(A/N – Surprise! New chapter day! And an even BIGGER surprise awaits in this chapter! You probably know what's up, if you've been paying attention to the last few chapters of this story! With that being said, I invite you to sit back, relax and check out the climatic and VERY long awaited chapter 27 of "Nine Months in the Socks of the Motamiya's!")
Nine Months in the Socks of the Motamiya's – Chapter 27: Akiko Kioko Motomiya
"We made it! We freaking made it!" Tai whooped as he whipped the battered car under the hospital's loading and unloading bay. In jubilation, he tooted his horn and flashed his lights as he brought the vehicle to a stop.
A few discharged patients looked on as Tai jumped out the driver's seat and ran over to the other site to help Sora and Kenichi out the car. Tai then opened the trunk and pulled out a tightly folded stroller.
"And to think, it only cost us two tickets, a radiator full of scalding antifreeze, one can of coke, and a flat tire." Sora said dryly as Tai struggled to snap the stroller into the upright position. "Tai, did you read the instructions and practice setting the stroller up?"
"No I didn't So-ra!" Tai growled, as he struggled to latch two poles together. "The box said that it latches together in three quick and easy moves! THREE EASY FREAKING MOVES!"
Sora sighed and tapped her foot as she watched Tai repeatedly bashed the stroller on the ground. Her cheeks flushed bright red as Tai started pounding and swearing at the device on the pavement.
"Umm…excuse me?"
Sora spun around to face a mess of dark dreadlocks. She looked down into Genki's cool grinning face.
"Yo."
"Hi. Can I help you little boy?" Sora asked, innocently.
"Little boy?' Genki laughed. "Lady, I'm 24 years old."
Sora gasped as she took a closer look at the small tan skinned man in front of her. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she said, raising her free hand to her mouth. "I didn't realize!"
"Meh. It's cool." Genki said, waving it off. "Happens all the time. It's no big deal. I like to tell people my growth spurt just spurted right on by me. It looks as though you dudes need some help." He said, gesturing to the struggle between Tai and the stroller.
"We would really appreciate it if you could help us out." Sora pleaded.
"Ah. It's no big deal." Genki said, walking over to Tai. "I work upstairs in labor and delivery. I see people struggle with this all the time." He pushed his round glasses up on his nose and studied the stroller intently. "Ah. It's the Morimoto-Kaga XL-7300. Very nice choice, dude. Give me thirty seconds."
Tai looked on in awe as Genki unfolded the stroller, the blue pieces of cloth and metal slowly rising into an upright position. A thought then occurred to him. "Hey! You said you worked in labor and delivery," he suddenly exclaimed. "Do you know if Kari Motomiya had her baby yet?"
"I'm not sure." Genki said as he fastened the locks on the now upright stroller. "Last I heard, she was crying for her brother…poor thing. She wanted her brother there so bad, but she's pushing now, and at the rate she's going he's not going to make it."
Genki finally dusted of the top of the now fully assembled stroller. "Well, there you go. The stroller is all ready to go and…hey, what happened to your husband?"
Sora looked to her left. Sure enough, Tai was gone. She looked though the glass double doors and saw Tai frantically rapping on the elevator buttons. Quickly, she deposited Kenichi into the stroller. "Thank you so much sir! We really appreciate it! Happy New Year!" She said, pushing the stroller through the double doors.
"Bye dudes." Genki said, waving. "And tell your husband that his hair is wild! I know somebody who'll braid it up for him!"
Sora finally caught up with Tai who was continuing to pound on the elevator buttons. "Tai, what are you doing?"
"Stupid elevator! It's taking too long!" Tai growled, slamming his hand against the panel. He looked around and his eyes caught sight of the door marked "Stairs". He had an idea.
"Sora. You and Kenny-chan take the elevator. I'm taking the stairs. I'll meet you up there!" he said, flinging the door open.
"Tai! The maternity ward is 5 floors up!" Sora called after him.
"Don't worry! I can make it!" Tai called over his shoulder as he dashed inside and the door closed behind him.
Sora gave a sigh as the elevator bell chimed and the doors in front of her rumbled open. "Kenny-chan, I hope you remember this day. The day your father went completely bananas."
"…7…8…9…and 10. Take a breather Kari."
Kari collapsed back on the bed, panting and crying. The last 5 minutes have been grueling for her. With each contraction the strong urge to push overwhelmed her, drowned her. She held out for as long as she could bear, fighting her natural urge to birth the child, but her body had enough.
"That was a great push, Kari. The baby is starting to crown." Dr. McKnight said, pointing to the mirror angled above his head. He looked at the digital clock above Kari's bed and grinned. "Looks like we may have the first baby born in the New Year!"
"Brother…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…" Kari thought, feeling her body finally give into it's urge.
"Here it comes, Kari-chan. Here comes our little one." Davis whispered in his ear, taking a quick peek at his emerging child's head. "You're my hero, you know that?" he said, kissing Kari on the forehead.
"And you're mine." Kari whispered as she felt the contraction build up inside her. "Here it comes again!" She screamed, tightly clenching Davis hand. "Help me Dai-chan!"
"I'm right here, Kari. I'm not going anywhere. For better or worse, remember?" Davis said. "Just a little more and we're there! We can finally see what's been hold up inside you for the last nine months!"
"Okay, Kari. Give me a big push." Dr. McKnight said, nodding. "Let's end 2014 with a bang and start 2015 with a baby! 1…2…3…"
"Fourth floor…one more left to go..."
Tai clutched the railing with his stained, burned arms, his dirty forehead dripping with sweat as he struggled up the steps.
"I'm coming, Kari. I'm on my way. Be strong. Here I come. I'm coming little nephew." Tai thought repeatedly to himself, as he pulled himself up the stairs past the fourth floor doorway.
"Tai! Stay with me!""No. Go wait for mom and dad."
Tai winced at the memory that flashed through his head. His sister, young, just getting over a cold, standing close behind him as he made the decision to return…Her warm hand inside his own. Even now, he could still feel his body gently floating upwards towards the heavens, his grip slowly loosening from around her delicate fingers.
"Goodbye Kari..."
"Bye bye, Tai... Don't forget about me..."
"I could never forget about you, Kari. Never. I'm not going to let you down. I'm not going to leave you again." Tai growled as he pulled himself upright. "I'm coming. I'm coming."
With a renewed strength, he now quickened his pace up the stairs, counting them off as he continued his ascent.
"One…two…three…four…"
"5…6…7…8…9…and 10! That's it Kari! That's it! You're doing beautifully."
"It hurts!" Kari screamed loudly, collapsing down on the bed.
"I know it does, Kari, but this is what it's all about. The reward you get is well worth it, believe it." Dr. McKnight encouraged, nodding as he once again looked at the digital clock on the wall. "11:58. You're gonna make it. Just a few more pushes to get the head out, and we're in!"
"Hear that, Kari? First baby in the New Year." Davis gushed, once again looking at his child's emerging head. "He has black hair, Kari!"
"Davis. The hair is matted wet, so it's going to look black when first born. It may be brown." Dr. McKnight said, rolling his eyes. "Come on, Kari, take a deep breath, and let it out."
Kari did so, bracing herself for what was to come. "Here we go, Dai-chan." Kari said, giving Davis a small grin as she took another deep breath. "Let's see what's been baking in the oven."
"Take one more breath and hold it, then push down. Let's roll with it." Dr. McKnight said, supporting the child's head.
Kari pushed down, grunting, groaning and straining as she slowly moved the child's head into Dr. McKnight's waiting hands.
"That's it, Kari," the doctor encouraged. "Just a bit more and we almost got the hea--."
"KAAAAARRRRRIII!"
Dr. McKnight quickly jerked his head up and looked around. "What the!"
"HIKARI MAI MOTOMIYA! HIKARI, WHERE ARE YOU!" A loud voice boomed and echoed in the hallway. "IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, SAY SOMETHING!"
"TAICHI! I'M HEREEEERE! AAAAAHHHHH!" Kari screamed as she pushed the widest part of her child's head into the doctor's hands.
"She's in here, Tai!" TK called out in the hallway. "Hurry! Hurry!"
"He made it!" Davis said to Kari with a bright grin on his face. "He made it! I told you he would make it!"
Tai raced inside the delivery room, panting almost as hard as Kari was. His face was dirty and sweaty, his hair was even messier than normal, his arms were burnt, and he had the slight odor of motor oil and antifreeze.
"Kari!" Tai panted as he quickly ran over to his sister's bedside. "I'm here Kari. I'm so sorry I'm late!"
"OH HECK NO!" Dr. McKnight said, shaking his head. "I'm glad you made it, but you're not coming two steps near this bed until you wash! There's a sink over there. Kari, we almost got the head out, just pant and the rest of the head will come out slowly. I don't want you to tear."
"Oh Tai, I'm so glad you're here." Kari sighed, her eyes now full of tears as Tai started furiously scrubbing his hands and arms. "I tried to hold out for you, but…"
"You were waiting for me, Kari?" Tai said, looking back at his sister with tears in his eyes. "You didn't have to—"
"GAAAAHHH!" Kari's scream cut him off as she arched her back.
"And that's it! The head's out!" Dr. McKnight announced, gently suctioning out the baby's nose and mouth. "And just in time. Brother, come on over here and see what you almost missed!"
Tai quickly grabbed a fistful of blue paper towels and ran back over to the bed. Kari gently took his hand in hers and looked up at him with a weary smile. "You didn't forget about me."
"I never could." Tai whispered in her ear.
"Okay, crazy kids. And I do mean that literally. Let's get this kid out. We have about 20 seconds before the New Year. Kari, give me one good push for the shoulders!"
Kari clutched Davis and Tai's hand tightly and strained as the child's shoulders slowly emerged from out of her body. "Oh…here it comes…" She grunted.
Davis looked at his new child's emergence. His cheeks were now wet with tears that streamed down from his wide, awe-struck eyes. "Our baby, Kari. Our baby." He whispered.
"Someone give me a countdown!" Dr. McKnight called, looking from the clock down between Kari's legs. "Ten…"
"Nine! Eight! Seven!" Davis chanted, looking from the clock to the slowly emerging newborn, whose chest was now in the world.
"Six…Five…" Tai chanted, as the baby's abdomen was now delivered. "It's a boy! I can see it!"
"That's the umbilical cord, sir." Dr. McKnight sighed, rolling his eyes. "Kari, give me your hands and pull your child out of you and on your belly."
"Dang! You think I would get it the third time around!" Tai said as, with a loud groan from Kari, the child's waist came into the world. She gently put her hands under her child's armpits and looked between her legs. "Oh, you're so cute…" She groaned as she continued pushing. "Time to come on out."
"Four…Three…two…"
"GAAAAHHHHH!"
"WAAAAHHHH! WAAAAAHHHH!"
Kari screamed as she pulled the remainder of her child out her body and gently set it on her now soft stomach. "Oh…. Oh…" She wailed, tears streaming down her face as the newborn began crying. "Hello…hello…" She sobbed, looking down at the newborn child.
"Oh, Kari…" Davis sobbed, looking down at the child in her arms. "Our baby! It's our baby!"
"Dai-chan…" Kari said, looking up at her husband with a bright smile on her face. "Awww, Dai-chan…you're crying. What's wrong?"
"It's the most beautiful thing I ever seen before in my life." Davis said, looking down at the newborn "Just look. What is it, doc?"
"You tell me." Dr. McKnight said, quickly wiping a tear from his eye. "I still don't know."
Kari gently looked between the newborn's legs and looked back into her child's crying face. "I had a feeling. I just had a feeling." She looked up at Davis. "Say hello to your new daughter."
"A….a…a...girl?" Davis stammered, gawking down at his new daughter, who was now being covered with a bright yellow blanket. "This little girl was doing all that jumping and kicking inside you for the last nine months?"
"Guess we're using the pink stuff after all." Kari said, gently picking up her child's hand. "She's going to look so cute in her little pink whistle."
"Don't forget the pink goggles." Davis cooed, gently brushing a finger on her cheek. "You can't be the leader of the Digidestined without a pair of goggles."
"Tai," Kari said, looking up at her brother, who's burned arm was now covering his face as he cried. "What do you think of your new niece?"
"She's the spitting image of you, Kari." Tai sniffled, looking down at the new baby. After a few seconds, he gave a small sigh and looked up at Davis with a small smirk. "There's also a bit of Davis in there, too, I guess…"
Davis nodded proudly. "Thanks Tai."
"Time to cut the cord, daddy." Dr. McKnight said, handing Davis a pair of scissors. "Just snip right in between those two clamps, and she's all yours.
With a steady hand, Davis gently cut the thick cable that linked Kari to their daughter for the last nine months.
"You guys were right on time." Dr. McKnight said proudly as he looked at the clock and scribbled on a chart. "Date of birth: January 1, 2015. Time: 12:00:01. You made it. Do we have a name?"
"Do you want to go with the name we picked out earlier, Dai-chan?" Kari asked, her voice in a whisper as though any loud noise will disturb the moment.
"Sure, only if you want to go with it, Kari-chan." Davis whispered back.
"Care to inform your doctor of your decision?" Dr. McKnight asked in a hushed tone.
"Sure do." Davis said, grinning.
"Absolutely, positively not!"
Davis followed close behind him, his hands clutched together in a begging fashion as he walked towards the front reception desk.
"Come on, Doc! It would mean so much to Kari and the baby!"
"No, no, no!" Dr. McKnight repeated, dropping a chart in the rack. "Your wife just gave birth! That baby was JUST born! I can't allow that!"
"PLEASE, doc! It's only happens once a year, and we want to see it together!" Davis said, walking in front of him, blocking his way. "Come on, please?"
The African American doctor looked down in Davis brown eyes and sighed. "Oh, alright! But ONLY for a few minutes, and ONLY if I'm there with you."
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Davis said, bowing and shaking Dr. McKnight's hand. "I'll go tell Kari! She's going to be so happy!" And with that, Davis ran off to Kari's room.
"Happy new year, Samurai Jack."
Dr. McKnight spun on his heels to face Dr. Greystone, who was standing behind the reception desk in her ninja clothes. "Same to you, Amy-sensei."
"So, what did I hear you give into this time?" she asked, taking a sip of coffee from her mug.
"Ancient Japanese tradition." Dr. McKnight said mystically as he padded back to his office. "It's a new years tradition; you watch the sunrise of the New Year with your family and friends. It's supposed to bring good luck."
"I didn't know you actually followed those traditions."
"I'm dressed in a kimono, aren't I?" Dr. McKnight said, looking back at her with a grin. "If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it right. Wanna come?"
"Me?"
"No, your shadow jutsu. Of course you!" the African-American said. "Meet me on the roof in about an hour."
"The roof!"
"Our first sunrise of the New Year, as a family."
Davis and Kari looked out at the bright yellow and purple hazed sky. The blue darkness of the passing night retreated as the bright sun rose over the mountainside, scattering it's bright beams of light over the group standing on the roof.
"You know, it feels as though the last year was all a dream." Davis said. "I mean, I married my dream girl and had a baby with her."
"Well, if this is a dream," Kari said, gently rocking the heavily wrapped infant in her arms. "You have the most linear, realistic dreams in the world."
Davis grinned as he returned his gaze to the brightening horizon. "You know, you're supposed to make a wish with the first sunrise, and I was trying to rake my brain trying to think of what to wish for, but I could only think of one thing."
"What's that, Dai-chan?"
"That our baby girl is as happy as her name: Akiko Kioko Motomiya." Davis said, looking down at his new daughter. "You know, Aki-chan, you gave us a run for our money these past nine months."
"I have a sinking feeling," Kari said, making sure the both of them were wrapped in the blanket. "That we haven't seen anything yet."
"I can't believe you talked me into this." Dr. Greystone said through her chattering teeth.
"Hey, nobody told you to wear your boots out here!" Dr. McKnight said, looking down at Dr. Greystone's open toed boots. "And besides, I told you we were come on the roof."
"You do know that you're breaking hospital policy by allowing them to come outside, right?" Dr. Greystone said, looking at the young couple staring out at the rising sun.
"Meh. It's okay. Mother and daughter are bundled up and doing just fine." Dr. McKnight said, giving a slight shudder. "Besides, I wanted to fly my kite."
Dr. Greystone looked up at the big red, white and pink carp kite, the long streaming tail fluttering in the breeze as though it were swimming in a vast oceanic swirl of pink and yellow streaks.
"Okay, guys. Time to come back inside. The sun's in the sky, and my behind is going to fry if I don't get you guys back inside."
"Ready to start this parenthood thing, Dai-chan?" Kari asked, looking up at Davis with a grin.
Davis walked behind her wheelchair and looked down at his wife and daughter. "Heh. We'll see, Kari-chan. We'll see."
To be continued…
(A/N – Akiko Kioko Motomiya has finally made her debut after many months of waiting and contemplating! I hope you guys are happy! But don't leave just yet! Chapter 28, the final chapter in the "Nine Months in the Socks of the Motamiya's" saga is on it's way! When? I couldn't tell ya. In the meantime, PLEASE review the story, and as per usual, please leave intelligent and constructive reviews! No one line, "Update soon! Good story" reviews PLEASE! The story is almost over, I really don't need to be told to update soon. Thanks in advance!)