It was merely five days before her due date when a gush of water woke Norma up from her deep slumber.

8:15 a.m.

She gasps and raises her upper body, reclining on her elbows. As the liquid continues to gush out, she can't help the foolish grin coating her face. It's time. It's finally time to meet her long-awaited little girl.

Her hands peel the covers back and off of her huge body, and for the first time in months, she gets out of bed with no preamble, perhaps the excitement of it all replacing her indolent stamina with authentic vibrancy.

There was an enormous patch in the middle of the bed, on her precious classic organic sheets. Before she has time to register it, there's more liquid flowing down her legs and she squeals in excitement. The transparent liquid pools around her swollen bare feet, and she holds her stomach with discretion.

Norma reaches for her phone on her bedside table, dialing Alex's number immediately with that silly grin still present; it refused to wilt away.

"Hi, baby," he sighs cheerily, and her heart warms at the subtle way he answered the phone.

"My water broke!" she chants with eagerness through the phone.

"W-what!? Now!?" she could hear commotion on the other end and she couldn't help but giggle, trying to imagine him right this second, trying to picture the look on his face.

"Yes!" she chuckles candidly, stepping out of her puddle of amniotic fluid. "I was sleeping. It just happened!"

"Are-are you in pain? I mean, what-Jesus Christ, I'm on my way," he rants restlessly and Norma's heart expands at the artlessness of his concern. "Just-just stay where you are, okay?"

"Where else do I have to go, honey?" she smiles wholeheartedly. "Hurry home! I'm going to hop in the shower."

"Show-shower?! Honey, we have to get you to the hospital!"

"I want to shower," she states calmly as if their child was not on her way. "You have the sirens on?"

This is all new to her. She'd never had her child's father sprint his way to her, with urgency, whenever it was time for their child to arrive on this earth. This feeling is new and she knows it's there to stay. She hates that she wasn't present to see the look on his face when he heard the news, but this is only the beginning of this amazing journey in their lives.

"I need them out of my way," he explains cooly.

"Don't speed," she grins. "I'm fine and we have plenty of time."

"Plenty of time?" the books he had read over the course of her pregnancy had taken a toll on him, for he didn't know how pregnancy and childbirth works. He knows the easy stuff, what most men do, anyway. But Norma knew that all that information had gone out the door since he is in panic mode. "Your water broke."

"I need you to take a deep breath, okay?" Norma crouches on the edge of the bed and relaxes there, her free hand resting on her knee. "I want you home in one piece, Sheriff."

"And I am," he pouts like a child even though Norma can't see him, his tone a lot smoother and carefree. "I am."

Norma smiles to herself, she didn't know that her love for this man could grow deeper but how foolish of her.

"We're fine, baby," she reassures him with endless love. "I'll see you in a little bit, okay?"

"I'm almost there," he says and Norma can tell that he is trying to keep his cool. "I love you both."

Her eyes shut with adoration for this man, her head tilting with joy. "We love you."

The phone call ends and she looks at the phone with affection, as if his voice was still resonating on the other side. Another gush of liquid brings her back to earth, and she is sure she could almost overhear Alex around the corner, burning tires and speeding his way to her.

"Isabella, I know you want to meet us already but at least wait until daddy gets us to the hospital, okay? Mommy doesn't want to give birth in the intersection. Your father would die," her hand caresses her stomach and an urge of grief fills her within. This is the last time she will be able to rub on her stomach, feel it and see it. What a bittersweet feeling.

It always astonishes Norma how distinct each of her pregnancies were. With Dylan, she barely slept and lost over twenty pounds during her second trimester. Norman was the complete opposite and she felt like she could eat a cow if she had been allowed. With Isabella, she had very little appetite and a whole lot of energy at times, but it always varied.

Morning sickness never went away, however. Norma remembers when she was younger, how she would get her stomach rubbed by strangers who promised her that the morning sickness only lasts until after the first trimester.

Bullshit.

Isabella had other plans for her, for she couldn't leave the house without vomiting, even on an empty stomach. The thought of coffee made her sick. She couldn't hold down water, even if she tried. The scent in Alex's SUV made her completely sick. She could be fine one minute, it would only take one look at the vehicle, and she would throw up her insides. Norma refused to ride in Alex's SUV for the remainder of her pregnancy just so that her nostrils wouldn't have to be embedded with that dreadful odor.

Calves and hand cramps. Shortness of breath. Back pain. Swollen feet. She had it all. Perhaps it didn't help that she was over the age of forty. Comparing her other pregnancies was ridiculous, for not every pregnancy is the same. But she would do it all over again, no questions asked. Alex was beyond amazing and never failed to assist her when needed.

There wasn't anything that this man wouldn't do for her, and she knows it. The consideration and patience he projected during this pregnancy, would make any woman give him hundreds of kids. If she wouldn't have planted in her head the idea of being too old to have more kids, she wouldn't mind trying to give Alex a little boy.

Norma gets the water running, leaving the bathroom door somewhat open for Alex. She discards her clothing, letting them pool around her feet. The cold air caresses her body as she swifts the shower curtain opened, stepping right in. The loud thud of the front door announced her husband's presence, following by his heavy stomps against the ancient wooden floorboards.

"Honey?!" he calls for her, and Norma smiles to herself. It's obvious she's in the shower, but his nerves are deceiving him from seeing what's right in front of him.

"In here!" she shouts back, the hot water streaming down her body, relaxing her muscles for what's to come. His steps become louder and insisting, and with one sudden motion, he swings the door opened.

"Are you okay?" it's the first thing he says, and it reminds her of the not-so-good old times when that would be the first thing he would say when approaching, or talking to her.

"I'm okay for now," she chants with composure, locking eyes with him the second he skated the shower curtain, and she felt like she could die happily now. The look on his face reflected nothing but distress and it made her love him even more.

"Alex!" she bellows happily, her wet dripping hands cupping his face. "Baby, why do you look so troubled? You're supposed to be happy!"

"I am!" he defends, his hands resting gently on her waist. He was afraid to touch her, sensing he could break her if he isn't careful enough. Finding her so lively and cheered diminished his uneasiness, that's for sure. "I am nervous as hell, though. And scared. Why are you so relaxed and cheerful? You're in labor!"

"I've done this twice," she simply says with a winsome laugh. "I feel fine, that means I'm not dilating yet. We have time, at least enough to get to the hospital. I hope."

"And yet, here you are," he murmurs, gazing down at her damped body, honoring the last hours of her stomach being this big. "She's almost here."

"She is," Norma admits, gliding her hands down his arms, relaxing them upon his own. "We're finally meeting this little trouble maker. I'm ready."

"Do you want me to stay and help you shower? Watch over you just in case?"

He couldn't be more perfect.

"I feel fine," she reassured him once again, and she couldn't accept that all his nagging makes her feel more in love with him. "Go grab the diaper bag and add a clean towel to my duffle bag, please. Everything else should be in there, I checked a couple of days ago."

"Anything else you need?" he leans for a kiss, his hands holding her cautiously. Their lips connect and it's like they never forget how to move in perfect synch. Her tongue grazes his lower lip and she moans happily, drawing back to stare at him thoughtfully.

"Oh, yes! My socks."

"The fuzzy ones?"

"Yes," she answers with a sigh, detaching her body from his touch and hauling it back into the boiling waterfall.

His body froze there, not wanting to walk out of this room in case she needed him. Norma must have noticed his hesitation because she didn't think twice about snapping him out of it.

"Alex," her tone serene and collected. "Go. I'll holler at you if I need to."

"You sure?" he questions with obvious distress.

"Yes, I promise."

And with a soft smile, she convinced him that she meant every word and that for the time being, he had nothing to worry about. Finding the courage to leave her there unattended was not easy, but he had to get other things done.

He gathered the bags that have been sitting in Isabella's room for two weeks now. Alex had assisted Norma, as he refused to allow her to lift a finger, simply obeying her orders and collecting what he was told. He had prepared a bag for himself, already knowing he won't be leaving his wife and baby alone.

The humming sound of Norma's singing bounced off the walls of this old but beautiful house. Alex had to take a minute to digest everything his eyes were witnessing. Women are incredible. The fact that she is about to give birth and does not look an ounce troubled, terrifies him. What else is his wife capable of doing? This incredible woman can do it all.

Alex tries to hurry down the stairs, collecting his keys. They had agreed that it was safer to take his SUV, and not her car. That the ride back from the hospital would be less stressful for them both, and they'd feel more secure.

"But it smells," Norma had said that one clouded night as Alex massaged her feet and they talked about the plans for Isabella's arrival. "I can't stand that smell."

"I know," Alex had answered understandably. "But it'll be for a little bit, at least until we get to the hospital. I'd feel safer if I have you both in the SUV. Is that okay?"

"Fine."

Alex has been driving around town, while on duty, with Isabella's car seat strapped in his SUV. He wanted to be prepared and not get blindsided as they rushed to the hospital whenever Isabella was ready to come. Norma had found the act astonishingly charming, to say the least.

The stairs on the front of the house look unending as Alex strolls down to get the car going and loaded. Each step seems to multiply as his feet stomp on them. His heart wants to come out of his chest and he feels overwhelmed. A powerful necessity to cry pierced him and he knew then that this feeling could be one of fatherhood; something he's never felt before.

He loads the SUV and turns the engine on, sprinting up the stairs as if there's no tomorrow. When he walks in, he overhears a commotion upstairs, precisely in their room.

Out of breath, he calls for Norma again and asks if she's okay.

"Yes," he hears her say, a hint of playfulness in her tone. He knows he's been nagging since he found out she was pregnant, and that he would continue to do so for the rest of their lives, now with Isabella present.

"I hope you know it won't get better," he had said to Norma and had only gotten a quirky little smile in return. "I know I'm a pain and I nag too much... But it's not going to get better. Just worse. Much worse."

"You're good?" he enters their room and sees her relaxing on the edge of the bed, fully clothed, sinking back and holding her upper body on the palm of her hands, looking as glowing as ever. Her stomach threatening to explode any minute, and he had to mentally prepare himself to not have this gorgeous pregnant woman in his bed after today. What a treat. What a sight for sore eyes.

"Can you help me?" he hadn't seen the flats situated in front of her because he had been too occupied honoring her beauty.

"You are so beautiful, you know that?" he crouched down in front of her, helping her put her shoes on. He glances up at her and she could see him admiring her with puppy eyes. His arms looped around her hips and he kisses her stomach with much tenderness as if she's indeed made out of glass. "I have never seen anyone as beautiful as you. Especially now."

"I keep telling you, Sheriff," she says with shyness and a trace of red in her cheeks. Her face suddenly hot. "You have a thing for pregnant women."

He grins. "I love you."

"I love you, Romero," she mumbles, and he kisses her stomach one more time, getting on his feet and supporting her in the process. When Alex is about to kiss her, she pants and tilts her head back. "The sheets. I have to wash them."

"I'll handle it," he chuckles, burying his head in her neck, kissing the tender skin there. "They will be cleaned whenever we come home. I promise."

"Are you sure?" she chants cooly, her neck stretching, granting him more access. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

Alex nibbles her skin with his teeth and she shrieks with delight. "When have I ever broken a promise, Mrs. Romero?"

Norma giggles in his arms, her fingers burying themselves in his ocean of dark hair. "Never."

"Exactly," he searches for her mouth, dying to feel her lips on his own. "I'm not about to start now. They'll be clean whenever we get home from the hospital."

"Okay," she mumbles between kisses, her body abruptly on fire and in need of him. She moans quietly when he bites her lip, their bodies swaying in one place without a care in the world. Alex pulls back to take a breath and spotted the blue of her eyes. They're full of ardor and determination.

"Let's go," he whispers, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the room. She's going to be the death of him.

"You're lucky Isabella's almost here," she states nonchalantly, holding tightly onto his hands as they descend the stairs. "We wouldn't leave this room if I had it my way."

A/N: Part three coming next ;)