Warning. I haven't properly edited it so beware of some mistakes. I'm sorry! This is more of a filler chapter. So I'm sorry if you guys don't like it. A birth scene is included but it's nothing bad and it's not descriptive. I have never been in labor and all of the labor scenes are from experience from people I know who have had children. I tried to make it as realistic as possible since I want to be a nurse in labor and delivery or the maternity unit.
(Disclaimer: I don't own GMW or the characters.)
Giving birth was one of the most difficult physical things Riley has ever done. She had spent six grueling hours in labor. They had informed her before that everyone varied in the hours they spent in labor and that she could be in it 20 minutes or days.
She was currently being transferred from the labor and delivery unit to the maternity unit where she would be staying for approximately three days. Bella was carried off by the nurses to be properly examined and cleaned. She would be reunited with her child right after the proper procedures were performed.
Lucas has decided to go with the nurses to the nursery unit where Bella was being taken. He was in awe of how amazing it was that this small bundle had managed to captivate his heart in a matter of a few seconds. He didn't want to leave his newborn child for a single second, he wanted to spend as much time with her. He felt immense love and need to protect her.
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Five hours.
Riley was now on her fifth hour of being in labor and she just wanted the baby to hurry up already. She was currently experiencing contractions every two minutes and was 9 cm dilated. Her doctor told her she should be ready to push at any moment.
"You're doing great", Topanga encouraged her daughter. "Almost there hunny."
"Mom, it hurts a lot", Riley cried with a few tears slipping from her eyes.
"I know it hurts sweetie", Topanga responded. "It will be all over soon."
"I hope so", Riley sighed while she wiped away a few more tears.
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Maya walked through the long hallways of the maternity unit with a giant pink teddy bear and balloons in her arms. She was on her way to visit Riley but had made a quick stop to purchase something for the baby. Against Maya's wishes, only Lucas and Topanga were allowed in the delivery room with Riley. The doctors insisted that it would be better if there were only two people with Riley, one being her boyfriend and the other being her mother. She had waited for six hours in the waiting room but was persuaded by Shawn to leave after the news was given of the baby's healthy arrival. She reluctantly agreed to go home and sleep for a bit. Farkle had accompanied her home but had told her that he would be arriving a bit later on to the hospital. Maya finally arrived at Riley's hospital room. The door was slightly open and Maya walked in without knocking. "Hey Little Plant! I came to see the little cutie. Where is she?
Riley turned to her eager best friend and smiled at her. "She's in the nursery getting checked up. She should be here soon."
"Where's Ranger Rick", Maya asked while sitting down on the chair next to her best friend.
"He's with Bella in the nursery. He doesn't want to leave her at all", Riley answered.
Maya set the bear and balloons on Riley's bedside with some other gifts.
"I got you and your daughter a bear and some balloons. I hope you like them."
Riley reached out her hand to touch the soft plush bear that Maya had bought. Its fur was the color of pink cotton candy and had a heart for a nose. She tilted up her head to see the balloons that read congratulations. "I love them so much Maya! Thank you!"
"Where are your mom and dad", questioned Maya why she noticed the lack of parents in the room.
"Mom went home to pick up Auggie from Ava's house and bring him here. While my dad and Uncle Shawn are in the hospital cafeteria", Riley explained.
Maya and Riley spent the next twenty minutes talking about everything that had occurred in the past year. Although she wasn't expected, Maya knew no one regretted the arrival of the baby.
Without making any noise the door slowly opened and Lucas entered with a nurse and Bella. The nurse pushed Bella close to Riley in a portable hospital crib. "Ms. Matthews, I'm sorry to interrupt but I have your daughter here."
Riley sat up at a slow pace since she had only given birth less than twelve hours ago, she was still in pain. Maya quickly got up to help her best friend sit up at a better angle. "Thank you so much. I appreciate everything you've done."
"No problem at all Ms. Matthews. Please press your call light if you need anything or any assistance", The nurse gently smiled at Riley and made her way towards the door. Riley thanked the nurse as she exited the room.
"Can you please hand her to me. I haven't held her since right after she was born" Riley asked her boyfriend. Lucas carefully lifted Bella from her crib and slowly placed her with an anxious Riley.
When Bella was placed in Riley's arms, she felt the same intense love for her daughter just like the moment they placed her on her chest after her birth. She was left speechless at the sight of the sleeping baby in her arms. She was her daughter and wouldn't trade her for anything.
Maya looked on at her best friend and her baby. Riley was in awe with the newborn. Maya was excited to hold her but knew that she must wait for her turn. "She's beautiful Riley. She's lucky she looks more like you than Sundance."
Lucas let out a small chuckle at her comment but kept his eyes on his girlfriend and daughter. "Very funny Pancakes, but she definitely looks like Riley."
After Riley held her daughter for a few minutes she handed her to Lucas was more than ready to hold her. Lucas melted at the site of the baby in his arms. He placed a kiss on her tender forehead and sat down with her. A few minutes passed while the three teenagers conversed about their soon to be life. Maya would be attending Columbia University to study fine arts. Farkle would be attending Harvard University to double major in business and political science. Lucas would attend NYU for pre-health and Riley would study pre-law. Riley and Lucas both knew it would be difficult to continue their career path, raise a child, and work but they would not give up. They both made a promise to make sure their daughter grew up happily.
Bella was finally put in Maya's arms after Lucas had held for a while. Maya would be lying if she said that she wasn't constantly looking over to Lucas hoping to carry her soon. She was excited to personally meet this beautiful child who has not seen any wrong in this world. Who's entire life so far has been pure innocence. She loved Bella so much already. It was impossible to love her with her porcelain skin, beautiful smooth light brown hair, and eyes the color of glimmering emeralds. "She's amazing Riles. She's like a delicate flower."
Both Riley and Lucas turned to each other with a smile. Riley turned to her best friend who was looking at Bella in her arms. "I guess her middle name suits her, Bella Rose."
"Bella Rose. I love it. Such a beautiful name for a beautiful person."
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It has now been six hours and Riley was ready to push. Her doctor had just come in to check up on her progress and had informed her she was now 10 centimeters dilated. That meant that it was time to push and Riley was now scared. How was she supposed to do this? She wasn't strong enough. Without warning, another contraction struck Riley's body and she winced in pain. If pushing meant stopping the pain, she now knew she was more than ready.
"It's time to push Riley", the doctor informed her. Riley began to push as much as she could with careful instructions from her nurse. Lucas and her mother stood to her right and attempted to comfort her. Lucas grabbed Riley's hand for support but was met with her strong death grip. Riley saw him wince in pain from the corner of her eye but he never let go of her hand. She made a small mental note to apologize to him later but for now, he'd unfortunately have to suffer with her. "I can't do this! It hurts a lot!"
"Come on Riley", Lucas encouraged her. "We're almost there. Don't give up Princess."
"Okay", Riley responded through the few tears running down her face. "I just want her to be here already."
Topanga placed a gentle kiss on her daughter's forehead. She knew the difficulty of childbirth after having two children herself. Her daughter was doing amazing compared to her. She had continuously yelled at Cory while delivering both her children. She had to admit that Lucas was also doing well in this situation. Cory on the other hand had fainted during both Riley's and Auggie's birth. Cory had always claimed it was from the loss of blood circulation from her grip on his hand.
"The baby is crowning", the doctor exclaimed. "I need one more push Riley."
With all the energy she had left in her body Riley gave one last push. All of the sudden, Riley felt a sense of relief. She could hear the loud cries of her child as she was being placed on her chest. Infant to mother touch was crucial in the first moments of birth.
"Baby Girl Matthews born March 23rd, 2019 at 7:12 am", the doctor announced to the room.
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Nervous was an understatement of what Auggie was feeling. He was excited to meet his new baby niece but was afraid he would mess up. How was he supposed to be an uncle? He was only ten and already had a lot to handle with Ava. Was he going to be the cool uncle or a lame one? He decided to think about that another time, right now he was walking towards his sister's room in the hospital.
"Mom? Can I please give the flowers to Riley", Auggie turned to Topanga who was carrying a large bouquet of roses. Topanga simply smiled and nodded at him while she handed him the vase of roses. With a small knock on the door, Topanga opened the hospital door. Auggie walked in behind his mother. He looked around the room and already saw a large arrangement of gifts for the baby and his sister. He saw Lucas sitting in a chair next to his sister while Maya was on the other side carrying the baby wrapped in a pink blanket.
"Hey! Look who came to visit you", Topanga said while pointing at a timid Auggie behind her.
"Auggie", Riley exclaimed."Come here!"
Auggie left his mother's side and felt a bit more confident now that he knew Riley wanted to see him. He walked carefully to his sister's bedside and placed the flowers in her hands. "We got you some flowers! I really hope you like them."
Riley took the bouquet in her hands and inhaled the beautiful aroma of the fresh roses. "Thank you, Auggie! I love them. Do you want to hold Bella?"
"You trust me", Auggie questioned his sister carefully.
"Of course I trust", Riley smiled at her little brother.
Auggie sat down on the end of Riley's bed and waited for Maya to hand him his little niece. Maya carefully got up and walked at a slow pace towards Auggie. This was new to Maya and she did not want to harm little Bella in any way. Topanga carefully instructed Auggie on the proper techniques to hold a baby in his arms. Bella was placed in his arms and Auggie was instantly terrified to drop her. She was so small and seemed so delicate. As he held Bella in his arms, she let out a small smile. A burst of happiness ran through his body when he saw her smile at him. "She smiled at me! Mom, look!"
"She already loves you Auggie", Riley warmly smiled at her brother.
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Lucas stood next to Riley as he admired the miracle that had just occurred. His daughter was born almost five minutes ago and she was now actually here. "What are we going to name her?"
Riley turned to her boyfriend and looked at him with a large smile. "I still like Bella but I know you like Rose."
"How about both", Lucas compromised. "Bella can be her first name and Rose can be her middle name."
"I love it. Bella Rose Friar it is", Riley expressed with tenderness.
Lucas was thrilled to learn that Riley had decided to allow their daughter to carry his last name. They had never discussed what last name the baby would take, Friar or Matthews. "Are you really letting her have my last name?"
"Of course", Riley stated. "She's you're daughter and should have your last name."
"I love you Riley."
"I love you too."
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Cory was excited to meet his granddaughter. He was skipping down the hall to his daughter's room with Shawn trailing behind him. He kept on warning Cory to be careful not to fall but he was just too excited to listen to his best friend. He wasn't allowed to go into the delivery room after the doctor set a two person limit. Honestly, Cory was glad he didn't go in, he would have probably fainted again. He knew his daughter was young and had her entire life ahead of her. But what happened already could not be changed. He had made himself a personal promise to help his daughter in any way he could. He wanted to make sure she was able to successfully finish college and provide for her baby. Cory didn't even bother knocking on the door, he simply opened it. "It's my turn to hold my granddaughter. I want my turn."
"Calm down Cory", Topanga warned her husband. "Let Auggie hold her a bit more."
"But Topanga, I was eating breakfast before and couldn't come faster", Cory argued. "And I wasn't allowed in the delivery room."
Topanga gave her husband a sharp look that warned him to calm down. "Not that you would've lasted. You probably would've fainted like you did with both Riley and Auggie"
Cory's hand went to his chest to show how offended he was by her statement. You faint twice during your wife's labors and all of a sudden you couldn't be trusted. "It was only twice! Plus I'm sure Lucas was the same."
The room was filled with a sudden burst of laughter."I'm sorry sir I didn't faint. Although Riley almost did break my hand with that grip."
Cory looked at both his wife and daughter and remembered the pain he went through during Riley's and Auggie's birth. His hand had been bruised on both occasions thanks to Topanga. "Like mother like daughter. Topanga almost broke my hand both times. The loss of blood circulation made me faint."
"Very manly Matthews", Maya laughed.
After five minutes of anxiously pacing in the room, Cory was finally allowed to carry his granddaughter. She was fully awake when she was placed in his arms. Her stunning blue eyes looked up at Cory. He couldn't believe he was now a grandfather.
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Farkle was late. Maya had texted him thirty minutes ago that they were all in Riley's hospital room and they were waiting for him. Farkle had dropped off Maya at her apartment and had left for his New York penthouse. He had informed Maya he would not be returning to the hospital with her and would be late. He had decided to go buy the new baby a large assortment of toys. He didn't know much about babies but he thought toys were a reasonable gift for a growing baby. In the gift bags he was carrying there were baby toys, dolls, and stuffed animals. A nurse walking by was kind enough to open the door for him when she saw him struggle. He walked into the room full of relatives and friends. He had spotted Lucas' parents, Shawn, Katy, Riley's parents, Auggie, Maya, Lucas, Riley, and of course a small baby."Greetings! I have arrived with gifts for the baby."
"Looks like Uncle Farkle has come through for Bella", Riley smiled at her other best friend who was struggling to carry all the bags he had with him.
Farkle was excited by this new title. He didn't have any siblings and he always believed he would never be an uncle. It was exciting to him that there would be a small child calling him uncle. "I get to be an Uncle? Yes!"
Maya quickly turned to her best friend at this new revelation. "Wait! Does that make me Aunt Maya?"
"Of course it does Peaches. I thought you already knew", Riley smiled at her best friend.
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Three days quickly passed in the hospital thanks to the assortment of visitors who came to see her daughter. She had made Maya, and Farkle return to school right away the next day and would not hear their reasons to stay with her. She couldn't convince Lucas to return with Maya and Farkle but he had promised her to go back once she was at home. She was finally allowed to return home after the three days in the maternity unit at the hospital.
Lucas walked into the room carrying Bella's pink car seat. Lucas had gone to retrieve it from the car after being told by the nurses that Bella could not leave without being in a car seat. "You ready to go Riles?"
"Definitely", Riley eagerly answered. "I want to be out of here already."
Lucas walked toward his newborn daughter that was currently soundlessly asleep. He gently lifted her up and delicately placed her in his arms. "Finish getting ready and I'll put Bella in her car seat. Then we'll just wait for your parents to arrive so we can finally go."
Riley walked towards the bathroom to change out of this dreadful hospital gown. She hated wearing it for the past three days but was told by the hospital staff that it was mandatory to wear it. She changed into something appropriate for her hospital exit. Riley walked out of the bathroom to find Lucas sitting down on a chair with Bella in his arms. He placed a gentle hand on his daughter's head and admired his beautiful daughter. "We'll be alright. I just know it."
Lucas turned to face Riley and smiled. He was truly lucky in his opinion. "Yes, we will."
What did you guys think? Too boring? I would love to hear your thoughts! :)
