Olivia smiled at the woman snuggled securely in her arms, "So, you said something about watching you scream like a small child?"
Alex groaned, pushing her face further into Olivia's chest, "Right now? That's what you want to do?" she ran gentle fingertips down Olivia's neck, tugging gently at the collar of Olivia's shirt.
Olivia pulled Alex's fingers away from her neckline, "Honey. Yes, that's definitely on the agenda for tonight, I promise. We have all night. But first, please...I just want to make up for time I've missed."
Alex nodded. She understood Olivia's need to catch up on Adia's life, it was the entire purpose for the thousands of pictures and video she'd brought to give to Olivia. And she knew that, more than likely, in a few days time Hammond would come to take her and Adia away again, and she'd have to rip Olivia's heart out again.
"Okay," she said gamely, "I'll make a deal with you. One video. Then I get to have my way with you."
"Still making deals, counselor?" Olivia joked without thinking. Alex's eyes clouded over for several seconds before she swallowed the sob that threatened to burst from her chest. She smiled too brightly at Olivia, pulling herself from the warm embrace and going to the suitcase, pulling the tape labeled "Adia's Birth" from the full case.
"Here," she said, holding out her hand to help Olivia to her feet.
"Alex..." Olivia started.
Alex shook her head, "Just, don't, okay? Don't. I'm not "Counselor" anymore. I've dealt. Now, c'mon, let's show you our daughter."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Hi Emily! Say something for the camera!"
"Hi, Jake. Nothing exiting is happening yet, you don't need to film me yet!"
"C'mon, Emmy. You're about to become a mommy, this is already exciting."
Alex consented, smiling and waving at the camera, "I don't know what to say. Adia, honey, this is me pre-you," she turned to the left, placing her hand on her stomach, "and I am quite excited to make sure my feet are still down there somewhere. I'm even more excited to meet you. Now, do mommy a favor and come out nice and quick and make this as painless as possible for everyone."
Jake snorted from somewhere behind the camera. He moved the camera around the room of the birthing center, showing the camera the bed, the TV, and the huge whirlpool tub. Alex's voice sounded from behind the camera, "I'm getting in there as soon as possible. You just video the other stuff while I lumber around."
The camera went fuzzy for a minute or two, and then picked up with Alex lying in the whirlpool, a blue bikini top covering her chest. She smiled at the camera again and then spoke to someone off camera, "Margaret, would you take pictures of the room for me? I want to make sure I have video and pictures of everything for Adia's scrapbook."
"You and your scrap booking, Emily," a voice that could only have belonged to Margaret teased, "That poor girl's first boyfriend won't know what hit him."
"My daughter is not dating. Ever," Alex said decisively, "So she can just sit home with her momma and watch late night reruns through high school."
The video ran in much the same snarky fashion on and off for several hours. When Jake did stop the camera, he showed the time change by filming the large clock on the wall.
The camera panned over Alex, her blonde hair tugged back in a half hearted attempt at a pony tail, chunks of hair plastered to her skin by sweat. Her eyes closed and she laid her head back, breathing hard through a contraction. As they grew stronger, her breathing turned into soft moaning and towards the end she did, indeed, scream like a little girl. Her knuckles were white as her hands gripped the sides of the tub and her head was thrown back against a rolled up towel. Margaret attempted to wipe her head with a damp cloth but Alex pushed her hand away, instead taking the washcloth and wiping her own forehead before laying her head back down.
Jake took careful documentation of the clock, turning five hours labor into a five-minute montage of a barrage of clips of the clock, of Alex, and of various and sundry room decorations. Finally, the clips stopped and the camera focused on Alex. Her jaw was clenched, eyes screwed shut, hands balled into fists at her sides as a voice off camera counted slowly to ten in a calm voice.
"Emily, honey, reach down and feel your daughter," the off camera voice of the doctor took Alex's attention off the pain and she unballed her fists, reaching for her daughter, "one more push and you'll be a mommy."
The calm voice counted, Alex tipped her chin down to rest on her chest and grunted with the strain. Suddenly her head shot up, eyes wide and Dr. Harrison reached into the water, pulling Adia from the liquid and suctioning out her nose and mouth before placing her on Alex's chest. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she looked at her daughter. She picked up each hand and foot, counting fingers and toes and examining the tiny appendages.
"Hi Adia," she whispered, "I'm your mommy and I am going to love you so much."
Margaret came over, cutting the umbilical cord and taking Adia from Alex. At Alex's somewhat angry look, Margaret chuckled, "Five minutes, Emily. I promise."
The camera followed Adia to the scale, but from the bathtub Alex's voice was clear, "You're not even on duty, Margie. You just wanted to hold the baby. Five minutes, and you bring her right back."
The camera caught Margaret's chuckle as she place Adia on the scale and checked her height, "18 inches long. Six pounds, eight ounces. Apgars of 8 and 10. She's perfect, Em."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Olivia raised a tear stained face to her lover, who had been watching Olivia more intently than the video.
"You did so good, Alex. You were all by yourself," she hugged Alex tighter, trying to control her sobs, "She was so beautiful, she is so...Thank you, Alex. Thank you for bringing her to me. And for taking all those pictures and the scrapbooks. It means a lot to me."
"I never forgot you, Olivia. And I tell Adia about you every night. She's seen all the pictures of you I have and every night I tell her that her mama loves her."
Olivia pushed her lips against Alex's in a crushing kiss, pulling away only when she needed to breath, "Don't ever forget how much I love you, Alex. How proud I am that you're so brave and how beautiful you are," nimble fingers slid under the hem of Alex's shirt, "God, Alex, I missed you."
Alex pulled Olivia in for another searing kiss, tugging the brunette down to cover her slender body on the couch.
"I know, Liv. I know and I love you too. So much."