A/N: Yes, I realize that the water breaking is usually the first thing to
happen, but chalk it up to the stubborn water of a Slayer not feeling like
breaking.
***** Chapter 2: Attempted Murder *****
"How's she doing?" Ben asked Spike, as the Scoobies joined him outside Andrea's hospital room.
"Almost ready. She's at nine centimeters," he said, absently running his hand through his bleached curls. Xander stuck his head through the door and called to Andrea.
"Wow, nine centimeters, Andie. Way to dilate!"
"God, you're such a moron!" was the only reply heard. Buffy grinned.
"Oh, yeah. She's in labor alright." Dr. Peters exited the room.
"Mrs. Sinclair is a little upset because we can't give her any drugs," he explained calmly. "Why don't you guys take her some more ice chips? I'm sure she'll be grateful." Spike nodded and took the paper cup of ice from a nearby nurse, following the gang into Andrea's hospital room.
His wife was a little bit pale and her blonde strands were damp at the hairline. Her eyes were closed, her head tilted back on the pillow. She whimpered in greeting. Her mouth opened slightly when she felt a cool chip of ice on her lips. Spike slid the chip into her mouth.
"Thanks," she said around the bit of ice. "Shit. . .," she cursed as another contraction swamped her, pain muddling her mind. She concentrated on deep, even breathing until it passed. "Oh, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts."
"I know, pet, I know," Spike soothed, smoothing her hair back.
"This is your fault," she accused, glaring up at him. "Kindly refrain from touching me if you wish to have full function of all your limbs." He winced and slowly pulled his hand away from her. Willow suppressed a laugh.
"Didn't I tell you, Andie?" April said, grinning. Andrea turned her murderous gaze to her cousin.
"Bite . . .my. . .ass . . ." She emphasized each word. April ignored her.
"Wanna see what I brought?"
"No." Despite the denial, April brought forth the hand she'd been holding behind her back. A video camera. Andrea groaned.
"Smile for the camera, Andie."
"I'm going to kill you." Another contraction hit then, the force of it causing Andrea to use words she hadn't used since. . .well, ever.
"Is that normal?" Dawn said cautiously. Buffy nodded. "I thought so, but what's a - "
"Dawn, if you repeat that word, I will be forced to ground you for life."
"Hello again, Andrea," Dr. Peters said, squeezing into the room, chart in hand. "Just here to check on your dilation. If you please," he gestured to her legs. She hesitated.
"Oh, right. We'll be going," Willow said, quickly ushering everyone out of the room. Except April.
"No way. I gotta tape this for the baby." She held up the camera. Andrea glared for a moment before reaching to the bedside table and chucking her cup of ice chips at her cousin. "Okay, fine. I'm going." Andrea slowly lifted her legs and Dr. Peters looked under the paper sheet.
"Hmmm. Well, we should be moving you to delivery now."
"Oh, joy," she muttered unenthusiastically. The doctor just smiled and stood. A nurse appeared at this side and together, they moved Andrea onto a gurney. As they were wheeling her past through the waiting room, the Scoobies smiled and waved, April quickly following. "Get away from me. . .," Andrea whined.
"Spike," Ben called. He stopped, allowing Andrea to be wheeled into the delivery room a few feet away. "I want you to know that. . .I'm really happy for you and Andie. And of all the guys she could have married, I'm glad it was you."
"Thanks, mate," Spike said sincerely.
"I mean, don't get me wrong. I had some serious doubts about a guy named Spike, but you're, like. . .way better than James."
"That makes me feel so. . .happy," he assured sarcastically. Ben laughed.
"Go." With a hearty shove in the direction of Ben's sister, Spike swung the doors to the delivery room open, greeted by the sight of April standing a few feet away from Andrea, video camera pointed straight at her.
"You're just in time," Dr. Peters said. "We're about to start pushing."
"Like hell!" argued Andrea haphazardly. "I'm the one who's doing all the work. You just stand there and look pretty."
"Andrea, calm down." Spike said, smoothing her hair back. She whimpered.
"It hurts, Spike."
"Shh. I know." He dropped a supportive kiss on her forehead.
"Okay, we're going to push on three. One. . ." Spike made the mistake of gripping Andrea's hand. "Two. . .Three. . ." Andrea bore down, moaning, eyes squeezed shut, clutching Spike's hand with full Slayer strength. Spike ground his teeth together until Andrea eased off and opened her eyes, panting from effort. "Push again, Andrea." She pushed.
"Oh, God," she groaned.
"Push, Andrea," urged Dr. Peters.
"Fuck you, I am pushing!" Spike cried out from the pain shooting up his arm, almost wishing he could revert to vampirism. Pain was easier to deal with when you're dead.
"Jesus, Andrea." Her eyes snapped open and she grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him close.
"You know nothing about pain, Spike. Don't even get me started." He winced.
"Okay."
"One more good push should do it," said the nurse. Andrea shook her head.
"No. Don't make me do it. It's probably happier up there. It's better off in my birth canal." Despite the pain from what he was sure were a couple broken fingers, Spike grinned.
"Are you saying you're too weak, pet? Don't be a wimp." His plan backfired. She viciously yanked on his shirt, pulling him down, causing him to sharply bang his head on the bar on the side of her bed. "Bloody hell!"
"Push, Andrea." She grunted in response, concentrating on forcing her child out of her body.
"Mom was right," she cried. "Sex is bad." Spike took on a horrified look, his free hand pressed to his head.
" 'old on just one sodding second. Let's not say things we can't take back. . ."
A shrill cry pierced the air.
"Congratulations! It's a girl!" The nurse quickly wrapped the crying infant in a snuggly blanket and placed her in the arms of her flushed mother, next to her bleeding father.
"Hi, baby," Andrea cooed, pain forgotten. "You tried to kill me, didn't you?"
***** Chapter 2: Attempted Murder *****
"How's she doing?" Ben asked Spike, as the Scoobies joined him outside Andrea's hospital room.
"Almost ready. She's at nine centimeters," he said, absently running his hand through his bleached curls. Xander stuck his head through the door and called to Andrea.
"Wow, nine centimeters, Andie. Way to dilate!"
"God, you're such a moron!" was the only reply heard. Buffy grinned.
"Oh, yeah. She's in labor alright." Dr. Peters exited the room.
"Mrs. Sinclair is a little upset because we can't give her any drugs," he explained calmly. "Why don't you guys take her some more ice chips? I'm sure she'll be grateful." Spike nodded and took the paper cup of ice from a nearby nurse, following the gang into Andrea's hospital room.
His wife was a little bit pale and her blonde strands were damp at the hairline. Her eyes were closed, her head tilted back on the pillow. She whimpered in greeting. Her mouth opened slightly when she felt a cool chip of ice on her lips. Spike slid the chip into her mouth.
"Thanks," she said around the bit of ice. "Shit. . .," she cursed as another contraction swamped her, pain muddling her mind. She concentrated on deep, even breathing until it passed. "Oh, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts."
"I know, pet, I know," Spike soothed, smoothing her hair back.
"This is your fault," she accused, glaring up at him. "Kindly refrain from touching me if you wish to have full function of all your limbs." He winced and slowly pulled his hand away from her. Willow suppressed a laugh.
"Didn't I tell you, Andie?" April said, grinning. Andrea turned her murderous gaze to her cousin.
"Bite . . .my. . .ass . . ." She emphasized each word. April ignored her.
"Wanna see what I brought?"
"No." Despite the denial, April brought forth the hand she'd been holding behind her back. A video camera. Andrea groaned.
"Smile for the camera, Andie."
"I'm going to kill you." Another contraction hit then, the force of it causing Andrea to use words she hadn't used since. . .well, ever.
"Is that normal?" Dawn said cautiously. Buffy nodded. "I thought so, but what's a - "
"Dawn, if you repeat that word, I will be forced to ground you for life."
"Hello again, Andrea," Dr. Peters said, squeezing into the room, chart in hand. "Just here to check on your dilation. If you please," he gestured to her legs. She hesitated.
"Oh, right. We'll be going," Willow said, quickly ushering everyone out of the room. Except April.
"No way. I gotta tape this for the baby." She held up the camera. Andrea glared for a moment before reaching to the bedside table and chucking her cup of ice chips at her cousin. "Okay, fine. I'm going." Andrea slowly lifted her legs and Dr. Peters looked under the paper sheet.
"Hmmm. Well, we should be moving you to delivery now."
"Oh, joy," she muttered unenthusiastically. The doctor just smiled and stood. A nurse appeared at this side and together, they moved Andrea onto a gurney. As they were wheeling her past through the waiting room, the Scoobies smiled and waved, April quickly following. "Get away from me. . .," Andrea whined.
"Spike," Ben called. He stopped, allowing Andrea to be wheeled into the delivery room a few feet away. "I want you to know that. . .I'm really happy for you and Andie. And of all the guys she could have married, I'm glad it was you."
"Thanks, mate," Spike said sincerely.
"I mean, don't get me wrong. I had some serious doubts about a guy named Spike, but you're, like. . .way better than James."
"That makes me feel so. . .happy," he assured sarcastically. Ben laughed.
"Go." With a hearty shove in the direction of Ben's sister, Spike swung the doors to the delivery room open, greeted by the sight of April standing a few feet away from Andrea, video camera pointed straight at her.
"You're just in time," Dr. Peters said. "We're about to start pushing."
"Like hell!" argued Andrea haphazardly. "I'm the one who's doing all the work. You just stand there and look pretty."
"Andrea, calm down." Spike said, smoothing her hair back. She whimpered.
"It hurts, Spike."
"Shh. I know." He dropped a supportive kiss on her forehead.
"Okay, we're going to push on three. One. . ." Spike made the mistake of gripping Andrea's hand. "Two. . .Three. . ." Andrea bore down, moaning, eyes squeezed shut, clutching Spike's hand with full Slayer strength. Spike ground his teeth together until Andrea eased off and opened her eyes, panting from effort. "Push again, Andrea." She pushed.
"Oh, God," she groaned.
"Push, Andrea," urged Dr. Peters.
"Fuck you, I am pushing!" Spike cried out from the pain shooting up his arm, almost wishing he could revert to vampirism. Pain was easier to deal with when you're dead.
"Jesus, Andrea." Her eyes snapped open and she grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him close.
"You know nothing about pain, Spike. Don't even get me started." He winced.
"Okay."
"One more good push should do it," said the nurse. Andrea shook her head.
"No. Don't make me do it. It's probably happier up there. It's better off in my birth canal." Despite the pain from what he was sure were a couple broken fingers, Spike grinned.
"Are you saying you're too weak, pet? Don't be a wimp." His plan backfired. She viciously yanked on his shirt, pulling him down, causing him to sharply bang his head on the bar on the side of her bed. "Bloody hell!"
"Push, Andrea." She grunted in response, concentrating on forcing her child out of her body.
"Mom was right," she cried. "Sex is bad." Spike took on a horrified look, his free hand pressed to his head.
" 'old on just one sodding second. Let's not say things we can't take back. . ."
A shrill cry pierced the air.
"Congratulations! It's a girl!" The nurse quickly wrapped the crying infant in a snuggly blanket and placed her in the arms of her flushed mother, next to her bleeding father.
"Hi, baby," Andrea cooed, pain forgotten. "You tried to kill me, didn't you?"
