From Heaven's Mind

Chapter Twenty-Four

Erik glared at his coffee cup. The whole situation was ridiculous and the foul taste didn't make things better. Nadir was still grinning.

"Wipe that expression of your face." Erik growled. Nadir laughed.

"I'm sorry, I can't help it! You're the only person I know whose wife threw him out of the room for fussing too much."

"Shut up. Go and call Christine's friends. They'll want to know. Oh, and call her aunt as well." Erik grumbled, dumping the coffee in a bin. Nadir rolled his eyes as he went to find a payphone.

Erik walked back to the room where Christine was. She had grown tired of his checking her over every two minutes and told him to go out so she could rest for a few minutes. He opened the door and found a nurse with her.

"Is everything alright?" He asked instantly.

"It's all coming along just fine. She's only dilated four centimetres; I'd say we've still got a bit of a wait before we can take her to the delivery room." The nurse smiled. "She passed the mucus plug quite early on and the contractions are getting closer and more intense."

"Mucus plug?" Erik looked rather ill. Christine smiled and the nurse said,

"I'll be back in about half an hour."

"Thank you."

Erik sat down and looked at her in horror.

"A mucus plug?"

"It's not that bad." Christine assured him, pushing her hair out of her face. "Where's Nadir?"

"Gone to call your aunt and friends."

"Good. Oh! Contraction!" She bent over, breathing hard. Erik rubbed her back gently until it had finished and she settled back onto the pillows, noticeably pale.

"Only four centimetres. I've been here for nearly five hours and I've only dilated four centimetres. I have to get to ten!" She complained.

"You can do this."

"I don't exactly have a choice." Christine grumbled. She groaned and tried to comfortable on the pillows. Erik moved to the edge of the bed and began to slowly rub her shoulders. Her eyes slipped closed as the tension left her muscles.

"That's nice." She murmured. Erik kissed her temple, massaging the stiff muscles.

"Anything to help."

Max, Meg, Rebecca and Tom were watching The Simpsons when the telephone rang. Laughing at the hilarious antics of Homer, Tom answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Tom, its Nadir."

"Oh, hey Nadir! What's up?"

"Christine's gone into labour; we thought you all might like to know."

"You're freaking kidding me?" Tom shouted. The other three looked at him and Nadir laughed softly.

"No, I'm really not! About four hours ago, we were at a restaurant when her water broke."

"Oh my god, thanks for calling."

"No problem. Talk to you later."

Tom hung up and grinned madly at the others.

"She's having the baby!"

The shrieks of Rebecca and Meg made him regret announcing it. No human eardrum was meant to withstand that amount of squealing.

"Six centimetres." The nurse beamed. Christine glared at her.

"I've been here for eight hours. When the hell is this baby coming out?"

"In its own time." The nurse said calmly, making a note on a pad. "I doubt it'll be too much longer. At eight centimetres you should enter the transitional phase and then we can take you through to the delivery room."

"Can't we go now?" Christine whined.

"Not unless you want to make yourself extremely tired and in a lot of pain." The nurse said. "I'll be back soon."

Nadir patted Christine's hand.

"You're doing really well."

"Nadir, it is nearly four in the morning. I am in pain and tired. Don't patronise me." Christine glared. Nadir backed away quickly. Erik intervened.

"Christine, sit back. You heard what the nurse said? It shouldn't be too much longer."

"Yes. Then comes all the fun of childbirth. Delightful." Christine said crossly. "Next time you can have the baby and I'll drink coffee."

"You don't want this coffee. It's terrible." Erik advised.

Christine sighed and looked at her enormous stomach.

"You'd better be worth this."

"It will be." Erik said quietly, taking her hand. Something he regretted a moment later as another contraction hit and she squeezed tightly, crying out in pain. Erik winced but let her pulverise his hand. After all, she was the one pushing a human being out of her body. He could afford to give her a little leeway.

"Nadir, can you call Tony and let him know that I won't be in today?" Erik said. It was several hours later and Christine had now dilated just seven centimetres. Nadir nodded but Christine yelped and caught his arm, as he was closest to her. The expression of pain on his face was more than enough to convince Erik that he should call Tony himself.

"Hello?" His assistant sounded cheerful.

"It's me."

"Hi Mr Destler. What's up?"

"I won't be in today. Christine's in labour."

"That's great!"

"Not for her, it's already been thirteen hours." Erik said dryly. Tony groaned.

"Jesus. OK, I'll let everyone know. Good luck to you both."

"Thank you."

He returned to the room and found Nadir nursing his arm and Christine apologising profusely.

"Don't be so pathetic." Erik told his employee. Nadir scowled and said,

"You can hold her hand next time. I'm going for an x-ray!"

"Drama queen." Christine smiled. Nadir rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to get some breakfast."

Christine shifted her pillow slightly and smiled tiredly at Erik. He sat beside her and kissed her forehead.

"It can't be much longer." He assured her.

"I know. It's just… I can't believe this is actually happening. We're having a baby. How weird is that?"

"We'll manage. Just… just concentrate on what it'll be like. Taking the baby home for the first time, taking it to England, showing it to everyone."

Christine nodded and then caught his hand as another contraction came. Erik refused to wince as his bones were crushed in her grip. This was a matter of pride now; Nadir would never let him hear the end of it.

Seventeen hours passed and Christine and Erik looked hopefully at the nurse. She smiled.

"OK, it's time. Let's get you to the delivery room."

"Finally!" Christine breathed. They moved her onto a trolley and Erik walked swiftly beside her as they entered the room and Christine was put onto some sort of bed/chair. A doctor smiled at her.

"Mrs Destler? I'll let you know when you need to start pushing but I doubt it'll be more than a few minutes, if that."

"Thanks." Christine said, trying to breathe deeply. Her lungs seemed to have shrunk considerably. Erik stood beside her, trying to look useful but having very little idea of what to do.

If you have never experienced the agony that is labour, it is very difficult to exactly describe the sensation. In his lifetime Erik had undergone a great many operations, each more painful than the last. But it seemed very little compared to what Christine was doing at this moment. Every time she cried out, her face twisted in agony, he felt completely useless. Why wasn't the doctor doing something? Wasn't that why he was here?

"Mrs Destler, you need to keep pushing!" The doctor said from his position at the end of the bed.

"I'm trying!" Christine hissed through clenched teeth. Erik brushed her hair out of her sweating face, wising that there was something he could do.

"Push!" The doctor said again. Christine threw him a glare before heaving as hard as she could. Erik was amazed at her will. Just when she seemed on the verge of giving up she threw herself into it again.

"We're almost there. One more push!" The doctor shouted. With a noise halfway between a scream and a groan, Christine screwed her face up, gritting her teeth as she pushed as hard as she could. She swayed and Erik caught her, lying her back down against the backrest. And then they both looked around as the sound of a wailing baby reached their ears.

"Congratulations. It's a girl." The doctor smiled.

Christine sobbed, clasping her hand to her mouth as she gazed at the tiny, red, screeching form in the doctor's hands. Erik's jaw was hanging open. The doctor handed the baby to the nurse and Christine sat up.

"Where are you taking her?"

"The nurse is just going to clean her up a little." The doctor smiled kindly. Christine clutched Erik's hand as the wailing quietened. The doctor paused and crossed to the nurse. They conferred for a moment, their backs towards Erik and Christine. Then the doctor took the baby and looked at them.

"There is… well, there is something not quite right."

Erik's heart jolted.

"What is it?" He demanded. The doctor paused.

"The baby is a good weight and, for the most part, healthy but… there is a slight deformity."

"What?" Erik asked.

"Erik, it doesn't matter!" Christine said angrily. He looked at her. Her face was pale and she was exhausted but her eyes burned nonetheless.

No. No, it didn't, he realised. He had just watched his wife go through nine months of pregnancy, seventeen hours of agony and bring new life into the world.

It didn't matter at all.

"It's minimal. The skin on the neck and shoulder on the right-hand side are slightly bumped, probably nothing more severe than a birthmark. It may even fade in time." The doctor said. Christine reached out her arms for her daughter and the doctor put the bundle into her hands. Christine drew the baby close to her body and looked down at the tiny screwed up face, still rather red. One tiny hand was reaching out. Christine touched her finger to the little starfish-like hand and took a sharp intake of breath as the fingers closed around it.

She looked up at Erik wide what was possibly the biggest smile he had ever seen on her.

"Erik…" He sat on the edge of the bed beside her and she looked down again. "Erik, look at her. She's… she's ours. We made her."

Erik shifted himself slightly and Christine moved the baby into his arms. He examined the tiny face that was blinking up at him. Blue eyes. He wondered what colour they would go in the end, brown or green. There was a slightly fluffy layer of dark hair spattered over her head.

"She's so small." He said quietly.

"I know." Christine whispered, stroking her cheek softly with one finger. She looked at him and he saw a mixture of fear and apprehension in her eyes. Erik swallowed hard and smiled.

"It's alright. I'm not… she's perfect."

"Yes. She is." Christine whispered. "She needs a name."

The doctor smiled at the pair of them.

"I've got the forms here. You can decide now or you can do it later if you'd prefer."

"What names did we have for girls?" Erik asked.

"Rachel, Rosa or Julia." Christine said. Erik considered the tiny creature in his arms before looking at Christine.

"I like Julia. Julia Destler." He said. Christine smiled and nodded. The doctor wrote it down.

"Any middle names?" He asked. Erik nodded.

"Faith."

Christine looked at him quickly.

"After…?"

"Your mother. Is that alright?" He asked. She nodded and put her head on his shoulder, gazing at her baby.

"Yes. Yes, that's perfect."

Erik was sleeping peacefully when an ear-splitting sound broke through his slumber. Christine groaned.

"Your turn."

Muttering under his breath, Erik climbed out of bed and crossed to the crib where the two week old baby was howling. He picked Julia up and rocked her back and forwards, trying to hold back a yawn. Christine groaned and pulled Erik's pillow over her head.

Erik glared at her and pushed open the bedroom door, taking Julia into the main area of the penthouse. He crossed to the refrigerator and took out a bottle. A moment later Julia's cries faded as she sucked hungrily at the drink. Erik looked down at her and couldn't help smiling.

"You're extremely lucky that I love you and your mother so much. Anyone else would be suffering horrendously for making me so irritable." He told her. Julia didn't pay any attention. Her drink was far more interesting than anything her father had to say.

Forty minutes later, fed, burped and changed, Erik tucked her back into bed and returned to his own bed. Christine was snoring softly. Erik swiftly removed his pillow from her head and lay down. Christine peered at him as he jolted the mattress.

"She asleep?"

"Yes."

"Thank god…" She closed her eyes and snuggled closely to Erik. He rested his cheek against her soft hair and went back to sleep.

They returned to England two months later. As the car pulled up in front of the mansion, the front doors flew open and Christine saw what looked like every servant in the place crowded in the entrance hall. She smiled across at Erik who lifted his eyebrows.

"I suppose we should have expected it."

He opened the car door and helped her out, as she was carrying Julia in both arms. Nadir was still in America but would be with them in a few weeks. Every female servant rushed forward as Christine stepped through the door, cooing over the baby. Erik was quickly shunted to one side but he simply rolled his eyes. Peter picked up his suitcase.

"Good flight, Mr Destler?"

"It was alright. What's all this about?"

"We couldn't stop them, sir. They all want to see the new addition." Peter grinned. Erik sighed and looked at Christine.

"Christine, she needs a nap?"

"I'll go put her down." Christine nodded and excused herself, carrying Julia upstairs. Erik hesitated and then followed.

She was bent over the crib, fussing over the blankets and talking quietly to the baby.

"You have a little sleep now and then tomorrow we'll go and see Meg, Tom, Max and Rebecca. Yes, we will. Oh, where's your bear gone?" She looked around and Erik carried the baby bag in. He reached in and pulled out the teddy-bear.

"Here." He said, handing it to her. She smiled and placed it next to Julia.

"Here you go, Julia. Now you go to sleep."

They watched over her but she was sleeping within a few minutes. Christine leant against Erik and said quietly,

"She is just so beautiful."

"I know."

"It's strange; I just can't imagine life without her now." Christine said.

"Let her sleep. Come and have something to drink." Erik said, taking her hand and leading her from the room.

Max and Tom watched in bewilderment as Meg and Rebecca made ridiculous noises, leaning over the pram. Why did women do that? It was just a baby. Christine smiled at them both.

"She's a novelty, they'll get bored eventually."

Julia began to wail and Christine stood to pick her up. Meg and Rebecca sat down and watched as Christine rocked the baby back and forward.

"Cutest baby EVER!" Rebecca sighed and Meg agreed heartily. Christine smiled and held Julia close.

"I know."

"We wanted to fly out to see her when she was newborn but we had work." Meg grumbled. Christine smiled.

"You didn't miss much. A lot of sleepless nights and nappy-changing."

"Something I would happily give a miss." Tom put in.

"Erik changes her nappies too, it's not a big deal." Christine pointed out.

"Doesn't make it anymore attractive though." Max said. Christine rolled her eyes and said,

"Do you want to hold her?"

"Uh… not really. I'll break her." Max said. Christine eyed him.

"It's a baby, not a vase. You'll be fine. Besides, what am I going to tell her when she grows up and I have to say that her own godfather never even wanted to hold her?"

"Her what?"

Christine sat down and looked around at them.

"You four are my best friends. Who else would be her godparents?"

"You're kidding?" Rebecca gasped.

"Nope."

"Christine, that's amazing!" Meg squealed. The sound seemed to scare Julia, who instantly began to cry again. Meg flushed and Christine handed Julia to Max who held her rather awkwardly. After a few minutes Julia stopped crying and looked at him, blinking slightly. Max stared.

"Hey, she stopped crying!"

"You're a natural." Rebecca smiled. She eyed him. "Does that mean we can have one?"

"What? No! Take it away!" Max hastily handed Julia back to Christine. Rebecca and Meg laughed at his expression and he scowled at them.

"Not funny."

Christine laughed and put Julia back in the pram. Meg smiled at her.

"How does it feel? Being a mum?"

"I… when I even have the words to describe it, I'll let you know." Christine said, smoothing Julia's dark hair.

Erik was playing in the music room when she got back. Christine carried Julia into the room and stood behind Erik, watching as his hands flew over the keys. He finished the piece and looked up at her.

"Have fun?"

"We did indeed. Here's Daddy." She passed Julia over and he took her.

"Hello Julia." He said softly. "How's my favourite girl?"

Christine smiled and sat on the piano bench beside him as he fussed over his daughter. How strange that he'd spent all that time worrying only to become a natural father in the end.

"Did she take a bottle?"

"She had about half of one whilst we were there. I'll see if she wants the rest in a moment."

"No, I'll do it." Erik said firmly. Christine pulled it out of the bag and gave it to him. He pressed the rubber teat to Julia's lips and she began to suck on it. Erik watched closely as she drained the bottle and then carefully wiped her face. Christine watched him with a smile.

"Do you know how good you look holding her?" She asked suddenly. Erik looked at her.

"What?"

"So… so natural. I'll admit, I'm a little surprised. You made such a ridiculous fuss about the whole thing."

"Of course I didn't." Erik said indignantly. Christine laughed.

"You did!"

"Your mother is speaking nonsense, ignore everything she says." Erik said firmly to Julia who simply looked at him.

Christine rolled her eyes. It was no use arguing with him when he was like this.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I've been all over the place this week, checking out universities. So tired! Anyway, baby is here! I've been planning this bit for a while so I already knew that it would be a girl and I already chose the name.

Hope you enjoyed it!

Lotsa luv

Katie