So we are getting close to wrapping this little one up and putting it to bed (probably several more chapters). I am so pathetic, I was actually crying while writing this. Thanks again to everyone who has followed this and given me so much support!
Angels
The lights in the operating theatre were bright and they seemed to be everywhere. Dawson, who was busy brushing down Joey's hair from her face, was being blinded by at least 3 of them at once. Things had moved on quickly, quicker than he expected. Within 5 minutes Joey had been prepped and wheel into the tiny operating room. A screen had been put up across Joey's chest so they couldn't see the operation and Dawson was sitting on a chair next to Joey's head. She was surprisingly calm and collected, as was Andie who was assisting the doctor with the C Section.
'Are you okay?' Dawson said, kissing her the forehead and clutching her frail hand in his.
'Okay, it feels like someone is having a yard sale in my stomach.' Joey half joked, unable to describe the sensation of not feeling pain but feeling everything else.
'It will be over soon,' Dawson said, glancing over to the two teams of nurses waiting for the babies. They had been warned that both of them would probably need to be put in incubators to check their progress.
Andie's face appeared over the screen.
'Okay, this is it. The first one is coming out now,' Andie said, her eyes sparkling with a smile.
The room fell silent, Joey gripping onto Dawson tightly. Pacey stood in the corner, holding a video camera with two hands. It didn't help, he was still shaking. Suddenly a loud cry filled the room and a collective sigh of relief followed.
'That's baby number 1 Joey. And she is perfect,' Andie's voice sang behind the screen.
'It's a girl?' Joey said, her voice alive with joy.
'See for yourself,' Andie raised the baby above the curtain for them both to see. She was small, red and angry as all hell. But she was perfect. Her little scrunched up face was all wrinkled and bright red but Joey could see she looked like Dawson. Dawson was speechless. He was a father.
Andie quickly handed the baby to the first team of nurses, who quickly weighed and measured her, then wrapped her in a pink blanket and placed her in the incubator.
'Is she okay? What's happening?' Joey cried across the room.
'She is a good weight and seems to be breathing fine.' a nurse replied 'but we need to keep her in here for a while. But I can do this for you' she slowly wheeled the little incubator over the Joey's head. She pulled a little door open and placed Joey's hand on the rim.
Joey hesitated, looking up at Dawson who was crying. She slowly placed her hand in and rested it on her baby girl's shoulder.
'Hello there precious. I'm your mama,' Joey said, tears trickling down her face. Dawson opened another door and placed his hands on the little girl's legs.
'And I'm your Dad,' Dawson looked over at Joey and kissed her. 'I love you Joey,'
'I love you too Dawson,' Joey whispered in a quiet voice.
Andie cleared her throat. 'Sorry guys but we need to get that little one away while the other baby is being delivered,' The couple quickly removed their hand and the little girl was wheeled out of the room.
Dawson looked over at Pacey, who also had tears down his face.
'Did you get that? Did you see my beautiful little girl?' he asked.
'I got it D. She's perfect,' Pacey said, he voice cracking.
'And here is number two...,' Andie said, pulling the second baby out of Joey's now deflated stomach.
'Are they okay? Why aren't they crying,' Dawson said, concerned.
Andie didn't reply.
'Andie, what's going on?' Joey practically screamed.
'Say hello to your very quiet son,' Andie lifted the baby above the screen. His eyes were wide open and searching around the room, but unlike his sister was not screaming. But he was kicking and breathing.
Joey face lit up when she saw her son. He looked so much like her, with deep brown eyes and a mop of black hair. Dawson saw it too, kissing Joey frantically on the forehead.
'We have a son! I have a son!' Dawson yelled.
'One of each, how perfect,' one of the nurses said, taking him in her arms and moving towards the crowd of other nurses waiting. Like his sister, he was weighed and measured, wrapped in a blue blanket and placed in his incubator.
'Is everything okay Andie? Are they both okay?' Dawson asked.
'It went very well. Both the babies are a good weight, bigger than they should be at this age actually and both are breathing fine. We have taken them to the neo natal ward and you can join them once we have cleared up Joey. Congratulations the pair of you. I'm so happy.' Andie's head popped back behind the screen, leaving Dawson and Joey alone.
'Go tell them,' Joey said, her eyes still full of tears.
'No, I'm not leaving you,' Dawson said, wiping the tears away from her face.
'It's okay; I have Andie and Pacey here. Go tell our families they have two new additions,' Joey said, her hand reaching up and rubbing the tears away from Dawson's face.
Pacey moved in and sat next to Joey 'It's okay D, go tell them,' Pacey grabbed Joey's hand and squeezed tightly. The two locked eyes and smiled.
'Okay, I'll be right back,' Dawson said, patting Pacey on the back. As he went to leave the room one of the nurses handed him two Polaroid pictures of the babies 'To show your folks,' she said.
'Pacey, I don't want you to think that any of the, was your fault. I was ill before you came around tonight. I am so happy for you and Andie,' Joey said, looking up at Pacey and smiling.
'Thank you. I'm really happy for you and Dawson too. Things are the way they were suppose to be. I love you Jo,' Pacey added, kissing Joey's hand.
'I love you too Pacey,' Joey said, smiling.
'Hey, jealous wife in the room here!' Andie's voice shouted from behind the screen 'and I am wielding a knife so watch it!'
'Feisty one, your wife,' Joey said
'Like you wouldn't believe!' Pacey laughed.
Dawson left the room and ripped off the stupid hat and face mask. He couldn't quite believe it. He had become a father in a matter of 30 minutes. He walked towards the waiting room, his head swimming with pictures from the delivery. He looked down at the pictures he was handed. His little girl was in mid cry, screaming her lungs off. His little boy was happy curled up in his blanket; eyes wide open, watching the world. He could see who took after who more. He pushed open the door and saw that everyone had come down to find out the news.
'Is she okay Dawson? What about the babies?' Gail jumped to her feet and made her way across the room to her son.
A huge smile spread across Dawson's face for the first time that day.
'Joey is great. And your grandson and daughter are amazing.' He handed his mom the pictures and kissed her on the check.
'She's had them! Oh my god, let me see,' Bessie ran across the room to Gail and wrapped her arms around her to see the pictures over her shoulders.
'Yup, one boy and one girl. They are both doing fine and are on their way to the neo natal unit at the moment.' Dawson said, shaking hands with John and then accepting a hug from Brodie.
'Oh my god, I'm a grandma,' Gail said, her hands flying to her face.
'And I'm an aunt!' Bessie added.
'And I...' Jack started 'a favourite gay uncle!' he finished. He hugged Dawson tightly. 'Jen would be so happy, you know that?'
Dawson looked over his shoulder and saw Amy curled up on a chair, fast asleep, her angelic features mirroring her mother's. 'I know she would,'
'Look, there goes Joey!' Bessie cried, running out the door to catch up with her sister.
'Bessie,' Joey exclaimed as she saw her sister's smiling face. They had just finished stitching her up and were moving her to her room.
'Joey, they are beautiful,' Bessie said, trying to hug her sister while they were both moving.
'I know. I can't explain how much love I have for the pair of them already!' Joey said, a fresh set of tears tumbling down her face.
'I felt the same about Alexander. Mom would be so proud of you,' Bessie said, wiping away her own tears.
'I hope so. I really hope so,' Joey added.
They finally reached her room and transferred her to her bed. The room quickly filled up with well wishers hugging and kissing the happy couple. Slowly the nurses tried to clear the room, telling the family and friends to go home and enjoy the last bit of Christmas they had left. But they wouldn't go. Eventually, bit by bit, the group went home, leaving an exhausted Joey and Dawson alone.
'Well, that was a dramatic Christmas Day! Promise me we are never doing that again?' Dawson said, sitting down next to Joey on the bed.
'The Christmas part or the labour part, because I am afraid Dawson that Christmas comes around every year,' Joey said, her humour having be restored.
'You know what I mean. Are you okay?' Dawson asked, kissing her gently.
'Yeah, I just want to see them. I haven't held them yet!' Joey said.
The door started to open slowly and Andie walked through, little pink baby in hand.
'I know they said no visitors, but I figured you want to hold your daughter,' Andie said, a cheeky smile spreading across her face.
Both Joey and Dawson's faces lit up at the sight of their daughter. She was still bright red and angry, but the crying had now stopped. Like her brother she had brown eyes, but her hair was fair like her fathers.
'Oh Andie, thank you,' Joey said, reaching out her arms to take her baby.
'That's okay, holding her is not the most horrible thing in the world.' Andie slowly lowered the baby into her mother's arms. 'There you go sweetheart,'
Joey couldn't believe she was finally holding her daughter. The bump that had been growing inside of her for all this time was actually a beautiful little girl. She looked up and saw Andie looking down adoringly at the little girl.
'No Andie, I mean thank you for saving my life. And our babies lives. I am always going to be grateful.'
'Me too Andie,' Dawson walked up and hugged Andie tightly.
'It's my job. But I want to say how unbelievably happy I am for the pair of you,' Andie tried to hold back the tears.
'Hey, are people having the party without the birthday boy!' Pacey and Jack were standing at the door, with Pacey pushing a cot with their son in it 'I hardly think it's fair, is it little buddy' Pacey said
Dawson walked over and picked up his son. 'Hey there little man. Are you still being quiet?' Dawson said, kissing him gently on the forehead, relishing his first contact.
'Well he obviously doesn't take after either of you then,' Pacey added, throwing his arm around Andie's shoulder.
'It's actually quite normal to have a quiet baby. Jack was silent while I was very loud,' Andie added.
'Now there's a surprise!' Pacey said, earning him a swift nudge in the chest.
'I thought I was the loud one and you were quiet?' Jack said.
'Either way, it proves my point,' she said, nudging Jack in the chest with the other elbow
Dawson lowered the baby down on Joey's lap, next to his daughter and hugged Joey.
'There they are, together. It's amazing isn't it?' Joey said, touching her son's face.
'It is. What are we going to call both of them?' Dawson asked.
'I had an idea, but I want to check it with you first?' Joey asked, scooping her son in her arms.
'Go ahead,' Dawson lowered himself next to Joey on the bed, while Jack, Pacey and Andie pulled up chairs next to the bed.
'Well for the little man here I thought Dylan Mitchell Leery and for this little one I thought Belle Andie Leery.' Joey looked over at Andie and smiled.
'I think that sounds perfect. Dylan and Belle.' Dawson picked up the little girl and looked over at Andie. 'Do you mind if we steal your name?'
'I don't think I could be more honoured,' Andie said, holding onto Pacey's hand.
'I see we are continuing the theme of silly names?' Pacey said, gripping onto Dylan's little hand.
'Well if we all had to suffer, I don't see why our children should be exempt!' Joey added.
'Speak for yourselves, I like the name Jack,' Jack smiled, leaning over and kissing Andie on the cheek.
'That's good, because no one else does!' Dawson added, smiling wildly
The room erupted in laughter and health banter amongst the five. They looked around each other and smiled. It had been a horrible and traumatic year. But at last, everyone was happy. The way it should be.