1 MONTH LATER

"Darien!" Serena screamed in the middle of the night. "Wake up!" It was 3:38 a.m. on March 14.
"Serena, what's wrong?" Darien asked when he finally woke up.
"I've been feeling pain for almost an hour," Serena said. "I think the baby's coming."
"Okay, don't panic," Darien said. He quickly threw off the blanket and jumped out of bed. He quickly put on some sweatpants and a sweatshirt and rushed to Serena's side.
"Darien, I'm scared," Serena said.
"There's no need to be," Darien said. "You'll be fine as long as we get to the hospital right away."
"I'll call and you get the bag," Serena said. She picked up the phone beside the bed and dialed the number.
"Hello, Tokyo General Hospital," the woman on the other end said.
"Hello, this is Serena Shields," Serena said. "I'm nine months pregnant and in labour. My husband and I are on our way to the hospital."
"Very well, Mrs. Shields," the woman said. "I'll let the nurses know to set up a bed for you." Serena then hung up the phone. Darien helped Serena get up and they walked to the front hallway. Serena just put on her slippers and housecoat despite the fact that it was snowing and -18°C. Darien threw on his coat and shoes, grabbed the car keys and he and Serena left the apartment.
"Darien, give me your cell phone," Serena said. "I promised the girls and my parents I call them whenever I went into labor."
"Sure," Darien said and gave Serena his phone. Serena called her parents first. It rang 7 times before Kenji picked up.
"Hello?" he said, sleepily.
"Dad, it's me, Serena," Serena said. "I'm in labor and Darien and I are on our way to the hospital."
"Okay, Serena, we'll be there," Kenji said and hung up. Serena called each of her friends and none of them were angry at the fact that Serena was calling them and 20 minutes to 4 in the morning. They all said they would come to hospital. When Darien and Serena arrived at the hospital, Serena sat in a wheelchair and Darien wheeled her to the maternity ward. Sure enough, there was a room waiting for Serena.
"Nice to see you, Mrs. Shields," the nurse said. "How are you feeling?"
"Sick and in pain," Serena said.
"Well, that's normal for any woman giving birth," the nurse said and examined Serena. "You're baby should take no more than 12 hours tops."
"That's good," Serena said. "I couldn't bear being in this pain for more than that."
"Well, I'll let you get settled and I'll be in to check on you every once in a while," the nurse said. "And I'll assume that Mr. Shields will keep an eye on you, as well."
"Of course I will," Darien said. The nurse then left the room.
"Darien, it hurts so much," Serena said.
"I know it does, Serena," Darien said. "But, unfortunately, you can't get the epidural because that's been shown to increase the chance of birth defects." (I don't know if that's true or not.) Serena groaned.
"Can I at least get a glass of water?" Serena asked.
"Sure," Darien said and poured her a glass from the small pitcher on the nightstand. A short while later, Serena's parents and friends arrived.
"Serena, how are you?" Mina asked.
"Are you in pain?" Lita asked.
"Do you need anything?" Raye asked.
"Enough, you guys," Amy said. "Obviously, Serena's in pain, but right now, she needs her rest."
"Actually, I want you guys to stay here," Serena said.
"Then we'll stay," Amy said. "I would advise Mr. Campbell and Sammy to wait outside."
"We will," Sammy said. "I need some more sleep anyway." Once Kenji and Sammy left, the girls began talking.
"Serena, how are you feeling?" Amy asked.
"I'm still in pain," Serena replied. "The nurse said Damien should be here in no more than 12 hours."
"That's a long time to wait," Mina said. "I don't know if I could stand it."
"Oh, and there was one thing I wanted to talk to you about," Serena said. "I wondered if you girls would be godmothers to Damien."
"I'd love to," Mina said.
"So would I," Lita said.
"Me, too," Amy said.
"You can count me in," Raye said.
"Thanks, you guys," Serena said. "You're the best."
"And, I'm going to ask Greg, Chad, Ken, and Andrew to be godfathers," Darien said.
"I'm sure they will," Amy said. "They are your best friends, after all."
"Do you have Damien's room all set up?" Ikuku asked.
"Yes," Serena said. "It was ready over a month ago."
"I just can't wait to see that baby," Mina said.
"Well, it might be a bit graphic," Amy said. "I hope your stomach can handle it."
"Please don't talk about being nauseous," Serena said. "Right now, I feel so sick, I'm almost ready to puke up the baby."
"Oh, please don't do that," Raye said.
"Relax, Raye," Serena said. "I was exaggerating."
"Well, just don't talk like that," Raye said. After 5 hours, Damien still hadn't made his appearance.
"What's taking Damien so long?" Mina said.
"Relax, Mina," Amy said. "He'll be here by 3:00 this afternoon."
"Ugh, I don't know if I can wait that long," Mina said.
"Well, you're going to have to," Lita said. "The baby can't get here any faster.
"Well, if you guys want to go and get something to eat, go ahead," Serena said. At that, everyone but Darien left the room and walked down to the hospital cafeteria.
"Are you feeling alright, Serena?" Darien asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Serena said. "Still in pain and feeling sick, but I'll be okay."
"I hope Damien comes soon," Darien said. "I want you to feel better."
"Well, in the meantime, I'm going to try to get some sleep," Serena said.
"Okay," Darien said.
"If you want to go and get some breakfast, you can go ahead," Serena said.
"No way," Darien said. "Suppose you give birth while I'm gone. I want to be here with you."
"Darien, I have something I want you to do for me," Serena said.
"Anything," Darien said.
"When the time comes, will you deliver the baby?" Serena asked.
"Of course, I will," Darien said. "I was planning on delivering it myself, anyway."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Serena asked.
"I wanted it to be a surprise," Darien said.
"Thank you," Serena said. "Now, I'm going to sleep." Serena then pulled the blanket over her body and closed her eyes. She slept for almost 3 hours. When Serena woke up, her friends, Darien, and her mother were all there.
"Hey, sleepyhead," Raye said. "How are you?"
"Fine," Serena said.
"That's good," Lita said. All of a sudden, Serena sat up and began to breathe heavily.
"Check that," Serena said. "I think Damien's coming."
"Yeah, he is," Darien said as he stood up. "I'll be right back." Darien came back a minute later wearing a green doctor's gown and cap with gloves.
"Come on, Serena, push," he said. "You can do this."
"Oh, God! It hurts!" Serena screamed.
"Calm down, Serena," Amy said. "You'll be fine."
"That's right. Just keep pushing," Raye said. About a half hour later, Damien came into the world, crying his lungs out.
"Serena, look at him," Darien said as he placed his son in Serena's arms.
"He's so beautiful," Serena said with tears in her eyes. A nurse came into the room and took the baby to clean him up. Darien left as well. When Darien came back, he was carrying Damien in his arms. Damien was wearing the blue sleeper that Serena had bought for him. He was not crying, but he was looking around at everyone.
"He's a perfectly healthy baby," Darien said and put Damien in Serena's arms.
"Mom, go and tell Dad and Sammy to come in," Serena said. Everyone got a chance to hold the baby and they all fussed over him. Around noon, everyone left. Darien went home to take a bath and change his clothes, but he promised to come back later.