Chapter Four
Nine Months and Counting
Topanga
After Angela finished her story, I had no more tears to cry. Being pregnant made me cry at the slightest reason. She told me that outside of her family, no knew except for me. I asked her if she would ever tell Shawn. She nodded and said that they were going to talk about it the next night.
After that, there was nothing I could do except to go home and talk to Cory. I explained to him how depressed I had been at the thought of disrupting our whole lives over something that I had no control over. He confessed to me that he had been apprehensive over the fact that we were starting a family before we finished college, but he had faith that we would get though it together. Just like he had said all along.
We went back to Ms Runyon and told her that we had definately decided against adoption. She understood and even gave us some more resources to help young parents. We even started Lamaze classes. After seeing the birthing videos, I was ready to go the epidural route. Cory agreed on that one.
The last weeks of my pregnancy zoomed by. Angela and Rachel threw me a baby shower, which everyone attended, even Nana BooBoo. (And we did get to keep the check.) We moved into our new two bedroom apartment exactly one week before my due date. As big as I was, I was painting the baby's room a neutral yellow and orange. For some reason, my body was pressing me to clean and clean, a lot more than usual. Dr Hastings said it was my nesting instinct kicking in.
At any rate, the baby's room was done on my due date. I had my suitcase by the door, a list of people for Cory to call, and we had put a car seat in our car. So we were ready, but apparently the baby wasn't. Two days over my due date turned into two weeks, and Dr Hastings teased me by saying that now that I had gotten into being pregnant, I didn't want to give the baby up. She didn't want to induce labor unless the baby was getting obsenely large, which it wasn't.
Finally, three weeks after my due date, I started to feel... odd. We were in a movie theatre, watching a movie I had really wanted to see, but I couldn't concentrate on it because my stomach was getting tighter and then would soften again. I figured that it was those fake contractions that I had been experiencing for a month. We had already made three trips to the hospital because of them. So I decided to sit tight (literally). About an hour and a half into the movie, I started to feel wetness between my legs. It wasn't a great burst, just enough to let me know that it would be embarassing walking out of the movie theatre. I nudged Cory, who was eating popcorn, his eyes glued to the screen. On his other side were Shawn and Angela, Eric and Tory, and Jack and Rachel. (This was a group outing.) When I whispered to Cory that I thought that my water was breaking, his reaction made six other heads swivel and turn to us. Once they figured out what was going on, they all got up and prepared to leave.
"No," I hissed. "Watch the movie! I'll be fine!"
Of course, they didn't listen. We left to the boos of our fellow moviegoers becaue of the noise we were making, which made Eric yell, "We're having a baby!" Everyone clapped as I ran out, clutching my stomach. The contractions were becoming stronger, and I found myself stopping and panting them out between trying to get to the car. About five feet before I got there, my water did break, which embarrassed me thoroughly but pleased Cory because he didn't want to have to get the car detailed. We caravanned to the hospital at twenty miles over the speed limit. When we pulled up to the front of the emergency room, my parents and Cory's were waiting at the front entrance. I hopped into the wheelchair that the nurse had for me. I sat back, happy but anxious. We were going to have a baby!
Angela
We were all in the waiting room: Cory's parents, with Morgan and Josh, Topanga's parents, who were on opposite sides of the room but cordial, Mr Feeny, Jack, Rachel, Eric, Tory, Shawn and I. The nurse teased us that we were going to mob the baby when it was born. I tried not to think that the last time we were in a hospital like this, Shawn lost his father. This was a happy occasion.
Eric asked suddenly, "Does anyone have a clue if the baby's going to be a boy or girl?" We all looked at each other. Not one of us knew.
"I don't think they wanted to know ahead of time," Mrs Matthews said. She was sitting between her husband and Eric, who was holding Josh.
Shawn whispered in my ear, "You holding up okay?" I nodded gratefully. After I had told Shawn my story, he had been understandably hurt that I hadn't told him sooner, but he understood when I told him that he was my first real relationship after all of that had happened, and I didn't want to make the same mistake twice. Our relationship was stronger once everything had come out.
After a while, Cory came out of Topanga's room. "She would like to see you," he said, pointing to Mrs Lawrence. She went dashing in there. Cory came and sat down next to Shawn and I. "Just one thing, Cor. Do you know what the baby's going to be?"
"Sure do, Shawny." He whispered something in Shawn's ear, which made Shawn grin from ear to ear. I waited expectantly for Shawn to tell me, and when it was obvious that he had no intention of doing so, I socked him.
"Hey!" He rubbed his arm.
"Are you going to tell me what he said?"
Shawn's grin grew wider. "Later."
"I'm going to hold you to that."
Topanga
"Drugs! Drugs! Unhhhhh!" After I chanted that a few times, the contraction subsided. I laid back on the bed, exhausted and sweaty. Cory gave me ice chips, which I really didn't want but I was too tired to say so. "Darn anestheia reaction," I muttered. My doctor had recommended natural childbirth based on the way I had reacted under sedation when I had my molars removed. (I slept for about four days straight.) So I was suffering the good old-fashioned way.
"You're doing great, honey."
All of the sudden, my body was telling me to push. I didn't even know that I would feel like that. "I've got to push!" I yelled. "Now!"
Dr Hastings laughed. "Go ahead, Topanga. Push as hard as you can." I did, and as I did so, I heard a thump. I opened my eyes to find Cory slumped over on the floor. "The baby's head is crowning." I realized that I could feel exactly what she was talking about. Then the sensation to push came on me again, and I went with it, not thinking about anything else. "The baby's head is out! Give me about three more of those big pushes, and you'll have your baby." I did so, groaning with the strain. I felt something slide out of me, and then Dr Hastings said, "You have a girl!"
I laughed aloud. "Can I hold her?"
"In a minute. The nurses are cleaning her up."
As they were getting her ready, Cory sat up weakly. "How is she?"
"How did you know that the baby was a girl?"
He looked sheepish. "I found out at the last ultrasound. Since you didn't want to know, I didn't tell you."
"Okay."
"Okay? No big speech?"
"Too tired for big speeches." The nurse brought the baby over for me to hold. I took her, marvelling at how small she actually was. She had no hair, and her eyes were firmly shut. I saw that her fists were balled up. I counted her fingers and toes, pointing them out to Cory. I handed her to him, watching as he talked softly to her. Our eyes met over her head, and we smiled at each other. "You're a daddy!" I said softly.
"And you're a mommy."
Angela
Shawn and I were back at my apartment. We had just gotten back from the hospital, and we were exhausted. It was four o' clock in the morning, and we had classes the next day. We were on my couch, talking about the day's events.
"Shawn, what did Cory say to you earlier?"
"He said, Uncle Shawn will have a niece."
"I wondered if he knew. Listen, I have something to ask you. I know with Eric and Tory getting serious, and with Jack and Rachel already together, I'll bet your apartment is getting crowded. I was wondering, did you want to live here, with me?"
"No."
"No!" I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "Why not?"
"Because... well, I wasn't going to tell you until I heard from your dad, but oh, well." He got off of the couch and knelt in front of me. Realizing what he was about to do, I began to cry. I could barely see by the time that he said, "Angela, will you marry me?"
I sobbed out my answer. "Yes!"
Epilogue
Five years later
The refrigerator is covered with drawings. Some of them are 'abstract', others more detailed. One holds the place of honor, right in the middle. It is full of stick figures with names over the top. There are Uncle Eric and Aunt Tory, Uncle Jack, Aunt Morgan, Uncle Josh, Uncle Shawn and Aunt Angela, Mr Feeny, Ganny, Grampa, Nana, and Poppa, and Mommy and Daddy. And in the middle, one little stick figure with brown curly hair. Her name is Corrine Angelina.
End