A/N: Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. I think you've all been waiting for this chapter, so here you go, and enjoy!
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SEPTEMBER 3rd
7 PM"Are you sure that's all you want to eat?"
Mimi nodded at Mark. "Yeah. I'm okay."
"Are you sure?"
She glared at him. "Yes," she said through gritted teeth.
"You don't want me to call Roger?"
"No. I've been having contractions on and off for the past three days. They've been alternating on and off at fifteen minutes apart. I've called my doctor repeatedly. She says to stay home until they're six minutes apart or my water breaks. And none of that has happened yet," she said quickly, still glaring at him. "And I highly doubt that anything is going to happen today, so leave Roger alone."
"But he said—"
Mimi shook her head. "I know what he said. Look, let me just take a nap and see what happens. If something happens before he gets home from the bar, then I'll call him. Nothing is happening Mark, so please stop asking. Go and bother Collins and Dan, or wait until Jackie gets home and start bothering her. Because you're grating on my last nerve."
He grinned uneasily. "Sorry."
"It's fine. Now just go and let me get some rest. I'll keep you posted," she mumbled, waving him away with her hand.
"Okay. Just let me know if anything happens."
"I will."
She was so thankful when he left. Everyone was practically walking around her on pins and needles, almost as if they were afraid that any little thing they said or did would send her into labor. Unfortunately, there was no such luck. Her due date had been yesterday, and it had come and gone with contractions on and off throughout the day.
She stretched out on the bed as best as she could and turned onto her side. She couldn't wait until it was all over, because she felt as if she had been pregnant forever. She was sure she definitely looked it—she was convinced that her stomach was stretched to its limit.
The baby's room had been completed for two and a half weeks. The clothes had been washed, the changing table assembled with much complaint from Mark and Roger, the border put up around the edge of the walls. Now it was just a difficult waiting game.
As she laid there in the dark, she couldn't believe that she was about to bring a baby into this world. Nine months ago, it hadn't seemed real yet, but it was close to becoming a reality. She thought of all the things she had accomplished over those months. Marrying Roger was about the one thing that really stuck out in her mind. They had been married short of four months already, and their fights had become completely rare. And for the first time, she realized that she was loving life instead of hating everything about it.
She must have dozed off because the next thing she heard was someone shuffling around in the bedroom and slamming the dresser drawer. That hadn't been all that had woken her up as she tried to silently breathe through the contraction. She opened one eye and tried to sit up some after it was over. "What time is it?"
Roger tossed his shirt in the dirty pile and checked the clock. "A little after midnight. Sorry, did I wake you up?"
She shrugged and fell back down against the pillows. "No. I don't know," she said quietly as he joined her on the bed.
He kissed her and rested his hand on her stomach. "How's it coming?"
"I want you to take me out back and shoot me, that's how it's coming," she said sarcastically.
"Anymore contractions?" he grinned, pulling the sheets over them.
"About a minute ago. I don't know how far apart. I was down to twelve minutes when I fell asleep."
"Want me to start timing?" he asked, yawning.
She shook her head. "Just shut up and let me go back to sleep. I'll wake you up if anything happens."
"Okay. Night baby," he said.
"Night," she yawned, resting her head on his shoulder. She was asleep again within minutes.
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SEPTEMBER 4th
6 AM
"Fuck."
Mimi sat up in bed, breathing heavily. She rested her hands on her stomach and tried to struggle through the contraction. She bit her lip as she tried to time it on the digital clock. 6:05 AM. It had to have lasted at least 45 seconds.
She looked over at Roger. He was sprawled out on his stomach, his one arm hanging over the side of the bed. He was snoring lightly and appeared to be in a deep sleep. "Great," she mumbled, bringing herself to her feet and shuffling into the kitchen. She turned the TV on and started to pour herself a cup of coffee.
She brought it back over to the coffee table and sat down. There was nothing else on but reruns of the Cosby show, so for lack of better options, she started watching. It would at least make her laugh and take her attention off the contractions and uncomfortable state she was in.
About two commercial breaks and two contractions later, she felt a trickle of liquid slide down her leg. She peered down at the coffee mug in her hand over the rim of her glasses and checked to make sure she hadn't spilt any without knowing. She didn't see a spill, so she shrugged it off as just paranoia. Five minutes after that, she had just finished laughing at Cliff's attempt at cooking when she noticed the cushion under her was starting to get squishy. She stood up slowly and looked down. The cushion she had been sitting in was soaked, and part of the carpet where he legs had been was damp.
"Oh. Shit," she said out loud. She walked—more like waddled over to the linen closet and grabbed a towel and placed it on the couch. Before she could even step and further, the familiar, sharp pains started radiating from her lower back to the front of her belly and back again. Except this time, it genuinely hurt more so than the others. "Oh god," she moaned, gripping onto the back of the couch. She breathed slowly through it, focusing on the second hand of her watch rather than the pain. When it finally ended, she tried to remember the time. Seven minutes, thirty seconds from her last contraction. One minute long.
She knew that her water had broken, but before she decided to wake up Roger, she figured that she could at least benefit from changing out of her pajamas. Roger was still out like a light, so she quickly changed into fresh everything and took a seat on the edge of the bed next to him. "Roger."
He didn't answer. Instead, he curled his legs up to his chest and moved his head to the side and let out a snort. She smiled and poked him in his side. "Roger, you have to get up now. Roger get up." She started shaking him.
He opened one eye and stared at her. "What? Whatsamatta?" he mumbled, his words running together. "We don't have any vodka…can I see some ID?"
Mimi stared at him and shook him again. "Roger get up! My water just broke! Get up!" she shouted, dragging the sheets off of him.
"What? When the hell did this happen!" He stood up quickly and grabbed his pants from the night before and put them on. "Are you okay? How far apart are they? Why didn't you say something!"
"Do I look okay?" she mumbled. She went to go and pick up her hospital bag, but felt another contraction tear through her and grabbed his arm. "Oh holy fucking shit, that hurts. Oh my god, it hurts Roger!" she yelled.
Roger helped her sit back down on the bed and started rubbing her back. "It's okay baby." He checked his watch. "Keep breathing, it's almost over."
"It hurts. Make it stop hurting," she said, her eyes starting to water.
He felt her relax against him "That was seven minutes even." He pulled on his shirt and helped her stand back up before grabbing her hospital bag. "Let's go."
"Call my doctor," she said. He nodded and led her to the couch, where she sat back down. He had to beep her, and within a minute she had called them back.
"She's already on call and she'll meet us there. You have everything."
She nodded. "Yeah. You hooked up the car seat in Mo's car, right?"
"Yup. It's good to go. Should I wake up Mark now or should I just call from the hospital?"
"Call him from the hospital. Let's just go," she said, standing up and leading him towards the door. "Call the cab!" she hollered at him.
He nodded and picked up the phone again. "Yeah, yeah okay. I will baby."
"Good."
"It's gonna be here in a few minutes."
They walked down the four flights of stairs. Roger helped her sit on the last few stairs and rubbed her back through the next contraction.
"Oh god, please tell me they can knock me out when I have her. I want the epidural now," she complained. Roger helped her into the cab and had her lean up against him en route to the hospital.
"We'll be there soon, and then you can have all the drugs you want. I promise."
"I'll break your had if you're lying to me," she warned, glaring at him.
Roger sighed and looked out the window. It was going to be a long day.
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11:30 AM
"Okay Mimi, you're looking good. You and the baby's vitals are very good. She's head first, so that's a good sign, which means we don't have to turn her, which can be uncomfortable to you and to her."
"How much longer?" Mimi asked, her eyes shifting from the window to the doctor.
She laughed and smiled. "You're about three centimeters right now. You've got a ways to go. Your contractions are coming about every five and a half minutes now." She finished the exam and let Mimi rest her legs back down on the bed.
"So when do I get the epidural?" she asked as the monitor started beeping, signaling the onset of the next contraction.
"I'll check you again in an hour. Hopefully you'll be closer to five, and then we can go ahead with the epidural, okay?"
Mimi nodded and started breathing through the next contraction. "Okay."
"You're doing great," the doctor smiled. "Just keep breathing. The nurse will be in shortly to check in on you."
"Alright."
The doctor left and Roger walked back in. "Hey, how are you doing?"
Mimi shrugged and closed her eyes. "It really hurts. It feels like I'm gonna rip in two. She said I'm only at three centimeters, and I can't get the epidural until I get to at least five. She's coming back soon to check me again."
He squeezed her hand and rested his other on her large belly. "She'll be here soon."
"Yeah," she mumbled, gripping his hand as the contraction finally passed over her. "And to think this was all just because of some egg nog."
Roger laughed and kissed her forehead. "Mark and Jackie are on their way. Collins is coming as soon as his class is over. Dan's at work, but he's coming as soon as he can get out of his meeting."
Mimi rested her head back against the pillow and closed her eyes. "My mom?"
"Left a message on the machine. I called my mom, and she said for me to give her updates and call when you're closer to 6 centimeters. She said she didn't want to crowd you."
Mimi smirked and adjusted her glasses. "At least she's the smart one. We're going to have the troops here all day. That's bad enough."
"I'll kick 'em out," he grinned, leaning over to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled.
"You're such a bad ass," she giggled.
"You want me to get you anything to eat?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No. I think it's been the first time in a long time that I haven't been hungry by noon."
Roger stood up and kissed her forehead again. "I'm gonna go get some coffee. I'll be back in two minutes. Get some rest."
"Yes sir Daddy," she laughed as he walked out of the hospital room.
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1:45 PM
"Mark move over some," Jackie ordered. She was trying to get comfortable in the labor and delivery waiting room, and considering she was six months pregnant by now, that was hard to do. "Goddammit these chairs are pieces of shit."
"Honey, maybe you should try the floor?" Dan suggested. He was sitting across from her, next to Collins. Mark was trying to be cooperative with her, but the look on his face said otherwise.
"Maybe prop yourself up against the wall?" Harvey added, shrugging. He was sitting by himself next to Dan. Maureen was in with Mimi and Roger, and the nurses had already placed restrictions on how many people could be in her room at one time.
"Yeah. Maybe," Jackie said.
Roger walked into the room and slumped down against the wall. Mark looked up and could tell that he was more than exhausted. His eyes were puffy, and he looked like he was about to fall over.
"How is she?" Mark asked, getting up and sitting next to him.
He shrugged. "The doctor's in there now checking her again. She's dilated to 4 and a ½ centimeters now, and her contractions are still five minutes apart. She's getting really uncomfortable, and you know when she's uncomfortable—"
"She's moody," Dan cut him off. "Oh, we know."
"Yeah. So I'm on an errand to get her some ice chips from the vending machine. At the rate we're going, it's gonna be a while. You should all go out and do something," he suggested, standing up.
Collins shook his head. "Roger, we're here for you both now. We're not going anywhere."
Roger smiled. "Thanks. I appreciate that. Well I better get going back before she bites my head off," he said seriously.
"Tell her to hang in there," Dan added.
"Yeah," Harvey agreed.
"Hey Mark, man, it's gonna be you in there in three more months. You ready?" Collins smiled.
Jackie started laughing. "Like hell he is. I'm not even ready."
Mark shrugged. "It'll be an experience."
"This is an experience," Dan said, rolling his eyes. "The nurses hate us, we've taken over the waiting room, and Maureen's about to stage a demonstration about the lack of organization in the hospital. Maybe we should call it a day."
Mark laughed. "Yeah, maybe."
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7 PMRoger walked back into Mimi's room with his third cup of ice chips. The first two cups had gone quickly and he figured he was better off staying on top of things instead of getting yelled at for forgetting.
Mimi was curled up on her right side, facing towards the door. Her eyes were shut and her lips were pursed into a tight line. She had one hand on the top of her stomach and the other behind her head.
He set the ice chips down on the nightstand and kissed her lightly, brushing a few strands of hair off her damp forehead. "Hey baby."
"Hi," she said quickly. She turned over onto her back and pulled her legs up. "Everyone here?"
He nodded. "Except Matt and Lisa. They'll be by later. Matt had class and so did she. Then she had to get Noah from daycare."
"Alright."
The monitor queued another contraction and Mimi reached out for his hand. Roger linked his through hers as she squeezed it roughly. "Oh my god. Roger it hurts, it really hurts," she said, starting to cry.
"Shh, you can do this baby. I know you can. You have to breathe. Breathe for me."
"No! I can't!" she sobbed. "It hurts so bad. Roger please go and get the doctor, I need the epidural. I can't—I can't, it hurts, oh god."
Roger nodded and pressed the call button on the wall. "Someone should be here soon, baby." He helped her sit up some and got behind her. He started rubbing her back with his free hand. "Come on, just breathe."
Mimi took a deep breath and exhaled, shutting her eyes tightly. "Is it over? Please tell me it's over."
Roger looked at the monitor and nodded. "Yeah, it's over baby."
"Okay," she said, leaning back against him. "She feels like she's between my knees. Like she's about to fall out."
"I highly doubt that," he laughed, starting to massage her shoulders.
A petite, brunette nurse walked into the room. "Hi, I'm Jan. I got your page at the desk, is there something I can help you with?"
Roger looked over at her. "You're an OB nurse?"
She nodded and checked Mimi's monitors and her IV bag. "Yeah. You're looking pretty good still, Mimi. Baby's vitals are still peaking, so that's great. She seems to want to stay in there a little longer though. If you'd like, I can check you and see if you're ready for the epidural."
"Go for it," Mimi said quickly.
"Okay." The nurse checked Mimi and the baby's heart rate. "You're at 7 centimeters. More than halfway there, and I'll have the doctor come in so she can check you too and page the anesthesiologist for the epidural."
"Thank you god!" Mimi blurted out.
Jan laughed. "The doctor will be here in a few." She left and Roger kissed Mimi's forehead.
"Told you baby. You can do this."
Mimi nodded, hearing the familiar beep. "Here we go again. Hand?" she grimaced.
"Ready?"
"No!" she shouted at him.
Dr. Wilson walked back in and smiled at Mimi. "How are we doing in here?"
"It hurts like—god, I don't even know what it hurts like! I just want the epidural."
Dr. Wilson repeated the check that Jan had just done and nodded. "You're definitely at 7 centimeters Mimi. I'm going to page the anesthesiologist right now. I'm just letting you know that things will probably slow down after you get the epidural, but we can monitor the baby and if it comes down to it, we can give you a drug to progress the labor again. She's healthy, active, and her heart rate is good, so hopefully you'll have a baby in your arms by later tonight."
"Okay," Mimi breathed as the contraction ended.
Ten minutes later, Dr. Wilson and the anesthesiologist walked in together.
"Alright Mimi, I'm going to need you to sit on the edge of the bed and lean into your husband's chest."
Roger got up and kneeled in front of Mimi. She pressed herself into his chest and wrapped one arm around his neck and the other she placed on his shoulder.
"Good. Now just arch your back out for me, almost like an angry cat. Just the best as you can. That's good. Okay, now you're going to feel a prick and then once I get the medicine in, you'll feel some relief."
Mimi winced and clawed at the back of Roger's neck when he inserted the needle. Roger just turned his head the other way and looked at the floor.
"Mother-fuck- ow! Jesus," she whispered under her breath. Roger laughed.
"Alright it's in. You can lay back down now," he said.
Mimi nodded and rested on her side. "Thank you, I love you!" she said after his retreating back. After a few minutes, her entire pelvic region was pretty much numb. "Oh god, I'm in love with the epidural man. Mmm," she laughed.
Roger kissed her and started rubbing her stomach. "Baby, I thought you were in love with me."
"Oh I am. But he just made me feel real good," she giggled. The monitor beeped again.
"Feel anything?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Not much. Just a little pressure, but that's all."
"Can I be your epidural man and make you feel even better?"
Mimi laughed. "In six weeks you can be," she winked.
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SEPTEMBER 5th
1 AMMaureen ran down the hall and into the waiting room, clutching two cups of coffee. "You guys! It's time. She's dilated to ten, Roger just told me."
"They're not gonna let us all in there Mo," Collins pointed out.
Maureen nodded and handed Harvey his cup of coffee. "Yeah, I know. But I just figured I'd tell you. Maybe we can sit out in the hall or something?" She looked around the waiting room. "Where'd Roger's parents go?"
"To the cafeteria," Harvey answered. "They wanted to grab something to eat. They should be back any minute."
Sandra and Frank Davis walked in, their own cups of coffee in their hands. "What's going on?" Sandra asked. "Did we miss something?"
Maureen shook her head and took a sip of her coffee. "Mimi's ready to start pushing. Roger sent me down here to tell everyone."
Sandra smiled. "My baby's finally having a baby of his own. Which one of you is going down there?"
Maureen grinned. "None of us. Mimi kicked us all out."
"I don't blame her. I wouldn't want a ton of people hanging around me when I look like hell and am exposing myself to the world!"
Everyone laughed and sat back down in chairs. "I guess he'll just let us know when she's had her then," Dan voiced.
Mark nodded. "Yeah." He linked his hand through Jackie's and she smiled at him. "He will."
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2:45 AM
"Shut the hell up!"
Roger winced and started rubbing her back. "Come on, you can do this."
"Okay Mimi, you can start pushing again. Give me one good one, and the baby should start crowning soon." Dr. Wilson checked the monitors.
"God I hate you Roger! I hate you! Why can't you just impregnate yourself next time!" she sobbed, pushing down.
"She's almost here Mimi. We'll be able to hold her in a few minutes. Come on baby," he encouraged her, kissing her on the cheek.
"Good. I can see the top of her head now, give me a good push—now," Dr. Wilson said.
Mimi closed her eyes and pushed. "Oh my fucking god!" she screamed out.
"Now that's not something you'd want your priest to hear," the doctor laughed. "Alright, she's crowning. Come on Mimi, one more push and she'll be here."
Mimi scowled and glared at Roger. "You said just one more five minutes ago! Is this the last one?" she complained, pushing down once again. "I can't do this anymore!"
"I can see the head!"
"Yes you can babe. You're doing great," Roger said, squeezing her hand.
"You're a douche bag. Shut the fuck up!" she shouted back at him. "You've lost all of your speaking privileges for the rest of our—marriage!" she groaned, falling back against the pillows.
"Come on Mimi! Here she comes!" the doctor encouraged.
Mimi felt the baby slide the rest of the way out and struggled to look over her knees.
"It's a girl! Say hi to Mommy and Daddy, sweetheart!" Dr. Wilson smiled. Nurse Jan helped clean the baby off as the doctor suctioned. The baby let out a cry and Jan placed the baby on Mimi's chest. "Time of birth—September 5th, 3:03 AM."
"Oh my god Roger. Look at her," Mimi said. She ran her hand down the baby's back as it let out a tiny yawn.
Roger bent his head and kissed her before running his hand down the baby's arm. She attached her pudgy hand around one of his fingers. "She's perfect." He ran his other hand gently through her light brown hair. "Hey Jaylynn. Hi," he whispered.
Mimi gave him a watery smile as Dr. Wilson allowed Roger to cut the cord. "Hi baby," she smiled.
Jan came over and wrapped the baby in a pink blanket and attached an ID bracelet to her wrist. "Jaylynn?"
Mimi nodded. "Jaylynn Angela."
"You did great," Roger said, giving Mimi another kiss. "She's beautiful."
"Yeah. She is," Mimi smiled, fingering the wisps of Jaylynn's hair underneath the pink cap.
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