On our way to the hospital, I am frantically dialling and redialling Elliot's number to no avail. Kate is screeching in the back ground so I grab her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze.
"Elliot?" she asks
"Not yet but I will keep trying I promise"
We pull up outside the hospital and Kate is whisked off into a bay for assessment, I can hear Grace discussing what has been happening with the attending physician and whilst it seems like things are not happening as they should, Grace and the doctor reassure her that everything is progressing normally and as they would expect.
My phone rings and thank god it's Elliot…
"Ana, got your message, what's happened?" he asks
"Kate is in labour, she needs you now as the birth is not going to be long"
"Fuck, I don't want to miss this, I am actually on my way back anyway, the contract has been delayed" He sounds anxious.
"Where are you now?" I ask
"Not far from the lodge, where are you?"
"Aspen Valley Hospital, get here soon Elliot"
"I will" the line goes dead.
"Kate, I have spoken to Elliot and he is on his way" I smile and she visibly relaxes.
"I'm scared Ana, how did you do this on your own?" a tear rolls down her face.
"You are doing so well honey, focus on your breathing and the thought of meeting your little girl for the first time" I say.
"Oh this hurts so muuuuccchhhh" as another contraction hits and she breathes in the gas and air.
Grace comes over and tells us she is being moved upstairs to the delivery suite, the porters arrive and they certainly don't hang about, within minutes we are in the lift going up but not before I have made the staff promise to send Elliot up as soon as he arrives.
She is taken straight to delivery, she refuses to let my hand go but I am assured by the nurse its fine for me to stay. The contractions are coming thick and fast prompting 'action stations' from the medical staff and she is told to push, push as hard as she can for a count of ten, pause and then straight back in again, this repeats time and time again before the doctor tells us she can see hair.
Kate bursts into tears and I try and soothe her as she will not be able to continue if she is too emotional and then to my enormous relief, Elliot comes into the room.
"I'm here Kate, I'm here" he kisses her forehead.
"I was so afraid you wouldn't make it, she is nearly here; our baby is nearly here"
"I know, you are doing so well sweetie, I am so proud of you" Elliot gets choked up with emotion too.
I feel a little envious at this moment, not that it was Christian's fault but he wasn't with me to encourage me or see our babies born, tell me how proud he was of me. I know he said it later but it's not the same however I shake those thoughts from my head and marvel at the privilege of being present when another life is brought into the world.
"The head is out" come the doctor's voice and I think we all sigh with relief "not long to go now before you meet your daughter, have you got a name for her yet?"
"Yes we do, we are calling her…"
"And here she is" and with a huge cry Ashleigh Natasha Grace Grey announces her arrival to the world.
I start to cry, Elliot is somewhere between pride and breakdown and Kate is just sobbing.
"Because she is a few weeks early we need to take her to the Nicu for assessment but if all is ok you will have her back as soon as possible" the paediatrician says.
Kate is holding her; Elliot is kissing Kate and stroking Ashleigh's tiny hand, telling her how beautiful she and her Mom are. Grace is dabbing her eyes in the corner so to give the new parents a few moments alone, I go over and hug Grace.
"I never thought I was going to be a grandparent; then to get 3 beauties in such a short time is so wonderful"
Elliot walks over and throws his arms around Grace who hugs him back tightly and then he does the same to me but whispers his thanks in my ear.
"Kate wants you to go over Ana" Elliot indicates so I walk over and sit next to Kate and see Ashleigh for the first time.
"Well done honey, she is beautiful and she definitely has your nose" I chuckle.
"They are taking her in a moment, I don't want them too" she gets emotional again.
"When she goes you need to rest, sleep if you can and have some food a little later so when she comes back you can concentrate on feeding her, dressing her and having cuddles when you are awake" I advise.
"Ok that sounds good because…yawn…I do feel shattered" and in a moment she is asleep.
"Elliot, I need to call home to arrange a lift back for Grace and I but they are going to want to know what's happened, are you ok if I tell them or would you rather do it yourself?"
"Go ahead Ana, we will see everyone soon enough" Elliot answers. I move outside of the hospital to use my cell and to breathe some fresh air.
"Christian?"
"Yes, what's going on?" he sounds miffed.
"Kate went into labour and has now had their little girl but Uncle Chris, your Mom and I need a lift back home as we both went in the ambulance, could you get Taylor to drive over and pick us up?" I say
"Is everything alright?" he sounds worried "Elliot missed it didn't he"
"Everything is fine and Elliot made it in time, he was on his way back here anyway, something about the contract being delayed"
"Ah that's good, ok I will get Taylor over as soon as possible"
"Thanks honey, see you in a bit, love you" I say
"Laters baby"
About twenty minutes later Taylor and Christian turn up at the hospital. Outside of Kate room, Christian and Elliot embrace "Congrats bro, welcome to fatherhood"
"Thanks bro, thanks for coming" Elliot looks stoked.
"So where is my Niece?" Christian asks.
"She is in the Nicu having some checks as she is premature but they assure us she will be back soon and Kate is sleeping"
"So what is her name then? I can't call her niece forever" Christian nudges Elliot playfully.
"Oh yes right, it's Ashleigh Natasha Grace and she weighed 5lb 9oz" Elliot says proudly "and she is perfect"
A noise turns us all around to see Ashleigh being wheeled back to the room in a hospital crib. She has the tiniest diaper on, a pink knitted hat and socks and is covered in a warm looking blanket.
"She's beautiful bro" Christian tells Elliot as she is wheeled past.
"We have one hungry little lady here" the nurse says "Going to see if Mommy is awake" Kate stirs and immediately beams when she sees Ashleigh.
"We're going to go now you two" I say to Kate and Elliot "see you later"
Elliot and Kate wave before continuing to dote on their daughter. Christian wraps his arm around me and tells me how gutted he feels to have missed the birth of the twins, I reassure him that it couldn't be helped and the most important thing is we have been given a second chance to be a family.
At the lodge, Gail and Carrick are waiting anxiously for us to return. I show them the photo of Ashleigh, Gail immediately wipes a tear away and I see Carrick welling up too.
"What's her name?" Carrick asks
"Ashleigh Natasha Grace Grey and she weighed 5lb 9oz, she was checked out in the Nicu but everything was fine so she was brought back and we left as Kate was trying to feed her for the first time" I tell them joyfully.
"Elliot made it just in time, he was so proud" Christian says.
"Oh I am so glad he made it…but I thought he was back in Seattle?" Carrick looks confused.
"I have not found out exactly what happened but he said something about a delay in the contract so he was making his way back here anyway" I fill them in.
"Well that was very lucky otherwise he wouldn't have made it" Gail comments.
We all nod in agreement "Right I think we all need some tea and food. Ana the twins are ok, Christian helped me feed and change them earlier" Gail praises Christian.
After suitable refreshment, I go and see my babies, give them a cuddle whilst telling them all about their new cousin that arrived earlier and how much fun they are going to have together.
Later on during the day, a very tired but happy Elliot comes back to the lodge to more congratulations from Carrick and Gail.
"What are you doing here Elliot?" I ask
"They are both asleep so I thought I would come for something decent to eat and I need to take some things back for Kate and Ashleigh"
"Oh I am really sorry Elliot, in the melee I forgot to take anything for her"
"Don't be silly Ana, you helped in the main, I think she would have crumpled if you hadn't been there to support her" he hugs me again before tucking into some chicken and vegetable soup, bread rolls and a cup of tea.
Elliot disappears again after a couple of hours, taking Kate's clothes and personal items but clothes for the baby were more difficult as she is small but I promise to go shopping and drop off the clothes at the hospital.
I bundle up the twins; Christian offers to come with me so Taylor dutifully drives us into town. The double buggy is easy to push so I give Christian that job so I can concentrate on picking up the essentials for Ashleigh. I get everything she will need in one shop, Christian picks up the bill, only then does the assistant realise who we are and start's asking vague questions about needing premature baby clothes. We smile; wish her a nice day and leave the store quicker than when we came in. This usually means we will start being harassed by the press so we head to the hospital quickly.
Kate and Elliot are pleased to see us even though it's a flying visit; we left the twins in the car with Taylor. They are over the moon with the baby supplies and as Ashleigh is awake she gets dressed in a pink sleep suit with a brown teddy holding a daisy.
Kate excitedly tells us they may well be allowed home tomorrow providing Ashleigh keeps maintaining her body temperature. We say goodnight and look forward to seeing them all tomorrow.
Everyone sits that evening in quiet contemplation until tiredness befalls my-self, Christian follows suit, and Gail has already retired so we leave Grace and Carrick basking in a proud grandparent glow.
I am last to wake in the morning, Christian and Grace have sorted Max and Melissa out for me, breakfast is sitting on a tray beside the bed and a single red rose has been placed on the pillow with a note saying 'enjoy breakfast, relax and I love you'.
Hmm, I tuck into Pain au Chocolat, scrambled egg on toast, tea and juice; it tastes divine and a much unexpected treat for me. I take a leisurely shower, wash and properly style my hair and the day couldn't have started off better.
About 11.30am the door opens and Kate, Elliot and baby Ashleigh walk through the door. I leap up and welcome them back home…
A/N: Thanks for your continuing support.