Author's Note: Okay, since I've never had a baby, I have no idea about labor pains and all that. I researched it, of course, but that doesn't really tell me anything. So most of this is my imagination, with Two Bit's wit thrown in a few place. You'll see what I mean.
The next six months flew by quickly, and before they knew it, Alana was nearing her due date. She was already huge, Two Bit kidded that she looked about ready to pop. Needless to say, Alana didn't find this very funny.
She and Steve were happy for the most part. They had moved into their own little house, one block down from the Curtis's. It was tiny, only two bedrooms. Alana had wanted to get a job, but Steve put his foot down.
"No wife of mine is going to be working!" I believe, were his exact words.
So Alana spent her days cleaning and fixing up the nursery, anything to pass the time. She read a lot of books and was in the Library nearly every week.
"Hey, hon." Steve said as he walked through the door on this particular evening. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah." Steve helped her up from the couch. They were going over to the Curtis's for awhile.
He helped her walk out to the car. It seemed that whatever Alana did these days, Steve had to help her with, because she was so big. She couldn't drive at all, because she couldn't fit behind the wheel, and he even had to help her shower!
"You feelin' okay?" He asked, glancing at her. She was rubbing her stomach.
"Yeah. It's just…soon, I think."
Steve looked at her, alarmed. "Soon? How soon?"
"I don't know. In the next couple of days, probably."
Steve felt that little trill of panic in his stomach, that same one that he always felt when ever someone mentioned the birth. He was nervous about it, scared even. Him, of all people, a father? It didn't make sense. No, now Darry, he was an ideal dad. Or Sodapop. Heck, even Two Bit. But him? It just seemed unreal.
"Here we are." Steve announced brightly.
"I can see that, Steven." Alana snapped.
Not to worry. Steve had gotten used to it. Pregnancy makes you irritable.
He helped her up the steps and into the house.
"Hey." Ponyboy was sitting on the couch, reading a book and eating an apple.
"Hey." Steve replied.
Alana didn't say anything. She just sat down and propped her feet on the coffee table. "I'm sooo fat!" She announced as her brother and Sodapop entered the room.
"Oh, you are not." Soda told her.
"Are you kidding? My arms are fat, my legs are fat. I can't see my feet, but I hear they're really fat too."
"You. Are. Not. Fat." Steve punctuated each word. "Besides, you said it yourself: just a few more days, then the baby'll be here. And then you won't be fat anymore."
"Aha! So you admit that you think I'm fat!"
Steve threw his hands up in frustration.
"How long has she been like this?" Two Bit whispered.
"About a week." Steve answered. "Her time, it's getting close."
"My back is killing me." Alana was saying. "Honey, will you rub it for me?"
"Yeah." Steve rubbed her lower back for a few minutes. "Better?"
"Mhmm. Thanks." She leaned back again and Soda sat down beside her.
"How much is that doggie in the window?" Soda sang to Alana's very protruded stomach. "The one with the waggily tail. How much is that doggie in the window-?"
"Soda, why are you singing to my stomach?" She asked.
He shrugged. "I just want this baby to know her Uncle Sodapop as soon as she's born."
"She will." Steve rolled his eyes. "Man, if you're gonna sing, can't ya at least sing somethin' good?"
"Girl, we couldn't get much higher, so come on baby, light my fire!"
"Not that!"
"Hello, I love you, won't you tell me your name!"
"Something besides The Doors, please."
"Louie, Louie, aw, baby, I said we gotta go. Yeah, yeah, yeah!"
"Okay, okay." Alana pushed Soda away from her stomach. "I think she's gonna know you, Soda."
"So…" Ponyboy changed the subject. "Have you guys decided on a name yet?"
Steve and Alana glanced at one another. This was still a bit of a sore spot with them, because they couldn't decide on one.
"Not exactly." Steve answered. "We're still thinking."
"Uh, the baby's due in like, a week." Darry said. "Shouldn't you be deciding?"
"Yeah." Alana sighed. "But Steve doesn't like any of my names!"
"Oh, come on! Like I'd want to name my daughter Victoria! It sounds like a Soc name!"
"Yeah, and Nova sounds like a heathen!"
"You wanted to name her Nova?" Soda asked incredibly. "Like, after the car?"
"It's a cool name!"
"What happened to that baby name book I swiped for you?" Two Bit asked.
"That's no help." Alana said. "We look through it all the time, but we still can't decide."
"Okay!" Ponyboy held up his hands. "How about naming her after your mothers? I mean, you know it's a girl, right?"
"Yeah." Alana nodded slowly. "Helen Marie. Hmm. That sounds kinda pretty."
"Hey, how come your mom's name gets to go first?" Steve demanded.
"Well, so much for that great idea." Darry muttered.
"Knock, knock!" A voice interrupted. Two Bit and Alana's mother was at the door. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah." Ponyboy opened the door for her. "Hi, Mrs. Donaldson. What brings you here?"
"Oh, well, I was on my way to Steve and Alana's, but I saw their car was here…Honey, what's wrong?" She was looking at her daughter, who was rubbing her stomach and grimacing in pain.
"I don't know." She gasped. "My stomach…it hurts…"
"How bad does it hurt?" Mrs. Donaldson asked.
"If I…had…any…military secrets…I'd talk…"
"Show time!" Mrs. Donaldson announced. "Ithink that this girl is in labor!"
"But…but…she said a few more days…" Steve faltered. "And her water didn't break or nothin'!"
"Honey, this isn't a movie." Mrs. Donaldson told him. "Get her to the hospital!"
"Okay, okay! I'm going!" He started to rush Alana out the door.
"Wait! Um, Darry, can you call Dr. Sarrett?"
"Yeah." Darry nodded and Alana jotted down the number. "Just tell him you're a friend of Alana Randle and that she's gone to the hospital, okay?" She turned to Sodapop. "Can you run by the house and get my overnight bag? It's in the hall closet."
"Yeah."
"Let's go!" Steve was still trying to hustle her out the door.
"Steve, we have plenty of-Ohh! That hurts! That really hurts!"
"How long have you been havin' these pains?" Pony asked.
"Uh, since noon?"
"I think you better get to the hospital." Mrs. Donaldson told them.
"I'm comin' with." Two Bit announced.
"We'll take care of everything." Soda added. "So don't worry about it."
All the way to St. Joe's, Alana kept telling Steve to slow down. "We're gonna get pulled over!"
"And I'll say, oh, I'm sorry. My wife is about to have our first child, and then they'll let me go!"
Alana rolled her eyes at her brother. "If you say so."
When they arrived at the hospital, Steve went to get her a wheelchair, while Two Bit waited with her. She wondered why Steve was acting like a madman and she was so clam. She was the one who was going to have the baby. All he had to do was stand there and hold her hand.
"Here we go." Steve came out, followed by a nurse with a wheelchair.
"We're going to take your wife up to the delivery area, Mr. Randle." The nurse said. "If you'll just follow Dennis, he'll get you some scrubs."
"They said I can wait with Alana while you get ready." Two Bit told him before following the wheelchair.
"Uh, okay." Steve glanced at a guy who couldn't have been much older than himself.
"Come on, Mr. Randle. I'll get you outfitted for the delivery room." Dennis said. "This is your first kid, huh?" He asked, even though he knew it was.
"Yeah."
"Nervous?"
"You have no idea."
"Okay, hon." The nurse told her. "You're dilated nine and half centimeters. Only one half of a centimeter left to go."
"It hurts." Alana said.
"I know. Just be strong, it'll all be over with soon."
"Where's…Steve?"
"He's coming." The nurse told her. "And your mother too. They'll both be here soon. But your brother's here with you now."
"Hi, baby." Two Bit moved closer to the bed. He took her hand. "When it hurts, squeeze, okay?"
"Okay." She felt the next contraction coming on. "Here comes another one." She squeezed Two Bit's hand.
"Yow!" He wrenched it from her grasp. "What, do you crack walnuts for a living?"
She laughed, in spite of herself. "Sorry…it really hurts…"
"Here's daddy!" Dennis announced, opening the door for Steve.
If Alana hadn't been in so much pain, she would have laughed. He looked pretty funny in the bright green scrubs.
"It's almost time." She told him, panting a little. "Just another half…"
Steve nodded, even though he had no idea what she was talking about. He took her other hand.
"I'm gonna go wait out in the waitin' room for everyone else." Two Bit said. "Just holler if you need me."
"Okay." Steve said. "Thanks for staying with her."
"No sweat." Two Bit answered. "Just watch when she squeezes your hand, okay? She like to broke my fingers."
Steve nodded, concentrating on Alana. She was breathing hard. "Steve…" She said. "Our baby's almost here…"
"I know."
"We still don't have a name…" She said.
"Well, we can worry about that later…" Steve trailed off. He could hear a television blaring out in the waiting room. Apparently, Alana heard it too.
"Breakfast at Tiffany's." She said.
"Huh?"
"That's…the movie…Breakfast at Tiffany's. Audrey…Hepburn. Let's…let's call her…Audrey…" Her voice was fading in and out.
"Who?"
"The…baby. Let's call her…Audrey…"
"Audrey." Steve mulled it over. It was a pretty name and not to Socy. "Okay. Audrey Randle. That sounds nice."
"Hmm." Alana moaned. "It hurts…"
"I know, baby." He turned to the nurse. "Can't you give her anything?"
She shook her head. "She's too far dilated. It could hurt the baby."
Steve nodded and tried to be understanding, but it looked like they were in for long wait.
"It can't possibly take this long to have a baby!" Two Bit was pacing the waiting room. "It's been hours!"
"Takes a long time to have a baby." Darry said, looking up from a Sports Illustrated. "It took eighteen hours for mom to have Pony."
"Eighteen hours!" Two Bit looked ready to pass out. "I can't wait that long!"
"Looks like you're gonna have to." Sodapop told him. "Just like the rest of us."
Grace sighed and looked up from her Cosmo. "Calm down, Two Bit. It's hard enough for Alana and Steve in there without you going crazy out here."
"Uh, that didn't make any sense." Beth said, giggling.
"Well…I'm excited!" Grace said. "Just imagine…a baby! It's almost like having your own, living baby doll."
"Yeah." Beth nodded dreamily.
Ponyboy and Two Bit exchanged worried looks. "Um, don't be getting any idea's…" Pony said.
"We're just talking!" Grace told him. "You two mind your own business!"
Sodapop laughed. "Well, I guess they told you!"
"Oh, shut up!"
Darry shook his head and looked out the window. It was almost 8:00 and they'd been here since 3:30. He knew it took awhile, to have a baby, but he was hoping that Alana's delivery wouldn't take too long.
"She's here!" Steve had rushed out into the waiting room. "She's here! The baby! She's here!"
"We got it, bud!" Two Bit clamped him on the back. "The baby's here. What's she look like?"
"She's…she's…I…beautiful." Steve shook his head. "She has blonde hair…it's curly…and her toes are so tiny…It's amazing…"
"When can we see?" Ponyboy demanded.
"Now!" Steve was practically dragging them into the delivery room.
Alana was lying in the bed, looking sweaty and tired, holding a bundle of blankets in her arms. "Hey." She said hoarsely.
"Alana…you look…" Two Bit trailed off. Truthfully, she looked bad, but he didn't want to say that. It didn't matter; Alana already knew.
She narrowed her eyes. "I just spent the last for hours pushing a baby the size of a watermelon out a hole the size of a lemon. You try that, and we'll see how hot you look."
No one else was paying them any mind. They wanted to see that baby.
"Look at her!" Soda breathed. "She's so tiny!"
She was tiny, lying in her little pink blanket. Steve was right, her hair was blonde and her mouth stretched into a lopsided 'O'. When Pony touched her cheek, she opened her eyes long enough for everyone to see they were a very dark blue.
Alana carefully handed Steve the baby. "We decided to call her Audrey." He told them. "Audrey Rose Randle." He jiggled her a little bit. His nervous feeling had started to melt away as soon as he set eyes on her and he couldn't believe that he had felt that way at all.
This baby was perfect in everyway.