(A/N – Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone! I'm back again! I'm fully recharged, fully refreshed, I sorted through a lot of my personal problems, and Chapter 20 of "Nine Months In the Sock of the Motamiya's" is finally written and ready for your approval! We're going to be doing things a bit differently at the end of this story so keep on the lookout for that! Anyway, I hope you enjoy!)
Nine Months In the Socks of the Motamiya's: Chapter 20
Ding, Dong!
"Davis! Come in! Where's Kari?" TK greeted as he helped the brunette in the house.
"She's at the hospital with Sora and Tai." Davis said, removing his shoes and jacket. "Where's Yolei? How is—"
"GIYAAAAAAAA! OH! OHHHHHH…"
Davis jumped as the scream echoed from behind the closed bedroom door. TK gave a small shrug as he glanced at the door.
"She's in there with the midwife doing an exam." He explained as Davis stepped up into the apartment. "She's in real pain, but she's determined to see it through. Any word on Sora and Tai yet?"
"Nothing yet." Davis said, looking at his cell phone display. "Last I heard, she was in line to get one of those epi-thingies. You know, the thing they shoot in your back for…"
"Oh, an epidural," TK said, nodding as he padded towards the kitchen. "That should help take the edge off. Hey, you want something? I was fixing Yolei a sandwich."
"A bottled water will be cool." Davis replied. "Yeah, Kari said she wanted to see how long she could last before taking the pain medication."
"Yolei just hates needles." TK explained, tossing a bottle of water to Davis. "This is going to sound really stupid, but I wonder what would be worse: being jabbed through the back with a sharp needle, or going through the full blown pain of childbirth?"
"Try passing an object the size of a large football through YOUR giblets and you'll get a good idea which hurts most."
Davis jaw dropped as he turned to face Dr. Greystone, who was standing in the bedroom doorway peeling off a pair of gloves. "Excuse me?"
TK shook his head and walked towards the bedroom with a sandwich and a glass of water on a tray. "Davis, this is Dr. Greystone, Dr. Greystone, this is my friend, Daisuke Motomiya. But we all call him Davis."
"Ah, the goggle boy." Dr. Greystone said, nodding as she shook his hand. "Pleasure to meet ya. Excuse the random birth fluids on my hands."
Davis cringed as they shook hands. "What in the…"
"Just kidding, just kidding!" Dr. Greystone said, holding up the palms of her hands. "Little midwife humor. Seriously, Tea Cakes," Dr. Greystone said, turning to TK as he sighed. "Yolei is doing fine. She's dilated to about seven centimeters and she's almost fully effaced."
"I better get this sandwich in there, then.' TK said, bustling between Davis and Dr. Greystone. "She's going to need the energy."
"That's a great idea. I'm going to get a few things from my car to get ready." Dr. Greystone said, padding towards the front door. "I'll be back in a second. Oh, and if you start seeing a head down there, just catch, okay?"
"WHAT!" TK and Davis exclaimed.
"Just kidding, just kidding!" the doctor said, laughing as she slipped on her shoes and opened the front door. "She's not that far advanced. I'll be right back!" she closed the door behind her.
"What kind of dingbat doctor is that!" Davis asked, brushing a hand through his brunette hair.
"Trust me, she'll grow on ya." TK said, opening the door with his free hand.
"Just like the "tea cakes" thing?"
TK growled softly to himself. "Some things you just DON'T get used to."
"Come on, Sora! I can see it! I can see it! I can see it!"
"WELL I CAN FREAKING FEEL IT! I CAN FREAKING FEEL IT! AAAAAHHH!"
"That's it, Sora! Take a break!" Joe said, as he wiped his brow with his arm. He looked up from his position at the foot of the bed at his three friends. "That was beautiful, Sora. Take a small rest. You almost got the head out that time. On this next contraction, give it all you got!"
Sora fell back on the hospital bed, panting and sobbing. "It hurts! It hurts so much."
Joe nodded sympathetically. "I know it does, but you're doing a great job. Just keep it up, and you'll have a kid in no time."
Kari stood on the left side of the bed, her fingers now flushed from dark purple to red as blood re circulated past Sora's tight grip. "Come on, Sora. He's right there. He's almost out." She whispered, wiping a tear away with her free hand.
Tai, on the right hand side of the bed, looked down where Joe was in awe. "He's coming out, Sora! He's coming out!"
Sora gave a small and weary smile as she looked up in the mirror hanging from the bed. "Oh, thank God, he doesn't have your hair."
Tai gave a weak and nervous laugh as he wiped the sweat off Sora's brow with a small towel. "Good thing, huh? You'd probably be in labor forever."
"Oh, it already feels like I been in labor forever--oh no…here it comes again." Sora gasped as she gripped Tai and Kari's hands again.
Joe looked at the monitor and resumed his position between Sora's legs. "You're right. Here we go. Push straight down Sora. There you go."
Sora growled, grunted and strained, her eyes focused on the mirror above her bed. "That's it, that's it. Just a little more…" She encouraged herself as she watched her child's head emerge from her body.
"That's it, my Sora-chan, that's it. Here he comes…" Tai whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek as tears started building up in his eyes. "Here comes our son. Here he comes."
Kari's mouth slowly formed a large smile as Sora gave a loud scream and the child's head fully emerged into the world. "I can see him, Sora! He's here!"
"MMMMMMNNNNNGGGGHHHAAA!"
"Okay! Stop pushing Sora! Stop pushing!" Joe said, holding up a hand, as he began suctioning out the child's mouth and nose. "The head is out. I have the head. Take a break, and with the next contraction, we're done."
Sora looked up wearily at the mirror and nearly broke into sobs. Her child's head was now fully emerged from her body, which nurtured him for the past nine months. She reached a hand down and fingered the child's dark matted hair.
"Don't worry. You'll have him in your arms soon enough. Let's finish what we started." Joe said, gently taking hold of the baby's head. "Give me a big push. We have to get the shoulders out."
Once again, Sora sat up in the bed, grabbed Tai and Kari's hands and pushed down with every ounce of energy she had, her eyes rivited to the mirror. Her skin stretched as the child's shoulders slowly emerged out of her body.
"Come on out, Kenny-chan. Come on out." Tai and Sora whispered together as Joe started pulling the child onto Sora's belly.
"And here we come. Just one little push Sora…"
"AAAAUUUGGGHHHHHH!"
"Waaaaahhhh! Wa-wa-wahhhhh!"
"And here is your new son." Joe announced, trying to choke back tears as he set Sora and Tai's newborn on her stomach.
"Oh hello…hello our son…" Sora cooed, cradling the newborn, feeling their body heat combine through the blood on his body as he cried. "Hello Kenichi. Hello."
"It's our son, Sora." Tai said, his tears cascading down his cheeks as he kissed her on the cheek repeatedly, tasting the saltiness of her tears as he gawked at the new life on his lover's body. "You did it. Look at what you did."
"Look at what WE did, you mean." Sora said, kissing her son's wrinkled and wet forehead.
Kari looked at the three, her eyes fresh with tears as she noticed a beam of light shining through the window. She turned around and looked out at a beautiful sunrise on the snow-white landscape.
"We have our Christmas baby, Taichi-chan." Sora said, looking up at her with a smile as she continued cuddling the newborn. "What do you think?"
"I think he's the most beautiful being in the whole world." Tai said, rubbing a finger along his son's cheek. "Wanna do it again?"
Sora laughed softly as Joe clamped off the umbilical cord. "Sure, why don't you carry and birth the next one, okay?"
"Come on dad," Joe said, handing Tai a pair of scissors as he revealed the thick cable that connected Sora to the baby's stomach. "Time to cut the ties that bind."
"OH MY GOD, WHAT IS THAT!" Tai exclaimed, pointing to the dark gray cord that led inside Sora.
"Once again, Tai. That's the umbilical cord."
Kari giggled, held up the camera that was hanging from her neck and snapped a picture of Tai cutting the new baby's umbilical cord. "My brother is now a father." She thought to herself as she snapped another picture.
"Nine pounds three ounces." Joe announced scribbling the information in the chart. "Looks like you owe Davis twenty bucks, Tai."
"Yeah. I was off by a few pounds." Tai sighed as he played with his new son's fingers and toes in the incubator.
"All I need now is a name, and then we can take this little one off into the nursery, and give both of you a chance to take a well needed nap."
Tai and Sora shared a glance and a smiled. "Kenichi Makoto Kamiya." Tai said proudly, beaming at his new son.
"Kenichi Makoto Kamiya." Joe scribbled in the chart. "Nice strong name."
"A stronger name would have been Taichi Yamagi Kamiya Jr., but Sora didn't like it." Tai said, pouting slightly.
"One Tai is enough for this world and the digital world." Sora said with a smile.
"I better call Davis and tell him what's going on and find out what's going on with Yolei." Kari said, pulling out her cell phone. "Oh, darn it. I'm not getting a signal. I'll be right back."
"Try standing by the giant windows in the waiting room." Joe recommended as he continued making notes. "It beats going outside in the cold."
"Oh, thanks, Joe" Kari said, stepping out the door.
She, rather her large stomach, then collided with a tall figure with blue hospital scrubs. "Ooof! I'm sorry!"
"Oh, it's okay. It's no—Oh, hi, Kari!" Dr. McKnight said with a smile. He was wearing a bright red and white Santa hat. In his arms were a few folders. "Merry Christmas! What are you doing here?"
"Oh, my brother just had a baby." Kari said, smiling.
"Uh, come again?"
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Kari giggled. "My brother and his wife just had a new baby. A boy."
"Ah, okay. Congrats, auntie Kari." The doctor said, gently elbowing her in the arm. "Where's Davis?"
"I was just getting ready to call him," Kari explained as she and the doctor walked down the hall. "He's at our other friends house. She's having a home delivery and she's in labor."
"Tis the season." Dr. McKnight said, holding up the charts he was holding. "I just finished up with these paitents, and after I drop these charts off, I'm going home to enjoy my holiday. How have you been feeling?"
"Pretty good. The baby isn't moving around as much," Kari said, then quickly added. "But I know that's because the baby is now in a head down position and is so big he's having difficulty moving."
Dr. McKnight set the charts on the counter, turned to Kari and grinned. "You've been studying after all. Well, I'm off to rest my nerves for a few days. Merry Christmas Kari." He said, giving her a hug.
"Merry Christmas Doc." Kari giggled as she tried to return his big bear hug. When they separated, she pulled out her cell phone and started dialing.
As the phone rang, she looked down at the charts and read the name on the tab sticking out. Her eyes grew wide.
"Hello, this is Davis."
"Dai-Chan? It's Kari. Are you sitting down?"
"Uh…I am now. What's going on?""Tai and Sora had a baby boy. 9 pounds 6 ounces—"
"HA! I knew it! Tai owes me twenty smackers!" Davis crowed.
"Well, maybe you can make that same bet with Izzy nine months from now." Kari said coyly.
"Come again?"
To Be Continued…
(A/N – It's a boy! I know it was cruel leaving you guys hanging like that, and even worse for poor Sora, but wasn't it worth it? I hope so! I'm going to be doing something different this time around, guys. Because doesn't' appreciate it's writers enough to allow replies in our stories, I'm going to be using the new Review Reply system. I'll do it every Saturday so check your mailboxes! And please keep reviewing! The next chapter promises to knock your freaking socks off! See ya then!)