A huge thank you to all of the reviews on the last chapter, it means so much. Also thank you for being so patient whilst I wrote this chapter, I've been back and forth with this chapter for so long so I hope you like the end result.
Here's the final chapter
Enjoy!
"Are you sure you're comfortable?" Sheldon asked as he handed Amy the mug of tea that she had requested. Since being with Sheldon, she too had found comfort in a cup of tea, whatever her emotion, it managed to somehow calm and relax her. Even now, when she was ridiculously anxious and slightly terrified to bring her second child into the world, she still managed to find some comfort from the drink in her hand.
"I'm okay" she smiled as she hugged the mug in her hands, the warmth comforting. "Stop fussing" she told him gently as she reached forward and placed her hand on his knee. He looked up at her from the footstool, where he was perched and where her feet had previously been settled. Those blue eyes couldn't hide much from Amy and she instantly knew that the nerves were starting to build.
"Are you still really sure you want to do this at home? You know you can change your mind whenever you want" Amy had been set on this pretty much since she discovered she was pregnant and although she knew Sheldon would support her no matter what, she knew he was nervous by the prospect of emergency treatment not being immediate.
"I'm sure"
"I just remember when you were in labour with Em, there was one point when you really wanted an epidural. That isn't even going to be an option here Amy" the moment for Amy was such a blur at the time, she was just going through the motions, almost in too much pain to know what she was doing or saying but clearly the moment had stayed very memorable to Sheldon, had remained very clear in his head, seeing someone you love so much in pain would never really leave you. Just like he couldn't fathom the physical pain Amy was in, she couldn't really comprehend the emotional pain Sheldon went through.
"I know" she nodded. She had thought about her pain relief options and knew that they were limited but she had done this before, she felt strong enough to say she could do it again. "I have thought this through, I promise" she reassured him, although she was sure it didn't do much.
"Okay" he nodded, trying to shake away his worries. "I'm sorry, I'm supposed to be keeping you calm" he reached for her hand taking it in his own. This really was the story of their life, Amy keeping him calm, reassuring him regardless of what she was feeling or going through. He wasn't behaving how he had promised just moments ago.
"It's okay, I get it. I'm nervous too" she admitted, it always amazed Sheldon when she expressed that she was anxious or scared, to him, she was always so strong.
"I assume it's normal to be nervous" he wanted confirmation that it was okay to feel the way he was feeling, the way they were feeling.
"Of course it is" Amy smiled, even in the face of pain her smile still remained one of the most beautiful things Sheldon had ever seen. "I mean we're having another baby. Can you believe that? We're going to have two" she began to laugh however, it was cut off by yet another contraction building, she inhaled sharply. Sheldon watched as her face changed, her eyes closing as she began to focus on taking deep breaths, one hand within Sheldon's the other resting on the side of her bump, the comforting mug of tea abandoned on the coffee table, "Keep talking to me, it's a good distraction" Amy rushed before she exhaled, even if it was the most mind numbing conversation, hearing his voice, focusing on anything but the pain was good for her.
"Well, I still can't believe we have one, let alone one that's now four" he decided to keep the previous topic of conversation going, his mind not quite focused enough to bring up a whole new subject. The whole time his thumb gently stroked circles on her hand, hoping that the gesture was comforting.
"How did that happen? How did she get so big?" Amy spoke again on her in breath, her eyes closed, Sheldon already was in awe. With his eyes focused on the clock, Sheldon watched the remaining seconds tick by, noticing how this particular contraction seemed to be lasting much longer. Remembering back to Emily he knew that not long before Amy started pushing there was no rest in between the contractions, each one on the heels of the last.
"Are you okay?" Sheldon asked once Amy's eyes had opened and he was sure her breathing had evened out.
"Yeah, that one was a bit longer right?" she asked, she was well aware that in the moment the contractions felt like they dragged on for hours when in reality it was a few mere seconds.
"Yeah a little longer" Sheldon clarified, his hand still in Amy's drawing circles with his thumb, Amy knew it was providing him with just as much comfort as it was her. "Do I need to call anyone?" Sheldon asked, it all seemed to be progressing well but the fact it was just currently the two of them, on their own, in their own home still didn't sit well with him.
"They're still eight minute apart, right?" Amy asked to which Sheldon nodded. "I guess we just stick it out for a little longer" Amy saw the flash of panic on his face at the mention of it just being the two of them for a little longer. "Listen, if I were having the baby in hospital we'd still have to be at home, just the two of us until they were five minutes apart" she reminded him gently.
Upon her reminder, Amy watched his facial features soften and him somewhat relax. She needed him to relax. As this progressed, she couldn't be the one in charge of keeping them both calm.
"Okay, I could fill up the pool?" he asked, referring to the inflatable pool that was set up (and had been for the past few weeks) in the living room. "It does take a while to fill, doesn't it?" with Emily's help and Sheldon's instance on being prepared they had done a few trail runs of filling up the pool and realised it took longer than both of them had expected.
"It does" Amy agreed, "but we don't need to rush, it's still early" she told him gently. Right now, all she needed was for him to remain exactly where he was, just him being perched in front of her brought her more comfort than he would ever know.
"But second baby's..."
The intake of breath from Amy stopped Sheldon from rambling. Although it hurt, Amy was grateful for the contraction, she was grateful for anything that stopped Sheldon talking at a time like this. Breathing deeply, she was trying to keep her focus however, these were getting much stronger and she felt a low moan escape her lips as she exhaled.
"It's okay" Sheldon told her gently, hearing her in pain broke his heart. No matter how many children they would go on to have, he would never get used to seeing her like this. Knowing there was nothing he could do to ease her pain was heartbreaking and this was only the start. With his hand in Amy's, he felt her squeeze his hand a little harder, the vice that she held his hands in when giving birth to Emily suddenly all came flooding back to him. The feeling of his bones being crushed was something he was surprised he'd forgotten.
"That one really hurt" she whimpered once it was over, placing her hand on the side of her stomach and rubbing the area.
"I wouldn't have known" he smiled, "you're handling it all so well" he was by no means an expert in this field but he had caught a few glimpses of the labour and delivery shows Amy watched when pregnant. Not that he would ever dispute that it was painful but they seemed to consist of women screaming and rolling around in pain and yet here Amy was taking it all in her stride.
"Thanks" a compliment from Sheldon was rare at the best of times so she made sure to savour the moment. "I think I want to get up and walk around little" she explained, swinging her legs off of the sofa so that her feet were now placed firmly on the ground. She was already starting to grow tired and restless of her current position, she felt like she had already reached that stage where she couldn't quite find comfort in any position she found herself in. "You might have to help me up" she laughed looking over to Sheldon, who quickly rose to his feet, grateful to be needed. With one arm wrapped around Amy's waist, he helped haul her up from the couch. "Oh my god" she groaned when she stood upright, her hand reaching out to latch onto Sheldon.
"You can't be having another contraction?" he exclaimed, visibly paling, this couldn't be another one, she had just had one. They couldn't be this close already.
"No, no" Amy released her grip on Sheldon and waved her hand to dismiss his concerns. Placing her hands on her hips, she began to gently rock them from side to side. "He just feels really low, that's all. I wasn't quite expecting it" Amy laughed to hide her nerves, the contractions were getting stronger, the baby was already sitting pretty low, maybe this was all happening a little quicker than she'd care to admit.
"Should that be happening now?" Sheldon asked, he was too wrapped up in his own nerves to notice Amy's attempt at hiding her own. Perching himself on the arm of the couch, it was clear Amy didn't need his assistance anymore but he wanted to remain close enough by for her to reach out to him at any moment.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's how labour works" Sheldon detected a hint of annoyance in her tone and decided not to press the matter further. From where he was sitting he watched her take small steps, he remembered her pacing lots the last time they were in this situation, he remembered how much Amy insisted that she needed to walk around and how nervous it made him feel just simply watching. "We do have everything ready don't we?" Amy turned around to ask. "I feel like we're not ready. Do I need to wash his little clothes again or clean?" even though she knew nesting had well and truly kicked in a number of weeks ago and that she had cleaned every room from top to bottom and washed and folded all the tiny, bright, white baby grows a million times over, she felt as if she had to be doing something.
"Hey" Sheldon stopped her ramblings by placing his hands on her shoulders. "We're ready" he told her gently. "Well, I mean in terms of washing and cleaning we're ready, I still can't wrap my head around the fact that we're going to have two children" he laughed nervously, hoping it would lighten the mood. Amy smiled so he figured he had accomplished something.
He never imagined being a father, never imagined finding anyone he would want to have children with, not even being sure he ever wanted children in his life. Upon meeting Amy he realised the endless possibilities his life could hold, people were quick to comment that she had changed him but really they had changed together, they had grown together. Now here they were about to welcome their second child, with rings on theirs fingers and a little four year that had completely stolen their hearts.
There were moments in their relationship where Amy would find herself stealing a glance at Sheldon and falling completely in love with him all over again. As she stood before him looking into his eyes, she felt that right now was one of those very moments. She gave him a small smile before leaning forwards and resting her forehead on his shoulder, she just needed to feel close to him.
"You know, I wouldn't want to have children with anybody else" Amy told him quietly.
"Well that's good to know" Sheldon smiled as he placed a kiss to the top of Amy's head.
—
Sheldon knew things were progressing, he didn't need Amy to tell him. Not one to shine in areas like this, even he couldn't miss the heavier sound of her breathing and how the moans and groans she was making had increased. Ever since her water broke just over an hour ago, it was pretty clear that everything was becoming a little more intense, yet she was still handling everything so calmly and trying her absolute hardest to breathe through the pain despite telling Sheldon how much stronger the contractions were.
"Okay, that's it. Just take it nice and easy" Sheldon ushered gently as he helped lower Amy into the pool.
Over the past few hours, Amy was sure she had tried every position possible to help ease her pain. From gently bouncing on her birthing ball, to resting on the object when the contractions literally brought her to her knees. She had also been using Sheldon as her leaning post as and when she needed the support, as well as any item that was in reach.
After a while, mainly when there became literally no rest between the contractions, she became rather desperate to be in the pool and thecomforts of the warm water, remembering just how much it all relaxed her when she was in labour with Emily.
"Is that okay?" Sheldon asked from where he was kneeling on the floor just outside of the pool, he was as close as he could physically get to Amy without actually getting in the pool himself.
"It feels so good" Amy sighed with relief as she scraped her hair up into a ponytail. She wished she had got in here sooner, had taken Sheldon up on his request to fill the pool when he offered all those hours ago. Sheldon smiled to himself, she looked as if the weight of the world had now been lifted from her shoulders. "I'm not moving now until he's born" the warm water lapping at her back and aching muscles proved to be incredibly soothing, she didn't even want to think about what it would be like having to now leave the confines of the pool.
"I'm glad it's helping" Sheldon commented, just glad of anything that made her feel the tiniest bit better.
Silence fell for a few moments, as Amy shifted in the pool to get comfortable, settling on her knees, as Sheldon searched his mind for any topic of conversation to bring up, knowing that Amy appreciated the distraction. However, from the way she had started to move and the deep groan that came from her throat it seemed Amy was preoccupied with her own distractions.
"What do you need me to do?" Sheldon asked, he knew from the way her face puckered that this one was different and definitely stronger. There really was no rest in between them now, they had made it in to the pool in almost record time to avoid her having one mid walk.
"Don't touch me" Amy whimpered as she heard Sheldon shuffle closer to the edge of the pool. Throughout her labour, particularly as things had progressed, she had alternated between not wanting Sheldon to touch her at all, to wanting to lean on him and keep him as physically close as possible. For a man that was uncomfortable enough in situations like this, it made him all the more confused on how to help and be there for her.
It seemed to take her a while before she stopped moaning through the pain and remembered her breathing. Sheldon felt hopeless simply watching from the side lines, that was until she looked up at him as she exhaled, her eyes looking tired and pained and he knew in that moment she needed him.
"You're doing so good, Amy" he soothed, he resisted the urge to touch her but before he knew it she reached her hand up from under the water and found his, latching on and squeezing hard. "Just keep taking deep breaths" he had to resist the urge to ask her to loosen her grip, what she was going through was far worse than a hand squeeze. He had to keep reminding himself of that.
"I don't want to do this anymore" she sighed, once the contraction was over, slumping forward and resting her head on his shoulder. "Everything is moving so fast" it really had only been five hours since Emily had been picked up by Penny and since then everything just seemed to have picked up the pace.
"Well, I did tell you second baby's arrive much quicker" Sheldon tried to reason, he had tried mentioning it earlier but Amy had cut him off. Of course, she knew this too but in the middle of a contraction really wasn't the best time to be told.
"Now really isn't the time for I told you so's" Amy laughed, she loved how even when she was in labour he still had to be right and yet he still made her laugh.
"Sorry" he muttered. A few moments passed with the two of them simply sitting there. Amy's head resting against his chest, whilst Sheldon was sure his feet had now gone numb from how he was sitting. Amy wanted to just soak up the moment, knowing it wouldn't be the two of them for much longer and not being one hundred percent sure whether she would ever experience this again.
The moment was broken when Amy reached up and with both her hands latched onto Sheldon's upper arms, squeezing his skin through the sleeves of his shirt. She cried out into his chest, the sound muffled by his shirt.
"Are you okay?" he knew it was a stupid question to ask but they were the first words that his brain supplied.
"No" she groaned. "I can feel loads of pressure" Sheldon could feel his heart starting to race, he knew exactly what that meant, if he needed any confirmation that this was really happening, this was it. "Are the midwives on the way?" she asked as she tried to breathe through the pressure, she couldn't do this, not now.
"Yeah they'll be here really soon. Just keep breathing okay" he tried to tell her but her moans and groans were getting more urgent.
"I can't have the baby yet, you don't know what you're doing" she was so caught up in having this baby before the midwives arrived that she wasn't focusing on her breathing. She hadn't planned for this to go so fast, she definitely hadn't planned that it would be still her and Sheldon at this point.
"Hold on to me" he instructed gently, he could feel his hands shaking as he held on to her just as tight as she was him. "Hold on to me and just breathe okay" Amy wanted to scream at him for making it sounds so easy. "The midwives will be here really soon" he could only hope they would be, it had been around half an hour since he had called them, they really couldn't be much longer or maybe that was wishful thinking.
—
It was five minutes later when the midwives arrived and Sheldon was sure he had never felt more relief in his life. As soon as she saw them both enter the room Amy announced that she needed to push. Barely waiting for the midwives to get into position she gave in to all the urges that she was feeling.
"Good girl Amy, keep working with those urges. They're going to come and go" the midwife explained. Now that Amy was in mist of it all, she had no idea why she thought having another baby was such a good idea. It surprised her that a pain like this could so easily be forgotten.
With a new determination, she pushed with everything she had. Just like when she was out of the pool, she changed her position numerous times, from being on her knees with her hands braced against the bottom of pool, to burying her head in her hands as she rested her arms on the edge, to eventually looping her arms around Sheldon's neck, her head pressed into his shoulder as she held him close.
"He's coming Amy, he's coming" Sheldon cheered her on as she followed the midwives instructions and panted heavily through the pain. Sheldon was so proud, his heart was bursting, he loved her so much.
"Sheldon" she spoke between her pants of breath, he made a noise that told her to continue. "We're not having anymore babies" she told him breathlessly, she was so exhausted, the pace of the labour had completely zapped her of all her energy.
"Okay" he gave a small smile. "Whatever you say" he spoke as he kissed her check.
"We just need one more really big push Amy and then you'll be holding your little boy" the midwife told her, the excitement in her tone completely spurred Amy on.
"You're so close Amy, just one more. You can do it" Sheldon told her. Amy nodded, pulling him closer to her as she pushed with everything she had, crying out into his neck.
Everything happened so quickly, she felt the baby leave her body and before she knew it she was being told to reach down for her baby. As soon as she lifted the little baby boy to the surface of the water, he let out a loud wail that was like music to his parents ears.
"Hello, hi" a sob left Amy's throat as she held him close to her chest. "Oh, don't cry, it's okay, it's all okay" she cooed gently, she was so in love with him already, everything she had been through in a single second had absolutely been worth it. "Is he okay?" she asked the midwife who had moved round to check him.
"He's perfect. A really lovely colour and seems to have a good set of lung on him too" she laughed.
"Sheldon we have our little boy, he's really here" she could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks, the baby boy finally settled against her chest. It didn't take him long to realise that this was his mother.
Amy would never take for granted being able to watch the moment when Sheldon first laid eyes on their babies. That first look of love in his eyes was a moment she would never ever forget. A moment that made her heart so full it could almost burst.
"Amy, you were amazing" he reached out to gently stroke his little boys hand. "He's so perfect" he was well and truly beaming, the smile on his face made Amy want to cry even more.
—
"I can't stop staring at him" Amy whispered, conscious of waking up the little boy in her arms. He was so unbelievably perfect, she couldn't tear her eyes away. She remembered this feeling with Emily, craving sleep so much when they were awake and yet once they were asleep all you could do was stare at them because you didn't want to miss a single second.
"He is very cute" Sheldon commented, cradling the back of his sons head. It was a crazy day to look back on, it was only this very morning over breakfast that Amy told him she was pretty sure was in labour and now here they were holding their baby.
"We do make pretty beautiful children, don't we" Amy smiled up at him puckering her lips so that he could place a kiss there.
"I guess we do" he agreed.
Three hours after their sons birth, after checking Amy over numerous times and monitoring their little one, the midwives left the couple alone. It had now just left 9pm and despite not being really late, they decide to hold off on getting Emily until the morning. She would probably be sound asleep right now and given how excited she was about meeting her baby brother, it would have been quite the task for Leonard and Penny to get her settled.
"He looks so much like Emily" Sheldon couldn't get over how much it was like looking at Emily when she was this small, even now, there was no denying that they were siblings.
"Despite being three pounds heavier" Amy laughed, as the little boy wiggled in her arms. Her eyes almost bugged out of her head when it was revealed that he was just over nine pounds. She wasn't quite sure how she'd managed to do that. "They definitely have the same eyes" Amy could have studied his gorgeous little face all day, trace every little detail with her finger.
They spend the next few minutes simply lost in the moment, soaking up the love they felt for the newest addition to the Cooper clan. If having Emily had taught them anything, it was to savour every single second because one day you just blink and suddenly they're four.
"He needs a name" Amy announced. When she was pregnant with Emily, they had spent ages going over baby girl names, creating a top ten list and gradually narrowing it down. Time really had run away with them during this pregnancy, so much so that naming the little one hadn't even crossed their minds.
"I thought you were settled on Elliott" for as long as he'd known Amy, that had been her favourite boys name, the one he was convinced would be the name of their future son.
"I do, but I don't really think he looks like an Elliott, do you?" she looked up to ask him, noticing how his eyes were still fixed on their little one.
"I don't really know what an Elliott looks like"
"How about Arthur? Arthur Cooper sounds so cute" she smiled down at the little one in her arm, he really was an Arthur.
"Arthur?" Sheldon exclaimed excitedly. "As in after professor proton?"
"That wasn't really my thinking" Amy laughed. "But sure" she shrugged, changing her mind when she saw how happy it made Sheldon.
—
"Daddy, my tummy feels funny" Emily mumbled from where she was positioned on Sheldon's hip. She had been dropped off by Penny just minutes ago and was bursting with excitement.
"Do you think it's because you're excited?" Sheldon asked bouncing her up and down as he climbed the stairs. He couldn't believe the contrast between how big she was and how small their son was.
"I think so" she nodded. "I am really excited" she squealed, as they approached the door to Amy and Sheldon's bedroom. 15 hours after Arthur's birth, Amy still hadn't really left the confines of her bed, with Arthur in her arms, everything was just so comfy and cosy.
"You ready?" Sheldon asked before pushing open the door.
"Mmm"
It wasn't until he pushed open the door that he realised how huge this moment was, his two children meeting for the first time, sister finally meeting brother, a relationship that he knew would become the most unbreakable bond.
"Hi" Amy looked over at her daughter and smiled, simply seeing her made her want to cry all over again. It had barely been twenty four hours and she had missed her so much. "Do you want to come and meet your little brother?" Amy asked.
Sheldon placed Emily down on the ground and she carefully ran to the bed, she gripped the duvet and pulled herself up. Her eyes went wide as they landed upon Arthur, to her he was the same size as one of her baby dolls.
"He's tiny" she whispered, Amy thought it was lovely that she was already being so considerate and conscious of her sleeping brother. "His hands are so small" Emily reached out to play with his little hands and fingers, as she did so he stirred and his eyes opened.
"Oh look, he wants to say hello" Amy cooed, finding it adorable that he had opened his eyes to meet his sister, as if he knew she was there.
"Hi" Emily smiled and gave him a little wave that made Amy's heart burst. "Mumma, when can he play with me?" she asked, cuddling into Amy's side as Sheldon watched from the end of the bed.
"He won't be able to play with you for a while sweetheart"
"Oh" she pouted, looking a little deflated. "What can we do then?"
"Well, he's going to need lots of looking after. Do you think you could help daddy and I with that?" Amy asked, she loved how Emily was desperate to do something with him, she was so worried it could have gone the other way.
"Mmm, I can do that" Emily nodded eagerly. "I think I'm going to be a good big sister mumma"
"I think you are too"
The End!
Thank you so much to those of you that requested more and got me writing this again, I really loved revisiting this little family and introducing Arthur. As always, reviews are always welcome and so appreciated so please let me know your thoughts.
For now, I'm going to be reopening my prompt request. This isn't me saying I'll be able to write everything you request or respond quickly but I will absolutely try my best with anything you send my way. I'm just very lacking in inspiration at the moment but have a bit of the writing bug.
Thank you so much for all the support, it means the world.
Stay safe
Lots of love.