Different Paths Part 6:
Delivery

--------------------

13 hours after the water broke (1pm):
Prue lay on her bed again. Andy held her hand, which was just right now squeezed down to an inch. Piper entered the bedroom with a tray of food
"Pheebs... you go downstairs... I take over"
"yeah... okay"
phoebe said getting up
"how far?"
"Contractions are coming every 30 minutes and she's still only 1 cm dilated."
"Okay..."
Piper said nodding and went over to Andy and Prue, just as Prue's contraction was through.
"I'm glad I'm already dead... so my hand can't break that much"
Prue glared at him
"you wanna try a contraction? Then we can continue to talk!"
Prue snapped at him
"Umm... Andy... how about you go downstairs as well... take a little break... eat something... close your eyes a little..."
Piper said, knowing they'd kill each other soon. Andy looked back at Prue
"go... it's okay... I'd go as well... if I could"
she said smiling
"it'll anyway still take a while"
Piper told him. Andy hesitated before nodding, then kissed Prue, her stomach and then Prue again
"go"
Prue said more or less pulling away. Andy pecked her one more time before disappearing into the hall and closing the door after him
"thank you"
Prue told piper smiling
"it's okay... you guys need a bit of break... and sleep... and time for you alone..."
"Yeah... well sleep... nice try..."
Prue said leaning back on the bed...
"I know... sorry... oookay... now c'mon... sit up... you need to eat..."
"I don't know if I can..."
"Hey! You need all the strength you can get... and when sleep is already out of order... you at least have to eat"
Prue smiled a little
"I'm glad I have at least one of my mother's here"
Prue told her smiling...

20 hours after the water broke (8pm):
"You guys should lie a bit down... I can manage screaming for one or two hours on my own"
Prue said... as Phoebe and Paige lay on the sofa and Piper and Andy sat one ach side of her...
"Yeah... so you can get to the hospital in the meantime, huh? You kidding, right?"
Prue sighted and looked down
"you know I really appreciate what you guys are doing... but... you are no doctor... who can see if something happens to the baby... you have no possibility to check on her... this is already going..."
Prue looked at her alarm clock
"... 20 hours. There ahs to be something wrong...and a c-section you guys can't perform neither... and this pain... is slowly killing me... I'd really appreciate some doctor giving me a LOT of pain killers"
"we're not going anywhere"
phoebe said
"yeah... we can't risk exposure"
"the hell, Paige... can't you the hell understand I want the best for my baby... you don't know how it feels to become a mother... and to have the possibility of loosing it at the very last point!!"
she told them... and then shrugged together as another contraction hit her. Piper and Andy where automatically at her side. Andy held her hand and Piper just sat next to her
"Prue... not pushing... breathing... you need to breath through the pain..."
Piper told her. Prue tried her best not to scream but just breathe during the hell of pain she was in. Finally she leaned back on the bed again. Relaxing slightly
"Oookay... you two... go to sleep"
Piper told Phoebe and Paige... you'll take it from 12 onwards again..."
Piper added. The two sighted, but knew, it'd still last a while... so they sighted and got up. They kissed Prue's temple and then Phoebe leaned down to tell her niece
"you don't come out of there till we're back, you heard me?"
"Could you stop influencing my daughter and keeping me probably longer awake than it has to be?"
Prue asked annoyed. Phoebe just wanted to open her mouth again as Piper stepped in
"we will wake you guys when we're ready... now go"
she added...

24 hours after the water broke (0am):
"Okay... I go wake Paige and Phoebe... and go to sleep for a while now as well"
Piper told Prue, who nodded. Andy was barely awake lying on Prue's side... though he kept waking up with the contractions.
"How far am I?"
Prue asked
"3cm... and contractions... 15 minutes..."
Prue closed her eyes at the facts
"heeey... you'll make that... if anyone can... you do..."
Piper said smiling and pecked her forehead gently...
"Piper's right"
Andy told her and kissed her gently...
"If at least you guys think so..."
Prue said lowly
"we do..."
Andy added and kissed her again

28 hours after the water broke (4am):
Piper entered the bedroom again
"hey... how far are we?"
she asked sleepy
"not far enough"
Prue murmured... her mood was getting worse and worse. But who could mind her? The others at least took sometimes a few hours sleep or got some coffee or went to take a walk. Prue couldn't. And she was more than exhausted. Piper ignored her and looked at Phoebe
"we're getting closer... 5 minutes for contractions and 4 dilated"
"we're nowhere... I am and the baby is as well... but none of you is..."
Prue commented
"hey... that's good... only one more cm"
Piper cheered, ignoring her sister's comment
"Yeah... great"
Prue said and was hit by another contraction. Andy just sat by her side, held her hand and told her she was doing great. Piper still stood next to the bed and looked over at her sisters, which were again laying/sitting in a nearby chair
"you two can get a cup of coffee... we can handle this for an hour alone..."
"But you call us..."
"Yes..."
Piper answered and then saw Andy
"you should go lay down a bit as well"
"no... I'm not going anywhere anymore"
Andy said, as Prue relaxed again
"yes you are"
"what?"
"You need to get your mom... I... I need at least someone... who did this already here... please..."
"But..."
"No... Go... I'm okay..."
"But... what about the contractions?"
"I can make 1 or 2 alone... and piper's there... you just hurry, okay?"
Andy looked at her worried.
"I love you"
"yeah... I love you too"
Prue told him Andy leaned down and kissed/pecked her a few more times, then looked back at Prue...
"Go"
"no... The next contraction will be there in like... now"
he said and Prue, like on signal, cramped up.
"Hey... shshs... relax... no cramping up, okay? Just breathe calmly..."
Andy said gently, as he slid a wet cloth over her sweating forehead. Piper just slowly sat down and watched the couple. She felt really sorry for Andy. He was exhausted too, but she probably wouldn't want to leave Prue's side in his position neither. Prue completely 'relaxed' again
"go"
Prue told him. Andy nodded, kissed her once more and then orbed out.
"You're not mad... right?"
"Why should I be?"
"cause I want Julia here?"
"Hey... we forbid you hospital... I understand you at least want someone there who knows what you're going through"

28 ½ hours after the water broke (4.30am):
Andy had orbed downstairs, as he had his dad along as well. Julia told him to stay down with the others and have at least a cup of coffee, while she hurried upstairs. She went to their bedroom and knocked
"no need for that! Everyone saw my vagina already anyway, remember!"
Prue's answer came. Julia smiled slightly and entered.
"I think I didn't yet"
she told her. Prue smiled slightly and started crying what actually surprised Piper
"heey... what's wrong?"
Julia asked worried, and sat down where Andy sat before. Prue leaned into her
"I don't know if I can do that... I can't... anymore... I'm exhausted... I don't have the slightest power anymore..."
Prue cried into her
"hey... hey... shshshs... it's okay"
Julia said and hugged her tight back. Piper realized what was going on. Prue all this time stayed strong cause of Andy. He seemed the weaker part in all of this anyway. She stayed strong for him and them. So they wouldn't start panicking. Though now Piper was freaking. But Julia was now there... there now was someone to handle and organize everything...
"Oookay... listen... your mom did this... I did this... your grandma did this... so you can do it as well, okay? You're the strongest woman I know. You're okay... you'll be okay. I promise"
"but what if something's wrong with her?"
Prue cried and then shrugged together.

30 hours after the water broke (6am):
Prue's contractions were coming now straight, one after the other. She was 5 cm dilated. It was time to give birth. Julia now sat behind Prue. Andy one Prue's left side, holding her hand and Piper on the other, doing the same. Phoebe and Paige were at the bottom of Prue and would acre for the baby and also deliver it.
"Okay Prue... close your eyes and relax a bit and now... don't panic, okay... but next contraction... you push, okay?"
Prue nodded slightly...
"Andy, Piper... you hold her hand with one hand and with the other hold her feet, so she won't close them and make it more difficult for the baby to come out... Phoebe, Paige... you two tell us what's going on down there... okay?"
everyone else nodded and Andy kissed Prue once again...
"Countdown to parenthood is going"
he said smiling. Prue smiled back and pecked him once again, before letting out an ear breaking scream and sitting up, pressing as much as she could. Then slowly fell back on Julia
"the hair! I saw hair! She has got black hair!"
Phoebe said thrilled. Julia smiled a little
"u are doing perfect, sweetie"
Julia told her and removed the sweat from her face once again.
"She ahs your hair"
Andy told her smiling and pecked her again, before the next contraction was coming and she again pressed
"ooh... there's the head... it's coming..."
Julia saw, Prue wanted to leave it but knew the head wasn't delivered fully yet so she just looked down at Prue
"keep on... keep on... c'mon... as soon as the head is out... the rest will be really easy... now just keep pressing... we need the head, okay? Then you are out of it... I promise..."
she told her. Julia looked up and at Phoebe and Paige, who nodded, as in the head is there...
"Okay... relax"
Julia told Prue, who fell hard breathing back onto Julia...
"Okay... now one of you two grabs inside and slightly pull on the head at the next contraction to make it easier for Prue."
Phoebe and Paige looked at each other
"I... okay... I do it"
Phoebe said
"okay... Paige then you get a blanket to wrap around her when Phoebe has the baby fully out..."
Paige nodded
"okay... now one more push and the shoulders will be there... then one more push and Phoebe can pull her out completely... so don't worry... it's as good as ready... you ready now?"
Prue nodded slightly and Julia looked at Phoebe who nodded as well then Prue sat up slightly again and squeezed Andy's and Piper's hands again, screaming her last energy out of her. Phoebe gently pulled on the head and then the shoulders were there as well. Prue rested her head back on Julia's chest
"one more"
Julia told her. Andy kissing her once again. The next contraction came and Phoebe again pulled and Prue again pushed and the baby lay on the bed.
"It's there"
Phoebe said smiling as she picked the little baby girl up. Andy first smiled but then noticed, his daughter wasn't crying
"mom..."
"Phoebe... hold her by her feet... and then give her a clap on the back."
Phoebe looked panicking at Julia. Piper pulled away from Prue and took a hold of her niece, just like Julia said and gave her a little slap
"harder"
Julia commanded. Piper nodded and hit harder, finally a scream escaped the baby's mouth and Andy smiled, looking down at Prue and kissed her deeply. Piper just wanted to cradle the baby in her arms as suddenly a purple shimmer appeared and the baby disappeared into nothingness.