A new chapter - they are headed for the hospital - lets see how that goes.
Enjoy
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They had barely left their own street when a hard contraction ripped through Emily, she grabbed the handle on the door and meant to grab the center console of the car but got a hold of Richards arm instead. The force his fairly small wife used and the amount of pain she caused him made him wince and only speculate on the amount of pain she was in. His mind wandered to the day Lorelai entered the world, Emily had been calm and collected to begin with, hadn't made much notice of herself and already back then that worried Richard, his wife was not known for subtlety, but he also remembered as the day went on and the baby still hadn't arrived after the first six hours of labor, she had started to become more vocal. When the doctor finally after 13 tiresome hours told the young couple that they would soon become parents, Richard had been asked to leave the room, he had kissed Emily quickly and left, not to be let into the room again until Lorelai had been cleaned and dressed and Emily had been moved to a bed with her newborn in her arms. Richard smiled at the memory as he felt Emily's grip on his arm loosen and she started breathing normally again.
"Are you alright?" he asked her as he moved his hand over to her thigh and rubbed it softly.
"No, no not at all, this is going way too fast for my liking." She panted slightly and looked at Richard with what would resemble a death stare as he chuckled. "What is so funny about me being in pain?" her voice was harsh.
"Nothing about you being in pain my dear is funny, but the fact that you seem troubled about this being over faster than you first thought." he reached over while focusing on the road and ran the back of his hand softly down her cheek.
She sighed "I don't mind it being over soon, but I'm not ready for this – she is not ready for this!" a sob escaped her unwanted.
"Emily, Joshua will do all in his power for everything being perfectly alright. And you are in labor so she must be ready to enter the world." He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips and kissed it.
"But she is to early – she was supposed to stay inside for at least another two weeks." Emily drew in a deep breath.
"I know, I know – but I believe that she must be ready." He smiled the best he had learned but it disappeared quickly as another contraction had Emily whimpering "We are almost there." He quickly stated and tried to keep his worry under control.
As he pulled up outside the hospital, Emily was just coming down from the contraction, she stayed in the car while Richard ran inside and shortly after he came running out with a wheelchair in front of him and two hospital staff running after him.
The first hour flew by quickly as the Gilmores were settled into a birthing room, filled out papers and everything else, Joshua had come to the hospitals maternity ward a few minutes after his friends.
"Emily let's have a look at how far along things are." He smiled as he walked around the room and then positioning himself at her feet. He began his examination and after a few minutes he rose to a stand and patted her knee, the look on his face had Richard worried even more.
"Is something wrong Joshua?" Richard questioned
"It's just the fact that the contractions seem to be fairly regular already, and they have a length of roughly a minute, your water broke, but you are only 3 centimeters dilated, there still seem to be a long way." He smiled reassuringly at the woman in bed.
"But…..but." Richard started
"You can't be serious Joshua." Emily said and threw her head back into the pillow
"I'm sorry Emily but let us just hope that things will pick up some speed for your sake. You don't feel the need to push just, yet right?"
"Only a little…I…" another contraction interrupted her, Joshua timed the contraction and Richard looked on a little helpless, he just wanted to take away the pain Emily was feeling but knew that all he could for the time being was standing where he was. He looked on as Emily went through the contraction and he also noticed the relieved facial expression that slowly spread across his wife's beautiful face as the contraction ended.
"Listen Emily, this is going to be a battle and you have to be prepared to fight it alright!" Joshua said
"What do you mean? Is she alright? Is something wrong?" Emily panicked and squeezed Richards hand tighter
"Joshua, what is it?" Richard asked worried
"I believe with my entire heart that your newest daughter is fine, but you are not ready to give birth…."
"Of course, I'm not, this was not my decision, I wanted to keep her in here for at least a few more weeks." Emily placed a hand on her belly
"Emily let Joshua finish." Richard was unusual calm, something he himself couldn't explain
"I need to go for a short amount of time, I'll be back shortly, if you feel the need to bare down, you cannot do so until I tell you it is alright. This is important and very hard – but I know you of all people can handle that – see you in a minute or two." After Emily nodded, he left the room.
Another hour went by and Emily felt the need to push becoming stronger by the minute. Richard helped her up to a stand when she wanted that and back down again when she wanted to either sit or lay down. Whenever a contraction started, she would get up and walked around, breathing as deep as possible, Richard tried to follow suit but quickly he realized that she would wave him over if she needed him otherwise, he should just keep his mouth shut and stay out of her way. Another contraction just ended, and Emily sat down on the bedside, tears was slowly gliding down her cheeks and Richard was afraid to say something wrong or say something at all – so he was immensely happy when the door opened, and Joshua entered again.
"Where have you been, I've been walking around her for over an hour, I feel the need to push but you told me not to unless you had told me I could, I feel tired and angry." Emily snapped
"I know Emily but relax I will see if we have made any progress so just lay back down and let me see alright." Joshua was speaking calm and slowly, he noticed the destressed look on her face and knew that he had to get her to relax.
"You have been gone for over an hour you said it would just be a short amount of time – you have to stay here, this baby is coming early, I'm not happy with the prognosis you gave me an hour ago and I am having contractions every five minutes."
"I've finished of everything outside so now I'm all yours." Joshua explained and helped Emily to lay down and began his examination. After a little while he looked up at both Richard and Emily "You are still only at three centimeters, but I'm worried that you already at this point feel the need to push, especially with the lack of dilation and the fact that the contractions are…..four minutes apart." He smiled at his patient "I need to consult the midwife – I will be right back!" he went over to wash his hands
"You will stay right here! Richard, go get the midwife!" Emily ordered
"Emily you need to be reasonable here, I can't go and get the midwife."
"Of course, you can."
"Emily, I promise I will be right back. Richard, give her a hand up and try and put a little pressure right here, maybe that can speed up the process of dilation." He instructed before he left
"If he's not back in five minutes you will go out there and yank him back in." Emily sneered
"Sweetheart, he will be back. He is a little worried, and frankly so am I." he rubbed his hands up and down her arms
"What are you worried about? You are not the one who is being ripped apart." She looked down at the floor as she said it.
"I know, I know. But I'm just worried about you and the baby and the fact that you have to go through this again and then you are experiencing this no progress and the pain and everything. And I can't do anything but stand here."
Emily looked up at him and smiled "As long as you just stay right here with me, I'll manage."
"Let me just try out what Joshua told me to do here." He walked around her and started the light massage of her lower back, he felt proud as he noticed her body was relaxing a little more as he continued the ministrations. After a little while and two contractions Richard suddenly remembered something "Emily? Did we ever settle on a name for her?"
She turned her head towards him "Not really, we made a top five list as I remember it."
"Should we decide on one now or when she is here?"
"I don't know, what do you think?"
"Well maybe we should try and narrow it down to two, then when she is here, we can decide which one of those would fit as her first name and use the other as her second name."
"Let me think here. We had Kathrine, Nicole, Jessica, Nathalie and Mackenzie, right?"
"Yes, I think that's right – Any of those names you like better than others?" He asked
"Well, I actually think I would like to take a name of the list." Emily said softly and with a deep breath to follow. Richard waited for a contraction to start but when Emily continued "I don't like the name Nicole anymore – it's a lovely name but it doesn't go well with Lorelai."
"Alright we'll take Nicole of the list that leaves us with four."
"I know you like the name Mackenzie but I don't see it as something that would sit well with either of us."
"I liked it because it has the same volume as Lorelai does, it sounds strong." Richard sounded proud as he pronounced the names.
Another contraction hit Emily like a ton of bricks, this one seemed stronger than the others, and she quickly stood up and winced with breathing deeply to remove the thoughts and wants to push. Emily leaned on the bed, with her head hanging down, she whimpered through the contraction and Richard rubbed a hand up and down her back, he looked over as the door opened and Joshua entered with a woman.
"I see we are in business here, I'm Kathrine and Joshua tells me that you are only at three centimeters but with the need to push already, let me have a look once this contraction is over and then we'll talk some more." The woman said and smiled at Richard, she watched as Emily came down from the contraction and motioned for Emily to lay down.
"Fine – they are getting stronger these contractions and I am having trouble with keeping focus on not pushing when that is what I really want." Emily said as she grabbed Richards hand to lower herself.
"I completely understand that, now let me examine you, and if you feel another contraction coming while we take a look here, please do follow with what your body wants to do alright." The woman smiled
"But Joshua said she wasn't ready to give birth?" Richard said and looked between the two medical professionals in the room.
"I know that Mr. Gilmore, but I need to feel and see how Mrs. Gilmores body reacts to the contractions, and I am right here I will make sure nothing goes wrong."
"Could you please drop the Mrs. – it is not what I need right now!" Emily said to the ceiling.
"Whatever you want Emily." The woman said and began her examination "Still three…maybe four with a little bit of a good will here. The baby is down low in the pelvis, so she is definitely eager to enter the world that is for sure, I will just try and do…" she didn't get to finish her sentence as another contraction began "Push with it Emily." She encouraged.
"Shouldn't I leave the room if this is…." Richard began
"Richard you are staying in here for this – we've cancelled the stork clubs years ago." Joshua said with a smile.
"The what?" Richard asked a little pained as Emily squeezed his hand
"Fathers don't wait out in the hall anymore, only if they are really squeamish, but believe me you want to stay around for the moment." Joshua kept smiling.
Richard looked at his wife, who was struggling while following what the midwife told her to do, he smiled a warm smile getting more and more excited to be in the room when his daughter was born and not just out in the hall waiting for words on how things were going or the congratulatory fetch once the baby was born. He nodded at Joshua as Emily fell back into the pillow with a loud sigh.
"Your cervix is flexible, but not enough to have that baby enter the world that way, yet, but if you are willing to try for another hour, unless the contractions comes closer together, but it means that you cannot push with the contractions you will have to go through more of what you've already have, or we move you to the theater now and we do a c-section now. Are you up for the battle?" The midwife asked
"I don't want to go through a C-section, I will much rather pick the battle." Emily breathed out with her eyes closed, Richard was shocked at the statement from his wife, this was hard on her, and the last time she went through 14 hours of agony and still she now picked to prolong this, but he was also proud.
"I will just say this, we'll see where you are in an hour, if no progress still at that point, we will have to get some knowledge on how the baby is handling this, if she is stressed or anything else you will not get a choice."
"What?" Emily's eyes snapped open
"If your baby is doing bad in an hour, I will call for the C-section and you will not get a say in that, if you are opening up some more, your contractions are strong and should help with that, and she show no sign of stress or anything else we will give it another hour." The woman explained with a no-nonsense tone.
Emily turned her head towards Richard "Strick the name Kathrine of the list I don't want to use that anymore!" she said and returned her focus to the midwife "Fine!"
Kathrine and Joshua smiled at Richard as he helped Emily to sit up just as another contraction ran through her. He supported her as she moved to stand. The three people in the room looked in awe at the tiny woman fighting all instinct of following the call her body made. As the contraction released her again Emily straightened up and looked at her husband.
"This just proves even more if you were still thinking about doing this again, that I am not doing this ever again." Her stare at him alone would have anyone crumble to the ground.
Richard cupped her face and kissed her "You are amazing, I promise to never ask or joke about it ever again."
"I'll just go and get some more paper and then we will monitor the progress in an hour, I will be back in here in ten minutes. Kathrine could you maybe stay here to keep the worry in the room down." Joshua said and smiled at Kathrine's affirmative nod.
The next hour was hard, physically and mentally for Emily and Richard – she walked around as much as possible, Richard following her around, every time a contraction started Richard watched his wife sigh, and grab hold of either him, the wall or the bed – but she was quiet and completely focused on getting to a place where she could, will her body's wish away. After the hour was up the contractions had moved to only two minutes apart and Emily had to had Richard lift her up on the bed for the examination. As she laid down another contraction went through her and she breathed through it but into Richard's chest.
Joshua waited until it was over and then started talking "I will do my examination and if that comes up short, Kathrine will also do hers, I see that you are leaking more amniotic fluid." Emily just nodded and Richard focused solely on her. "Alright Emily your body has worked hard this past hour, and you have gone from three to seven or eight, will you be alright with Kathrine continuing here?" he received one tiny nod from her.
"Let's have the next contraction over before I begin alright, just breathe deeply and focus on anything but pushing." Kathrine encouraged and watched on as the contraction took hold of her patients body, as soon as it was over she began her job, and gave her statement "You are most definitely at eight, and another contraction will begin shortly and this time I want you to go with it, don't hold back, we will be here all the way." She caught Emily's eye and smiled at her "Joshua would you mind go out there and get the team in." Joshua nodded and left the room.
"The team? You didn't say anything about a team, who's coming in here?" Richard questioned.
"The people we need." Kathrine quickly explained as she felt Emily's body begin to react again.
This time Emily came with a growling noise as the contraction began "Aw, aw, aw – this is to much!" she complained.
"Just keep pushing Emily, everything is alright you are just not fully ready for the birthing but you will be – now push." Kathrine simply said
"You are doing amazing Emily!" Richard smiled
"You need to shut up – I don't want to hear anything like that now." She snapped and continued growling
"Mr. Gilmore just keep holding her hand and support her back, then Emily and I will handle the rest – but I do believe that if you can uphold this Emily, then your daughter will be born within the next hour or so." Kathrine said softly
Forty minutes later, Richard was scared, Emily had been screaming through the last three contractions, she was soaked from sweating, Kathrine and Joshua had switched places and the team was in the room awaiting the baby.
"Next contraction, push with everything you have, and the head will be out I promise you." Joshua proclaimed
"You….you said that….on the last contraction, so shut up! I'll keep pushing until she is out." Emily was out of breath and snapped her answer.
Joshua and Richard exchanged a look, and Richard was amazed at how much strength his wife showed, and as the next contraction came he helped her slightly upwards and was even more scared at the scream that escaped her as the baby's head was born.
"Good job Emily, next contraction she will be here."
"I don't want to wait." She panted and struggled to get up and began pushing without a contraction helping her along.
"Richard you should look here, it is an amazing sight, seeing a baby being born." Joshua said without removing his eyes from the baby.
Richard began moving, though still holding Emily's hand and was shocked when she pulled him back besides her shoulder "You will stay right here, if you want to see a baby being born you can watch a movie, you are not looking down there." Emily managed to say just as the contraction started and suddenly the room was filled with the wails of their newborn.
"It is a girl, and she has a healthy set of lungs." Joshua held up the crying baby
"Give her to me!" Emily panted
"Let's cut the unbillable cord and get her cleaned up before you have her." Joshua said
"NO! Give her to me." Emily's voice was strong and left no room for argument
"Maybe daddy want to do the honors of doing the cutting." Kathrine said as they placed the wailing, bloody baby on Emily's stomach and covered her with a blanket. Richard looked from Emily to Kathrine with wonder. He reached out for the scissor the midwife held out towards him.
"Of course, if if Emily says it's okay." He stammered out
Emily nodded and Richard was proud as he cut the cord and leaned over and kissed Emily's forehead "You are amazing, she looks as beautiful as Lorelai did, though a little dirty." She tilted her head up to him and they shared a light kiss before looking down at the tiny baby.
"I'll just take her and check her out, and get her cleaned up, you have to finish the last thing here and daddy can come over here if he wants to monitor everything." Kathrine said as she took the baby and walked over to a table one of the team members was standing by and the people in the room moved to that spot.
"I'll stay here." He said and kept up his hold of Emily's hand.
"On the next contraction Emily, push again alright." Joshua instructed and Emily nodded
"Push? What, why? Are there more?" Richard suddenly panicked
"Just the afterbirth Richard, Emily has delivered the baby that was taking up space in there, just relax." Emily did as she was told, and the afterbirth was quickly delivered, and she fell back breathing heavily as the midwife handed her the pink little bundle.
"You have done good work here, she is a beautiful baby Emily, tiny but beautiful, congratulations. She is 4 pounds 11 ounces 18 inches, and she has trouble keeping warm so an incubator will be her bed for the next few days, but we've wrapped her up good and she should be able to stay warm for the next few hours. She seems strong enough to nurse on her own."
"Hi there baby girl – you are a pretty little thing." Emily cooed
"She is absolutely beautiful Emily. I love you!" Richard had tears in his eyes as he leaned in again and kissed her, then kissing their newborn on the forehead, smiling up at his tired wife.
"I love you to, Richard. But this is the very last baby I will ever deliver. No matter how charming you might be!" she smiled and looked down at the bundle in her arms
Richard laughed at her comment and leaned in to his girls "So, what are you, are you a Jessica?" Richard cooed this time
After a little while Emily said quietly "No she is not, she is a Melinda."
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Surprise - had you seen that coming huh - so now you got to follow the entire birth of the newest Gilmore girl, hope I didn't bore or traumatize you - Leave me a little word that will make my day.