AN: Ok, I've learnt my lesson of leaving an open document around a cranky sister who thinks it's a good idea by extracting revenge by changing certain words and sentences and not poof reading before uploading. Sorry for the minor malfunction.
Dedication: For the people lost to us in the London attacks, though your bodies may be gone, you are still with us in spirit.
And for my beautiful 2nd cousin, Jaiden. You're 10 months on the 30th of July, may you be the most happiest baby in the world, although you already are. Love your 2nd cousin Catherine.
Chapter 2
Landing the TARDIS in a location that was both close to the main entrance of the hospital and in a well hidden spot wasn't easy to say the least, but somehow the old girl managed it with amazing accuracy, it was almost as if she sensed the situation. Helping Rose out of the machine, with an overnight bag over his shoulder and guiding her to the main entrance doors, the Doctor found that a friend of the family, who also happened to be a midwife, was waiting for them. She turned around and a shocked look came to her face.
Rose smiled at the look. "Hey, Tracy, how have you been?"
"Well," Tracy replied, over the shock. "Your mum said you'd be here soon, but I don't think she meant seconds!"
"Oh, you know," Rose shrugged, "fast transport and all."
The Doctor simply rolled his eyes, and tried to help her into a spare wheelchair, but she waved him off saying it helped ease the pains. She stood still for a moment, eyes closed, brow furrowed as she breathed through another contraction.
Sure that it was past, Tracy helped guide the two of them to Rose's given room. "You're booked into room 9-"
Both the Doctor and Rose snorted.
"What?" Tracy asked in confusion, almost pausing.
Rose merely shook her head. "Never mind, in-joke."
With that the Doctor, who was keeping Rose steady by holding her elbows, slung the bag more securely onto his shoulder, and muttered to himself about giggling females and he was becoming his worst fear. Domestic.
Smacking his arm and saying he was doing no such thing, Rose and the Doctor continued to the room, which was currently free of any other another expectant mothers. As they headed in, none other than Shireen came hurriedly down the hall.
"You called them?" Rose asked, looking both shocked and scandalized. "I only wanted my mum and him with me!"
"Well I thought they should know!" Tracy replied huffily. And walked into the room, and busied herself with setting up the different monitors that would be needed throughout the birth, including baby clothes, towels and other essentials.
"You called Mickey too!" Rose almost shrieked, looking at Tracy as if she wanted to throttle her into unconscious.
"Don't worry about it, luv," Tracy assured. "He said he didn't want to come until the baby was born." This didn't discourage the dirty look Rose still threw her friend and midwife.
By the time that Shireen had given her a huge bear hug, commented on her taste on men ('why do you always get the ones I don't have a chance at?') and assured Rose that she hadn't brought anyone along, the Doctor saw Jackie heading towards them. She was beaming as only an expectant grandmother could be; she went up to the Doctor and full on hugged him. Taken aback and stiff as a board, he was unsure of what to do next, except pat Jackie awkwardly on her back.
Tracy came out of the room and ushered only the Doctor and Rose into the room, saying that the rest of the family and friends could come in after Rose had been settled. After helping Rose into one of the gowns and a pair of bright pink boxers, she slipped into the comfy hospital bed while Tracy set it into a sitting position, when that was done she began to begin the standard examination of general health of Rose and then hooking her up to a monitor that tracked her contractions.
"Shall we breach the wall?" the Doctor asked, his hand on the doors handle.
"That or they'll start breaking it down themselves." Rose nodded.
The doors were opened and the company leaning on the door literally fell through.
Five hours had passed.
Five hours in which nothing but contractions and frustrated mumblings could be heard from both parties; parents, that is. And although Tracy knew that that her friend was enjoying talking over everything about her and her 'boyfriend' (well, she assumed so, but the little glances that Jackie kept sending towards the tall man left to be desired), and their travels around the world, she noticed that Rose was becoming fidgety.
"Rose, do you want to walk down the hallway for a bit?" Tracy asked, while checking the monitors
"Oh, god, yes!" Rose gasped out, almost ready to try and escape to the TARDIS to just escape from all the people around.
The Doctor, who was now going by the name 'Chris' to prevent confusion, looked at both women as if they were completely bonkers about even suggesting that a woman in labour should walk.
"Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?" he asked, "you know, she might just drop it on the floor?1st"
Tracy rolled her eyes. "It's perfectly safe, Chris, as long as someone is there to help her with balance."
"I'll take her," Jackie instantly said, but the look on Roses face radiated differently. Not even taking the hint that she'd rather the Doctor, Jackie helped Rose with a pair of slippers and waited while Tracey disconnected the monitors, and helping with the drip's stand.
"You sure you don't want me to take her instead?" the Doctor prodded, and made to take Roses arm and drip pole.
"I've given birth before, Chris, I think I am capable of looking after my own daughter." Jackie replied firmly.
"Doc – Chris, just go get something to eat, yeah?" Rose quickly suggested, trying to prevent a confrontation.
Nodding reluctantly, he kissed her before heading down the corridor towards the huge cafeteria where crappy food was being served. While he was gone, her mother helped her out of the bed and again in a pair of sweatpants.
"Can't I put my boxers on instead?" Rose moaned slightly. "It's too hot to wear these things."
"You will not be wearing those things while here, young lady." Her mother abolished.
"I can and will!" Rose replied defiantly of her mother and shoved on her hot pink boxers (the same colour as her room) and stood, daring her mother to take them from her.
"Fine!" her mother huffed. With no further argument, they slowly walked up and down the corridors, pausing when a contraction hit, whether it was a long and painful, or short, Rose found it easier to have the pains while walking rather than laying in a sitting position.
An hour later the Doctor came back, looking worn but satisfied and had brought a magazine of crossword puzzles, on the cover spaceships and little green friendly aliens decorated the mushy cardboard. Rose got the joke immediately.
They both spent the next two hours filling out the book, arguing over what words would fit in the puzzle boxes and if a word didn't fit it wasn't allowed to be changed into another language just so it could. A few times Rose had slapped the Doctors arm and told him to behave himself when thinking up words that made her laugh and then cry out as another contraction hit. Laughter and contractions didn't mix. After that Rose had given up on the book when the Doctor had filled it with eight minutes to every puzzle.
Rose had been in labour for twelve long hours and little progress had been made. She was becoming frustrated with the length of the birth and felt that nothing significant was happening. She retained from swearing loudly from each contraction that came, harder and longer and seeming to neither dilate her nor break her waters. Though she cursed tersely and without disturbing other mothers, Shireen didn't know she had such a colourful language, her mother looked shocked and the Doctor kept apologising to the baby for 'your mummy's potty mouth'.
Though they all meant well, Tracy was sure that Rose was about to snap at all the people that were surrounding her with offers of wiping her forehead and offering her ice to quench her thirst. Her family, Shireen and Chris were fussing needlessly with wiping her forehead and patting her hand and telling here things that weren't helpful in the least. The Doctors arm was becoming bruised in little half-moon grooves that were from whenever a tight contraction had come on without warning, even with the fetal monitor, and had squeezed his arm as a outlet, Roses fingernail digging deep and hard.
The Doctor was now sitting on the bed, behind Rose, as she was now using him as a support against her aching back, breathing deeply from the contraction that had passed.
"It's so bloody hot in here," she moaned tiredly, stretching against him and whimpering in pain as the baby shifted within.
Grabbing a spare hair tie from the bedside table, the Doctor pulled her hair into a rather neat pony-tail, then lifted the damp hair and put a moist towel on the back of her neck and back, pulling it away and blowing gently along her back to cool her heated skin.
"Better?" he asked.
"Hmmmm, much," she hummed softly, then twisted his leather jacket (which he'd given to her to abuse to her hearts content, rather than his arm) as another contraction rippled. "God, the only thing that could relax me now is music."
"Sorry, luv," Tracy apologised, "we don't carry CD players."
Rose screamed from an impossibly strong contraction, thus causing the Doctor to leap into a very loud remake of 'I'm a little teapot', he looked pointedly at everyone who quickly joined in, except Jackie and Tracy. So it was only he, Shireen and a gasping Rose. Later they begun to sing old classics, doing 'Get Back' from The Beatles as Rose had loved going back and watching them perform the song on rooftop.
The only time she had complained was when Shireen had begun to sing 'Kiss Kiss' by Holly Valance, but Rose had thrown her a scathing look and screamed out firmly. "NO POP! I HATE IT!"
Tracy thought they were completely mad as they begun to sing Robbie Williams 'Rock DJ'.
Jackie agreed, but Tracy didn't take it completely true as she was gently bopping with the voices.
Four hours later and nothing had happened. Rose had only dilated four centimetres, and she was now asking Tracy to up the morphine until she was on a happy cloud. Tracy's reply was blunt and refused. She was already being given the amount that her body could take without harming both her and the baby, as it was already to the maximum, Rose then said that she wanted an epidural, but again was refused as the morphine had to wear off and that would take at least another few hours.
With that Rose burst into tears, and moaned that the first birth was meant to be an easy one. Chris replied that nothing was easy in the whole scheme of things and received a hard elbow to the ribs and a reply that she 'didn't need his cosmic bull-crap at this point in time.'
Unnerved by this, Shireen had walked out and was gently calming herself outside the room, Tracy joining her outside, making sure she was fine.
"Are most births like this?" she asked shakily.
"No, Roses just taking a little while longer is all," Tracy explained. "Must be all the travelling she does with that man."
They noticed that the room had gone quiet, and suddenly the Doctor came out in a panic and dragged Tracy into the room.
Jackie came out so Shireen was informed.
"Roses water just broke."
Three hours, and again, nothing except dilating another four centimetres, apparently it wasn't the right measurement that Rose wanted to hear.
"Hurry up and get the hell out of me!" she had practically yelled at her stomach. "I don't want to be here for the rest of my life!"
With that Tracy had unhooked all the monitors, including the drip, again and told Rose to try walking to ease herself. Grateful for the suggestion Rose had immediately got off the bed, but the Doctor had to keep her from falling due to a dizzy spell. Saying she was fine and that nothing was wrong, she had taken his arm and he helped guide her down the hall.
He mother and Shireen had gone to the cafeteria to also grab something for dinner, as it was now ten at night, thankfully the place didn't close till eleven that night.
"Right," the Doctor said, making sure everything was fine, "let's roll."
Something had gone terribly wrong.
Having taken Rose for a walk down the corridor again, since nothing was working and the epidural wasn't due for another fifteen minutes, she had said she felt funny and needed to stop, seconds later she had suddenly leaned heavily against the Doctor to ease the sudden pain within her own body.
Thinking that it was only another strong contraction, the Doctor had only firmly rubbed her lower back, but something just wasn't sitting right as Rose started crying heavily, saying it wasn't a contraction but worse, and kneeled to the soft blue carpeted floor holding herself. Knowing that this was defiantly not meant to happen the Doctor then swiftly picked her now shaking form up and carried her to the room, all the time yelling at anyone for help.
Hooking her up immediately back to the monitors quicker than what the Doctor had seen humans move, it was discovered that both Rose and the baby were in serious distress. He moved out of the way, towards Roses head and she grasped his cool hand. Rose was crying and whatever was happening was becoming worse as the seconds progressed.
While the baby's heart-rate was increasing, Roses was slowing, seeing this Tracy pushed a blue button and the calm in the ward was suddenly alive with on-call doctors and other professionals in the area of child-care.
Roses own baby doctor, Dr Rosenberg, who was on the ward at this time, felt firmly on Roses stomach, and alarmingly turned to Tracy. "Why isn't it written this is a breech birth?"
"What?" Tracy asked. "They only came back from Scandinavia, there were no notes to say."
"Who would let you travel by plane?" Dr Rosenberg asked looking at the couple with a look of shock.
"We travelled by boat." The Doctor replied.
Rose looked at the Doctor and smiled unsure of what else to do, then her hand went slack and the monitors in the room went insane.
AN: Ohhhh, I'm so evil, aren't I?
1st My uncle actually asked this when my mum was giving birth to my brother William, who is now 10.
Next chapter will be later, because I crappy work and a 'holiday party' to attend to, though I expect to hear nothing but bitching and moaning about life. God I hate whingers who hate themselves. And no, I don't mean people who are depressed.
Read and please review.
Smego Baggins