A/N: Hey, everyone! Last chapter of the day. Enjoy! Please remember to R&R! :)


April 21, 2005

Angel Grove, CA

The ride to the hospital was filled with me having contractions while trying to convince everyone that I wasn't actually in labor. Mom sat in the back seat with me while Jason drove with Tommy up front. Every bump he hit made it seem even more painful and I was willing the ride to be over sooner. When Jason ripped into the hospital parking lot, he went straight over to the ER doors and parked in the ambulance unloading zone. He hopped out and ran into the doors while Tommy helped my mom get me out of the back seat. Jason returned with a nurse and a wheelchair that Tommy helped me get into.

"Her contractions are about two minutes apart." Mom said, taking my hand. The nurse nodded, the blonde taking my pulse on my left hand.

"Her pulse is elevated. Let's get her inside and check out." She said. We all moved to head inside but she stopped. "You'll have to move the truck, sir." She said to Jason, pointing at his truck.

"Shit. Right. Sorry." He replied, a red tint to his ears. The nurse pushed me into the door with Mom and Tommy in tow. She went right past the ER waiting room and into the back part where I had been for my last attack from Nick. I was wheeled into a room that was set up like an OBGYN office. She stopped, putting the breaks on the wheelchair.

"Let's get you up there and see what's going on." She said. Mom helped her get me up from the chair while Tommy lingered in the doorway. I laid back on the table and put my feet in the stirrups. Grabbing a stool, the nurse put herself between my legs and pushed my dress up. Tommy shut the door to give me some privacy from the hallway. I felt something cold between my legs, followed by a pain as she inserted her fingers into me. I let out a loud cry, wanting to lift myself right up off the table and away from her. Mom grabbed my hand, stroking the hair on the top of my head.

"It's alright, baby girl." She said, giving me a reassuring smile.

"You're in labor, alright." The nurse said. "And you're close. We're gonna get you up to a room ASAP and get you ready for delivery." She stood up, removing her gloves and grabbing the phone on the wall. She pressed some buttons and brought the receiver to her ear. "I have an active labor patient heading up your way. Page Dr. McKinney." She hung up and grabbed the wheelchair again.

"Dr. McKinney isn't my doctor." I said. "Dr. Amankwah is."

"I know." She replied, helping me back into the chair. "Dr. McKinney is the on call OB. He'll be there until Dr. Amankwah can get here. They've paged him as soon as you got here." She took me out into the hallway where Jason joined our group again.

"What's going on?" He asked, walking with Tommy.

"We're having a baby." Mom said, smiling back at the two of them.

"I'll go call Trini and the others. She went to your house to get your bag with Marci. They'll be here shortly." Jason said, breaking off and heading away from the elevators where we were going. The doors of the elevator opened and we climbed in, Tommy next to me. As they closed, another contraction hit. I reached up and grabbed his hand, squeezing tightly. He bent down, rubbing my shoulders as I cried out in pain.

"You have to breathe, Kim. Remember your birthing classes." He said softly.

"Yeah, well it feels like a watermelon is trying to crawl out of my belly button. How about you remember to breathe." I said through gritted teeth. The door opened again and he continued to hold my hand as we came out onto the maternity ward. The nurse pushed us into a room where two other nurses were setting things up. One handed Tommy a gown.

"Have her put this on when she can." She said. He nodded, bending down to me again.

"You okay?" He asked. I nodded, the contraction coming to an end. Mom grabbed my mother's hand and helped me to my feet. The nurses excused themselves, allowing Mom to help me change from my now ruined dress and into the hospital gown and a pair of the ugliest socks I had ever seen. Tommy helped me get up into the bed and the nurse appeared again. She was different than the ER nurse, a shorter and stockier girl with a kind smile and blue eyes. Her long brown hair was curly and pulled back into a bun on the back of her head. Mom shoved my dress into a bag and tucked it into a small closet in the corner of the room.

"Hi. My name is Tammy. I'm going to be your nurse while you're here." She said, introducing herself. She came to the right side of the bed and opened a drawer in the cabinet next to the bed. I saw there was a monitor on a shelf there and she pulled out some weird circle shaped thing. "This is just the heart and contraction monitor. It'll tell us how the baby's heart is doing and when you're getting a contraction. I just need you to sit forward." Grabbing the bars on the side of the bed, I pulled myself forward and allowed her to put the bad around my stomach. The censor rested right below my belly button. "How's that?" She asked. I nodded, leaning back into the pillows.

"Okay."

"Alright. I'm going to get an IV and Dr. McKinney will be in to examine you. He can give you something for the pain after his examination. I think we might have a baby very soon though. Can I get you anything?"

"No, thank you." I said. She made quick work of putting an IV into my arm, the needle only pinching slightly. She gave me some IV solution to keep me hydrated and said she would be back in a few minutes with the doctor to help with the exam. When she left, I turned and saw that Mom was sitting in the chair next to the bed while Tommy was practically hiding in the far corner. Mom smiled over at me and took my hand in hers.

"Are you comfortable? Do you want another pillow?" She asked. I waved my other hand at her the best I could, the IV and the oxygen clip on the tip of my finger hindering me slightly in motion.

"I'm alright. It's too early for this, Mom. She's not due until May. Can't they like stop the labor or something?" I asked. She shook her head.

"Not after your water breaks. She's going to be fine, Kimmy. Babies are born much earlier than her and make it. Three weeks is nothing. Besides, judging due dates isn't an exact science. It's more of a guessing game most of the time. The doctor is going to take good care of you two."

"I hope so." I whispered. The door opened again and a man walked in with Tammy in tow. He wore a pair of blue scrubs and had a telescope around his neck. He was an older gentleman with a head of grey blonde hair and he smiled at me as he entered.

"Hello, Kimberly. I'm Dr. McKinney. I'll be covering things until your doctor can get here." He said, reaching out and shaking my hand. He turned his sights to my mother. "You must be the aunt to be." Mom blushed, smiling brightly at him.

"Heavens, no. I'm Kimberly's mother, Caroline. Proud Grandma to be." She said, shaking his hand. I saw that she didn't release his hand quickly as they shook. His eyes caught hers for a long moment before turning towards Tommy.

"And you are?" He asked.

"Tommy. He's the father." I said quickly. The doctor nodded before sitting down between my legs. My mother, on the other hand, whipped her head around to look at me. She looked shocked and confused but I gave her a look, telling her to keep her mouth shut for the moment. Tammy helped me lift my legs, allowing the doctor to look between them. Tommy moved so he wasn't in direct sight of the area, coming to stand near the bed inside. Like before, it hurt as he did his exam for me. I grabbed the railings, taking in deep breaths as he apparently was playing high five with my child. It felt like an eternity before he removed his hand from inside of me and stood back up.

"You're about ten centimeters dilated. This baby will be here in no time." He said, removing his gloves. He looked at Tammy. "Have them get prepped and in here. She'll probably start pushing in about twenty minutes."

"Twenty? Twenty minutes?" I asked. As I did, another contraction hit me. I yelled out in pain, Mom grabbing my hands and allowing me to squeeze. I could feel a great deal of pressure beginning to build between my hips. It felt like I needed to push something out. I took deep breaths, trying to get the feeling to go away.

"If that. The baby is getting ready to come into the birth canal. We're going to move quickly to get things going. Sit tight and we will be right back. Do not push until we are back in here, Kimberly. That's very important." I nodded, the contraction ending.

"Can you give her the epidural? She's in a lot of pain." Mom asked. The doctor shook his head.

"I'm afraid it's too late for that. Anything we give her now would be pointless." He replied. Oh, terrific. Why was this my life? Why couldn't anything just go fucking easy for me? "But we are going to be right back and we will get this show on the road." He patted the bed before him and Tammy left the room. Mom looked at me.

"Did I miss something? How is Tommy the father now?" She asked. Another contraction hit me and I swore, squeezing my eyes shut.

"He's signing the birth certificate to keep Nick out of things." I said, gritting my teeth.

"Don't you think there is another way to avoid all that?" She asked. I glared at her, not wanting to have this argument with her right now.

"No and if you don't agree with it, you can leave right now." I let out a cry as the pain ebbed away. "It's happening, Mom. So deal with it." She held her hands up.

"Alright. Alright. Relax." She grabbed a washcloth from the table next to her and wiped the sweat from my forehead. The door opened to the room and instead of the doctor and Tammy, I saw it was Jason, Trini, and Marci standing there. Jason was carrying my hospital bag over his shoulder. Marci ran over to the other side of the bed and grabbed my hand.

"Hey! I guess it's baby time, huh?" She asked, smiling at me. I chuckled, nodding my head.

"I guess so. Sorry I didn't get a chance to grab you before we left."

"It's fine. I still made it, right?" She replied. I nodded.

"I grabbed you guys a change of clothes too." Trini said, pointing to the bag. "I figured you might want it while you're here."

"What did the doctor say?" Jason asked.

"She's gonna start pushing in just a few minutes." Tommy replied, taking the bag from Jason. He set it in the other chair on the other side of the room.

"I have to do it with an epidural." I said, feeling winded. "I'm gonna die."

"You're gonna be fine." Trini said, putting her hand on my leg. "Think of all the other people before you who managed to do it drug free. You're gonna do great."

"I don't want to be like them. I want to be like Aisha who couldn't feel a damn thing." I shot back.

"I know, dear. It's too late for that though." Mom said, rubbing my arm. "But like Trini said, you're gonna make this look like a piece of cake." The door opened again and Tammy appeared, wheeling a cart of stuff. She stopped when she saw that the room was full of people.

"Oh! Hello. I hate to kick everyone out but I just need whoever will be coaching her through the delivery to be in here until the baby is here." She said. She smiled at me. "You can have two people."

"Two? That's it?" I asked. She nodded, frowning. I groaned, dropping my head back to the pillow. The plan was to have Tommy, my mom, and Marci in the room with me. "You can't make me pick from everyone."

"You don't have to pick." Tommy said. "Marci and your mom should be here."

"No!" Marci and I both said.

"You went to the classes with her. I'll go out." Marci said, recovering for us. She smiled, giving me a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be out in the waiting room. Good luck. I love you."

"I love you too." I said, squeezing her hand. Her, Trini and Jason left, waving as they went. Tammy handed Mom and Tommy gowns to put over their clothes while she set up some equipment.

"Now, Kimberly, Dr. Amankwah still isn't here yet. But don't worry. Dr. McKinney has been delivery babies probably longer than you've been alive. You're in good hands." Tammy said, pulling a gown on herself. Another contraction hit and the urge to push was extremely strong. I screamed, clawing at the bed.

"I need to push!" I said.

"Not yet, dear. Just a little bit longer." Tammy said, looking at the monitor. "I'll be right back in with Dr. McKinney. Just sit tight." She disappeared out the door again.

"If one more person tells me to sit tight, I'm going to deck them." I said, shaking my head. "This isn't right at all. It's too early, Marci should have been able to be in here, and my doctor should be the one here delivering my baby!"

"I'm gonna get you some ice chips." Mom said, kissing my hand before leaving the room. I rolled my eyes.

"I don't need ice chips. I need everything to work like it was supposed to." I muttered. Tommy smirked, walking over and sitting next to the bed.

"Since when does that ever happen in our lives?" He asked. I laughed, nodding. "I don't want to sound like a broken record but they are right. You're gonna do this and you can beat the shit out of me through the whole thing if need be."

"That's sweet, Tommy." I said. "Don't promise things that you don't want to happen though." He laughed, nodding. Another contraction came and I grabbed his arm. He took my hand in his and let me claw my nails into his skin as it hit. I needed to push. My body was telling me to. Where the hell was Tammy and the doctor? I was ready to have this shit done and over with. With each passing contraction, I was growing more and more tired. As this one ended, I found myself panting and having trouble catching my breath. Mom returned to the room then, followed by Tammy and to my relief, Dr. Amankwuah with Dr. McKinney. Both men were gowned up and wearing gloves, another nurse with them.

"Kimberly, I'm sorry for taking so long. I am here now." Dr. A said, smiling at me. He pulled a mask on, sitting on the stool at the end of the bed. "I'm going to check the baby and see if we are ready to go." I could feel him moving around down there, becoming the third person in the last hour to have their hands up in my Nether-regions. The pain was damn near blinding as he reached inside of me. When I felt him pull his hands out, he poked his head up above my gown. "It's time, Kim. When you get your next contraction and that feeling to push, I want you to do just that."

"Okay." I said, nodding.

"Dad to be," Tammy said, pointing at Tommy. "We need you to stand right here and help us with this." Tommy walked over to my right side. She picked up my leg and showed him how to hold it. The other nurse took my other leg, holding it the same way. "You're gonna make sure she keeps her leg bent and let her push into your palm. This is gonna give her more leverage. Grandma, I want you to hold her hand and make sure she stays awake." Mom nodded, taking my hand in hers. "Kimberly," Tammy said, making me look at her. "When you push, you have to give it everything you can each time. You can cry, you can scream. You can do whatever you need to do to make sure we get the job done, okay?"

"Okay." I said, my voice quivering. I was suddenly regretting my hope of having a baby. I knew this shit was going to be the most painful thing I was ever going to feel and I did not want to go through it. The sensation of a contraction came, bringing with it that need to push. I cried out, Tammy pulling the sensor off of me in a quick movement.

"Push, Kimberly." Dr. A said, his voice coming from the direction of the foot of the bed. Closing my eyes, I gave into the pushing feeling and dug my heels into the nurse and Tommy's palms. The pain was jarring as I pushed with everything I had inside of me, imagining the baby coming out. "Harder, Kimberly." The doctor called out. I squeezed Mom's hand, putting more into it. "Come on. Keep pushing."

"I can't." I gritted out, collapsing on the bed. The feeling was gone, leaving me winded and panting for air.

"We're gonna push again, okay?" Tammy said, looking at me. She came around to stand near my head, taking my other hand. The feeling came back and I pushed, using all the energy in me to force everything out. I screamed loudly, feeling like I was being ripped open from my belly button to my spine.

"Good girl, Kimberly. Keep going!" Dr. A said. I screamed again, falling back into the pillow. Tears filled my eyes as I looked over at Tommy.

"I can't. I can't do this."

"Yes. Yes, you can." Tommy said, rubbing my leg. "You've got this, Beautiful. Come on. Just a little bit more and you'll be done."

"Alright. We've got another contraction coming." Dr. McKinney said, looking at the monitor. "One big push Kimberly."

"Squeeze and squeeze." Tammy said as the feeling came back. I pushed harder than I did before, feeling like my insides were begging to be put out of their misery. I felt some movement down there but not enough to make everything stop.

"The baby is breech." Dr. A said as I collapsed back against Tammy's arm.

"What? What does that mean?" I asked, trying to catch my breath. Dots suddenly appeared before my eyes and I couldn't make my eyes focus on Tammy or Tommy.

"Kimberly?" Tommy asked, tapping my leg.

"Doctor!" Tammy exclaimed. The edges of my vision blurred as I felt something get strung across my face. "Kim, breathe in." Tammy's voice said. I could feel the forced air of the oxygen but I couldn't bring my vision back.

"Baby and mom are in distress. Call the OR." I heard someone say.

"Kimmy. Kimmy! Wake up." Mom said. I felt my eyes droop shut as the world went dark.