Hello all! I know this took a long time I was on vacation, but it's a long chapter, so you can forgive me. Right? So if you can find it in your heart to forgive me, please leave me a review. It would be awesome. Thanks!
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. However, after a week on the beach I own two seashells, a box of salt water taffy, and a very bad sunburn.
Kirsten Cohen was not a happy camper.
Not only was she over eight months pregnant, but her new husband had gone out to drink with his buddies to celebrate the end of the semester. Sure, she had given him permission to go, but she didn't expect him to stay out this long. Okay, so he was almost done with law school and this would really be his last chance to go out with his friends and party before the baby was born. But she didn't get to party. She was stuck back at the apartment unable to pretty much complete the most simple of tasks, including moving. She had expected Sandy to realize that she was feeling fat and miserable and to recognize that she needed him to stay home with her that night and rub her feet and run and get her egg rolls and General Tso's chicken.
She was really craving General Tso's chicken right now. But the phone was all the way over on the other side of the room and she was in no position to get up and get it. Also the movie she had been watching had ended about ten minutes before, and she didn't really want to watch the news which had come on, but the remote was somewhere underneath the couch. She had dropped it while reaching for her popcorn and couldn't exactly bend down easily to pick it up.
"Sandy," she whined out loud to no one. "Where the hell are you? I want my chicken and I want my remote. Ugh." She turned and looked down at her protruding stomach. "I don't want to sound rude or inhospitable, but it's time for you to get the hell out kid." The message went largely ignored and she moaned again and closed her eyes and tried to sleep. Sleep was a very welcomed and very rare commodity recently. Kirsten was sore and heavily pregnant and could never get comfortable enough to sleep. Sandy, bless his little heart, had taken to staying up with her and rubbing her back, but he had classes in the morning, and she couldn't expect him to stay up with her every night.
Kirsten sighed and shifted her weight a bit to try to fall asleep. She cringed in pain and managed to pull herself up placing a hand on her stomach.
Was that a contraction?
No. It was too early. She wasn't due for another three weeks. Sandy was supposed to be here, not stumbling in drunk while she was in labor. Not tonight.
"Not tonight," she whispered to her stomach. "I know I just told you to get out, but please, I was kidding. It's not time for you to come out yet. Wait until your daddy is home with me. Okay?" And she thought that the baby had listened, until she felt another contraction.
"Oh God," she moaned. "You don't listen at all!" This obvious inability to listen to his or her mother was obviously something that they would have to work on in the future. She managed to get her legs over the side of the couch and very slowly, and very shakily, climbed to her feet.
Where was the phone? She would call her mother. Even though her mother was hours away, she would get on a plane and be there as soon as she could. And she would know what to do. Yes, Kirsten decided, calling her mother was the best course of action.
Why again, had she let Sandy go out that night? That decision was plaguing her right then. Stupid, she said to herself, stupid, stupid. She reached the phone and winced again as she dialed her parent's number.
"Hello?" It was her father that picked up. Kirsten still wasn't really talking to him, but at the sound of his voice she wanted to cry. She didn't want to be six hours away by herself when she went into premature labor. She wanted her husband there. She wanted her parents there with her. Actually, she would settle for anyone by this point. She just didn't want to be alone.
"Daddy? Can you please put Mommy on the phone?"
"Kiki?"
"Dad. Mom. Phone. Now. Please." Her father got the point and went off in search of her mother.
"Kirsten honey? What's the matter?"
"I'm having the baby," Kirsten wailed into the phone. "And Sandy went out for a few drinks with his friends to celebrate the end of the semester, and I'm alone, and it's too soon, and I'm scared, and the damn kid won't listen!" Kirsten was near hysterics now.
"Okay, baby, slow down, okay? Take deep breaths. I'll call and get on the first flight out, okay? Now, Sandy will be home soon, and honey, I know that you're scared, but it's going to be okay. It's only three weeks early. It's going to be fine. Meanwhile, why don't you call Trish to come sit with you?" Her mother was using her most soothing voice and Kirsten did calm down a little bit.
"Okay," she said sniffing. She hung up and dialed Trish's number. Trish, thank God, had a final the next day and was home studying. She answered on the third ring.
"Hello?"
"Trish?"
"Kirsten?"
"I'm having the baby."
"Oh my God! Are you at the hospital? Where's Sandy? Isn't it early?"
"Sandy went out for the night."
"I'm on my way. I'll be there in five minutes. Just...don't have that baby until we get you to the hospital all right?"
"I'm trying my damndest here Trish," Kirsten assured her. She hung up and looked at the clock. She just wanted Sandy. She wanted Sandy to be there with her. The shrill ring of the phone startled her and she picked it up.
"Sandy?"
"No honey, it's Mom. Did you call Trish?"
"She's on her way over."
"Good, I'm on the 11:20 flight. I'm leaving for the airport now. I'll meet you at the hospital, okay?"
"Okay," Kirsten said as another contraction hit her. "Hurry."
"I'm coming as fast as I can," her mother promised. Kirsten heard the front door open and she breathed a sigh of relief. Sandy was home. It felt like a huge weight was now lifted off her shoulder.
"Kirsten?" Damn. No Sandy. It was just Trish. "I ran like five red lights to get over here. Are you ready to go to the hospital?" Kirsten began to cry at this question and Trish rushed to her. "What's the matter? Are you okay?"
"No! I want my husband dammit! It's not supposed to happen like this!" Trish gave her an awkward hug and ran a hand over Kirsten's hair.
"I know honey, but let's get to the hospital okay?" Trish coaxed her out of the door and into her car and they sped to the hospital, forgetting completely that Sandy would have no idea where they were when he finally got home.
Sandy walked in the door a half hour later. He had called the night short wanting nothing more than to get home to his pregnant wife. He had felt bad about leaving her in the first place, but Kirsten had insisted, and he had known that there was no arguing with her when she had her mind made up about something.
"You need to go out and have fun. You won't get to do it again for awhile once the baby is born. Now is your time. I'll be fine here. I was just planning on trying to get some sleep anyway. It will be fine. Go. Have fun." He had listened to her, secretly grateful for her pushing him out of the door. It didn't mean that he didn't feel guilty that she was home by herself as he was having fun out with his friends. He had only one drink and had nursed it all night as his friends celebrated the end of the semester. He had excused himself as soon as he could and hurried back to the house that he shared with his wife of four months. They had just moved in three weeks prior, and while it wasn't a mansion like she was used to, it was charming and enough for the two of them.
Okay, so charming wasn't exactly the word choice that he would necessarily use. It was definitely not the word that Kirsten had used when the hormones raged and she let him know her true feelings about the place. She had calmed down and admitted that it was fine. A fixer-upper, she had told him smiling. He smiled to himself as he turned the key in the door. Trying to be quiet and not wake her, he slipped into the living room expecting to see her asleep on the couch. There was the blanket, and the remote was lying innocently on the floor, and an empty bowl of popcorn was lying on the coffee table, but there was no Kirsten. He turned around in confusion. The television was on.
"Kirsten?" He called. Maybe she was in the bathroom. He moved towards the bathroom and found that the bathroom on the first floor was empty. Okay, he was squelching the panic that was rising inside of him and started up the stairs. She was probably in their bedroom. He checked the upstairs bathroom, and it too was empty. And when he opened the door and peered into their bedroom, his heart sank to find that Kirsten wasn't curled up in the bed. So where was she then?
"Kirsten?" This time his voice was a little louder and a little more concerned. "Honey? Are you here?" He hurried back down the stairs and checked the kitchen. No. She had been there at some point that night, the fridge and cupboards had been raided, and the pickles, for which she had developed a strong craving for, were all gone. He ran a hand through his hair and willed himself not to panic. It was possible that she could have gone out to get something to eat or something.
Then again, this was the woman who had vowed not to leave the couch for the next three weeks unless she had to go to the bathroom or to go to bed. Okay. He would call Trish. Maybe she had gone to Trish's to watch a movie or something. He found the number in Kirsten's incredibly organized and neat phone book. He cursed when Trish's perky voice came on telling him,
"A is for academics, B is for beer, one of these two things is why I'm not here." Don't panic Sandy, he willed himself. Maybe she went to the hospital. Of course, that set him in full panic mode. But he calmed himself down and He picked up the phone. He needed to call hospitals. That would make him feel like he was in control. He was in control. Sandy repeated to himself. Kirsten is fine. The baby is fine. Everything is fine. There is a perfectly good explanation for why she's not here. The phone rang as he was holding it in his hands and he jumped.
"Kirsten?"
"Sandy! Thank God you're home!" Trish was on the other end at the hospital holding Kirsten's hand.
"Trish? Where's Kirsten?"
"We're at the hospital," Trish told him. His heart stopped.
"Is she okay? Is the baby okay?"
"She went into labor," Trish told him. "They can't stop it, because she's already too far along, but they said it will be fine. A little premature, but they should both be fine."
"Oh God Trish. Can I talk to her?"
"She wants to know if you're drunk. She said that if you are drunk then she doesn't want to talk to you, and to tell you to go to bed because her mother will be here soon and she only wants to see you when you are sober." Sandy had to laugh, it was so like Kirsten.
"I'm sober, can you put her on the phone?"
"Sandy?" His wife's voice sounded terrified and he wished that he was there with her. Why had he gone out that night?
"I'm on my way honey, okay? Don't worry, I'm on my way."
"Okay. Hurry, please Sandy."
"As fast as I can babe, I promise." He hung up and grabbed his keys and coat and ran out of the house.
"Kirsten Cohen? Where is she?" Sandy asked the receptionist as soon as he arrived.
"Let me look her up," the receptionist said. Sandy tapped his fingers impatiently on the counter.
"Could you hurry?" She ignored him.
"Room 230."
"Thanks," Sandy said running back towards the room. Trish came out into the hallway as he skidded to a stop.
"Oh good! You're here! I have to go finish studying. I'm just going to run home and get my books and I'll be in the waiting room."
"Is she doing okay?"
"Yeah, she's okay. A little scared, but then again, if something was about to be pushed out of me I'd be scared too," Trish shrugged.
"Thanks Trish," Sandy said. "Great visual."
"Well, prepare yourself. I've heard it's not a pretty sight," with that she left him alone in the hallway as she left to grab her stuff to study.
Kirsten was lying in the bed; her hair was limp and was sticking to her sweaty forehead. Her eyes were closed, but he knew her well enough to know that she wasn't asleep.
"Kirsten?" He said softly as he shut the door behind him.
"Sandy," she smiled wanly when she saw him. "You made it!" He crossed the small distance to her bed and reached out for her hand.
"I would have been here sooner, I'm so sorry," he dropped a kiss on her forehead, and Kirsten just smiled at him.
"You're here now. That's all that matters."
Kate Nichol was pacing the waiting room and making Trish dizzy.
"Mrs. Nichol? Could you stand still?" Trish finally asked looking up from her homework. "You're making me a little nauseous."
"Oh," Kate dropped down into the seat and began to play with her rings. "It's just...I wish it was over, you know? She's in so much pain." Kate had sat with Kirsten while Sandy had run back to their house to get some things that Kirsten and Trish had forgotten in their hasty exit from the house. She had cringed every time a contraction hit her daughter. Kate had busied herself with ice chips and fluffing Kirsten's pillow to make sure that she was comfortable.
Now that Sandy was back in there, holding her hand, Kate was relegated to the waiting room to sit with Trish and Sandy's friend Pete, who was fast asleep in a chair. If there was one thing that Kate Nichol hated, it was waiting.
Sandy appeared in the doorway to the waiting room, and Kate jumped out of her seat and Trish glanced up.
"Am I a grandmother?" Kate asked. Sandy shook his head.
"Not yet," he said. "The umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby's arm. They have to do a c-section. They're prepping her right now." Kate nodded trying to stay in control of her emotions. It wasn't like this was some rare procedure; the doctors did this every day. Both Kirsten and the baby would be fine. Doctors had been doing this for hundreds of years. But it was hard to stay calm when it came to her daughter. Things could go wrong. She shook the thoughts out of her head.
"Tell her I love her?" Kate asked Sandy. Sandy nodded and ran a hand through his hair as his mother-in-law wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "They're going to be fine. Both of them." Sandy didn't answer right away. When he finally pulled away from Kate, he just gave her a shaky smile.
"I'll let you know as soon as she has the baby." With that, he hurried back to his wife. He was scared, but one look at Kirsten's terrified face made him push back his fears and comfort her. He ran a hand over her blonde hair and smiled at her. A confident smile this time. Not like the smile that he had flashed Kate in the waiting room.
"You won't leave my side, right?" Kirsten asked her voice trembling slightly.
"They would have to pull me kicking and screaming away," he assured her. And he kept his promise. He held her hand throughout the whole thing, only letting go when he heard the scream of a baby and the doctor announced that it was a boy.
"A boy," Sandy couldn't keep the grin off of his face. "We have a baby boy, Kirsten!" The doctor placed the baby in his arms and Sandy felt warm tears snaking their way down his face. "Oh Kirsten. He's so beautiful." He leaned down to show her and a wide smile took over her exhausted face.
"He's so tiny. He's okay?"
"He's perfect," the doctor assured her. "Just a little on the small side."
"Perfect," Kirsten repeated.
Sandy burst into the waiting room, all smiles this time.
"A boy!" He announced. Trish shook Pete who woke up with a start.
"She have it yet?" He asked.
"A boy!" Kate said excitedly. "How's Kirsten?"
"She's okay. They're cleaning her up. She's exhausted, but fine. She was amazing," Sandy said. He couldn't keep the smiles off of his face. "I'm going to go get back to her. I just wanted to let you know."
"Can we see him?" Trish asked.
"They're bringing him to the nursery," Sandy told them. "Baby Boy Cohen."
"No name?" Pete asked. "Then may I suggest Peter?"
"You can, it's not going to happen," Sandy told him laughing. He left the waiting room to hurry back to Kirsten as the others went to the nursery window and peered through the windows to catch a glimpse of the baby.
"He needs a name," Kirsten said as she held him in her arms. She ran a hand over his tiny head and smiled. "He can't be Baby Boy Cohen forever."
"You're right," Sandy told her kissing the top of her head. "He does need a name." They had been arguing over names for the past few weeks and finally settled on Emily if it was a girl and it was a toss-up between Seth and David if it was a boy.
"I like Seth," Kirsten said. "Seth Cohen. It has a nice ring doesn't it?" Sandy smiled.
"It does indeed," he told her. "No David?"
"It's too common," she explained. "And he's not going to be common. He's going to be extraordinary. He's going to cure cancer, or rid the world of hunger." Sandy laughed.
"That's a lot of pressure to place on a kid who is only a few hours old," he told her.
"Oh be quiet," Kirsten said. "He is. He's going to be spectacular, I can tell." Sandy just kissed the top of her head again.
"Middle name?" Sandy asked. "David?"
"No. Peter. Seth Peter Cohen. It will make Pete happy and he's done so much for us." Pete had secured them the loan for the house, and helped Sandy pay for a honeymoon for Kirsten after she had refused to take money from her family.
"Seth Peter Cohen it is." Sandy took Seth in his arms and dropped a kiss on his forehead. "Kirsten, I think you may be right. He will be spectacular, just like his mother. He's going to cure diseases and bring peace and end starvation. He's going to be the president, or a diplomat or some other important job. Or maybe he's just going to have a big heart like his mom, and be just as smart as her, and whatever he does, I'm going to love him. Just like I love you." He turned to look at his wife, but she was fast asleep in her bed. "Kiddo, I hope that you know you wore your poor mother out today. I have a feeling you'll give us a run for our money and make life very interesting." Sandy grinned at the baby. "I sure hope so anyway."
Sandy sat on the bed and placed an arm around Kirsten and closed his eyes as he held Seth tightly to him.
That seems like as good of a place to stop as any. Please leave me reviews telling me what you think. I'm thinking one more chapter, but let me know. Thanks!
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. However, after a week on the beach I own two seashells, a box of salt water taffy, and a very bad sunburn.
Kirsten Cohen was not a happy camper.
Not only was she over eight months pregnant, but her new husband had gone out to drink with his buddies to celebrate the end of the semester. Sure, she had given him permission to go, but she didn't expect him to stay out this long. Okay, so he was almost done with law school and this would really be his last chance to go out with his friends and party before the baby was born. But she didn't get to party. She was stuck back at the apartment unable to pretty much complete the most simple of tasks, including moving. She had expected Sandy to realize that she was feeling fat and miserable and to recognize that she needed him to stay home with her that night and rub her feet and run and get her egg rolls and General Tso's chicken.
She was really craving General Tso's chicken right now. But the phone was all the way over on the other side of the room and she was in no position to get up and get it. Also the movie she had been watching had ended about ten minutes before, and she didn't really want to watch the news which had come on, but the remote was somewhere underneath the couch. She had dropped it while reaching for her popcorn and couldn't exactly bend down easily to pick it up.
"Sandy," she whined out loud to no one. "Where the hell are you? I want my chicken and I want my remote. Ugh." She turned and looked down at her protruding stomach. "I don't want to sound rude or inhospitable, but it's time for you to get the hell out kid." The message went largely ignored and she moaned again and closed her eyes and tried to sleep. Sleep was a very welcomed and very rare commodity recently. Kirsten was sore and heavily pregnant and could never get comfortable enough to sleep. Sandy, bless his little heart, had taken to staying up with her and rubbing her back, but he had classes in the morning, and she couldn't expect him to stay up with her every night.
Kirsten sighed and shifted her weight a bit to try to fall asleep. She cringed in pain and managed to pull herself up placing a hand on her stomach.
Was that a contraction?
No. It was too early. She wasn't due for another three weeks. Sandy was supposed to be here, not stumbling in drunk while she was in labor. Not tonight.
"Not tonight," she whispered to her stomach. "I know I just told you to get out, but please, I was kidding. It's not time for you to come out yet. Wait until your daddy is home with me. Okay?" And she thought that the baby had listened, until she felt another contraction.
"Oh God," she moaned. "You don't listen at all!" This obvious inability to listen to his or her mother was obviously something that they would have to work on in the future. She managed to get her legs over the side of the couch and very slowly, and very shakily, climbed to her feet.
Where was the phone? She would call her mother. Even though her mother was hours away, she would get on a plane and be there as soon as she could. And she would know what to do. Yes, Kirsten decided, calling her mother was the best course of action.
Why again, had she let Sandy go out that night? That decision was plaguing her right then. Stupid, she said to herself, stupid, stupid. She reached the phone and winced again as she dialed her parent's number.
"Hello?" It was her father that picked up. Kirsten still wasn't really talking to him, but at the sound of his voice she wanted to cry. She didn't want to be six hours away by herself when she went into premature labor. She wanted her husband there. She wanted her parents there with her. Actually, she would settle for anyone by this point. She just didn't want to be alone.
"Daddy? Can you please put Mommy on the phone?"
"Kiki?"
"Dad. Mom. Phone. Now. Please." Her father got the point and went off in search of her mother.
"Kirsten honey? What's the matter?"
"I'm having the baby," Kirsten wailed into the phone. "And Sandy went out for a few drinks with his friends to celebrate the end of the semester, and I'm alone, and it's too soon, and I'm scared, and the damn kid won't listen!" Kirsten was near hysterics now.
"Okay, baby, slow down, okay? Take deep breaths. I'll call and get on the first flight out, okay? Now, Sandy will be home soon, and honey, I know that you're scared, but it's going to be okay. It's only three weeks early. It's going to be fine. Meanwhile, why don't you call Trish to come sit with you?" Her mother was using her most soothing voice and Kirsten did calm down a little bit.
"Okay," she said sniffing. She hung up and dialed Trish's number. Trish, thank God, had a final the next day and was home studying. She answered on the third ring.
"Hello?"
"Trish?"
"Kirsten?"
"I'm having the baby."
"Oh my God! Are you at the hospital? Where's Sandy? Isn't it early?"
"Sandy went out for the night."
"I'm on my way. I'll be there in five minutes. Just...don't have that baby until we get you to the hospital all right?"
"I'm trying my damndest here Trish," Kirsten assured her. She hung up and looked at the clock. She just wanted Sandy. She wanted Sandy to be there with her. The shrill ring of the phone startled her and she picked it up.
"Sandy?"
"No honey, it's Mom. Did you call Trish?"
"She's on her way over."
"Good, I'm on the 11:20 flight. I'm leaving for the airport now. I'll meet you at the hospital, okay?"
"Okay," Kirsten said as another contraction hit her. "Hurry."
"I'm coming as fast as I can," her mother promised. Kirsten heard the front door open and she breathed a sigh of relief. Sandy was home. It felt like a huge weight was now lifted off her shoulder.
"Kirsten?" Damn. No Sandy. It was just Trish. "I ran like five red lights to get over here. Are you ready to go to the hospital?" Kirsten began to cry at this question and Trish rushed to her. "What's the matter? Are you okay?"
"No! I want my husband dammit! It's not supposed to happen like this!" Trish gave her an awkward hug and ran a hand over Kirsten's hair.
"I know honey, but let's get to the hospital okay?" Trish coaxed her out of the door and into her car and they sped to the hospital, forgetting completely that Sandy would have no idea where they were when he finally got home.
Sandy walked in the door a half hour later. He had called the night short wanting nothing more than to get home to his pregnant wife. He had felt bad about leaving her in the first place, but Kirsten had insisted, and he had known that there was no arguing with her when she had her mind made up about something.
"You need to go out and have fun. You won't get to do it again for awhile once the baby is born. Now is your time. I'll be fine here. I was just planning on trying to get some sleep anyway. It will be fine. Go. Have fun." He had listened to her, secretly grateful for her pushing him out of the door. It didn't mean that he didn't feel guilty that she was home by herself as he was having fun out with his friends. He had only one drink and had nursed it all night as his friends celebrated the end of the semester. He had excused himself as soon as he could and hurried back to the house that he shared with his wife of four months. They had just moved in three weeks prior, and while it wasn't a mansion like she was used to, it was charming and enough for the two of them.
Okay, so charming wasn't exactly the word choice that he would necessarily use. It was definitely not the word that Kirsten had used when the hormones raged and she let him know her true feelings about the place. She had calmed down and admitted that it was fine. A fixer-upper, she had told him smiling. He smiled to himself as he turned the key in the door. Trying to be quiet and not wake her, he slipped into the living room expecting to see her asleep on the couch. There was the blanket, and the remote was lying innocently on the floor, and an empty bowl of popcorn was lying on the coffee table, but there was no Kirsten. He turned around in confusion. The television was on.
"Kirsten?" He called. Maybe she was in the bathroom. He moved towards the bathroom and found that the bathroom on the first floor was empty. Okay, he was squelching the panic that was rising inside of him and started up the stairs. She was probably in their bedroom. He checked the upstairs bathroom, and it too was empty. And when he opened the door and peered into their bedroom, his heart sank to find that Kirsten wasn't curled up in the bed. So where was she then?
"Kirsten?" This time his voice was a little louder and a little more concerned. "Honey? Are you here?" He hurried back down the stairs and checked the kitchen. No. She had been there at some point that night, the fridge and cupboards had been raided, and the pickles, for which she had developed a strong craving for, were all gone. He ran a hand through his hair and willed himself not to panic. It was possible that she could have gone out to get something to eat or something.
Then again, this was the woman who had vowed not to leave the couch for the next three weeks unless she had to go to the bathroom or to go to bed. Okay. He would call Trish. Maybe she had gone to Trish's to watch a movie or something. He found the number in Kirsten's incredibly organized and neat phone book. He cursed when Trish's perky voice came on telling him,
"A is for academics, B is for beer, one of these two things is why I'm not here." Don't panic Sandy, he willed himself. Maybe she went to the hospital. Of course, that set him in full panic mode. But he calmed himself down and He picked up the phone. He needed to call hospitals. That would make him feel like he was in control. He was in control. Sandy repeated to himself. Kirsten is fine. The baby is fine. Everything is fine. There is a perfectly good explanation for why she's not here. The phone rang as he was holding it in his hands and he jumped.
"Kirsten?"
"Sandy! Thank God you're home!" Trish was on the other end at the hospital holding Kirsten's hand.
"Trish? Where's Kirsten?"
"We're at the hospital," Trish told him. His heart stopped.
"Is she okay? Is the baby okay?"
"She went into labor," Trish told him. "They can't stop it, because she's already too far along, but they said it will be fine. A little premature, but they should both be fine."
"Oh God Trish. Can I talk to her?"
"She wants to know if you're drunk. She said that if you are drunk then she doesn't want to talk to you, and to tell you to go to bed because her mother will be here soon and she only wants to see you when you are sober." Sandy had to laugh, it was so like Kirsten.
"I'm sober, can you put her on the phone?"
"Sandy?" His wife's voice sounded terrified and he wished that he was there with her. Why had he gone out that night?
"I'm on my way honey, okay? Don't worry, I'm on my way."
"Okay. Hurry, please Sandy."
"As fast as I can babe, I promise." He hung up and grabbed his keys and coat and ran out of the house.
"Kirsten Cohen? Where is she?" Sandy asked the receptionist as soon as he arrived.
"Let me look her up," the receptionist said. Sandy tapped his fingers impatiently on the counter.
"Could you hurry?" She ignored him.
"Room 230."
"Thanks," Sandy said running back towards the room. Trish came out into the hallway as he skidded to a stop.
"Oh good! You're here! I have to go finish studying. I'm just going to run home and get my books and I'll be in the waiting room."
"Is she doing okay?"
"Yeah, she's okay. A little scared, but then again, if something was about to be pushed out of me I'd be scared too," Trish shrugged.
"Thanks Trish," Sandy said. "Great visual."
"Well, prepare yourself. I've heard it's not a pretty sight," with that she left him alone in the hallway as she left to grab her stuff to study.
Kirsten was lying in the bed; her hair was limp and was sticking to her sweaty forehead. Her eyes were closed, but he knew her well enough to know that she wasn't asleep.
"Kirsten?" He said softly as he shut the door behind him.
"Sandy," she smiled wanly when she saw him. "You made it!" He crossed the small distance to her bed and reached out for her hand.
"I would have been here sooner, I'm so sorry," he dropped a kiss on her forehead, and Kirsten just smiled at him.
"You're here now. That's all that matters."
Kate Nichol was pacing the waiting room and making Trish dizzy.
"Mrs. Nichol? Could you stand still?" Trish finally asked looking up from her homework. "You're making me a little nauseous."
"Oh," Kate dropped down into the seat and began to play with her rings. "It's just...I wish it was over, you know? She's in so much pain." Kate had sat with Kirsten while Sandy had run back to their house to get some things that Kirsten and Trish had forgotten in their hasty exit from the house. She had cringed every time a contraction hit her daughter. Kate had busied herself with ice chips and fluffing Kirsten's pillow to make sure that she was comfortable.
Now that Sandy was back in there, holding her hand, Kate was relegated to the waiting room to sit with Trish and Sandy's friend Pete, who was fast asleep in a chair. If there was one thing that Kate Nichol hated, it was waiting.
Sandy appeared in the doorway to the waiting room, and Kate jumped out of her seat and Trish glanced up.
"Am I a grandmother?" Kate asked. Sandy shook his head.
"Not yet," he said. "The umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby's arm. They have to do a c-section. They're prepping her right now." Kate nodded trying to stay in control of her emotions. It wasn't like this was some rare procedure; the doctors did this every day. Both Kirsten and the baby would be fine. Doctors had been doing this for hundreds of years. But it was hard to stay calm when it came to her daughter. Things could go wrong. She shook the thoughts out of her head.
"Tell her I love her?" Kate asked Sandy. Sandy nodded and ran a hand through his hair as his mother-in-law wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "They're going to be fine. Both of them." Sandy didn't answer right away. When he finally pulled away from Kate, he just gave her a shaky smile.
"I'll let you know as soon as she has the baby." With that, he hurried back to his wife. He was scared, but one look at Kirsten's terrified face made him push back his fears and comfort her. He ran a hand over her blonde hair and smiled at her. A confident smile this time. Not like the smile that he had flashed Kate in the waiting room.
"You won't leave my side, right?" Kirsten asked her voice trembling slightly.
"They would have to pull me kicking and screaming away," he assured her. And he kept his promise. He held her hand throughout the whole thing, only letting go when he heard the scream of a baby and the doctor announced that it was a boy.
"A boy," Sandy couldn't keep the grin off of his face. "We have a baby boy, Kirsten!" The doctor placed the baby in his arms and Sandy felt warm tears snaking their way down his face. "Oh Kirsten. He's so beautiful." He leaned down to show her and a wide smile took over her exhausted face.
"He's so tiny. He's okay?"
"He's perfect," the doctor assured her. "Just a little on the small side."
"Perfect," Kirsten repeated.
Sandy burst into the waiting room, all smiles this time.
"A boy!" He announced. Trish shook Pete who woke up with a start.
"She have it yet?" He asked.
"A boy!" Kate said excitedly. "How's Kirsten?"
"She's okay. They're cleaning her up. She's exhausted, but fine. She was amazing," Sandy said. He couldn't keep the smiles off of his face. "I'm going to go get back to her. I just wanted to let you know."
"Can we see him?" Trish asked.
"They're bringing him to the nursery," Sandy told them. "Baby Boy Cohen."
"No name?" Pete asked. "Then may I suggest Peter?"
"You can, it's not going to happen," Sandy told him laughing. He left the waiting room to hurry back to Kirsten as the others went to the nursery window and peered through the windows to catch a glimpse of the baby.
"He needs a name," Kirsten said as she held him in her arms. She ran a hand over his tiny head and smiled. "He can't be Baby Boy Cohen forever."
"You're right," Sandy told her kissing the top of her head. "He does need a name." They had been arguing over names for the past few weeks and finally settled on Emily if it was a girl and it was a toss-up between Seth and David if it was a boy.
"I like Seth," Kirsten said. "Seth Cohen. It has a nice ring doesn't it?" Sandy smiled.
"It does indeed," he told her. "No David?"
"It's too common," she explained. "And he's not going to be common. He's going to be extraordinary. He's going to cure cancer, or rid the world of hunger." Sandy laughed.
"That's a lot of pressure to place on a kid who is only a few hours old," he told her.
"Oh be quiet," Kirsten said. "He is. He's going to be spectacular, I can tell." Sandy just kissed the top of her head again.
"Middle name?" Sandy asked. "David?"
"No. Peter. Seth Peter Cohen. It will make Pete happy and he's done so much for us." Pete had secured them the loan for the house, and helped Sandy pay for a honeymoon for Kirsten after she had refused to take money from her family.
"Seth Peter Cohen it is." Sandy took Seth in his arms and dropped a kiss on his forehead. "Kirsten, I think you may be right. He will be spectacular, just like his mother. He's going to cure diseases and bring peace and end starvation. He's going to be the president, or a diplomat or some other important job. Or maybe he's just going to have a big heart like his mom, and be just as smart as her, and whatever he does, I'm going to love him. Just like I love you." He turned to look at his wife, but she was fast asleep in her bed. "Kiddo, I hope that you know you wore your poor mother out today. I have a feeling you'll give us a run for our money and make life very interesting." Sandy grinned at the baby. "I sure hope so anyway."
Sandy sat on the bed and placed an arm around Kirsten and closed his eyes as he held Seth tightly to him.
That seems like as good of a place to stop as any. Please leave me reviews telling me what you think. I'm thinking one more chapter, but let me know. Thanks!