Chapter 9
Really That Amazing
The miracle of birth, to be honest Jill never saw birth as a form of a miracle. She didn't even consider it as a blessing in disguise. All Jill saw it as was an enormous hinder on somebody's life. That was why she always took extreme care on areas such as birth control.
For the first time, however, Jill was seeing the whole pregnancy process under a new light. She was seeing it through the eyes of Claire Redfield.
Claire never asked for it, she didn't even make the choices that would result in it. A child, by some act of good or other unseen forces, was put inside of her. And not even once had Jill seen Claire resent the fact that soon she was going to be a mother.
This is what really baffled Jill. Claire had never come off to Jill as 'motherly.' She didn't seem like the type of girl that was ready to settle down. Jill should know, she was made of the same kind of girl. Claire was just so adventurous, so full of spirit. Jill would never have pegged her as someone wanting to enter the realm of motherhood.
When it came to really thinking about it, however, Jill realized that maybe she was little harsh on the concept. Then again she had little to base it on, other then her own experiences.
Her own mother left Jill and her father when Jill was only a young girl. Jill never fully understood why her mom left; she could only presume that she had enough of her husband, who was a cat burglar and easy to get fed up with. Whatever the reason her mother took the easy way out. Jill was subsequently never brought up with things that only mother could offer. She would go over to friend's houses and watch other mother's fuss over unimportant issues and nag their children about meaningless things. In the end Jill only saw mother's as unnecessary.
There was never anyone that Jill ever leaned on in the female department. Soon it became easier that way. So Jill had her reasons against being pregnant, now she was curious why Claire didn't seem to have those same reasons.
One evening Jill caught Claire alone reading The Big Book of Baby Names. Because she was the sister of the man that she loved, and for the sheer fact that Jill had become very fond of Claire she went to go talk to the younger Redfield.
"Find any good one's yet?" Jill asked joining her on the couch.
"Oh there all fine," Claire said closing the book. "I guess I'm just searching for one that just leaps out at me and screams 'I'm perfect,' but then again there probably is no such thing as the perfect name."
"Nothings perfect," Jill replied rationally.
"Don't I know it," Claire sighed heavily "Still can't blame a girl for trying."
Jill merely smiled at Claire. No she couldn't.
"So Jill," Claire said breaking a few brief moments of silence "has my brother been bothering you lately. I may be over eight months pregnant, but that doesn't mean I still can't beat the crap out of him."
Jill laughed "No, that won't be necessary, at least not today."
The two women smiled "So where's my brother by the way?" Claire said looking around the room "I didn't think he went with Leon, Adam and Sherry to the zoo."
"No, he and Barry actually went to do some grocery shopping, if you can believe it?"
"Well I guess there's a first for everything," Claire said getting up from the couch; Jill instinctively got up to help her.
"Thanks," Claire said before gaining her own balance and wobbling over to the kitchen.
Still finding herself wanting to talk to Claire Jill followed her into the kitchen and began to help her prepare her ham sandwiches. Claire, probably sensing Jill's inner motives, had stopped what she was doing and turned to her.
"Jill, what's on your mind?" She asked, her voice was light and pleasant.
The auburn hair women's bluntness caught Jill off guard and for awhile all she could do was remain silent. Claire, however, waited patiently and when they both were sitting at the kitchen table eating their lunches Jill at last spoke.
"Claire, doesn't all this freak you out? I mean I don't want to scare you, but this baby...you have no idea where it comes from. In all honesty, no matter what the doctor says there are no guarantees that it will even be human. And then let's say in the end everything works out and the child is perfectly normal, well then your still left with the burdens of being a mother," pausing for a moment Jill preceded carefully with what she was going to say next. "My next question is pretty frank," Jill began carefully "but I want you to tell me...why didn't you just have an abortion Claire?"
When she was done Jill bit her lip. A lot more came out then she attended and Jill half expected Claire just to get up and walk away. But instead Claire sat there calmly showing the courage that made Jill respect her as much as she did, and when she spoke Jill found not only her mind, but her heart listening intently.
"Of course, they scare me to death, what kind of person would I be if they didn't? It's just this pregnancy Jill, it's just so much more then I expected. If it was under normal circumstances I probably would have had an abortion, but it isn't. Here I am with this child inside of me and to be honest, even to myself, I need this child probably more then it needs me."
Jill didn't know what to say, she was at a complete loss for words. Claire went back to eating her sandwich, but Jill had loss her appetite.
"Claire," she said to the younger women as she was finishing up with eating her lunch. "For what it's worth to you I think your going to be an amazing mother."
Claire smiled brightly. "Coming from you Jill, that means everything."
Trying to fight the back the foreign tears that were forming in her eyes Jill helped Claire up from her seat. They were making their way back to the couch when Claire suddenly formed a death grip onto Jill's shoulder.
"What is it?" Jill asked concerned.
"Jill, I...I think my water just broke."
Carlos drove, Rebecca kept telling her to take deep breathes and Jill held her hand. All the awhile Claire kept suppressing the overwhelming anxiety that she was about to have a baby.
Every part of her was freaking out and no matter how hard she tried to block it out there was this voice inside her head that kept screaming. Your about to be a mother.
"Did you call everybody?" She asked absent mindedly.
"Yes, everybody is going to meet us at the hospital," Jill replied calmly.
"Everybody?"
"Yes, hun, everybody."
They arrived at the hospital and like Jill said everybody was there. They all greeted her kindly, but there wasn't time to talk because immediately upon arrival the nurses shoved her into a wheel chair and rushed her off to the delivery room.
To Claire's great relief, she was extremely grateful that she wasn't alone. As soon as the van doors had opened Leon was by her side.
As they sped down the hospital hallways Claire heard the nurse ask Leon. "Are you the father?"
"No," he said startled.
"Alright," the nurse said indifferently, and the three of them continued on their way.
Pain wasn't a new feeling to Claire Redfield. Apart from the pain she had endured while battling against Umbrella and the company's growing list of minions, Claire remembered back when she was ten. She and Chris were building a fort in a pine tree that grew in the far part of their backyard. Claire was hammering two boards together when she missed and hammered her own hand into the pointing up nail. There was another time during her senior year in high school, on one drunken night she dropped her beer bottle and then was dumb enough to step over it with her bare feet. Granted she was too drunk to feel it at the time, but when the next morning came she defiantly felt the consequences.
Where all these pains were horrible and will always stand out vividly in her mind, none of them will ever top the pain that is child birth.
"Come on push Claire, come you can do it," Leon supportably repeated, Claire could have shot him.
By the end of her labor every inch of her body was covered in sweat. Her teeth were grinding so tightly against each other that she was starting to feel them crush. However, after everything, after the pain, after all the fear and worry it was done, and more worth it then words would ever be able to describe.
The doctor came up from underneath her and in his arms was a beautiful baby girl.
Tears started to run down her face as she took the girl in her arms. She was the most gorgeous thing that Claire had ever laid her eyes on.
"My...my god," she whispered breathlessly before looking up at Leon who was staring down at her, his face beaming.
"She's absolutely gorgeous," he said smiling "What do you think you're going to name her?"
Claire looked back down at her child and kissed her ever so gently on the top of her forehead.
"How does Grace sound?"
Leon bent down giving his own kiss to the new born child. "I think Grace sounds perfect."
Smiling brightly Claire looked down at her daughter, her daughter Grace.
He had only walked by. He wasn't even planning on walking in, but when he saw the two of them together something inside of him started turning. Something that Adam was not at all proud of.
A little later everyone gather in Claire's room as she introduced her new daughter.
"Everyone, this is Grace."
"God, Claire," Rebecca exclaimed. "She's beautiful."
"Can I hold her?" Chris asked hesitantly. Claire nodded and carefully set Grace into her older brother's arms.
Chris looked as if he was about to cry as he held his niece so snuggly in his arms.
"I can't believe I'm an uncle," Chris said to no one in particular.
No one said anything in return, as they all marveled at the miracle that was this new born child.
Eventually everyone began to leave the room to let Claire get some sleep. Adam stayed behind the others, so he could be alone with Claire.
As Claire was looking at him expectantly Adam just stood there, watching.
"What's up?" Claire eventually asked, stifling a yawn as she did so.
Adam could only look at her in agony.
"Is something wrong Adam?" Claire asked now sounding concerned.
Not able to make himself look at her, in a dry, quiet voice he at last spoke. "You're a really an amazing girl Claire. I mean more amazing then I think words are capable of describing. I just...I just wish it didn't have to come down to this."
"What are you talking about Adam?"
Still not having the courage to look at her Adam reached for his gun from his belt and pointed it at Claire.
"Claire, please," he begged "just hand over the kid."
"Ad...Adam what are you doing?"
"Hand over the fucking kid Claire!" He shouted pressing his gun against her temple.
"I'm not handing over my child!" Claire shouted back, her voice was a mixture of fury, confusion and freight.
"God Dammit," was all he could say as he hit Claire in the head with the butt of his pistol.
As she laid there unconscious Adam picked up the child. It was such a beautiful kid, it looked so angelic and innocent. Having to stop his thoughts Adam violently shook his head.
"Its better this way," he said trying to convince himself more then anything else.
Knowing that he shouldn't be there a second longer Adam took one last look at Claire. With Grace securely in his arms he left the room.
AUTHORS NOTE:
Well another chapter done. I hope everyone's summer is going well.
Always,
Leah
Really That Amazing
The miracle of birth, to be honest Jill never saw birth as a form of a miracle. She didn't even consider it as a blessing in disguise. All Jill saw it as was an enormous hinder on somebody's life. That was why she always took extreme care on areas such as birth control.
For the first time, however, Jill was seeing the whole pregnancy process under a new light. She was seeing it through the eyes of Claire Redfield.
Claire never asked for it, she didn't even make the choices that would result in it. A child, by some act of good or other unseen forces, was put inside of her. And not even once had Jill seen Claire resent the fact that soon she was going to be a mother.
This is what really baffled Jill. Claire had never come off to Jill as 'motherly.' She didn't seem like the type of girl that was ready to settle down. Jill should know, she was made of the same kind of girl. Claire was just so adventurous, so full of spirit. Jill would never have pegged her as someone wanting to enter the realm of motherhood.
When it came to really thinking about it, however, Jill realized that maybe she was little harsh on the concept. Then again she had little to base it on, other then her own experiences.
Her own mother left Jill and her father when Jill was only a young girl. Jill never fully understood why her mom left; she could only presume that she had enough of her husband, who was a cat burglar and easy to get fed up with. Whatever the reason her mother took the easy way out. Jill was subsequently never brought up with things that only mother could offer. She would go over to friend's houses and watch other mother's fuss over unimportant issues and nag their children about meaningless things. In the end Jill only saw mother's as unnecessary.
There was never anyone that Jill ever leaned on in the female department. Soon it became easier that way. So Jill had her reasons against being pregnant, now she was curious why Claire didn't seem to have those same reasons.
One evening Jill caught Claire alone reading The Big Book of Baby Names. Because she was the sister of the man that she loved, and for the sheer fact that Jill had become very fond of Claire she went to go talk to the younger Redfield.
"Find any good one's yet?" Jill asked joining her on the couch.
"Oh there all fine," Claire said closing the book. "I guess I'm just searching for one that just leaps out at me and screams 'I'm perfect,' but then again there probably is no such thing as the perfect name."
"Nothings perfect," Jill replied rationally.
"Don't I know it," Claire sighed heavily "Still can't blame a girl for trying."
Jill merely smiled at Claire. No she couldn't.
"So Jill," Claire said breaking a few brief moments of silence "has my brother been bothering you lately. I may be over eight months pregnant, but that doesn't mean I still can't beat the crap out of him."
Jill laughed "No, that won't be necessary, at least not today."
The two women smiled "So where's my brother by the way?" Claire said looking around the room "I didn't think he went with Leon, Adam and Sherry to the zoo."
"No, he and Barry actually went to do some grocery shopping, if you can believe it?"
"Well I guess there's a first for everything," Claire said getting up from the couch; Jill instinctively got up to help her.
"Thanks," Claire said before gaining her own balance and wobbling over to the kitchen.
Still finding herself wanting to talk to Claire Jill followed her into the kitchen and began to help her prepare her ham sandwiches. Claire, probably sensing Jill's inner motives, had stopped what she was doing and turned to her.
"Jill, what's on your mind?" She asked, her voice was light and pleasant.
The auburn hair women's bluntness caught Jill off guard and for awhile all she could do was remain silent. Claire, however, waited patiently and when they both were sitting at the kitchen table eating their lunches Jill at last spoke.
"Claire, doesn't all this freak you out? I mean I don't want to scare you, but this baby...you have no idea where it comes from. In all honesty, no matter what the doctor says there are no guarantees that it will even be human. And then let's say in the end everything works out and the child is perfectly normal, well then your still left with the burdens of being a mother," pausing for a moment Jill preceded carefully with what she was going to say next. "My next question is pretty frank," Jill began carefully "but I want you to tell me...why didn't you just have an abortion Claire?"
When she was done Jill bit her lip. A lot more came out then she attended and Jill half expected Claire just to get up and walk away. But instead Claire sat there calmly showing the courage that made Jill respect her as much as she did, and when she spoke Jill found not only her mind, but her heart listening intently.
"Of course, they scare me to death, what kind of person would I be if they didn't? It's just this pregnancy Jill, it's just so much more then I expected. If it was under normal circumstances I probably would have had an abortion, but it isn't. Here I am with this child inside of me and to be honest, even to myself, I need this child probably more then it needs me."
Jill didn't know what to say, she was at a complete loss for words. Claire went back to eating her sandwich, but Jill had loss her appetite.
"Claire," she said to the younger women as she was finishing up with eating her lunch. "For what it's worth to you I think your going to be an amazing mother."
Claire smiled brightly. "Coming from you Jill, that means everything."
Trying to fight the back the foreign tears that were forming in her eyes Jill helped Claire up from her seat. They were making their way back to the couch when Claire suddenly formed a death grip onto Jill's shoulder.
"What is it?" Jill asked concerned.
"Jill, I...I think my water just broke."
Carlos drove, Rebecca kept telling her to take deep breathes and Jill held her hand. All the awhile Claire kept suppressing the overwhelming anxiety that she was about to have a baby.
Every part of her was freaking out and no matter how hard she tried to block it out there was this voice inside her head that kept screaming. Your about to be a mother.
"Did you call everybody?" She asked absent mindedly.
"Yes, everybody is going to meet us at the hospital," Jill replied calmly.
"Everybody?"
"Yes, hun, everybody."
They arrived at the hospital and like Jill said everybody was there. They all greeted her kindly, but there wasn't time to talk because immediately upon arrival the nurses shoved her into a wheel chair and rushed her off to the delivery room.
To Claire's great relief, she was extremely grateful that she wasn't alone. As soon as the van doors had opened Leon was by her side.
As they sped down the hospital hallways Claire heard the nurse ask Leon. "Are you the father?"
"No," he said startled.
"Alright," the nurse said indifferently, and the three of them continued on their way.
Pain wasn't a new feeling to Claire Redfield. Apart from the pain she had endured while battling against Umbrella and the company's growing list of minions, Claire remembered back when she was ten. She and Chris were building a fort in a pine tree that grew in the far part of their backyard. Claire was hammering two boards together when she missed and hammered her own hand into the pointing up nail. There was another time during her senior year in high school, on one drunken night she dropped her beer bottle and then was dumb enough to step over it with her bare feet. Granted she was too drunk to feel it at the time, but when the next morning came she defiantly felt the consequences.
Where all these pains were horrible and will always stand out vividly in her mind, none of them will ever top the pain that is child birth.
"Come on push Claire, come you can do it," Leon supportably repeated, Claire could have shot him.
By the end of her labor every inch of her body was covered in sweat. Her teeth were grinding so tightly against each other that she was starting to feel them crush. However, after everything, after the pain, after all the fear and worry it was done, and more worth it then words would ever be able to describe.
The doctor came up from underneath her and in his arms was a beautiful baby girl.
Tears started to run down her face as she took the girl in her arms. She was the most gorgeous thing that Claire had ever laid her eyes on.
"My...my god," she whispered breathlessly before looking up at Leon who was staring down at her, his face beaming.
"She's absolutely gorgeous," he said smiling "What do you think you're going to name her?"
Claire looked back down at her child and kissed her ever so gently on the top of her forehead.
"How does Grace sound?"
Leon bent down giving his own kiss to the new born child. "I think Grace sounds perfect."
Smiling brightly Claire looked down at her daughter, her daughter Grace.
He had only walked by. He wasn't even planning on walking in, but when he saw the two of them together something inside of him started turning. Something that Adam was not at all proud of.
A little later everyone gather in Claire's room as she introduced her new daughter.
"Everyone, this is Grace."
"God, Claire," Rebecca exclaimed. "She's beautiful."
"Can I hold her?" Chris asked hesitantly. Claire nodded and carefully set Grace into her older brother's arms.
Chris looked as if he was about to cry as he held his niece so snuggly in his arms.
"I can't believe I'm an uncle," Chris said to no one in particular.
No one said anything in return, as they all marveled at the miracle that was this new born child.
Eventually everyone began to leave the room to let Claire get some sleep. Adam stayed behind the others, so he could be alone with Claire.
As Claire was looking at him expectantly Adam just stood there, watching.
"What's up?" Claire eventually asked, stifling a yawn as she did so.
Adam could only look at her in agony.
"Is something wrong Adam?" Claire asked now sounding concerned.
Not able to make himself look at her, in a dry, quiet voice he at last spoke. "You're a really an amazing girl Claire. I mean more amazing then I think words are capable of describing. I just...I just wish it didn't have to come down to this."
"What are you talking about Adam?"
Still not having the courage to look at her Adam reached for his gun from his belt and pointed it at Claire.
"Claire, please," he begged "just hand over the kid."
"Ad...Adam what are you doing?"
"Hand over the fucking kid Claire!" He shouted pressing his gun against her temple.
"I'm not handing over my child!" Claire shouted back, her voice was a mixture of fury, confusion and freight.
"God Dammit," was all he could say as he hit Claire in the head with the butt of his pistol.
As she laid there unconscious Adam picked up the child. It was such a beautiful kid, it looked so angelic and innocent. Having to stop his thoughts Adam violently shook his head.
"Its better this way," he said trying to convince himself more then anything else.
Knowing that he shouldn't be there a second longer Adam took one last look at Claire. With Grace securely in his arms he left the room.
AUTHORS NOTE:
Well another chapter done. I hope everyone's summer is going well.
Always,
Leah