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Derek took a deep breath. He wasn't ready to leave, unfortunately he didn't have much choice.
"Nick...did you get the keys," he called up to his friend." They had been safely locked away int he control room for awhile.
"Got them and we're ready." Nick called out from inside the helicopter.
Julia turned her gaze to look at Derek. Neither of them wanted for him to leave but he did have a duty to making sure the seplicurs were taken care of.
"Be careful." she said quietly.
"I will," Derek told her hugging her tightly.
"Don't you even think of having tha baby without me." he added as he kissed her forehead again.
Julia shifted so that he was meeting her lips, instead of her forehead, before she finally and relunctantly withdrew.
"You have to practice those exercises we learned in class," she replied with a slight smile "It'd be a shame not to be able to show off why you got that lamaz certificate.
"And Amelia won't come until her Pappa's there to welcome her into the world."
Derek smiled down at her. "I'm very glad to hear she is as tenacous as her mother." Derek moved to get into the helicopter still holding her hand.
"I'll practice if
I get the opportunity." he promised.
Julia smiled and squeezed his hand, before relunctantly letting it go to close the door for him.
Love you, she mouthed after the panel was locked and taking a few steps back so that the chopper could safely lift off, to watch it as it left.
"I love you too." Derek replied. He watched her as the chopper took off, until he couldn't see her anymore.
"All right," he told Nick "let's get this over with."
Nick guided the chopper and, once Derek got his headphones on, asked "Where to first?"
She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep but Julia woke up with a groan. Her lower back was hurting and Derek hadn't called yet for the night. That had been the routine for the past couple of days... the day would go on, Julia would work on Foundation jobs and oversee Legacy business with the House as Alex stepped up to the plate and kept the paperwork and investigations going, and Derek would call each night to get updates and to wish his wife goodnight - even if it had been a totally different time zone for him.
Julia thought about that as she got up and, rubbing her back and feeling the effects of the chili dogs she had eaten for dinner, she went out onto the balcony and let the cooling air sweep over her.
Ugh and Amelia was kicking up a fuss.
That was when the first contraction happened....
"Oh boy...."
They had just dropped off the last artifact, save for the last one, which had been assigned to the San Francisco House, and instead of stopping to rest for the night, Derek had asked Nick if he could continue or needed to stop.
A grimace came across Derek's face at the sudden pain that went through his abdomen. His first thought was to condemn the food they had eaten on the run. His second however, prompted him to pull out the phone and place a call home.
Julia was just leaving their bedroom when the cellphone went off. And because she had spoken to him earlier that night and in the habit of keeping it near, she was already carrying it.
So she answered it, exhaling slowly as she rode out the contraction "Julia Rayne..."
"Are you on your way to the hospital yet?" Derek said by way of greeting. "You need to go to the hospital."
Julia had made it to the top of the stairs and looked down at her legs. Her water had broken.
And just at that moment, Jonathan looked up from downstairs "It's time?"
Having been a father a few times himself, he had known by her expression that she wasn't suffering from simple heartburn.
"It's time." she told him, only to head back to the bedroom.
"And I have to change," she said, talking to Derek "but we'll be on our -"
" - wayhelll, that was fast."
Faster than she remembered in lamaz classes as being the usual time between contractions.
The second one had just hit.Derek did not like this at all.
"The closer they are the sooner the baby comes," he said looking over at Nick, "can't you make this thing go any faster?"
Nick had suspected Julia was in labor from the first few words Derek said. Now, seeing the aggitation in his Precept's eyes there was no doubt.
"I'm flying Derek. It is going as fast as possible. Just hold on. We'll get to the House and drive over to the hospital."
Alex came out of the Control Room just then and looked down, only to look up
and see Julia there. She had heard 'it's time' and now started toward the third
floor to help her friend.
Rachel and Phillip entered the house.
"We're home," called out Rachel seeing Jonathan and Alex. "Is Kat anywhere around?"
She saw the two of them were looking upstairs and raised her look to see Julia and said, "Oh, I guess I made it just in time."
"Welcome home, ready to go?" Julia said by way of answer, before speaking back into the cell phone "Where's Jacob bear?"
Jacob bear had been a bear Derek had bought especially for Amelia's arrival, and Julia wanted it there but had no idea where it was.
"Thank you," said Rachel, "And we already have a car ready outside, so yea I guess we're ready to go."
Julia waited for Derek to tell her where the bear was, even as she headed back to the bedroom to change.
"Julia -" Jonathan called up to her, wondering why she was going that way.
"I am not going to the hospital with wet pants." she said, right before she entered the bedroom and closed the door.
Keeping one hand on the phone to listen to her husband, she somehow managed to change out of the loose pants she wore now and into another pair.
"For crying out loud," Derek said into the phone, "it's a hospital, they dont' care what you look like! It's not like they havent' seen that before."
"I am not," she repeated, stressing the not as, already changed, she left the bedroom and headed back toward the stairs "Going in wet pants."
"Fine," Derek replied, "but don't you dare have our baby on the ferry!"
Jonathan
watched them leave before going to get his coat and go ready Nick's car, to
pull it up nearer to where he knew the chopper would be landed so that the men
could leave as soon as possible.
He would have gotten Derek's vehicle but had a feeling his boss would want Nick
to get to the hospital quicker than usual, so that meant driving the car he
was used to speeding in.
He looked back at Alex, who had stayed behind to make sure Derek got the bear
Julia had been talking about and then motioned for her to approach.
He could hear the propellers of a chopper coming closer.
Julia breathed and concentrated, even as the doctor that was there with her
and Rachel was urging her to push.
They had made it to the hospital and had been checked in and wheeled into a
delivery room, Amelia that ready to be born into the world.
"No." Julia said, breathing and counting - and waiting "Derek's
not here yet, so it's not tiimmmmmmmme..."
She had take a few quick breaths and squeezed her eyes closed, wondering where
the cellphone went and remembered that one of the nurses had taken it.
When the contraction passed she opened her eyes and looked at Rachel "I
want my cellphone... I want to hear Derek."
If he couldn't be there in person, then he could be there some other way. She
knew that he would feel terrible about missing it but it'd be worse if he couldn't
have some way of being with them.
Rachel went outside to the nurse's station and asked for the cell phone back. She took it with her back to the delivery room, dialing Derek's no. When she heard it ringing she handed it over to Julia.
"Here," she said "He should answer any second now."
"We're
almost there." Nick said, spotting the island "My car or yours?"
"Whichever is closest," Derek him as he prepared for the landing.
He glanced back at the girl in the back. "You can stay at the house the
staff will make sure you get settled in."
Taking a
somewhat shaky deep breath, Kristin watched the doctor scribble something. Eyeing
the squiggles that passed for his
handwriting, she gave up her small attempt to read his notes; even if she could
read upside down, she'd never figure out those chicken scratches.
Finished writing, he stood abruptly and left the room with barely a glance in
her direction -not that she thought he'd have been able to
see her through his wildly bushy eyebrows- and a gruff order to get home and
take it easy for a few days. Despite his lack of a 'comforting' bedside manner,
he had been able to tell her that Philip had already been sent home.
She knew that he must have been well enough to leave, and that Rachel was completely
able to tend to him if anything was still wrong, but Kristin still couldn't
wait to see him with her own eyes. She'd woken up terrified, remembering the
image of him being stabbed.
Shaking her head slightly and putting her hand on the wall to quench any remaining
dizziness, she pulled the door open and made her way down to the nurse's desk.
'Typical,' Kristin inwardly rolled her eyes. The two nurses behind the desk
were busy chatting and certainly didn't look like they'd drop their talk anytime
soon. Unintentionally hearing part of their conversation, she revised her original
opinion of "chatting" to "gossip-sharing." The tall blonde
had one of those barbie-doll-voices and Kristin grimaced, realizing that all
those 'dumb blonde' jokes just might have a scrap of truth to them.
She was about to interrupt -it didn't sound overly important; the two seemed
unable to believe that a woman was in labor and being admitted. Kristin recognized
the overtones of jealousy; obviously the father-to-be had been one of those
'prime catches' and both woman were envious that he hadn't chosen them. Belatedly,
the woman's name registered with her mind.
Mrs. Julia Rayne.
Suppressing
a grin of excitement, Kristin asked which floor labor and delivery was on and
hurried up.
His car was closest, he saw as he landed. Jonathan must have moved it there. So he started shutting down the engine and took off the headphones. He hadn't said much to the girl in back but greeted her now with a boyish grin "You'll have to excuse us, but he's having a baby. Gotta jet to the hospital now."
With that and seeing Jonathan approaching to help with the new passenger, he started toward the Mustang.
Alex spotted them and came running out, holding the bear before reaching them and putting it in Derek's hands.
Then the cell phone started to ring "Better answer that and here, better have that when you show up."
She had seen the girl too but there was no way she was missing the birth. She held up what was in her other hand, grinned and then went in on Nick's side of the car.
She had her camcorder, ready to go. Derek was talking to Julia.
Seconds later, they were off.
"Hold on." Nick told the two as they got fishtailed out of the driveway at top speed and headed toward the ferry.
After crossing it and leaving the rest of the traffic behind he pressed his foot to the pedal and headed toward the interstate that led to the hospital.
It wasn't long before a police car was following them but Nick just grinned and continued on, letting them chase him.
Minutes later he was pulling into the emergency room driveway and coming to an almost skidding halt.
"You'll have to catch up if you wanna give me a ticket!" he called out as he jumped out of the car and closed the car door and following Derek and Alex in.
The cop stopped and stared at them before coming to himself and following.
"We're here." Dereklet Julia know, dodging people as he and the others ran for the elevators.
"Good," Julia breathed, another contraction hitting "Do you have - mmmmmm!"
Derek looked back and saw the teddy bear he was sure Julia was asking about, just as they all three entered the elevator and the doors closed.
"I have him." he said, only to instruct his wife "Breath Julia."
He even started to breath the way they had learned in lamaz classes, hearing Julia echo it as she rode out the contraction.
That was when the elevator stopped in mid-floor and he looked up at the lights indicating what floor the elevator was on. The floor he needed was right above him.
"Derek?" Julia asked as the contraction ended, having heard a few curse words uttered in the background.
Derek looked up at the ceiling panels and then at Nick, before speaking into the phone "It's alright Julia, I'm on my way. I have to hang up now but I will be there in just a moment."
"I love you." he added, meaning it and tone sincere.
Julia closed the phone half laughed half cried as she put the phone on a nearby medical table.
"Love you too." she said, right before another contraction hit and her body started to push instinctively.
Derek put the phone in his jacket pocket and motioned for Nick to give him a hand up, only to hold his hand out for the teddybear from Alex and tuck it into his jacket once he got it.
Then, on the count of three, Doctor Derek Rayne was being hefted onto the top of the elevator and through a panel, only to work his way to the next set of elevator doors and pry them open.
With maintainance and other assorted people watching from the lobby area of the elevator he crawled up and out of the shaft, then started toward the maternaty ward and the delivery rooms beyond.
A doctor caught him on the way and helped him clean up and slip into some greens.
Seconds later he was rushing into the delivery room and to his wife's side.
And perfect timing it was too, as the next contraction hit, and with full force.
Julia got a grip on the sidebars of the bed and started to push, Derek putting the bear on another nearby table before moving to help hold Julia as she gave her first full blown push.
He still wished she would have taken a epidermal or something to help with the pain - and it was obvious she was in pain - but he slipped his hands into hers from beside and around ber back to let her grip as she continued to push and rode out the contraction.
"Good... good..." Rachel said from her position "Come on Jules, you can do it."
Derek gritted his teeth as Julia's usually strong grip turned even harder. At least he wasn't experiencing the literal pain of the labor with his Gift.
"I see the head."
Julia huffed and puffed as the contraction started to eb, but she felt the next wave already coming and looked at Derek.
"I love you." he told her, gaze showing excitement about Amelia's birth but worry concerning the pain Julia was experiencing.
And she was experiencing it too. Thing of it was - she realized that there was a time that she wasn't able to feel it and that she was here, with Derek, having their first child, because of a miracle.
So, with a shakey voice and sweaty smile, she started to relax and murmured back "Love you too.."
Right before another contraction hit and they both beared down.
Both Nick and Alex finally got out of the elevator, and hurried toward the delivery room. It wasn't until they were almost there that Alex spotted Kristin and, with a surprised smile grabbed the woman's hand and tugged her with them.
"Should have known you wouldn't miss this." Alex teased, just as they reached the waiting area and skidded to a halt "And now we have to wait!"
"How could I miss this?? I wouldn't dare." Kristin chuckled, allowing herself to be pulled along by the other woman.
And wait they did, even as Nick just about drove the nurses crazy asking every few minutes how things were going inside and Alex pacing an impressive line back and forth in front of the chairs.
It was with relief that a nurse finally came out and announced that a baby girl had been born and they could all go to see her and the proud parents in the private room that had been set up in a few minutes time.
Alex looked at Kristin, grinning from ear to ear "I feel a shopping spree coming on tomorrow!"
"I feel a credit card debt sneaking up on us." Nick teased them both before signalling them "Let's get to that room."
"Maybe,"
Kristin agreed with Nick and Alex, a twinkle in her blue eyes as she tried to
not smile, and failed.
One hour later, to the minute, Amelia Rayne was born, moments later mother,
father and daughter in Julia's hospital room and the rest of the being allowed
to come in.
Alex was quick to take out the cam corder and record everything she could.
Nick motioned for them to go on ahead of him to visit with Julia and Derek as he went toward Rachel.
"Hey." he said, coming up behind her.
"Aim it my way and you'll be sorry." Julia mock threatened Alex, before spotting Kristin "Hey, snuck in huh?"
Threat or not, Julia had that glow going. And Julia's and Derek's daughter took after her mother by way of hair "Have you seen so much from a new born?"
Alex grinned and moved the camera over to Derek who was right beside his new family "So how does it feel to be a proud father? Ready for another stair master?"
She meant was Derek ready to hear Amelia sliding down the bannisters of the main stairs and picturing his reaction to seeing that. So much so she chuckled.
Derek looked up at his colleague and friend. "In answer to your first question, it feels wonderful and I am very happy that I was able to get out of that elevator. As for the your second querry, no, absolutely not. There will be none of that."
"Kat...come back here," a distant voice could be heard calling down a corridor.
It was followed by the closer voice of a child, "Hurry up,, Emily I want to see the BABY!!!!"
Shortly there after Katherine Corrigan came zooming around the corner at full speed and, seeing the door opened and Alex and Kirstin in it, she hurried in.
Emily, the baby sitter came running and panting up behind her.
"Hi!" the little squealed running over to Rachel and hugging her tightly.
"I'm really sorry Dr. Corrigan," Emily apologized, "but she just...well she really wanted to come and I couldn't change her mind."
The others greeted both of them but, with Rachel assuring Emily that she could go on home - knowing the older girl had finals coming up and needed to study - Emily left.
"Hi," Kat said once she moved to stand by the bed on her tip toes and peering at Amelia. "Awww...hi Amelia....do you remember me?"
Julia tucked hair behind her ear to keep out of the way of Amelia's already small but strong hold as she moved to let Kat better see the newborn.
Amelia moved inside the pink blanket she had been wrapped in, eyes still closed but reacting to the sounds of voices. When Kat's finger came close enough Amelia's much smaller ones caught and wrapped around it. Julia looked at the girl beside them and chuckled "I think she does."
Kat grinned, "Me too," she agreed. "For a baby, she sure can hold on tight. I think hiding your hair was a good move."
Neither one of them really paid much attention to Alex, who continued to film them, or of Kristin who was actually helping and offering different angles to get them at.
Julia agreed and grinned "Might have to start wearing my hair in a ponytail or something. And since you're going to be her first official babysitter when she gets old enough, you might want to think about saving some hair bands too."
Derek looked at Nick, who had been mostly quiet up til now.
Nick returned
his smile with a crooked grin, looking at the baby and then the couple. In a
way it was weird seeing Amelia, knowing the way he'd felt about Julia and that
a part of him would always love her, but seeing Derek's expression and how the
other man regarded both woman and child, well the oddness of the emotion left.
He was happy for them and the baby was gorgeous.
"I think
I'm going to spend the night at Rachel's." he said, having noticed something
about their friend although Rachel hadn't come right out and said anything "Bug
her for a while, while you and Julia experience your first night of 3am feedings."
There was a teasing glint in his eyes when he said it. His thoughts about Rachel he kept to himself.
"Oh!" Alex said, knowing that would be a perfect camcorder moment.
"Don't even think it." Nick said, knowing that neither parent would appreciate that, doubting Amelia would either if it interrupted her feeding.
Speaking of which "The nurse said we could bug for a couple of mintues but then had to book."
Julia looked at Nick, having caught the part about him spending the night at Rachel's to give them time alone with Amelia on the first night.
"Actually," she let him know "The doctors are keeping us over night. Standard proceedure."
She then looked at Derek, squeezing his thigh a little to show she would understand if he couldn't stay with them as she pointed out "You too... unless you have something you have to see about at the House?"
She wanted him there with them but he was the Precept, and there were bound to be times he couldn't stay...she just wondered if now was one of those times.
"May I hold her?" Kat asked then, looking at both Julia and Derek hopefully.
Julia turned and looked at Rachel, seeing what her take on it was. It was then that she caught something in Rachel's gaze that had Julia tilting her head to the side and looking at her with a silent question, one that had nothing to do with whether Kat could hold the baby.
Rachel smiled slightly to let her know it was nothing serious, to the moment anyway, before she considered Kat's question.
She didn't see anything wrong with it but would leave it up to the parents to decide.
Derek looked at Julia. It was fine with him, he just wanted to get her approval first.
There was enough room on the bed for her so Julia scooted over. She would feel a lot better if Kat held Amelia like this, where she would be close enough for either parent to catch if necessary...
New parent jitters, she teased herself, now knowing what it was the instructor had been talking about during classes.
Derek guided Kat over so that she was sitting between them, then Julia gently laid Amelia in her arms.
"Careful with her head." Derek instructed, only to glance over to Julia a little sheepishly. She wasn't the only one with new parent jitters.
Julia returned his grin and relinquished Amelia to Kat's arms, close but not overbearing.
Kat grinned down at the baby feeling very grown up, while Rachel looked at her, marveling at how small both girls looked.
Julia looked
at her and stroked her hair, then looked at Rachel, nodding quietly at the woman's
sentiment. Then she met Rachel's gaze, remembering that the psychitrist had
lost a son. Her gaze was filled with sympathy - the kind only a mother could
have for
another, and she reached up to give Rachel's hand a little squeeze before looking
at both her daughter and Rachel's and swallowing hard.
"Uh oh." Kristin said a moment later, in mock guilt. The nurse was coming into the room and seeing the number of people in there before looking at each "Busted."
"Indeed." the nurse said, half humorously, before pointing to the door with her thumb "Time to wrap this party up."
Nick winked at the couple and steered Alex away, who was still filming with her camcorder "Let me just move this for you."
"Hey." Alex slapped his hand at being called a 'this' but was still chuckling as she waved and they left "Night!"
"Good night." Nick said more quietly, moving to run the back of his finger against the baby's soft cheek before swallowing and leaving.
"Come on kiddo." he called out to Kat, who was still in the room.
Kat carefully handed the baby back to Julia and slid off of the bed, grinning from ear to ear. "We'll come visit tomorrow if it's okay. Is it okay?"
She looked at the nurse with the last question, to which the nurse nodded and smiled.
"Good night!" Kat called to the parents and newborn before hopping onto Nick's back.
Both Rachel and Kristin brought up the rear of the group, both waving their goodbyes and following the others out, the nurse leaving as well and closing the door behind them all.
Derek watched as the others left and looked at his wife and daughter. He felt suddenly uncomfortable. After all, there was nothing for him to do. Julia was the one the baby needed now. and he felt odd just hovering over them. Hesitantly, he pulled a chair to the bedside and sat down.
Julia held their daughter gently,
again looking at the small fingers and toes as she used her fingers to trace
each in wonder. Then, looking over at Derek, she smiled crookedly and patted
the space beside her, blushing a little as Amelia fed.
"I can, umm... " she pointed to a thin cloth hesitantly, offering
to cover herself and Amelia while their baby girl drank. She wasn't sure why
Derek felt hesitant but it was apparant he did ".. if you want."
Derek shook his head as he moved to sit beside her on the bed. He gently stroked the soft dark hait on the top of Amelia's head.
"I don't mind." he told her.
Julia smiled softly, putting her hand on his thigh and squeezing it gently, before adjusting Amelia more comfortably as she continued to breast feed her. Julia ran the tip of her finger against Amelia's small cheek before chuckling quietly "Well, looks like she listened to her Pappa. Dark hair and I bet she has hazel eyes."
She looked at Derek, at his expression, and offered almost shyly "I could.. I could make bottles, so you could feed her too, if you'd like."
She was
sure he would want to be a part of it, even suspected that this traditionally
being such a 'mother/daughter' only moment probably made him feel left out in
a way. But Julia had been asking her doctor questions on the side about having
Amelia feed
from a bottle and had even had a long talk with the doctor last month about
the health aspect of it.
Fact was, Amelia could drink from newborn designed bottles and that she'd be drinking her mother's milk was the healthiest way to go.
And it would let Derek bond with her too.
A slight touch of pink came to Derek's cheek's, as a smile spread across his face his face. "I'd like that. If you're sure it's all right."
Julia leaned slightly toward him, just enough to kiss him softly but not disturb Amelia "Of course it is."
Derek nodded and looked back down at Amelia.
"She's beautiful,"he said softly. "Just like her mother.
Julia smiled, the tiredness she was feeling barely peeking through her blue gaze as, their daughter finished feeding, she gently offered her to Derek "Want to burp her?"
She already knew he would and so put a light cloth over his shoulder for him to use, drawing her pajama blouse closed as she watched them.
Derek carefully took the tiny baby and put her on his shoulder rubbing her back gently.
She was so small, he felt reather nervous holding her. Although, he didn't wish to let go of her either.
Julia looked at Derek as he held Amelia, unable to fight the grin from curving her lips. His hazel eyes had a new light to them and she'd noticed it when he had watched both mother and child together and as he held her small body in his larger hands.
Amelia was a beautiful baby and when she gave a little burp in answer to her Pappa's administration, Julia found herself grinning more, even if it did have a tired edge to it.
Of course, she wasn't aware of anyone that was ready for the Olympics after child birth.
Amelia fell asleep on her Pappa's shoulder and Julia smiled, tired herself, before scooting over to give Derek enough room to lay down with her and to continue to hold Amelia.
Derek held Amelia carefully on his
chest, making sure she was in a very stable position. He didn't want to put
her in the crib, so he
decided to see how this worked.
He then gently kissed the top of Julia's head.
"Pleasant dreams," he wished
her, all three falling fast asleep.