spicy dinner last night?" Dr. Manson returned.
"No," Gretchen replied.
"Were you feeling stressed about something?" Dr. Manson asked.
"Not really, just a little concerned on how much he was going to weigh," Gretchen replied.
"Hmm... It could always be the fact that he wanted out," Dr. Manson mused.
"Could be," Gretchen said.
"You're a mother now and your son is healthy," Dr. Manson said with a nod.
Gretchen nodded, "My husband's a little concerned about his heart."
"We will have to run tests when he's a little bit older. Possibly around the same time we'll check him for anemia," Dr. Manson informed her.
"When will that be?" Gretchen asked.
"We'll test him every six months until he's five, then every year unless there's a concern. Everything sounds good right now, there are no murmurs," Dr. Manson said.
Gretchen nodded, "That's good."
"Would you rather there be a murmur?" Dr. Manson asked.
"Honestly, I don't know," Gretchen sighed.
Movement caught the corner of Dr. Manson's eye, and he looked over, noticing an older couple hesitating at the door, "It would seem you have some visitors. I'll come back in a little while."
Gretchen gave a nod.
Dr. Manson left the room and let Linda and Lawrence pass.
"Hello Gretchen," Linda greeted Gretchen.
"Hi," Gretchen returned the greeting.
"Morning Gretchen," Lawrence greeted.
"Morning," Gretchen returned.
"Can I hold him?" Linda asked.
Gretchen handed the bundle of Alexander over.
"What's his name?" Linda asked.
"Alexander," Gretchen replied.
"You've done a wonderful job," Lawrence said.
Gretchen turned red, "Thank you."
"You look tired dear," Lawrence noted.
"I am," Gretchen replied.
"We can visit later if you want," Linda said.
"No it's fine," Gretchen replied.
"No complications?" Lawrence asked.
Gretchen shook her head, "He arrived half an hour after we got here."
Both of Linda's eyebrows shot up.
"I was sure it was just a false labor. But the pain and the pressure became too much, I insisted Ferb drive me in. I'm glad I did," Gretchen replied.
Lawrence took Alexander from Linda, "What time did he arrive?"
"Six o'clock on the dot," Gretchen replied.
"That's only two hours ago," Linda noted.
Gretchen nodded, "Ferb didn't want to call at that hour because he didn't want to wake anyone up."
"I was up at five-thirty this morning," Lawrence said.
Gretchen watched Alexander as Lawrence held him.
"Already love him don't you?" Linda asked.
Gretchen nodded.
Alexander was swaddled up in the blanket as he drifted off to sleep.
"Is there anything you need for him?" Linda asked.
"We got Candace some baby clothes and blankets. Sienna got a warm blanket and a stuffy," Lawrence added.
"Ferb's going out today to get a car seat and some clothes," Gretchen replied.
"I'll call him, offer some help and suggestions," Linda offered.
"He might like that," Gretchen said.
"Why did you two wait so long to buy clothes?" Linda asked.
"We were unsure of how much he was going to weigh," Gretchen answered.
"Why would his weight be a problem?" Lawrence inquired.
"Well I was concerned he was going to be closer to my birth weight," Gretchen replied.
Linda looked at Lawrence then at Gretchen, "And that was?"
"Five pounds five ounces," Gretchen answered.
"Ferb was over seven pounds. I could see why that would be a concern," Lawrence noted.
"And now he's early," Linda said.
Gretchen nodded, then sobbed, "I'm not ready for this."
"First time mothers are never ready. You'll catch on quickly though," Linda assured the younger woman.
"I hope so," Gretchen said, wiping her eyes.
"You're a smart woman, you will," Lawrence said confidently.
Linda nodded in agreement.