Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew

Chapter Five of Five: Baby Love

Ichigo sat in a chair in the middle of her friends, parents and in-laws with Aoyama at her side. Ichigo was two weeks away from her due date and everyone was throwing her a baby shower. She gently un-wrapped each gift and thanked who it was from.
A few days ago after their third sonogram, Masaya and Ichigo couldn't stand the suspense any longer; they wanted to know what they had. They ask and the nurse told them a big healthy boy. Zakuro was right. She called everyone and told them the sex of the baby. Right away, Ichigo and Masaya's moms planned a baby shower. They knew what to buy now that they knew the sex.

Ichigo's mother was so pleased to hear she was going to have a grandson. (Masaya's mother wasn't too thrilled because she wanted a little girl she could dress up in frills and buy pink stuff for. But she said she was happy she was a grandmother and the baby was healthy.) "Here you go Ichigo, it's from your father," her mom said handing her a box wrapped in silver blue paper.

Ichigo unwrapped and opened it. Inside of the box laid a tiny jumper resembling a baseball uniform reading 'Grandpa's Slugger'. "Aw! Thanks dad!" Ichigo giggled as she read the print.

"I want my grandson to be very active and strong! And what better sport than baseball, eh? It's not a dangerous sport like football and not girly like golf." Everyone laughed at his comment.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about him being weak, dad," Ichigo said placing her hands on her abdomen, "he's tearing my stomach apart. But I think wants to be a boxer." She wrinkled her face in pain as he kicked her in the hips.

"Ichigo, are you okay?" Her mom asked.

"Yeah, he just kicked me in the hips is all," she smiled. After gifts were open and everything was cleaned up, her dad began grilling hamburgers and hotdogs. Her mom made a salad for her. Ichigo rolled her eyes. Ever since she told her mom she was pregnant, she had been telling her what she could and could not have. Like her own body didn't tell her what she needed more of. She'd taken Psychology, she knew about all that stuff the body goes through. She took the salad obligingly and bit in. As soon as she did, she gulfed it down. Guess she was wrong about this one.

Later that night in the shower, Ichigo felt something different about the baby. It had dropped! Her eyes widened as the defiant feel came over her. She went on showering. She got out and dried off. As soon as she stepped forward to get her nightgown, she felt a gush of warm liquid run down her legs. Her water broke! "Masaya!" She yelled across the hall to their bedroom.

"What? What is it?" He asked appearing in the door frame. Then he saw it, Ichigo standing in a pool of water with a rustic color to it. "Oh my God!" He squealed happily. "It's time!"

"Yeah," Ichigo said beaming. "Call the doctor and I'll pack." Masaya ran to the phone and called the hospital to tell them they were on the way. "Call the family and the girls and tell them to meet us at the hospital." She shouted to him.

"Okay!"

Ichigo walked to the bedroom, but stopped, she was having the same feeling she had in the shower. It wasn't the baby dropping, it was a contraction! They were about fifteen minutes apart. They didn't hurt; it was just a slight pressure. She was glad the hospital was only three minutes away; she was going to go ahead and have an epidural. She finished packing and they caught a cab to the hospital.

Once there, they saw the girls waiting up front. "Ichigo!" Purin yelled running to her. "Your water broke, that's wonderful! Only a matter of time now," she squealed.

"I can't wait to see him!" Retasu sighed, hugging Ichigo.

"I can't wait to spoil him!" Minto smirked. "Auntie Minto is going to make sure he always has money to treat those little lady callers," she winked and squeezed Ichigo.

"Aunt Zakuro will be sure he's at the top of his class in every subject!" She bent down and kissed Ichigo's stomach then stood and kissed Ichigo's forehead.

"Thank you guys!" Ichigo cried with a tear in her eye. She hugged them all back as a nurse sat her in a wheelchair and pushed her up to the O. B.

Upstairs, Masaya helped Ichigo change into her hospital gown before the nurses came in to prep her for the delivery. They entered and hooked her up to an I. V. and wrapped a monitor around her stomach to get the baby's heartbeat. It was loud, strong and steady said one of the nurses. The doctor came in. She grew nervous now, she dreaded getting the epidural.

"Good evening Mrs. Aoyama!" Her doctor boomed.

"Hi," she said in a quivering voice.

"You nervous?" he asked.

"Very!" She said wide eyed. "Will this hurt much?" she asked.

"No, not at all; that's why you wanted the epidural right?"

"No, not the labor, the epidural," she said shyly.

"Only for a minute; you'll feel a prick, that's the needle, then a warm sensation, that's the medication," he replied softly. "Okay, if you'll sit up, we can get started."

Aoyama helped Ichigo sit up. The doctor told her to swing her legs over and turn her back to him. She leaned forward and grabbed onto Masaya's waist. The doctor told her to get ready. He pushed the needle into her lower back and she cried out in pain. She could feel the needle going deeper inside of her, feeling like it would come out of the other side. Her cries muffled to moans as her grip tightened around Masaya's waist. She could feel the medication spreading like wild fire through her back. That's what it felt like to, like someone had taken a lit match and was burning her skin. She stayed in that position for a while; not knowing the needle was out until she heard Masaya shout her name. "Ichigo! Ichigo, it's over, you can lay back down now."

"Sorry," she said wiping at her wet face, "I must have zoned out," she said laying back and letting the medicine course through her vanes. She didn't even notice the doctor at her feet with his fist in her.

"You're about four centimeters along. I'll check back in a few hours," he said tossing his gloves in a trash can and rushing out of the double doors.

Not soon after, the girls and her parents came in. "Oh, Ichigo!" her mother said kissing her sweaty brow. Ichigo just moaned. The contractions were coming on hard and the medicine hadn't kicked in yet.

"How long does this need to take affect," she winced as another one came.

"I don't know sweetie," her mom said comforting her.

"So, Masaya, my boy, think you can stay through this?" Ichigo's dad said hitting him hard on the back.

"Yes sir! I sure can," he smiled reassuringly.

"Dad!" Ichigo sighed rolling her eyes. He laughed.

Two hours passed and the epidural had kicked in. Just about that time, the doctor entered. "Hi everyone," he said shocked at the crowd in the tiny room. "Okay Ichigo, lets see where you are." He walked over to her and lifted the sheet then bent her knees. He inserted his fist and smiled. "Well well, are you ready to get this baby delivered?" he asked putting the sheet back down.

"Yeah, why?"

"You're ten centimeters! Let me get prepped and I'll be right back!" He stopped at the door, "Please, if you all don't mind, I need everyone but Masaya to leave." He walked out without another word.

Everyone hugged Ichigo and left to the waiting room. They were as ready to get this over with just as much as Ichigo was. The room grew quite and Ichigo let out a big sigh. Masaya came over and kissed her on the forehead then grabbed her hand and kissed it. "You know, this baby's going to change our lives completely," Ichigo said with a smile.

"I know, and it's a change I'm willing to make!" He said kissing her hand again. "I can't wait." He placed his hand on Ichigo's stomach. "Once this little guy is born, my fantasy will be complete."

"Mine too," she smiled. "I've always dreamed of having a family, a family with you."

"And I with you," Masaya replied. The doctor entered and they began the delivery.

"Okay, Ichigo, when I tell you to, push like you're having a bowel movement, and hold it for ten seconds, then let go," the doctor instructed.

Ichigo latched to Aoyama's hand and pushed. "Gur," she grunted as she let out her breath.
"Very good! Now, push again the same exact way." She did and the baby moved further down. "I can feel his head Ichigo. Only a few more pushes and he'll be out."

After a few more pushes and grunts, baby Anthony Dillon Aoyama was born to Ichigo and Masaya at 11:56 p.m. on December 18th. He weighed 8lbs and 6oz and was 21 inches long. One hunk of a baby! Masaya left Ichigo to deliver her placenta. He ran into the waiting room and shouted the weight, length, and time the baby was born. "He's so beautiful!" He shouted.

Their parents and the girls came into the room to see Ichigo breast feeding. "Aw how sweet!" They all cooed. Ichigo looked up at them and smiled. When she was finished, the baby was passed around the room to every pair of arms that reached out to him. He was a very handsome baby. He got his father's looks and his mother's bright red hair.

Ichigo and Masaya brought him home the next day. They laid him in the crib and stood back. They viewed the creation they had made. A tear ran down Ichigo's face. "Our baby, mine and yours, Masaya, a little life you and I created."

"Yeah," Masaya sighed. He put his arm around Ichigo's waist and squeezed her. He faced her and smiled. He rubbed her butt then pinched it, "How about another one?" he said jokingly.

"Masaya!" Ichigo bellowed. "You try laboring next time; see if you'd want to have more!" They laughed. "But," she said looking at her son, "I wouldn't trade any moment of it for the world."