HIYA! Thanks Mr. or Mrs. Lemon glad you like it so far though we are near
the end, but there shall be a sequel. Dark Chylde 57 glad you still like
it. Everyone else also.
Isabel didn't relish going up the stairs, it seemed gravity had it in for her anymore. Where she had once been able to take the stairs two at a time, it now seemed to take forever for her to get to the top. Knocking on Leon's door, there was a long pause before she was answered with a wry, "come in." Entering the room Isabel was greeted with Leon the sitting cross legged on the bed, elbows on his knees, and his chin resting on both hands. He looked so serious, but yet the sight of him sitting there like that reminded Isabel of a little boy, thinking over important issues.
When Leon realized it was Isabel at his door, his posture changed. He sat up straight and started to get up to help her to a seat. She stopped him with a wave of her hand.
"Do you want to sit on the chair or the bed? Which will be easier for you to get up from?" He asked anxiously.
"You know what I'd really like? To lay on my stomach, but it doesn't really matter either way you're going to need a crane to get me back up." She replied with a slight laugh.
Leon gave a slight smile at her joke, but any talk about pregnancy just put him more on edge. Even though his facial expression didn't change, she could feel him tense up.
"I know something's bothering you about Claire being pregnant. Everyone can feel it." Isabel dove right in.
"Sure they can." He said under his breath.
"What?" Isabel asked not quite catching what he said.
"Nothing, Isabel you should sit down." This time he did get off the bed and ushering her to the chair.
"Now you're starting to sound like Albert."
"You shouldn't be worrying about me right now."
Leon didn't like the fact that Isabel had come all the way up here to find out what was wrong with him. Of course he should have known she would check on him. He should have stayed down stairs until Isabel took her nap, but he knew that even if he had she would still have known.
"If you don't want to talk to me maybe you would be more comfortable talking to Chris or Carlos." Isabel offered after a moment of silence.
"No Carlos would make a big joke out of it and Chris is still a little touchy about the whole thing." Leon said, sitting back on the bed.
"Oh, I think Carlos is a lot more mature than that."
"Couldn't prove it by me."
Isabel smiled at Leon's reaction. She knew that Carlos was an intelligent, caring individual, why no one else saw that was beyond her. Maybe it was because he was the first one to welcome her and had been kind from the beginning, but Isabel had a soft spot for Carlos.
"I didn't come up all those stairs to talk about Carlos. I want to know what's bothering you." She stated, switching the conversation.
"It's really stupid." Leon answered looking down at his shoes.
"Tell me anyway." Isabel said, rolling the desk chair right in front of where he sat.
Leon looked up into Isabel's face and seeing the determination there, he knew she wouldn't stop until she got her answers. The only thing he could do was give them to her.
"I feel like I should be doing something. Claire's pregnant with my baby and I feel useless to her. She doesn't need me, at least if she had morning sickness I could hold her hair out of her face while she was sick or something." He stated looking back down at his feet.
Isabel just smiled and shook her head. How little he knew.
"Believe me when I say the last thing Claire will probably want is you in the bathroom with her while retching her guts up. If Albert had been here when I went through that lovely stage, he'd probably be dead."
Instead of laughing like Isabel had intended him too, Leon looked even more depressed.
"Great, so I'll be of no use then." He replied looking up at her again.
"Leon, you just have to be patient. She will need you, but you have to let her tell you when. Knowing Claire she'll make it very clear when she needs your help. You and Albert did your jobs, now Claire and I have the hard part."
Leon finally gave a slight smile at her last statement.
"Besides in a couple of month's she'll hit the point where she won't let you out of bed."
At the last remark Isabel made, Leon turned pink, but none the less let out a heartfelt laugh. Shaking his head he couldn't believe she had just implied what she had.
"So that's what you and Wesker were doing all those times we couldn't find you." He replied his smile growing wider.
It was Isabel's turn to blush, but she too burst into laughter. It seemed that Leon was feeling better about his doubts. Taking his hand in hers, Isabel placed it on her stomach in the spot where Rosalie had decided to kick. Seeing his face light up she knew it was the right thing to do.
"This is all that matter's in the end, this little life that you get to nurture and guide. You're going to be a great father, ask Claire, your kind, caring, compassionate, and intelligent. So you're out of the loop for the first few months, you get to make up for that the rest of your life."
"How did you get so wise?"
"Dealing with you guys, one has to learn fast. Do you feel better now?"
"Yes, I have a question though. Why are you always so concerned about us, I mean you seem to worry about us more than we worry about each other sometimes?"
Isabel didn't know how to answer him. With her mother they had always talked about what was bothering her. Isabel's mother always said holding things in wasn't productive. Besides she never liked seeing the people she cared about upset or hurt.
"You're my family. Everyone has been there for me and has taken care of me and Rosalie." She finally answered, lifting herself out of the chair after a bit of a struggle.
"Rosalie is it? You sound pretty sure there.... Hey, I thought you couldn't do that." Leon exclaimed in surprise.
"That seat was easy. The couch is something else and don't tell Carlos, but I can get out of the arm chair by myself, even though I made him help me earlier." Isabel finished with a conspiratorial tone, grinning.
"Your secret is safe with me. Come on we should go back down stairs, before people think we're up to something."
"You mean planning on taking over the living room?" She replied still grinning.
"Yeah, something like that." Leon answered opening the bedroom door.
When Isabel didn't immediately follow him into the hallway he stopped and turned around to look at her. She had a weird look on her face, a mixture of shock, horror, and excitement. Walking back into the room Leon had no idea what Isabel was thinking about. Before he could speak she was talking.
"Do you think it's too late to get Albert back here?" She asked looking into his eyes.
"Oh no, you can't do this to me." Leon stated, walking over to her and putting his arm around her shoulder.
"I'm pretty sure I just had a contraction." She replied, placing her hands on her stomach.
"Are you sure it isn't false labor? That happens, right?" Leon was now almost in a panic.
Leon was answered not by Isabel, but by the sudden gush of liquid that hit his sneakers and the floor, splashing the legs of his jeans and the surrounding area with droplets of amniotic fluid.
"Um, does that answer your question?" Isabel asked in a small voice.
"Yep, that'll about do it. Here lay down on my bed, I'll go call Rebecca." He said trying to steer her towards the bed.
"No, I want to do this in my room." Isabel stated, putting her hand over the one he had wrapped around her shoulder.
Isabel couldn't believe this was happening. An hour ago she'd thought Rosalie was going to stay where she was for another week maybe more. Now she knew you just couldn't predict these things. It seemed her daughter had decided to meet everyone. Walking slowly to the door, Isabel waited until she and Leon were in the hall before speaking.
"She's making a liar out of me. I told myself this morning she was happy where she was and wouldn't make an appearance for awhile."
Leon answered her with a snort. He wondered just how pissed Wesker was going to be about this little hiccup in his plan. Leon didn't really think Wesker would blame him, these things happened, but he wouldn't be happy about missing the birth of his child.
"Are you sure you can make it down the steps?" Leon asked as they came to the stairs.
"Yes, I'm not going to give birth right this instant. This could take hours. My mother once told me she was in labor with me for ten hours." She finished with a grimace.
"So I don't suppose we'll luck out and you could stay in labor until Wesker gets back, huh?" Leon joked, not so much to calm Isabel down, but to calm himself down.
"Yeah, I don't think so." She replied as they reached the bottom stair.
Leon had to give it to Isabel. She was taking this pretty well. Isabel must have nerves of steel. She and Wesker were pretty well matched in that area. Both of them seemed to stay calm in almost any situation. The only time he'd ever seen her really upset was the night they had walked in to find the dresser on the floor.
"Where are you two going, you seem attached at the hip today?" Carlos asked as Leon and Isabel walked past the couch.
"I'm in labor and I'm going to go lie down." Isabel said in the way someone might announce they were going for pizza.
No one moved a muscle or uttered a syllable for a couple of seconds. Everyone jolted out of their daze at the same time, getting up, Chris Claire and Carlos surrounded Isabel and Leon in a semicircle. All of them were talking at once at what seemed the top of their lungs.
"If the three of you don't get out of the way..." Leon's firm voice cut through all the commotion.
Everyone immediately became silent. Leon was setting some kind of record for himself, he was usually the most soft spoken of the group. Twice in one day he had shown his temper. Quietly the group parted to allow them passage to the hallway. Once Leon had Isabel sitting on the bed he tried to figure out what to do next.
"Chris, go call Becca. Claire help Isabel get out of those clothes and into some kind of night shirt or something." Leon said once again taking charge.
No one argued with him, the men left the room to give Isabel some privacy while she changed. Once they were alone, Claire stood nervously by the bed, unsure exactly how to help her. Isabel on the other hand was the picture of calm, sitting there with a slight smile on her face.
"What do you need me to do?" Claire finally asked.
"Well in the top drawer there's a night gown, if you could get it for me that would be great." Isabel replied beginning to unbutton her shirt.
As Claire brought the night gown to the bed Isabel was already three fourths of the way undressed. Handing Isabel the night gown, Claire watched as she deftly pulled it over head and freeing her arms from the material, undressed the rest of the way.
"Are you nervous or excited?" Claire asked picking up the clothing Isabel had just discarded.
"Both, I just wish Albert were here." Isabel said sitting back on the bed.
"Do you think he'll be really angry about this?"
"No, I think, he'll be hurt he missed the birth, but he won't be angry. Will you go tell the boys they can come back in, I'm decent?"
Isabel laid back and closed her eyes, trying to rest while she could. She knew that by the end of this she was probably going to be exhausted. Isabel knew it would be worth it though, hopefully before tomorrow she would have her baby in her arms. She was just praying that it wasn't going to be a long labor. Ten hours seemed like an eternity right now. The first contraction hadn't seemed that bad, just a slight twinge, and hadn't lasted very long. Isabel hadn't had another one yet, she just felt slightly uncomfortable. Her back was beginning to throb a little. It wasn't too bad, just a slight back ache.
Opening the door Claire saw that Leon was standing right outside. She was surprised at the way he had taken charge, he wasn't a follower, who looked to other people to lead, but since living in the house, he like everyone else usually deferred to Chris on decisions. Leon wasn't week by any means, just a good solider. He didn't have the in your face personality of Chris or Carlos, he was more subtle about things. It was funny that she should think of it at a time like this, but everyone in the house seemed to pair up with their complete opposite. Chris was a take charge, rush in guns blazing, and ask questions later kind of guy. Jill was cool and reserved, she always thought things through and found solutions that weren't obvious on first pass. Carlos was outlandish, and could be loud at times. He was very opinionated and macho beyond belief. Rebecca was calm and quiet, almost shy at times. And she hardly ever lost her temper. Then there was Leon intelligent and dependable. He thought things through never making rash decisions, and he was honest and giving. Claire knew herself pretty well. She was stubborn and reckless, usually acting before she thought. The best way to describe herself was a female version of her brother. Then there was the weirdest match of them all, Albert Wesker and Isabel Landen. If Wesker was the closest thing to a demon on earth, then Isabel was the closest thing to a saint. The weird thing was that even though their actions and moral were at opposite ends of the spectrum, their cores were the same. Both of them were all fire and passion, they were so similar, yet so very different.
"You can come in now." Claire said snapping out of her thoughts.
Leon smiled at her and entered the room. Claire was looking at him, waiting for him to give the next set of orders. He hadn't realized it until this moment but everyone had accepted his authority in this matter. They had all done what they were told with out question, even Chris. Looking into Claire's beautiful face, he found himself moving towards her. When they were no more than an inch apart from each other, Leon wrapped his arms around Claire and pulled her into a very intense kiss.
Lifting his head when the kiss was finished, he saw the slightly dazed look on Claire's face.
"What was that for?" She asked slightly breathless.
"It's because I love you." He answered smiling.
"I love you too, but if you keep kissing me like that we'll be up to our eyes in little Kennedys around here."
"Okay, but let's focus on this one right now, we'll worry about the rest later." He replied placing his hand on her still flat abdomen.
"Actually, we should concentrate on that one." Claire said turning to look at Isabel, who still had her eyes closed.
"Your right I don't know what I was thinking." Leon replied his good mood put aside for the moment.
"You were thinking how much you love her." Isabel stated from the bed, still not opening her eyes content to just listen to what was going on.
It made Isabel feel more at peace, when they were acting normally around her right now. She didn't like all the feelings of anxiousness and how tense everyone seemed to be. It put her on edge and she didn't think that would be good for the baby right now. She just needed to get everyone to relax.
Leon let go of Claire and walked over to the bed to sit next to Isabel, asking.
"How are you feeling?"
"Pretty good just a little uncomfortable right now." Isabel answered smiling at him.
Again all Isabel could think was how much she wished Albert were here. For some reason she felt if he were hear everything would be okay, nothing bad would happen. He was going to pay for this when he got back him and his stupid ring.
"I got a hold of Rebecca. She said she'd be here as soon as she can. That's still a good half hour to forty five minutes though." Chris said, walking into the room.
Seeing Isabel so calm, Chris wondered how she did it. He felt jittery, as if he were about to jump out of his skin. If this was how he reacted with Isabel, then he couldn't imagine what he'd do when he and Jill have children.
"I found some cards I thought we'd play. If you're up to it." Carlos came through the door a few minutes later, holding up the deck of cards.
Carlos had been just as anxious as the rest of them when Isabel announced she was in labor, but for him it had passed quickly. He'd taken his cue from Isabel, if she wasn't sweating it yet then neither would he.
"That would be great," Isabel said brightening, "But if it's strip poker I'm at a slight disadvantage right now."
Claire and Chris chuckled at her last statement. Carlos just stood there, not quiet sure if she were serious or not. His humor got the better of him and he too started to laugh. Leon didn't find it amusing at all he just sat there stone faced, taking his responsibility seriously. Couldn't they see this was no time to joke?
"You don't approve of my joke?" Isabel asked Leon, with a disapproving look of her own.
"This isn't really the time for jokes, this is important." He answered.
Isabel gave him a gentle smile and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"I'm about to give life to a new being, not about to die. I want my child to be born to the sounds of laughter and feelings of love, not the tenseness you're carrying around. I love you, your part of my family, but if you can't relax then I don't need you in this room, and don't look at me like that if Albert were doing the same thing he'd be out too."
Leon just looked at her, in the nicest possible way Isabel was throwing him out.
"I promised... I need to be here, I owe you that much. If it weren't for you MY child wouldn't be on the way."
"Then you had better start laughing at my jokes."
"Well maybe if they were funnier I would." Leon shot back finally grinning at her.
As Isabel was about to answer him back, her second contraction started. It was a little more intense and lasted a few minutes more than the last one. It still wasn't too bad though and she figured that if they stayed like this, it was going to be a walk in the park.
"I just had another contraction." She stated calmly.
Isabel figured it would be best to keep them apprized of what was happening. It seemed to make them feel better if they knew what was going on. She could tell that Leon was starting to tense up again at the mere mention of the word contraction. He caught himself quickly though, not wanting to be sent out of the room.
"Chris, Leon, can I speak with you outside for a minute?" Claire asked from the door way.
In her opinion Carlos had it right. If Isabel wasn't totally freaking out, then neither should they. Women had babies' everyday and right now she planned on using this as a learning experience. In a few months she'd have to go through this, all though she fully intended to have her child in a hospital with lots of Doctors around. Seeing the looks on her brother's and Leon's faces, she knew they were still worried and Isabel didn't need to be worrying about them or trying to keep their spirits up. They should be doing that for her. They should be putting her at ease not the other way around.
Chris had no idea what his sister wanted, but she didn't look happy. At least Leon was on her list as well. He wouldn't be the only one having his ass handed to him.
Leon knew exactly what she wanted to talk about and wasn't looking forward to it. Having two pregnant women that he cared about upset with him was slightly too much to handle at this point. He didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or scream at the top of his lungs.
Both Chris and Leon silently followed Claire in to the living room. Turning to look at the two men she loved most in the world, she didn't speak. She just gave them a disapproving look. After a moment of silence Chris started to speak, but she cut him off.
"You two need to get a grip on yourselves. Carlos has the right idea, if Isabel isn't worried at this point neither should we. She doesn't need to deal with us right now. It isn't her job to make us feel better. It's our job to put her at ease." Claire finished with a deep breath.
Chris stared speechless for a moment before trying to defend himself.
"I didn't do anything. I'm not allowed to be worried about all this?"
"We are all a little worried, but can't you see how much it's stressing Isabel out to see you two like this?" She asked back.
"I think we'll all feel a little better once Rebecca gets here, which is hopefully soon." Leon spoke up.
"Of course we will, but I've decided you two are staying out here until that happens." Claire stated crossing her arms over her chest.
"What!?" Both men exclaimed in unison.
"You heard me, so park it. Carlos and I are going to play cards with Isabel." She said heading back to the bedroom.
Both Chris and Leon looked at each other with expressions of disbelief.
"Um, so what do you want to watch?" Leon asked after a moment.
"I'm not watching anything. I'm going back in there and keeping an eye on Isabel." Chris said heading the way his sister just had.
"She seemed pretty set. We had best stay out here until Rebecca gets home." Leon called after him.
When Chris opened the door to Isabel's room he was greeted with Isabel's laughter. Carlos was sitting cross legged at the foot of the bed, with what seemed every card in the deck and was still picking cards from the pile on the bed. Claire was piling more pillows behind Isabel for support. She too was smiling at what ever had been said. Standing to the side of Isabel, so that she couldn't see her face, Claire gave him a look that said he better get out.
"I want to play too." Chris spoke up, sounding like a little kid.
"Okay, but you have to get Leon so he isn't alone." Isabel said smiling at him.
Before Claire could say a word Chris left the room to go get Leon. He found him not in the Living room, but the kitchen sitting at the table.
"She throw you back out?" Leon asked, looking at Chris.
"No, I came out to get you. Isabel says she wants us all in there right now." Chris answered.
It didn't take much prompting for Leon to get up and make his ways back to her room.
"We've been waiting for you. Carlos wanted to start another game, but we made him wait." Isabel said when she saw Chris and Leon walk in.
Leon smiled at her and walked towards the bed. She seemed in pretty good spirits.
"What are we playing?" Chris asked from behind Leon.
"Go fish and she's a card shark." Carlos answered.
"Hey, just because you now owe me your truck doesn't mean I'm a card shark." Isabel replied laughing again.
"How are you feeling?" Leon asked breaking up their bickering.
"Leon Scott Kennedy if you ask me that one more time I'm gonna..."
"You're gonna what? As far as I can see you are in no shape too..." Leon was cut off mid sentence as a pillow smacked him in the face.
"Isabel, you have a pretty good arm." Chris said laughing.
Isabel just smiled at him. They were playing along and it made her happy. They were finally loosening up. She was right in the middle of laughing with them, when her third contraction started. Again it was more intense than the last time and lasted longer. This time everyone in the room could tell what was happening. Isabel became very quiet, almost holding her breath until it was over."
"These things are getting worse." She stated rubbing her stomach.
"They're supposed to. You didn't think this was going to be painless did you?" Rebecca asked from the door.
No one had heard Rebecca's car pull up or her enter the house. They had all been caught up in what was going on in the room. At her entrance you could almost hear the collective sigh of relief everyone let out.
"Okay, everyone out. I need to check Isabel to see how far along she is." Rebecca voice rang with authority.
Since Isabel's arrival, Rebecca had transferred from being an emergency room nurse to a pre-natal nurse. Even though she was an M.D. she had decided when they went into hiding that being so young if she went in as a doctor it would be easier for Umbrella to track her down. So she'd become a nurse, not wanting to stray to far from her chosen field. Rebecca had been at countless deliveries in the last four months and with all the studying she'd done, Rebecca was confident she could do this.
No one argued with Rebecca, as she began to prepare for the exam everyone left the room shutting the door behind them.
"Okay, Chris didn't give me a lot of information on the phone. How long have you been in labor?" Rebecca asked, motioning for Isabel to lay back.
"My water broke about an hour ago." Isabel answered looking at the clock to check the time.
"How many contractions have you had and how far apart?"
"Three, but I wasn't paying attention to how close they were. I guess a half hour between the first two and twenty between the last." Isabel answered again.
The rest of the exam was conducted in silence. When Rebecca was finished she helped Isabel back up into a sitting position.
"Now for a really important question, how do you feel?" Rebecca asked sitting next to Isabel on the bed.
"You wouldn't believe how many times I've been asked that in the last hour." Isabel said wrinkling her nose.
"So let me rephrase the question then. How is everyone else holding up?"
Fine, but I thought Leon was going to burst an artery there for a while. Speaking of everyone, why don't you let them back in."
Rebecca didn't say anything as she went to get everyone. She didn't understand why Leon was so worried. The way Isabel had talked you would think he was the expectant father. Speaking of which where is Wesker? Rebecca asked herself. As she walked into the living room four expectant faces turned towards her.
"So?" Leon was the first to speak.
"She has hours yet. What did you guys expect for me to get home and wiggle my nose and the baby would be here?" Rebecca asked rolling her eyes.
"Well no but..."
But what? You need to calm down these things take time." Rebecca stated, her expression softening at the look on his face.
"Any way I came out here to get you. You can go back now. I do have one question, where's Wesker?"
"He left to get Isabel's ring this morning before all this started." Claire answered for the group.
"Okay then when will he be back, an hour or two?"
"Try day or two, I'm in charge of Isabel." Leon answered.
Everything seemed to fall into place now. Rebecca finally understood why Leon was so on edge. He had a lot of responsibility on him right now. She truly felt sorry for him. Wesker wasn't going to like this.
"So you'll be in the delivery room." It wasn't a question, Rebecca was telling him.
"I want to be there also." Claire spoke up.
"Well as long as we have that set then." Rebecca stated as they entered the bedroom.
It had been four hours and Isabel's good mood was all but forgotten. She seemed to be in constant pain. The slight back ache had turned into a full fledged throbbing mass of muscles, which Leon constantly massaged for her, so that it was bearable. Her contractions were so close together that Isabel felt she barely had time to catch her breath before the next one hit and the pressure she felt on her lower half seemed to intensify by the minute.
"Look what I almost forgot." Chris said holding up a small camcorder and turning it on.
"Christopher Redfield get that damn thing out of here." Isabel said, glaring at him.
"Now Isabel, what happened to the baby being born to laughter and feelings of love?" Leon asked from behind her, where he was still rubbing her back.
Isabel could tell he was laughing back there and it didn't help her mood.
"Kennedy if I didn't need you right now you'd be with the camcorder, which I want out of here now." She finished again glaring at Chris.
"Isabel this way Wesker can see the birth, since he can't be here." Chris said defending himself.
Isabel was about to speak when yet again she was interrupted by the worst contraction yet.
"I hate you when your being logical." She finally stated panting.
Chris just chuckled at her but continued taping everything. Everyone could feel they were getting close to the end and there was a definite air of excitement in the room. Everyone except poor Isabel was smiling like idiots. Isabel on the other hand looked exhausted.
"Okay I'm going to check her again. Carlos, you and Chris should probably just stay in the living room this time. She's really close." Rebecca stated ushering them out of the room.
"What about this?" Chris asked holding up the camcorder.
"I'll take it so no one misses a thing." Claire stated taking the device from him.
It was another half hour before the baby was ready to make an appearance. Isabel's contractions came one on top of the other and the pressure from the baby was almost unbearable.
"I feel like I need to push." Isabel finally stated, looking at Rebecca.
"Alright then, Leon I want you to support her back when she pushes. Isabel on your next contraction I want you to push. Leon when she starts count to ten, when he gets there, Isabel I want you to stop." Rebecca gave her orders.
At the next contraction Isabel did as told lifting her upper body to push, as Leon came to ten she stopped. Relaxing her body once again, waiting for the next contraction. They repeated this process three times when suddenly Isabel felt the pressure ease and the contractions lessen.
"Isabel, you have a beautiful baby girl." Rebecca's excited voice exclaimed.
Rebecca wasn't giving her time to process the information though.
"Okay on the next contraction I need you to push again and then your done." She said, laying the baby on a towel that had been prepared for it.
When the next contraction started Isabel gave one final push, when Rebecca gave her the okay she stopped, thankful her job was done. Isabel just wanted to lay back and rest, her body still ached slightly and she was becoming extremely sleepy. Through half closed eyes she saw Rebecca carry her daughter into the bathroom to clean her up. Second later they were rewarded with an unhappy cry. After a few more minutes Rebecca came back out and handed the little bundle she carried to Leon, who excepted it nervously.
"Shouldn't Isabel get to hold her?" he asked eyeing the infant in his arms.
"I need Isabel to lie back again so I can clean her up." Rebecca answered walking back into the bathroom for more towels, "Then I need to move her so we can clean everything else up."
With the help of Claire Isabel stood up so that Rebecca could change the bedding and pick up the towels they had placed under her to save the mattress. Rebecca worked fast and in moments mother and daughter were tucked back in bed. The used sheet and towels were placed in a trash bag for pick up on garbage day.
"If someone will get Chris and Carlos, I'll properly introduce everyone to my daughter." Isabel said with a tired smile on her face.
It seemed that Leon had just left the room when all three returned. Chris, Leon and Claire stood on her right. Carlos and Rebecca her left.
"Everyone, I want you to meet Rosalie Ann Wesker, she's named after Albert's mother." Looking at her daughter she continued. "Rosalie, these are your aunts and uncles, well all except for Jill who's at work, you'll meet her tonight."
With that Rosalie was passed to each member of her family. Each person marveled at her for a few moments then passed her on the next, until she came to Claire.
"I can't do that, Leon don't make me do that." Claire said almost pleadingly.
"It's a little late for that Claire.' Chris said, taking the baby back and handing it to Isabel.
Chris was rewarded with a glare from both Claire and Leon.
"Did I miss something?" Rebecca asked looking from Claire to Chris.
"With all the commotion we forgot to tell you. Claire found out she's pregnant today." Leon explained.
"Congratulations, I think." Rebecca replied looking at he expression on Chris's face.
"I'm still getting used to the idea, but I think congratulations is good." Chris answered.
"Guys I hate to break this up, but I'm extremely tired and since she's sleeping could someone get the bassinette so we could take a nap." Isabel asked yawning.
"Of course." Chris answered.
As he was about to open the door to go out, Jill was opening the door to come in. Luckily he reacted quickly and didn't get smacked in the face.
"What's going on back here are you having a party?" Jill asked looking at Chris.
"Yes we're having a birthday party, come meet Rosalie." Isabel said from the bed.
"OH MY GOD, you didn't." Jill exclaimed rushing to the bed.
"I did, here you can hold her a minute."
"She's beautiful she has Wesker's blonde hair."
At that moment Rosalie decided to open her eyes for a second, it happened so fast Jill almost missed it.
"She has his eyes also." She finished looking at Isabel.
"Really, I haven't seen them yet." Isabel stated
"Yes, she's her father's daughter." Jill replied
While Jill had been investigating her new niece Chris had gotten the bassinette and placed it with in an arms reach of the bed.
"Okay Jill lay her down, Isabel needs to rest." Chris said placing his hand on her shoulder.
As Jill laid Rosalie in her bed everyone else filtered out of the room. Isabel was already asleep as Jill closed the door when she too left.
Isabel didn't relish going up the stairs, it seemed gravity had it in for her anymore. Where she had once been able to take the stairs two at a time, it now seemed to take forever for her to get to the top. Knocking on Leon's door, there was a long pause before she was answered with a wry, "come in." Entering the room Isabel was greeted with Leon the sitting cross legged on the bed, elbows on his knees, and his chin resting on both hands. He looked so serious, but yet the sight of him sitting there like that reminded Isabel of a little boy, thinking over important issues.
When Leon realized it was Isabel at his door, his posture changed. He sat up straight and started to get up to help her to a seat. She stopped him with a wave of her hand.
"Do you want to sit on the chair or the bed? Which will be easier for you to get up from?" He asked anxiously.
"You know what I'd really like? To lay on my stomach, but it doesn't really matter either way you're going to need a crane to get me back up." She replied with a slight laugh.
Leon gave a slight smile at her joke, but any talk about pregnancy just put him more on edge. Even though his facial expression didn't change, she could feel him tense up.
"I know something's bothering you about Claire being pregnant. Everyone can feel it." Isabel dove right in.
"Sure they can." He said under his breath.
"What?" Isabel asked not quite catching what he said.
"Nothing, Isabel you should sit down." This time he did get off the bed and ushering her to the chair.
"Now you're starting to sound like Albert."
"You shouldn't be worrying about me right now."
Leon didn't like the fact that Isabel had come all the way up here to find out what was wrong with him. Of course he should have known she would check on him. He should have stayed down stairs until Isabel took her nap, but he knew that even if he had she would still have known.
"If you don't want to talk to me maybe you would be more comfortable talking to Chris or Carlos." Isabel offered after a moment of silence.
"No Carlos would make a big joke out of it and Chris is still a little touchy about the whole thing." Leon said, sitting back on the bed.
"Oh, I think Carlos is a lot more mature than that."
"Couldn't prove it by me."
Isabel smiled at Leon's reaction. She knew that Carlos was an intelligent, caring individual, why no one else saw that was beyond her. Maybe it was because he was the first one to welcome her and had been kind from the beginning, but Isabel had a soft spot for Carlos.
"I didn't come up all those stairs to talk about Carlos. I want to know what's bothering you." She stated, switching the conversation.
"It's really stupid." Leon answered looking down at his shoes.
"Tell me anyway." Isabel said, rolling the desk chair right in front of where he sat.
Leon looked up into Isabel's face and seeing the determination there, he knew she wouldn't stop until she got her answers. The only thing he could do was give them to her.
"I feel like I should be doing something. Claire's pregnant with my baby and I feel useless to her. She doesn't need me, at least if she had morning sickness I could hold her hair out of her face while she was sick or something." He stated looking back down at his feet.
Isabel just smiled and shook her head. How little he knew.
"Believe me when I say the last thing Claire will probably want is you in the bathroom with her while retching her guts up. If Albert had been here when I went through that lovely stage, he'd probably be dead."
Instead of laughing like Isabel had intended him too, Leon looked even more depressed.
"Great, so I'll be of no use then." He replied looking up at her again.
"Leon, you just have to be patient. She will need you, but you have to let her tell you when. Knowing Claire she'll make it very clear when she needs your help. You and Albert did your jobs, now Claire and I have the hard part."
Leon finally gave a slight smile at her last statement.
"Besides in a couple of month's she'll hit the point where she won't let you out of bed."
At the last remark Isabel made, Leon turned pink, but none the less let out a heartfelt laugh. Shaking his head he couldn't believe she had just implied what she had.
"So that's what you and Wesker were doing all those times we couldn't find you." He replied his smile growing wider.
It was Isabel's turn to blush, but she too burst into laughter. It seemed that Leon was feeling better about his doubts. Taking his hand in hers, Isabel placed it on her stomach in the spot where Rosalie had decided to kick. Seeing his face light up she knew it was the right thing to do.
"This is all that matter's in the end, this little life that you get to nurture and guide. You're going to be a great father, ask Claire, your kind, caring, compassionate, and intelligent. So you're out of the loop for the first few months, you get to make up for that the rest of your life."
"How did you get so wise?"
"Dealing with you guys, one has to learn fast. Do you feel better now?"
"Yes, I have a question though. Why are you always so concerned about us, I mean you seem to worry about us more than we worry about each other sometimes?"
Isabel didn't know how to answer him. With her mother they had always talked about what was bothering her. Isabel's mother always said holding things in wasn't productive. Besides she never liked seeing the people she cared about upset or hurt.
"You're my family. Everyone has been there for me and has taken care of me and Rosalie." She finally answered, lifting herself out of the chair after a bit of a struggle.
"Rosalie is it? You sound pretty sure there.... Hey, I thought you couldn't do that." Leon exclaimed in surprise.
"That seat was easy. The couch is something else and don't tell Carlos, but I can get out of the arm chair by myself, even though I made him help me earlier." Isabel finished with a conspiratorial tone, grinning.
"Your secret is safe with me. Come on we should go back down stairs, before people think we're up to something."
"You mean planning on taking over the living room?" She replied still grinning.
"Yeah, something like that." Leon answered opening the bedroom door.
When Isabel didn't immediately follow him into the hallway he stopped and turned around to look at her. She had a weird look on her face, a mixture of shock, horror, and excitement. Walking back into the room Leon had no idea what Isabel was thinking about. Before he could speak she was talking.
"Do you think it's too late to get Albert back here?" She asked looking into his eyes.
"Oh no, you can't do this to me." Leon stated, walking over to her and putting his arm around her shoulder.
"I'm pretty sure I just had a contraction." She replied, placing her hands on her stomach.
"Are you sure it isn't false labor? That happens, right?" Leon was now almost in a panic.
Leon was answered not by Isabel, but by the sudden gush of liquid that hit his sneakers and the floor, splashing the legs of his jeans and the surrounding area with droplets of amniotic fluid.
"Um, does that answer your question?" Isabel asked in a small voice.
"Yep, that'll about do it. Here lay down on my bed, I'll go call Rebecca." He said trying to steer her towards the bed.
"No, I want to do this in my room." Isabel stated, putting her hand over the one he had wrapped around her shoulder.
Isabel couldn't believe this was happening. An hour ago she'd thought Rosalie was going to stay where she was for another week maybe more. Now she knew you just couldn't predict these things. It seemed her daughter had decided to meet everyone. Walking slowly to the door, Isabel waited until she and Leon were in the hall before speaking.
"She's making a liar out of me. I told myself this morning she was happy where she was and wouldn't make an appearance for awhile."
Leon answered her with a snort. He wondered just how pissed Wesker was going to be about this little hiccup in his plan. Leon didn't really think Wesker would blame him, these things happened, but he wouldn't be happy about missing the birth of his child.
"Are you sure you can make it down the steps?" Leon asked as they came to the stairs.
"Yes, I'm not going to give birth right this instant. This could take hours. My mother once told me she was in labor with me for ten hours." She finished with a grimace.
"So I don't suppose we'll luck out and you could stay in labor until Wesker gets back, huh?" Leon joked, not so much to calm Isabel down, but to calm himself down.
"Yeah, I don't think so." She replied as they reached the bottom stair.
Leon had to give it to Isabel. She was taking this pretty well. Isabel must have nerves of steel. She and Wesker were pretty well matched in that area. Both of them seemed to stay calm in almost any situation. The only time he'd ever seen her really upset was the night they had walked in to find the dresser on the floor.
"Where are you two going, you seem attached at the hip today?" Carlos asked as Leon and Isabel walked past the couch.
"I'm in labor and I'm going to go lie down." Isabel said in the way someone might announce they were going for pizza.
No one moved a muscle or uttered a syllable for a couple of seconds. Everyone jolted out of their daze at the same time, getting up, Chris Claire and Carlos surrounded Isabel and Leon in a semicircle. All of them were talking at once at what seemed the top of their lungs.
"If the three of you don't get out of the way..." Leon's firm voice cut through all the commotion.
Everyone immediately became silent. Leon was setting some kind of record for himself, he was usually the most soft spoken of the group. Twice in one day he had shown his temper. Quietly the group parted to allow them passage to the hallway. Once Leon had Isabel sitting on the bed he tried to figure out what to do next.
"Chris, go call Becca. Claire help Isabel get out of those clothes and into some kind of night shirt or something." Leon said once again taking charge.
No one argued with him, the men left the room to give Isabel some privacy while she changed. Once they were alone, Claire stood nervously by the bed, unsure exactly how to help her. Isabel on the other hand was the picture of calm, sitting there with a slight smile on her face.
"What do you need me to do?" Claire finally asked.
"Well in the top drawer there's a night gown, if you could get it for me that would be great." Isabel replied beginning to unbutton her shirt.
As Claire brought the night gown to the bed Isabel was already three fourths of the way undressed. Handing Isabel the night gown, Claire watched as she deftly pulled it over head and freeing her arms from the material, undressed the rest of the way.
"Are you nervous or excited?" Claire asked picking up the clothing Isabel had just discarded.
"Both, I just wish Albert were here." Isabel said sitting back on the bed.
"Do you think he'll be really angry about this?"
"No, I think, he'll be hurt he missed the birth, but he won't be angry. Will you go tell the boys they can come back in, I'm decent?"
Isabel laid back and closed her eyes, trying to rest while she could. She knew that by the end of this she was probably going to be exhausted. Isabel knew it would be worth it though, hopefully before tomorrow she would have her baby in her arms. She was just praying that it wasn't going to be a long labor. Ten hours seemed like an eternity right now. The first contraction hadn't seemed that bad, just a slight twinge, and hadn't lasted very long. Isabel hadn't had another one yet, she just felt slightly uncomfortable. Her back was beginning to throb a little. It wasn't too bad, just a slight back ache.
Opening the door Claire saw that Leon was standing right outside. She was surprised at the way he had taken charge, he wasn't a follower, who looked to other people to lead, but since living in the house, he like everyone else usually deferred to Chris on decisions. Leon wasn't week by any means, just a good solider. He didn't have the in your face personality of Chris or Carlos, he was more subtle about things. It was funny that she should think of it at a time like this, but everyone in the house seemed to pair up with their complete opposite. Chris was a take charge, rush in guns blazing, and ask questions later kind of guy. Jill was cool and reserved, she always thought things through and found solutions that weren't obvious on first pass. Carlos was outlandish, and could be loud at times. He was very opinionated and macho beyond belief. Rebecca was calm and quiet, almost shy at times. And she hardly ever lost her temper. Then there was Leon intelligent and dependable. He thought things through never making rash decisions, and he was honest and giving. Claire knew herself pretty well. She was stubborn and reckless, usually acting before she thought. The best way to describe herself was a female version of her brother. Then there was the weirdest match of them all, Albert Wesker and Isabel Landen. If Wesker was the closest thing to a demon on earth, then Isabel was the closest thing to a saint. The weird thing was that even though their actions and moral were at opposite ends of the spectrum, their cores were the same. Both of them were all fire and passion, they were so similar, yet so very different.
"You can come in now." Claire said snapping out of her thoughts.
Leon smiled at her and entered the room. Claire was looking at him, waiting for him to give the next set of orders. He hadn't realized it until this moment but everyone had accepted his authority in this matter. They had all done what they were told with out question, even Chris. Looking into Claire's beautiful face, he found himself moving towards her. When they were no more than an inch apart from each other, Leon wrapped his arms around Claire and pulled her into a very intense kiss.
Lifting his head when the kiss was finished, he saw the slightly dazed look on Claire's face.
"What was that for?" She asked slightly breathless.
"It's because I love you." He answered smiling.
"I love you too, but if you keep kissing me like that we'll be up to our eyes in little Kennedys around here."
"Okay, but let's focus on this one right now, we'll worry about the rest later." He replied placing his hand on her still flat abdomen.
"Actually, we should concentrate on that one." Claire said turning to look at Isabel, who still had her eyes closed.
"Your right I don't know what I was thinking." Leon replied his good mood put aside for the moment.
"You were thinking how much you love her." Isabel stated from the bed, still not opening her eyes content to just listen to what was going on.
It made Isabel feel more at peace, when they were acting normally around her right now. She didn't like all the feelings of anxiousness and how tense everyone seemed to be. It put her on edge and she didn't think that would be good for the baby right now. She just needed to get everyone to relax.
Leon let go of Claire and walked over to the bed to sit next to Isabel, asking.
"How are you feeling?"
"Pretty good just a little uncomfortable right now." Isabel answered smiling at him.
Again all Isabel could think was how much she wished Albert were here. For some reason she felt if he were hear everything would be okay, nothing bad would happen. He was going to pay for this when he got back him and his stupid ring.
"I got a hold of Rebecca. She said she'd be here as soon as she can. That's still a good half hour to forty five minutes though." Chris said, walking into the room.
Seeing Isabel so calm, Chris wondered how she did it. He felt jittery, as if he were about to jump out of his skin. If this was how he reacted with Isabel, then he couldn't imagine what he'd do when he and Jill have children.
"I found some cards I thought we'd play. If you're up to it." Carlos came through the door a few minutes later, holding up the deck of cards.
Carlos had been just as anxious as the rest of them when Isabel announced she was in labor, but for him it had passed quickly. He'd taken his cue from Isabel, if she wasn't sweating it yet then neither would he.
"That would be great," Isabel said brightening, "But if it's strip poker I'm at a slight disadvantage right now."
Claire and Chris chuckled at her last statement. Carlos just stood there, not quiet sure if she were serious or not. His humor got the better of him and he too started to laugh. Leon didn't find it amusing at all he just sat there stone faced, taking his responsibility seriously. Couldn't they see this was no time to joke?
"You don't approve of my joke?" Isabel asked Leon, with a disapproving look of her own.
"This isn't really the time for jokes, this is important." He answered.
Isabel gave him a gentle smile and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"I'm about to give life to a new being, not about to die. I want my child to be born to the sounds of laughter and feelings of love, not the tenseness you're carrying around. I love you, your part of my family, but if you can't relax then I don't need you in this room, and don't look at me like that if Albert were doing the same thing he'd be out too."
Leon just looked at her, in the nicest possible way Isabel was throwing him out.
"I promised... I need to be here, I owe you that much. If it weren't for you MY child wouldn't be on the way."
"Then you had better start laughing at my jokes."
"Well maybe if they were funnier I would." Leon shot back finally grinning at her.
As Isabel was about to answer him back, her second contraction started. It was a little more intense and lasted a few minutes more than the last one. It still wasn't too bad though and she figured that if they stayed like this, it was going to be a walk in the park.
"I just had another contraction." She stated calmly.
Isabel figured it would be best to keep them apprized of what was happening. It seemed to make them feel better if they knew what was going on. She could tell that Leon was starting to tense up again at the mere mention of the word contraction. He caught himself quickly though, not wanting to be sent out of the room.
"Chris, Leon, can I speak with you outside for a minute?" Claire asked from the door way.
In her opinion Carlos had it right. If Isabel wasn't totally freaking out, then neither should they. Women had babies' everyday and right now she planned on using this as a learning experience. In a few months she'd have to go through this, all though she fully intended to have her child in a hospital with lots of Doctors around. Seeing the looks on her brother's and Leon's faces, she knew they were still worried and Isabel didn't need to be worrying about them or trying to keep their spirits up. They should be doing that for her. They should be putting her at ease not the other way around.
Chris had no idea what his sister wanted, but she didn't look happy. At least Leon was on her list as well. He wouldn't be the only one having his ass handed to him.
Leon knew exactly what she wanted to talk about and wasn't looking forward to it. Having two pregnant women that he cared about upset with him was slightly too much to handle at this point. He didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or scream at the top of his lungs.
Both Chris and Leon silently followed Claire in to the living room. Turning to look at the two men she loved most in the world, she didn't speak. She just gave them a disapproving look. After a moment of silence Chris started to speak, but she cut him off.
"You two need to get a grip on yourselves. Carlos has the right idea, if Isabel isn't worried at this point neither should we. She doesn't need to deal with us right now. It isn't her job to make us feel better. It's our job to put her at ease." Claire finished with a deep breath.
Chris stared speechless for a moment before trying to defend himself.
"I didn't do anything. I'm not allowed to be worried about all this?"
"We are all a little worried, but can't you see how much it's stressing Isabel out to see you two like this?" She asked back.
"I think we'll all feel a little better once Rebecca gets here, which is hopefully soon." Leon spoke up.
"Of course we will, but I've decided you two are staying out here until that happens." Claire stated crossing her arms over her chest.
"What!?" Both men exclaimed in unison.
"You heard me, so park it. Carlos and I are going to play cards with Isabel." She said heading back to the bedroom.
Both Chris and Leon looked at each other with expressions of disbelief.
"Um, so what do you want to watch?" Leon asked after a moment.
"I'm not watching anything. I'm going back in there and keeping an eye on Isabel." Chris said heading the way his sister just had.
"She seemed pretty set. We had best stay out here until Rebecca gets home." Leon called after him.
When Chris opened the door to Isabel's room he was greeted with Isabel's laughter. Carlos was sitting cross legged at the foot of the bed, with what seemed every card in the deck and was still picking cards from the pile on the bed. Claire was piling more pillows behind Isabel for support. She too was smiling at what ever had been said. Standing to the side of Isabel, so that she couldn't see her face, Claire gave him a look that said he better get out.
"I want to play too." Chris spoke up, sounding like a little kid.
"Okay, but you have to get Leon so he isn't alone." Isabel said smiling at him.
Before Claire could say a word Chris left the room to go get Leon. He found him not in the Living room, but the kitchen sitting at the table.
"She throw you back out?" Leon asked, looking at Chris.
"No, I came out to get you. Isabel says she wants us all in there right now." Chris answered.
It didn't take much prompting for Leon to get up and make his ways back to her room.
"We've been waiting for you. Carlos wanted to start another game, but we made him wait." Isabel said when she saw Chris and Leon walk in.
Leon smiled at her and walked towards the bed. She seemed in pretty good spirits.
"What are we playing?" Chris asked from behind Leon.
"Go fish and she's a card shark." Carlos answered.
"Hey, just because you now owe me your truck doesn't mean I'm a card shark." Isabel replied laughing again.
"How are you feeling?" Leon asked breaking up their bickering.
"Leon Scott Kennedy if you ask me that one more time I'm gonna..."
"You're gonna what? As far as I can see you are in no shape too..." Leon was cut off mid sentence as a pillow smacked him in the face.
"Isabel, you have a pretty good arm." Chris said laughing.
Isabel just smiled at him. They were playing along and it made her happy. They were finally loosening up. She was right in the middle of laughing with them, when her third contraction started. Again it was more intense than the last time and lasted longer. This time everyone in the room could tell what was happening. Isabel became very quiet, almost holding her breath until it was over."
"These things are getting worse." She stated rubbing her stomach.
"They're supposed to. You didn't think this was going to be painless did you?" Rebecca asked from the door.
No one had heard Rebecca's car pull up or her enter the house. They had all been caught up in what was going on in the room. At her entrance you could almost hear the collective sigh of relief everyone let out.
"Okay, everyone out. I need to check Isabel to see how far along she is." Rebecca voice rang with authority.
Since Isabel's arrival, Rebecca had transferred from being an emergency room nurse to a pre-natal nurse. Even though she was an M.D. she had decided when they went into hiding that being so young if she went in as a doctor it would be easier for Umbrella to track her down. So she'd become a nurse, not wanting to stray to far from her chosen field. Rebecca had been at countless deliveries in the last four months and with all the studying she'd done, Rebecca was confident she could do this.
No one argued with Rebecca, as she began to prepare for the exam everyone left the room shutting the door behind them.
"Okay, Chris didn't give me a lot of information on the phone. How long have you been in labor?" Rebecca asked, motioning for Isabel to lay back.
"My water broke about an hour ago." Isabel answered looking at the clock to check the time.
"How many contractions have you had and how far apart?"
"Three, but I wasn't paying attention to how close they were. I guess a half hour between the first two and twenty between the last." Isabel answered again.
The rest of the exam was conducted in silence. When Rebecca was finished she helped Isabel back up into a sitting position.
"Now for a really important question, how do you feel?" Rebecca asked sitting next to Isabel on the bed.
"You wouldn't believe how many times I've been asked that in the last hour." Isabel said wrinkling her nose.
"So let me rephrase the question then. How is everyone else holding up?"
Fine, but I thought Leon was going to burst an artery there for a while. Speaking of everyone, why don't you let them back in."
Rebecca didn't say anything as she went to get everyone. She didn't understand why Leon was so worried. The way Isabel had talked you would think he was the expectant father. Speaking of which where is Wesker? Rebecca asked herself. As she walked into the living room four expectant faces turned towards her.
"So?" Leon was the first to speak.
"She has hours yet. What did you guys expect for me to get home and wiggle my nose and the baby would be here?" Rebecca asked rolling her eyes.
"Well no but..."
But what? You need to calm down these things take time." Rebecca stated, her expression softening at the look on his face.
"Any way I came out here to get you. You can go back now. I do have one question, where's Wesker?"
"He left to get Isabel's ring this morning before all this started." Claire answered for the group.
"Okay then when will he be back, an hour or two?"
"Try day or two, I'm in charge of Isabel." Leon answered.
Everything seemed to fall into place now. Rebecca finally understood why Leon was so on edge. He had a lot of responsibility on him right now. She truly felt sorry for him. Wesker wasn't going to like this.
"So you'll be in the delivery room." It wasn't a question, Rebecca was telling him.
"I want to be there also." Claire spoke up.
"Well as long as we have that set then." Rebecca stated as they entered the bedroom.
It had been four hours and Isabel's good mood was all but forgotten. She seemed to be in constant pain. The slight back ache had turned into a full fledged throbbing mass of muscles, which Leon constantly massaged for her, so that it was bearable. Her contractions were so close together that Isabel felt she barely had time to catch her breath before the next one hit and the pressure she felt on her lower half seemed to intensify by the minute.
"Look what I almost forgot." Chris said holding up a small camcorder and turning it on.
"Christopher Redfield get that damn thing out of here." Isabel said, glaring at him.
"Now Isabel, what happened to the baby being born to laughter and feelings of love?" Leon asked from behind her, where he was still rubbing her back.
Isabel could tell he was laughing back there and it didn't help her mood.
"Kennedy if I didn't need you right now you'd be with the camcorder, which I want out of here now." She finished again glaring at Chris.
"Isabel this way Wesker can see the birth, since he can't be here." Chris said defending himself.
Isabel was about to speak when yet again she was interrupted by the worst contraction yet.
"I hate you when your being logical." She finally stated panting.
Chris just chuckled at her but continued taping everything. Everyone could feel they were getting close to the end and there was a definite air of excitement in the room. Everyone except poor Isabel was smiling like idiots. Isabel on the other hand looked exhausted.
"Okay I'm going to check her again. Carlos, you and Chris should probably just stay in the living room this time. She's really close." Rebecca stated ushering them out of the room.
"What about this?" Chris asked holding up the camcorder.
"I'll take it so no one misses a thing." Claire stated taking the device from him.
It was another half hour before the baby was ready to make an appearance. Isabel's contractions came one on top of the other and the pressure from the baby was almost unbearable.
"I feel like I need to push." Isabel finally stated, looking at Rebecca.
"Alright then, Leon I want you to support her back when she pushes. Isabel on your next contraction I want you to push. Leon when she starts count to ten, when he gets there, Isabel I want you to stop." Rebecca gave her orders.
At the next contraction Isabel did as told lifting her upper body to push, as Leon came to ten she stopped. Relaxing her body once again, waiting for the next contraction. They repeated this process three times when suddenly Isabel felt the pressure ease and the contractions lessen.
"Isabel, you have a beautiful baby girl." Rebecca's excited voice exclaimed.
Rebecca wasn't giving her time to process the information though.
"Okay on the next contraction I need you to push again and then your done." She said, laying the baby on a towel that had been prepared for it.
When the next contraction started Isabel gave one final push, when Rebecca gave her the okay she stopped, thankful her job was done. Isabel just wanted to lay back and rest, her body still ached slightly and she was becoming extremely sleepy. Through half closed eyes she saw Rebecca carry her daughter into the bathroom to clean her up. Second later they were rewarded with an unhappy cry. After a few more minutes Rebecca came back out and handed the little bundle she carried to Leon, who excepted it nervously.
"Shouldn't Isabel get to hold her?" he asked eyeing the infant in his arms.
"I need Isabel to lie back again so I can clean her up." Rebecca answered walking back into the bathroom for more towels, "Then I need to move her so we can clean everything else up."
With the help of Claire Isabel stood up so that Rebecca could change the bedding and pick up the towels they had placed under her to save the mattress. Rebecca worked fast and in moments mother and daughter were tucked back in bed. The used sheet and towels were placed in a trash bag for pick up on garbage day.
"If someone will get Chris and Carlos, I'll properly introduce everyone to my daughter." Isabel said with a tired smile on her face.
It seemed that Leon had just left the room when all three returned. Chris, Leon and Claire stood on her right. Carlos and Rebecca her left.
"Everyone, I want you to meet Rosalie Ann Wesker, she's named after Albert's mother." Looking at her daughter she continued. "Rosalie, these are your aunts and uncles, well all except for Jill who's at work, you'll meet her tonight."
With that Rosalie was passed to each member of her family. Each person marveled at her for a few moments then passed her on the next, until she came to Claire.
"I can't do that, Leon don't make me do that." Claire said almost pleadingly.
"It's a little late for that Claire.' Chris said, taking the baby back and handing it to Isabel.
Chris was rewarded with a glare from both Claire and Leon.
"Did I miss something?" Rebecca asked looking from Claire to Chris.
"With all the commotion we forgot to tell you. Claire found out she's pregnant today." Leon explained.
"Congratulations, I think." Rebecca replied looking at he expression on Chris's face.
"I'm still getting used to the idea, but I think congratulations is good." Chris answered.
"Guys I hate to break this up, but I'm extremely tired and since she's sleeping could someone get the bassinette so we could take a nap." Isabel asked yawning.
"Of course." Chris answered.
As he was about to open the door to go out, Jill was opening the door to come in. Luckily he reacted quickly and didn't get smacked in the face.
"What's going on back here are you having a party?" Jill asked looking at Chris.
"Yes we're having a birthday party, come meet Rosalie." Isabel said from the bed.
"OH MY GOD, you didn't." Jill exclaimed rushing to the bed.
"I did, here you can hold her a minute."
"She's beautiful she has Wesker's blonde hair."
At that moment Rosalie decided to open her eyes for a second, it happened so fast Jill almost missed it.
"She has his eyes also." She finished looking at Isabel.
"Really, I haven't seen them yet." Isabel stated
"Yes, she's her father's daughter." Jill replied
While Jill had been investigating her new niece Chris had gotten the bassinette and placed it with in an arms reach of the bed.
"Okay Jill lay her down, Isabel needs to rest." Chris said placing his hand on her shoulder.
As Jill laid Rosalie in her bed everyone else filtered out of the room. Isabel was already asleep as Jill closed the door when she too left.