Chapter 14.

Wanting privacy so that they could view the recordings without having to worry about the girls stumbling in on them, Liv took Nick and Fin to her office where they'd be more comfortable.

Video cards. Mr. Answari had given him SD cards. Security footage from Thomas' properties all over the world where he'd taken Amanda. Paris, Italy, Spain, Morocco- Amanda's apartment in Manhattan. Mr. Answari told him what to expect upon viewing them. He'd recorded their lovemaking but that wasn't the shocking part.

He'd recorded himself beating beating Amanda. Horribly beating her and oftentimes doubling the beatings with rape. It was enough to turn anyone's stomach. The one in particular that they were watching was the last one that the bastard had recorded. The last time that they had seen Amanda. Almost a half hour into that recording, of watching her be beaten and raped repeatedly by four men, all while Thomas watched. They all felt angry and disgusted; both with Thomas and themselves. How could this have been going on right under their noses and none of them knew?

"This can't be real!"Olivia said angrily as she got up and walked the room, stopping to hold on to the desk in her office while she tried to ride out another contraction. "These men- where are they now?" She asked before emitting a pained filled groan when she doubled over, crying out from the contraction that unexpectedly came overwhelmingly intense. "Mmmmmm!" She groaned as she gripped the chair by the desk.

"Liv…" They both called her nervously as they went to her.

"I'm okay…." She was bent over now with a hand on her back. This pain was killing her and it had only gotten stronger as it headed to a peak. And when the pain overtook her, and had her crying out…

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"You are definitely NOT okay!" Nick cried.

"I think I'm in labor!" She said through quick deep breaths.

"You think? Liv what does that even mean?!" Fin tried to keep calm through the excitement but was getting to him.

"It means that I don't think these are Braxton Hicks anymore!"

"You've been in pain? All this time? Liv…." Fin started to scold her but was cut short when she cried out louder as she felt an overwhelming pressure in her pelvis in addition to the pain that was already unbearable. "Guys, this baby's coming!"

"Maybe we should get you to the hospi-" Nick nervously started as his hands made contact with her body; gently settling on her back. This didn't go unnoticed by Fin who decided to let it slide,. They were in an emergency and Nick was just touching her to keep her calm for all he knew.

"It's coming now!" If this baby was in fact coming (and it was), she wasn't at all prepared for it. In spite of the last seven weeks of her praying that she wouldn't be saddled with a drawn out pregnancy. But then tragedy. And David. And all of a sudden, she's had so much to deal with. Mainly her daughters, and she-

"Ahhhhhhhhh!"

"Liv, can you walk?" Fin asked

"I don't know! Oh god, Fin something's coming out!"

"Okay, okay," he said, taking charge. He took Olivia's hand and very gently helped her down to the floor all the while listening to her try not to cry out from the pain but failing "...it's gonna be fine baby girl, you hear me? Nick, get some towels and hurry, you're gonna help her push" he said as Nick ran out of the room. "Liv is it alright if I look-" she let out a big, pain induced moan as she leaned back against the couch. "I'll take that as a yes...holy shit!" He said when removing her underwear and a deluge of water shot out of her, soaking the floor. "Little man is ready to meet his mom and sisters, Liv I can see his head." He smiled as he dialed 911 from his phone.

…

"Chloe, baby please stop crying" Julia pleaded with the newborn. She felt like she was at her wits end, nothing would satisfy her daughter. She'd rocked her, fed her, changed her, sang to her but she was just unhappy for some reason and now, at four am, Julia sank down by Chloe's cradle and cried while she absently rocked it with one hand while Chloe continued her screaming.

She suddenly, for whatever reason thought about David's funeral while she sat there. She had planned to come but she just couldn't leave her daughter behind while she paid her respects. So she sent a bouquet along with a beautiful letter to his wife and children. In the end she was glad that although it was being processed now, Chloe didn't have a passport then. Because honestly, she wasn't prepared to see Nick. She knew that. Even now, dealing with the incessant crying that she had been subject to for over an hour, when all was said and done, he had given her the most incredible gift that she still couldn't quite wrap her head around. This wasn't supposed to happen for her after that last miscarriage. It had been too severe, too much trauma, too much bleeding… she stopped and shook it off. She was a mommy now; finally, after so much heartache and loss. Nick did that for her and if she saw him she knew that she would be a mess.

Chloe had cried on while Julia phoned her pediatrician who told her that sometimes babies just cried to exercise their lungs. Chloe didn't have a fever or a rash and she wasn't hungry or wet. Suddenly, realizing that she had to get Chloe to stop or risk going insane, Julia stopped rocking the cradle and got up, wiped her eyes and gently picked her daughter up, cradling her against her chest.

"It's okay my girl…" she said softly, "Momma's here baby" she ran her fingers through Chloe's long dark curls as she tried to soothe her. Julia planted soft kisses to her head as she swayed back and forth. "How about we both calm down a little? She sniffled back her tears but wouldn't cry as she held her daughter. And taking long, deep breaths she melodically shushed Chloe quiet as she walked the halls of the giant house.

Finally Chloe seemed to quiet, her cries reducing to a soft whine as they lessened. "That's my girl…" She said softly as she kissed Chloe's cheeks. She was actually stopping!

"We're okay, aren't we baby? Maybe the doctor was right. Were you just exercising those beautiful lungs?"

Chloe let out a grunt and shifted in Julia's arms. Julia smiled, relieved as she put her daughter in the crook of her arm where Chloe looked up at her and smiled as she slowly closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep as if the last hour had never happened.

"I am not going to survive this." Julia said to the sky as she looked up, but just as quickly looked back down at her baby who was now sleeping peacefully in her arms. "...but I love you, no matter what, baby girl."

...

"I need David!" She cried after a hard push. She was dripping sweat down her forehead.

"I know you do baby," Nick said, speaking softly against her temple to comfort her. "...but he'd be so proud of you right now! Damn it, where's that ambulance?" He said to Fin.

"They said they were ten minutes away. Liv, listen to me, it's right here, you just need to push"

"This baby is coming and his father is dead, his sisters may never get back to normal because of it...I can't do this!"

"I don't think you have much of a choice right now. Liv, the heads right here!" Fin told her

"I need more time. Just enough to get them through-" she was surprised that the next contraction hit so hard. She tried to breathe through it, but she was failing miserably.

"Look at me, you can do this, baby girl, come on!" Fin said as she started to push again.

"Shit...oh my god- Nick!"

"I'm right here!"

"Here he comes!" Fin said excited beyond belief as he grabbed a towel and shook out the folds as the head came out. . "Liv, stop pushing, the cord's around his neck and I need to undo it."

"Okay...okay."

"Just breathe baby, come on!"

"Ooohhhhhh! Fin-" She pled as he was working fast but gently.

"I got it! One more push baby girl, you got this!" The baby slid out of her, landing safely in Fins hands and began screaming with no prodding from an overjoyed Fin who was smiling so big right now. "You did it Liv!"

She was all happy tears as Fin handed him to her. "Oh my god, he's here!" She cried leaning against Nick who was absolutely speechless at the screaming new baby she held and cried as hard as she did. "Fin...I don't know how to thank you."

"No thanks needed. I'm gonna go and make sure the ambulance gets up okay. Congratulations mama!" He said and left the room.

"I can't believe he's here!" She cried as she fawned over her new baby.

"He's beautiful Liv, he's so beautiful!" Nick said in tears.

"I just wish that his father were here...he already loved him so much," she said as she looked down at her baby.

If only she and Nick had known that his father was right there beside her and she was right. He already loved his son so very much!

Gotta go!