Spawn - Amy would definitely have called, or got Rachel to call, someone else in a heartbeat if she had even the tiniest inkling that something might be wrong, or that things might be happening faster than she expected, and I feel like Rachel's reached a point where she trusts her Aunt enough to tell her if she isn't comfortable and wants to leave.
"What do you need me to do?" Rachel asked softly, brushing back hair from Amy's forehead once Jimmy had left the room.
"Can you, can you sit on the edge of the bed?" Amy asked, leaning forwards when Rachel did so, finding herself in a strange but surprisingly comfortable position, sat on the yoga ball with her head on Rachel's shoulder, arms around her niece's waist.
Jimmy didn't say anything when he came back into the bedroom, he knew Amy's wishes. Knew his wife just wanted to be able to do whatever it took to keep herself comfortable and relaxed, so he took Amy's phone from the side, streaming the playlist she'd made to the speaker by the window before turning on a couple of side lights and closing the curtains. "Okay?" he asked as he sat behind Amy and began to massage the bottom of her back.
"Mhm" Amy groaned, rolling her hips in a circle on the ball, "feels good."
Shelby glanced at her phone as she dropped her things back into her bag, she'd seen Rachel's text earlier in the day, so, knowing her daughter was with Amy, she'd agreed to go for coffee with Will, Emma, Liv and a couple of other teachers once they were done. "Everything okay?" Will asked, seeing Shelby's expression change as she looked at her phone.
"I'm going to have to take a raincheck on that coffee" she said as she quickly replied to Jim's text, letting him know she was on her way, "my sister's in labour and I told her I'd be there."
"No, of course, go" Will almost pushed Shelby towards the door, "we'll take care of Liv, you go be with your sister."
It didn't take Shelby long to drive to Amy's, and she didn't bother to knock, just let herself in and made her way upstairs, smiling softly when she saw Amy leaning against Rachel as Jimmy massaged the bottom of her back. She didn't know what she was expecting, but Shelby certainly didn't expect her sister to burst into tears when she saw her, "hey" Shelby knelt beside Amy and wiped at her tears, "what's wrong?"
"I really need to pee" Amy sobbed, "but I don't want Rachel to do it and Jim's a boy."
Shelby shared a look with her brother in law, both holding back laughter at the fact Amy would let Jim get her pregnant but she wouldn't let him help her to the bathroom, "okay, let's get you to the bathroom then" she said softly, reaching out to gently squeeze Rachel's hand, smiling at her daughter, trying to gauge how she was feeling. Rachel knew what her Mom was asking her, even without any words being spoken between the two and she nodded and returned the smile, letting her Mom know she was doing okay.
"Are you scared?" Rachel asked Jimmy once the bathroom door was closed, "about Aunt Amy having the baby here?"
He shook his head, "Amy's midwife's on her way over, she hasn't had any issues with her pregnancy, we're less than fifteen minutes from the hospital. It's her third time at this rodeo and I trust that she knows what she's doing, that she'd tell me if anything was wrong. If I panic, she'll panic and that won't be good for anyone." He looked at Rachel for a moment before telling her, "You've done a great job staying with her for so long, but I get that this is a big thing, if you need to step out, either temporarily or if you want to wait downstairs until this is all over or go home, Amy would understand."
Rachel shook her head, "I don't mind being here for now, I just, I don't want to be here if she doesn't want me here."
"Trust me" Jimmy chuckled, "she wouldn't have made herself comfortable on you the way she did if she didn't want you here."
Amy had discarded the robe when she came out of the bathroom, putting on a sports bra she'd asked Shelby to get for her, "How are you feeling babe?" Jimmy asked, kissing Amy's temple as she made her way into his arms, curling into his chest.
"Hot" she mumbled, "thirsty."
"I'll turn the air con down" Shelby said softly.
"And I'll get you some water" Rachel added, nodding when Shelby asked her to bring up a straw.
Amy's midwife arrived not long after Shelby, and, after examining Amy and asking both her and Rachel a few questions she seemed happy to let Amy just get on with it and do what she needed to do. She spent a while trying to get comfortable, alternating between leaning against her husband and rocking in her yoga ball until she eventually settled on the floor. She was knelt up, her arms draped around Rachel's shoulders, her upper body resting on the yoga ball. She let her head fall against Rachel's shoulder as she felt her stomach tightening again, groaning slightly as she rocked her hips. She lifted her head once the contraction had passed and looked Rachel in the eye, "are you… are you sure you're okay being here?"
"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't" Rachel told her, reaching for Amy's cup and offering her the straw as Jimmy rubbed at Amy's back, something he'd been doing almost constantly since he'd got home.
Amy sipped at the water, rocking and groaning her way through another contraction before telling Rachel. "You can leave if you want, you don't have to stay."
"Do you want me to leave?"
"O, only if you want to." Amy found something strangely comforting about Rachel being with her but she knew that it was a big thing to ask Rachel to stay.
"Then I'll stay." Rachel said softly, she felt a little more comfortable now her Mom, Uncle and the midwife were here with them, she just didn't want to be in the way.
"You, you're perfect Rach" Amy mumbled, "perfect." Rachel didn't reply, but she did notice the tightness of Amy's jaw and gently reached out to run her index finger down the tense muscle, smiling slightly when she watched her aunt relax almost instantly, almost as if Rachel's touch had made her realise how tense she was. "that feels nice" Amy admitted.
"Tell me if you want me to stop" Rachel said, continuing to run her fingers over Amy's jawline, pausing only to gently stroke her forehead when she saw her brow furrow, glad that she'd found something she could do to help.
"Ugh" Amy groaned, feeling a pressure both on the base of her spine and on both her hips as her stomach tightened again.
"Too much?" Shelby asked once the contraction had passed, the heel of her hand still pressed against the base of Amy's back, Jimmy slowly releasing the pressure on his wife's hips.
"No" Amy grunted, "more" she cried out again when she felt Shelby increase the pressure. "Good" she mumbled, feeling her next contraction building already, "feels good."
"Rachel" Shelby made eye contact with her daughter a little while later, "I need you to take a big breath and then blow on Amy's face like this" she said as she demonstrated something both she and Jimmy had done multiple times when Amy had been in labour with Lily and Max, "she's holding her breath, that will get her attention, and then you need to breathe like this" she demonstrated again, "try and exaggerate it a little so she can copy you."
Rachel nodded and did as Shelby asked, she'd noticed her Aunt was holding her breath too but she didn't know if that was normal or not, she blew on her face, waiting for Amy's eyes to meet hers before beginning to breathe the way Shelby haddsw, smiling when she realised Amy was matching her breaths, "that's it" Rachel encouraged, "you're doing great."
Amy rocked slightly on her ball so she could reach in and nuzzle her face against Rachel's, "lo, love you" she mumbled.
"I love you too" Rachel smiled before reaching for Amy's cup and holding the straw to her mouth, encouraging her to drink some water.
Amy slipped her fingers between Rachel's, not wanting to hurt her niece, letting out a quiet groan as the pressure between her legs became too much and she had to push, she was vaguely aware of her husband and her sister encouraging her, of her midwife telling her she was doing well but all she could focus on was the feel of Rachel's hands in hers, the sound of the teen's steady breaths keeping her grounded in a moment that Amy knew could easily overwhelm her.
Rachel waited until Amy's grip loosened slightly on her hands before slipping one hand free and brushing away the lock of hair that had fallen from Amy's ponytail and stuck to her forehead. She'd expected Amy to take her hand again, but she didn't, instead Amy looped her free arm around Rachel's neck, pulling her close and letting her forehead rest on her shoulder as she began to push again, the midwife coaxing Jimmy through delivering their baby.
Shelby noticed Amy's change in position and looked up, wanting to check her daughter was okay, but all she saw was Rachel's head bowed as she spoke quietly in Amy's ear, murmuring words of love and encouragement as Amy clung to her like her life depended on it, the groan that slipped from Amy's lips and the way she pushed her forehead against Rachel's shoulder leaving the teen in no doubt that her cousin would be born soon. Shelby couldn't tell what Rachel was saying to Amy, but she saw the slightest of nods from her sister before Rachel kissed her cheek and wanted to cry with the love she felt for the both of them.
"I can't" Amy groaned a while later, her body beginning to shake slightly from exertion, "I can't" it was too much, she wasn't ready for this to happen yet, she couldn't do it, it was too much, she couldn't do this, it was a stupid idea. She needed it to stop, needed to catch her breath, she needed a break she knew she wasn't going to get.
"You absolutely can" Amy felt hands she assumed to be her husband's rubbing the back of her thighs, Shelby having taken over rubbing the aching muscles at the base of her spine, "you're so close Amy, so, so close to meeting our beautiful baby. You are tough and you are strong and you've absolutely got this in the bag Darling."
Both Shelby and the midwife echoed Jim's sentiments, that she was doing well, that she was so close to meeting her baby. Amy nodded and grunted slightly, not really hearing their words as she struggled to focus on anything other than the growing pressure between her legs. Rachel saw Amy staring at her, her Aunt's eyes almost locked on hers, and she reached out, gently running the knuckle of her index finger down her Aunt's cheek and softly asking, "is there anything I can do?"
"No" Amy mumbled, but at the same time batted at the yoga ball between them, trying to push it out of the way. With a little help from Shelby, Rachel was able to push the yoga ball out, from between herself and Amy, "good" Amy murmured, shifting into a more upright position as Rachel shuffled closer so she was better able to support her Aunt now she didn't have the yoga ball to lean on.
"Okay?" Shelby asked Rachel as Amy settled against her, one arm around Rachel's shoulders, the other around her waist, clinging tightly to her as she let her forehead rest on her niece's shoulder.
"I'm okay" Rachel nodded as Amy let out a quiet groan, a groan that turned into a cry as Amy felt another contraction building almost before the previous one had ended, rocking her hips in a desperate attempt to make herself more comfortable.
It wasn't long before Amy's body sagged against Rachel, Rachel's arms the only thing holding her up as every ounce of energy left Amy's weary body, the momentary silence in the room quickly replaced by the cries of a newborn. "Oh Amy" Jim whispered as his eyes filled with tears, "it's a girl, we've got another daughter, and she's so beautiful, she's perfect."
"She really is" Shelby kissed Amy's cheek before helping her move to sit on the floor, "congratulations."
Rachel grabbed the yoga ball again, sitting on the floor behind it, to hold it steady so Amy could sit back against it, Jimmy placing their baby, wrapped in a towel, in her waiting arms. "Oh baby" Amy sobbed as a tiny hand reached out towards her, "I know" she took hold of the hand, "I've been waiting to meet you too." It took Amy a few minutes to get the infant latched into her breast but once she was sure that the baby was settled, she let her head flop back onto the ball, smiling tiredly at Rachel. "I love you" she whispered, her eyes filling with tears again, "I love you so much Rachel."
Rachel bent to kiss Amy's sweaty forehead and wipe away her tears, "I know" she whispered, "and I love you too."
"Do you want to hold her while I get up and get myself sorted?" Amy asked Rachel once the midwife had checked both Amy and the baby over, giving them both a clean bill of health and leaving the family to bond.
"I, I'd love to, but I haven't…" she'd briefly held one of her cousins when they'd been at her grandparents over Christmas, but her aunt had helped her and she'd been sat on a bed.
"Come here" Amy gestured for Rachel to move beside her, "I'm covered, you won't see anything" she reassured her, a towel over her lap giving her a little dignity, not that she cared, Jim was her husband and Shelby had been at the birth of all three of her children.
"Go on, I've got it" Shelby took over holding the yoga ball steady, kissing Rachel's cheek as she moved to take the baby from Amy.
Amy carefully laid her baby in Rachel's arms, "just make sure you support her head and neck and hold her close, rock her a little if she cries.
"Okay" Rachel nodded, taking the baby and rocking her gently, unable to keep the smile from her face as she cradled her youngest cousin in her arms.
It took Amy another minute or two before she felt ready to move, but before she stood up, she looked to Rachel, "Rach" Amy said tiredly, "this towel's probably going to fall off when I stand up, and there's a towel on the floor that I've been sat on. I don't care about you seeing me, but there's going to be a lot of blood and stuff, it's all completely normal but if you don't want to see that then you might want to turn away or close your eyes."
Shelby couldn't help but smile at Amy's consideration as Rachel nodded, "okay" she said, holding the baby close as she carefully turned around so she was facing the bed, hearing Amy's groan of discomfort as Jimmy and Shelby helped her to her feet.
Rachel was left alone in the room momentarily, gently rocking the baby as Shelby and Jimmy helped Amy from the room, "Amy's having a bath" Jimmy came back in a few minutes later, grabbing the towels from the floor and dumping them in the laundry basket to deal with later, "are you okay with that little lady for a few minutes if your Mom and I help her?"
"Sure" Rachel nodded, "if you're sure though, she's so tiny and new and…"
"And Amy trusts you with her" Jimmy pulled out some underwear and pyjamas for Amy, "let me go and get Amy into the bath and then I'll come back and dress her for you." He put the pyjamas on the bed and carefully helped Rachel to her feet, the baby still in her arms, "sit on the bed with her, you'll be much more comfortable" he said, sitting Rachel on the bed and moving the pillows to make her comfortable, "I won't be long" he promised.
"Hello" Rachel said softly as the baby gazed up at her, "and thank you for not screaming at me" she smiled as she looked at the infant cradled in her arms.
As promised Jimmy came back a few minutes later, a diaper, a vest and a sleepsuit in his hands, "let me get her dressed for you" he said softly, taking the baby from Rachel, holding her to his chest, rocking her in his arms for a moment before kissing her head and laying her down on the bed.
Rachel crossed her legs, watching as Jimmy gently rubbed the baby with the towel to clean her off a little before putting on the diaper, dressing her in a plain white vest and slipping her limbs into a white onsie with 'little sister' printed all over it in pale pink, "are you going to have a cuddle with Rachel so I can go and see your Mommy?" he asked, rubbing noses with the infant as he pulled a pale pink hat onto her head and loosely wrapped her in a soft pink blanket, "there we go" he said as he gently placed her back in Rachel's arms. "Thank you" he said sincierly as he looked at Rachel, "you were amazing today, the way you supported Amy, especially when it was just the two of you, I sort of expected her to freak out a little about having her here and I'm sure part of the reason why she was so calm was because you were here with her."
"I'm just glad I could help" Rachel said quietly as she looked down at the baby she was holding.
Jimmy put his hand on Rachel's shoulder and squeezed gently, "I think you helped more than you realise Rach."
