Ain't No Sunshine
Chapter 3 - Home Again
Wesley. Ohmygod Ohmygod Ohmygod. Wesley, where are you? WESLEY!"
Wesley poked his head out of his office. "Goodness Cordelia. What is all the shouting about? What's going on?"
"I'll tell you what's happening. I'm having a baby here. It's coming now and no leg crossing is going to stop it. AHHHH!" Cordelia crumbled to her feet as another contraction ripped through her.
"What's all the noise about? Some people were up all night on patrol." Faith shouted from the balcony, her brown tussled hair framing her face.
"Cordelia appears to have gone into labour. Grab the bag from the nursery; I'll go get the car. Cordelia just sit there and relax." He guided her over to the couch and plumped the cushions behind her.
"RELAX! Easy for you to say. You don't have a baby forcing itself down you're pelvis.
Wesley shook his head at her and ran towards the underground garage. A few seconds later the car stopped in front of the hotel door and Faith emerged with Cordelia bent over double. The both climbed into the back of the convertible. Wesley slammed his foot onto the gas pedal and sped up towards the hospital. Faith had phoned ahead in the car so a nurse was waiting for them with a wheelchair, which Cordelia gratefully lowered herself into.
"Now sir, are you the father?" The nurse asked him, holding a bunch of forms.
Wesley looked almost alarmed. "No I am her best friend."
The nurse tutted. "We need a relative to fill out Miss Chase's medical forms. She does have medical insurance doesn't she?"
"There is no family. I can fill them in. Oh and nurse, maybe you would like to call Ms Nevard, Cordelia's mid-wife."
The nurse turned away, looking mortified. Wesley smiled to himself, sitting down in the waiting area filled with anxious fathers and filled in the pile of forms.
In the Delivery Room
"AHHH!" Cordelia cried. "Get this thing out of me!"
Faith stood beside Cordelia, holding her hand and glad for her slayer's pain threshold.
"Ok on the next contraction I need you to push down really hard. The baby's head is showing and she's getting anxious. We really need to get her out of Cordelia.
"What do you think I've been trying to here the last 20 hours." Cordelia growled at the mid-wife.
"Honey, we've only been here for 4 hours." Faith swore Cordelia gripped her hand tighter.
Cordelia could feel the contraction coming. 1,2,3, she counted in her head and then pushed as if hell was opening up right in front of her. Cordelia pushed down with all the strength she had, which was not much by now, until she heard the crying of her baby girl, fresh into the world. Before she could stop them, the tears stated to fall from her eyes. Faith knew what she was thinking and she was thinking it too: If only it was Angel here to hear the first cries of his baby girl instead of her. Cordelia started to look around, waiting for them to put the crying bundle of joy into her arms but she never came.
"What's. What's going on?" Cordelia asked, starting to get worried. "Where's my daughter? Where's Katelyn?"
"Try not to worry. She was a little yellow when she came out so the doctors are just checking her out." The mid-wife reassured her as she tried to check Cordelia over.
"Oh my god. I've read about that. It's jaundice. It means she has liver damage or something is wrong with her kidney's." Tears started to form in Cordelia's eyes.
"Calm down Cordelia." The mid-wife said softly. "We knew there wasn't enough fluid in the womb for the baby. That's what has caused the jaundice. A few hours under a sunlight and she should be just fine."
Cordelia breathed a sigh of relief. Faith wandered back over from where the doctors were, her eyes glassy with unshed tears.
"You should see her Cordy, she's so beautiful. Looks just like her daddy, crumpled forehead and all. She has a mop of dark brown hair. She's gonna be a heart-breaker CC…"
"Just like her daddy huh." Cordelia muttered soft as the nurse placed the pink bundle in her arms.
Cordelia felt her heart fill to bursting point. In her arms was a perfect replica of Angel. Her little bundle of miracle joy. Her tiny hands clasped around Cordelia's as Katelyn looked up at her mommy with a red face and intense brown eyes. Cordelia could do little to stop the tears from falling down her face, dropping to Katelyn's blanket.
"Do we have a name for baby Chase?" The nurse asked, holding a baby identity bracelet.
"Katelyn Angel Chase." Cordelia smiled at the mention of her lover's name, but at the same time her heart felt sadness seep in but one look at Katelyn banished it away. "God, I wish Angel was here so much. He deserved to see her when she was born. She'll grow up knowing who is. I owe him that much at least."
"You know he would have been here if he could of. He loved you so much. When he visited me, he would be filled of stories of how you had snuck in blue and red shirts into his wardrobe or how you has mixed in your red-fish nets in with his white wife beaters turning them all pink. Most of all he talked about how you made him smile and laugh and he asked my advice on how to ask you out to dinner. I told him that stuttering wouldn't be a good idea!" Cordelia giggled. "None of it was your fault, the whole Angelus thing. The Powers screwed you and we've dealt right.
Cordelia nodded, never talking her eyes from Katelyn. "I know Faith, trust me, I know but I can't help but wish."
Wesley had taken Faith home an hour ago after many more ohh's and ahh's so that Cordelia could finally get some sleep. Her sleep was fitful though. She was dreaming of Angel, Katelyn and herself all sunbathing on the beach, watching her sea lapping just below there feet. Katelyn was sitting in the shade with pink sun cream on her nose and building a sand castle while Angel sat beside Cordelia, rubbing sun cream into her shoulders. Cordelia could almost feel the sun on her back and Angel's big hands kneading the tension her shoulders. Slowly reality soaked in as the sleep left her. As she woke she could see a figure standing in her room, cradling a bundle in his arms. The haze blocked his face so she rubbed her eyes clean.
"Angel?" She whispered.
The figure in her room turned towards her. She could see him, his face less pale, in a beige jumper and his trademark duster. The bundle in his arms was his daughter.
"You're not real. I saw you…"
He didn't utter a word, instead he placed his hand to her face, cupping it and bringing her eyes to meet his. Cordelia folded her hand over his and took in a quick gasp.
"You're Alive."
He simply smiled and nodded. He was home at last.
Well that's all folks. Took me a while (couple of months) so tell me what you think….Flames welcomed.