Hi Everyone, thanks for reading, reviewing, following, favoriting, and taking interest in my story. I appreciate all the support.
This chapter will go into more detail about Mia's pregnancy and how Clay deals with those changes.
Please continue to review and let me know what you are thinking! I appreciate the feedback!
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Chapter 4- The Final Countdown
He looked over at her from the stove. "I don't want to tell you what to do or put any pressure on your pregnancy, but I have two requests" he said.
She nodded, "okay, what is up? We have a relationship, Clay. This baby connects us forever and as much as I have a say, so do you" she stated.
He smiled and nodded. "Okay, well, I want the baby to have my last name. I just think it is important. And the second thing is that I would like Sonny to be the godfather" he explained.
Mia smiled and nodded, "that's fine Clay. I want the baby to have your last name. It just solidifies that we are a family. As for Sonny, that is fine. But just so you know, I want Grace to be the godmother" she informed him.
He dished out the chicken and vegetables and nodded as he joined her at the table. "Great, I was nervous about bringing it up to you" he replied.
Mia grabbed his hand and directed his attention to her. "Clay, for this to work, we have to have open communication and be on the same page. We cannot be nervous about talking to each other about anything" she explained.
He nodded, "I know, it is just an adjustment. I did not have anyone but my grandparents to rely on after my parents split so this is going to take me some time" he said honestly.
"Well, now you have me and the baby, BRAVO, and my family. Watch out, pretty soon you are going to be so tired of us, you are going to want to get rid of us" she teased.
Clay was sitting in the bunkroom waiting for Jason to walk through the door so they could talk. The furniture that he and Mia picked out was going to be shipped in the next couple of weeks and he needed to jumpstart on his plan.
His first course of action was talking to his girls' brother, his boss, Bravo 1, Jason Hayes. He needed Jace on his side if he was going to get Mia to see his way.
It was not long before BRAVO walked in to change out of their training gear for the day. They were all laughing and talking when they noticed Clay sitting on the bench in his cage his arms resting on his thighs.
Jason tensed when he noticed the younger member. The only reason he could think of that Clay would look like that would be Mia.
He had not talked to her recently and now looking at Clay, he was worried something was wrong with the baby.
"What's wrong with Boy Wonder?" Sonny asked.
"Yeah, is everything okay Clay? Something wrong with Mia?" Trent asked.
He stood up and shook his head, "no, nothing is wrong with Mia or the baby. I wanted to talk to you Jason. I need your help with Mia" he said.
Jason just stood there giving him a look as if to say, 'with what?' he was curious to see what was wrong with this sister. Clay really did not think he would choose him over his sister, did he?
Clay took a deep breath and started to pace, threading his hands behind his neck, "So, as you all know, Mia and I went shopping for the nursery a couple of weeks ago. The furniture and stuff should be shipping out soon. She ordered two of everything, but I went back to the store and told them to cancel the shipping order to my apartment and one ship one set of nursery furniture" he informed them.
The guys all gasped and snickered, "that takes some balls man" Brock stated.
The guys all nodded in agreement. They knew how Mia was and she was not going to be happy with this. It was going to take a lot for her to agree on moving in together.
"I know" he nodded in agreement. That was why he needed their help.
"I do not want to leave her by herself when the baby is born. I know that she is independent and stuff, but I think at least for the first couple months, I should be there to help her. I do not want to slack on my responsibilities" he explained.
Jason let out a stressed breath and wiped a hand over his face. He knew where Clay was coming from, but he also knew his sister.
Even when she was struggling in New York, she never told anyone. She hates it when people worry about her.
"Look Clay, it is not going to be easy trying to convince Mia that this is a good idea and I agree with her. Have you even figured out what your relationship is when she has the baby? I know you want to be there for her and that is great, but is that it? What happens when she meets someone and they get serious, then what? Or if you meet someone? You guys need to work all that out" Jason informed him.
Clay swallowed hard, "I told Mia from the beginning that her and the baby would come first for me. No matter what or who. The last time I tried to talk to her about this, she just dodged me" he sheepishly answered.
Jason sighed and took a seat next to his youngest team member. "Listen, you have my support, both of you, but you need to figure that out first" he tried to explain.
Clay nodded and patted him on the back before getting up. He had a plan and he needed to be spontaneous, or it would not work.
"Where you goin' Bam Bam?" Sonny asked.
"I am going to surprise Mia at the hospital for lunch and talk about this. If I do not execute a sneak attack, then she is going to keep dodging me until her ultrasound next week" he informed the team, waving as they cheered him on.
"He is in way over his head with that one" Ray commented once Clay was out of sight.
"He just doesn't realize that he is dealing with a Hayes" Sonny replied.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Jason asked his hands on his hips, looking offended.
"Educated, beautiful, stubborn as hell, head-strong, independent woman who has the ability to kick his ass" Sonny described Mia to a T.
The guys chuckled and shook their heads that the description. It was spot on. "He's a big boy, he'll be fine" Jason stated as he grabbed his towel before heading to the bathroom to shower and change.
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The hospital was busy when Clay walked into the ER lobby. He nodded to the security guard at the desk as he made his way back to the nursing station.
He scanned the room, looking for Mia, extremely tense, when he saw her standing real close to another dark-haired, brown-eyed doctor.
It was not that she was leaning close to the doctor, he could see they were looking at a patient chart.
What bothered him was that the doctor was making her laugh. He has been with her for about 6 months now and he still has not heard her full-on belly laugh.
He was jealous as he watched her face transform with laughter and happiness. He could not help but see red when Mia put her hand on his arm and squeezed in appreciation.
It was not until her gaze looked up from the doctor to scan the room, did she notice him.
Putting on a fake smile, he nodded and made his way over.
Mia forgot all about what she was talking about with Connor when she saw Clay standing there watching them.
She could not help but feel a little guilty, even though she did nothing wrong.
She greeted him with a hug and kiss to the cheek, "hey, what are you doing here? Everything okay with BRAVO?" she asked.
She was working at St. Victor's, an off-base hospital that she had privileges at. She was used to seeing Bravo around the base hospital, but here he was on her turf.
He shook his head, "no we are all fine. I came to surprise you for lunch if you have some time" he stated.
She smiled and nodded, "yeah of course, that is so nice of you" she said before turning to Connor.
"Connor Rhodes, Clay Spencer. Connor just started here like me" she explained as she signed out and put her charts away.
Clay shook the doctor's hand and nodded. He was not happy to meet him, but he wanted to appease Mia.
"Nice to meet you Clay, heard a lot about you" the doctor said before turning to Mia, closing the chart as he went.
"I will see you later gorgeous. Dinner is on me" he teased as he walked away, smiling when she blushed deep red.
Clay tensed as he watched the interaction between the two. Mia was bright red when she turned back to Clay after putting her stuff away, "ready?" she asked.
He nodded and stepped aside so she could walk around the desk. He was silently stewing as they walked silently to the cafeteria.
Clay got them some sandwiches, a G2 for him and a cherry Powerade for Mia before joining her at the table.
Mia could not help but smile around her sandwich as she watched Clay. His pulse was beating rapidly, and his jaw was tense. Her guess, he was dying to ask her about Connor.
"So"
"So"
They both started at the same time, making Mia laugh and Clay smile, nodding to her. "You first" he said.
She nodded, "so, not that I mind, but what brought this impromptu lunch on?" she asked.
"I was talking to the guys, and they made me realize that I needed to get somethings straight with you before I made a decision on something" he explained.
She put down her food and nodded. She could tell this was serious.
"Okay, is everything okay?" she asked.
He nodded, "yeah everything is fine. So, first, I need to ask you if there is anything going on with that doctor?" he replied.
She looked down at her food before shaking her head, "I don't know. We are friends right now, but I can't tell you absolutely nothing is going to happen in the future. No one can predict the future" she stated.
He nodded in understanding, "yeah, I get that, okay so let's get this convo going. So, I asked your brother for his permission for us to move in together. I think that I need to be there to help you when the baby is born, at least for the first couple of months. I know you are independent, but this is part of my responsibility and I need to be there for you" he reasoned.
Mia smiled as she reached over and laid her hand over his arm, "Clay, it's okay. I agree. I want you to be part of the baby's life in the first couple months of their life to bond with them. Do you want to move to my place, get our own place, or have me move in with you?" she asked.
He looked a little shocked that she agreed so easily. "Are you okay Mia?" he replied.
She laughed and nodded, "yeah why?" she stated.
"Because you agreed way to easily to move in together" he said.
She smiled, "I think that because our relationship is just friends, then we need to establish some rules so that no one gets hurt. I think that we should just be open with each other. If you want to go on a date or bring someone over, then we tell each other" she suggested.
Clay nodded, "yeah I completely agree" he replied.
"Good, so since my house is bigger, then let's just do that. I will call the store and see if we can cancel the second set of furniture shipping" she stated going to take out her phone.
He rubbed the back of his head, "uh, I actually already called the store and canceled the second shipment. They are just coming to your house to set up the nursery" he informed her.
She laughed and nodded, taking a sip of her drink, "that's fine. I am off the next couple weekends so I think that we should start getting things together" she said.
"That's fine with me. I am actually excited to get the nursery started and set up" he exclaimed.
"Uh, one thing, do you think you should tell your dad? I know you aren't close to him, but don't you think he should know?" she asked.
"I'll think about it okay" he replied after a minute.
She just nodded, about to reply when she got paged on the overhead, 'Dr. Hayes to the ER, Dr. Hayes to the ER. Please page Trauma 1 on-call'
She capped her drink before standing up, "I have to get going, but I'll see you tomorrow, okay? I'll see you at the barbecue" she kissed his cheek before grabbing her pager and running out the cafeteria.
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The next morning, Sonny met Clay for breakfast and could tell that there was something wrong.
"What's wrong Blonde Backstreet Boy?" he asked as he took his seat.
The waitress brought them their regulars of a home slam consisting of eggs, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, and a side of fruit.
"Mia asked me if I was going to call my dad and tell him about the baby" Clay informed him as he helped himself to some breakfast.
Sonny paused, the fork halfway to his mouth. "That asshole doesn't deserve to know shit" he replied.
Clay nodded, "yeah I know, but I promised Mia that I would think about it" he stated as he started eating.
Sonny nodded in understanding. "Does she know about everything?" he asked.
Clay shook his head, "no I told her that he left me and my mom and that I grew up with my grandparents, but I didn't tell her about all the sadistic shit that he did to me" Clay replied.
Sonny looked at him seriously, "you know that she would understand Clay. If you are going to have a serious relationship with Mia, then you need to be honest with her" he said.
Clay nodded as he thought everything over. He promised Mia that he would think about it and that was what he was doing.
"He's coming to town for the commencement ceremony of the new Seal class" Clay said.
Sonny huffed out a breath, "just be careful, I'll be here if you need me to kick his ass" he replied as they continued their breakfast.
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Over the next couple weeks, Clay was stewing over meeting his dad to tell him about Mia and the baby. In the meantime, he was enjoying working on the nursery at Mia's place.
He was moving furniture in the house with Jason when Mia's neighbor made her way over with some lemonade and cookies.
"Hi honey, how are you guys doing?" their neighbor asked.
Clay smiled at the older woman. "I am doing good Mrs. Vitucci, how are you doing? How's Mr. Vitucci doing? He feeling better?" he asked as he wiped his forehead of sweat.
The older woman smiled sweetly as she handed him the lemonade and some cookies, "yes honey thank you for asking. He is enjoying watching you boys set up all this furniture" she teased.
Clay wiped the back of his neck, "I am sorry about all the noise and commotion. Jase and I are trying to get the nursery done or as much as we can before we deploy" he replied helping himself to the lemonade and cookies.
She nodded, "I understand, don't worry about the noise. We are enjoying the action in this little neighborhood. If you need anything you call, okay. And don't worry about that bambina, I will be here if she needs help" she said to him patting him on the shoulder.
He smiled and handed her back the glass, "thanks Clara, I really appreciate it" he replied.
She nodded and walked back across the street. Clay was beyond grateful for their neighbors. They were so supportive of them.
Next door to them was Jeremy from Alpha Team and Rob from Charlie Team down the street, so he knew that Mia was protected when he deployed.
Throughout the day, since they were off, the Bravo Team had slowly made their way over to the house to help Clay set up the furniture and get the nursery set up.
Sonny was helping him put the crib together while Jason and Ray worked on the rocking chair when he blurted out, "I am going to meet my dad at the Bulkhead and tell him about Mia and the baby" he looked around waiting for their explosion.
It was Jason who spoke first, "are you sure?" he asked.
Clay nodded, "yeah, I think it is the best thing. I just want to get it out of the way and over with. I already told Mia about it, and I decided we are going to go meet him after her ultrasound" he replied.
Jason nodded and patted Clay on the back, "we'll be here to support you if you need us" he informed the younger man.
Clay nodded appreciatively. He was glad that they were at his back. They were his family.
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4 Months….
Clay was so excited to be part of the pregnancy process. Mia had her 4-month ultrasound, and he was beyond excited to go with her and see everything.
She was working at St. Victors, still working in the ER, and had the appointment scheduled during her lunch break.
He walked into the ER still in his uniform. He couldn't get out of their briefing fast enough to make it to the appointment.
Jason even called out after him as he ran down the hall," call and let me know how it went" he yelled, having Clay wave over his shoulder.
Mia was standing with Connor and Becky going over a patient file when Taylor told her that Clay was there waiting for her.
She nodded in thanks and left her friends to go to Clay at the reception area. He was talking to the security guard at the desk.
"Hey Clay" she called out walking over greeting him with a kiss to the cheek, a side hug.
He smiled and kissed her temple, "hey babe, you doing okay?" he asked.
Mia nodded, "yeah, I am doing good. Are you ready for this?" she replied.
He nodded excitedly, making Mia smile. "Yeah, I am really excited about this. We get to hear the heartbeat, right?" that is what he read in the baby book he was reading.
She nodded, "we should be able to yeah. It's about the right time. Everything okay with work?" she asked, noticing that he was still in his uniform.
He smiled and nodded at the security guard, "I'll see you Steve" he said walking with Mia back into the ER.
"Yeah, we are fine babe. Don't worry. I am just excited to be here and be a part of this. Jase said to call him later with the results" he replied.
She laughed, "I bet, Emma and Mikey already texted me from school asking the same thing" she said.
He smiled and shook his head. Their family and friends were more excited than they were.
As they made their way through the ED, her friends stopped her as they passed through, "Good luck Mia, let us know how it goes" Connor called out.
Mia waved and smiled at them, "I will, page me if you guys need me" she instructed.
Clay couldn't help but tense causing Mia to laugh and shake her head at him. "He was just being nice Clay" she stated.
He shook his head, "yeah nice to get in your pants" he replied.
She burst out laughing at that comment. She was pregnant with his baby, and he was jealous of Connor. She would never cease to be amazed at the possessiveness of the guys she knew.
They made it to the Labor and Delivery/OBGYN department and checked in at the desk before taking their seat in the waiting room.
OB was a different experience for Clay. Sure, he had been to the hospital many times with his fellow comrades but never in this part.
There were pamphlets on pretty much everything related to birth, labor, and women's health. He looked around at all the women, kids, and pregnant women he saw in the waiting room. There was a lot of estrogen floating around the room.
Mia couldn't help but look over and watch the emotions play across Clay's face and couldn't help but laugh.
"You enjoying yourself Bravo Six?" she asked with an amused smile.
He looked over and noticed the teasing in her eyes, "you making fun of me Dr. Hayes?" he replied.
She held up her fingers to show a pinch, "just a little" she stated.
He shook his head, finding that he was doing that a lot when he was around Mia. "Okay fine, this is a lot of woman stuff around here" he vented honestly.
She smiled, "it'll be fine. This information is meant to be just that, information for people who don't know what to expect" she explained.
Before he could reply, Mia was being paged back to the ER. "Dr. Hayes Call Trauma 1…. Dr. Hayes Call Trauma 1."
She sighed and looked over at Clay, "excuse me a second" she said before getting up and going over to the desk to make the call.
Once he was alone, Clay didn't have anything to occupy himself, so he grabbed a pamphlet from beside him and started to read it. As he got more into it, he found Mia to be right, it was very informative on what to expect during labor. Maybe too informative.
He was so caught in reading the pamphlet, he didn't notice a little boy come up to him until he felt the tugging on his pants.
He put the pamphlet down to see a little boy looking up at him in awe. "cuse me, you a soldier?" he asked Clay.
He put the pamphlet down and knelt, so he was on the boy's level and nodded. "Sure, am Little Man, my name is Clay, what's your name?" he replied.
"Cooper. My mommy is having my little sister. We are here to see her on the picture machine" he informed Clay, pointing to a very pregnant looking woman across the waiting room.
"That's cool. I don't know if I am having a girl or boy yet, but we are here to see the baby on the picture machine too" he explained pointing to Mia who was standing at the desk still on the phone.
"Sweet, I can be their friend. I would make a good one" Cooper stated excited.
Clay smiled and nodded at his enthusiasm. "I am sure you will buddy, let's go to see your mom and I'll give her my number and we can make that happen" he said walking Cooper over to his mom to looked up surprised to see him with her son.
"Oh My Goodness. I am so sorry" she said to Clay before turning to Cooper, "I told you not to bother anyone Coop" she chastised.
"I wasn't bothering him mama, we are friends" he said to his mom before looking up at Clay, "right?" he asked.
Clay smiled down at him, "sure are buddy" he replied.
"Hi, my name is Clay Spencer. I am in the Navy; my team and I are based out of Virginia Beach. You and Cooper are welcome to come visit anytime" he pulled out a card from his wallet and handed it to her.
She smiled at him, "Hi, I am Denise, thank you" she said before turning to her son, turning him to face Clay, giving him a nudge. "What do you say?" she asked Cooper.
"Thanks Clay, I'll see you soon. Maybe I can bring my new sister too so you can meet her" he said excitedly.
Clay smiled with a chuckle, "that would be great buddy" he replied before smiling and nodding at Denise before making his way over to Mia who was standing at the nurse's desk waiting for him.
"I see you made a friend" she teased.
He shrugged off her compliment, "yeah, I guess. He asked if I was a soldier and told me he was getting a sister. Cooper wants to be our baby's friend" he informed her.
Mia smiled, "that's really cute" she replied taking their seat to wait for their turn.
It wasn't long before they were called back to the exam room. "Dr. Hayes, you can follow me back" Vicky called.
They followed the nurse back to the exam room and took a seat while Mia changed into a gown and got up on the table.
As she got changed, she handed Clay her clothes so he could put them on the chair next to him. Mia got up on the table and sat at the edge, smiling at the nervous look on Clay's face.
"You ready for this?" she asked.
He smiled up at her, "yeah, I am excited" he replied.
Before Mia could reply, Grace walked in with Mia's chart pressed to her chest, a smile on her face. "Hello, you two, are you ready to see this baby?" she asked.
Mia smiled and nodded, "yeah," she looked at Clay before turning back to Grace, "we are really excited to see this baby and hear the heartbeat" she replied.
"Okay, let's do this" she directed Clay to the other side of the table and directed his attention to the screen.
Mia smiled and grabbed his hand as tey both turned to look at the screen.
Grace pulled out the ultrasound wand, "okay, you are still a little early in your pregnancy so I am going to try this wand first, if I don't hear or see anything, then I will do a vaginal ultrasound" Grace informed them.
They both nodded as she started doing the ultrasound on her stomach. The lights were turned off and Clay's attention was turned to the screen.
BRAVO couldn't even pull him away from looking at his baby.
Grace was talking them through what they were seeing on the ultrasound. "I definitely see the baby. There is definitely a baby, and so far, everything looks normal. No abnormalities" she said moving the wand around Mia's uterus.
"Can we hear the heartbeat?" Mia asked.
Grace nodded, "let's turn the sound on" she pressed some buttons on the ultrasound machine, moved the wand around a little more, before they started hearing what they wanted to hear.
"Badoom, Badoom, Badoom" the heartbeat resounded loud throughout the room.
Clay pulled out his cellphone and recorded the video and the sound of the heartbeat. He directed the phone to Mia who smiled, "what you are hearing is my four-month-old baby's heartbeat" she said to the camera before blowing a kiss.
Clay leant over and kissed her cheek before taking a picture of the baby on the screen before smiling at the ladies.
He was beyond excited for this, "is everything okay?" he asked referring to the baby.
Grace nodded as she looked over the screen and examined the baby. "Yes, everything looks great with the baby. I will print you out some pictures and see you back in a couple months to find out the gender of the baby" she said.
Grace left to get the pictures and let Mia get cleaned up when Clay opened up. He just walked up to the table and wrapped Mia in a hug.
"That was amazing Mia" he said starting at the frozen picture on the screen.
She smiled, "it only gets better daddy" she teased as she got dressed and they walked out to meet Grace by the desk.
They left the appointment and met Ash Spencer at the Bulkhead. He was already waiting for them when they arrived.
Mia was nervous, squeezing Clay's hand as he led them to the table. "Hey Dad" he greeted.
"Clay, hey boy, how are you doin boy?" he got up and greeted him with a hug.
"I am doing okay Pop. Ash Spencer, this is Mia Hayes. Mia, this is my dad" he introduced as he pulled out the chair for her.
She sat on the table and just sat back watching as Clay interacted with his dad. She just sipped on her lemon water.
"So, Mia Hayes, any relation to Jason Hayes?" Ash asked her.
She sipped her water and nodded, "yes, he is my older brother" she replied.
"Wheew Wee, you hooking up with Jason Hayes little sister. Damn boy, I didn't think you were stupid" he stated before looking to Mia, "No offence" he added.
Mia didn't say anything as she looked at Clay for his reaction. He was trying to hold in his anger, his fists opening and closing under the table.
Mia slid her fingers into his. "Clay" she said trying to get him to get up and just leave.
"I am not hooking up with Mia. I am only here and agreed to talk to you because of Mia" he looked at her to see tears in her eyes before he shook his head and turning back to his dad.
"Mia's pregnant. She thought you had the right to know" he said before grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the bar.
…..6 Months…..
The boys were deploying tomorrow, and everyone was anxious and nervous. Clay and Mia were having their last ultrasound before he left for 3 months. Mia was just hoping he would be there for the baby.
Mia was laying back on the exam table anxiously. It's another doctor's appointment and this time Clay was pacing the exam room.
She didn't know if he was nervous about deploying or their appointment. It was funny though watching him react to her pregnancy. Now that she was showing more, he was like a helicopter. So far, everything was going okay with the pregnancy, and he was scared for something to go wrong, especially since he wasn't going to be there for the last part of it.
"Clay, everything is going to be okay" she said trying to calm him down.
"I know, but I am not going to be here, and I want to make sure that everything is okay. That you are going to be okay while I am gone" he replied taking a seat next to her, grabbing her hand.
"I will be, you know I won't be alone. Grace and all my friends from the hospital will be there to help me, you know that" she stated.
"I know but it's different knowing and accepting it" he informed her.
Dr. Grace Whitmore came into the room with a bright smile and Mia's chart. "Good morning are you ready to see this baby?" she asked.
Mia smiled at her friend. She was rotating Peds today, so she had on a Frozen scrub top with blue scrub pants. Anyone who saw her could tell that she loved what she did.
Grace started with getting Mia's blood pressure, blood work, urine test, and did a report on her medical and social history since the last time she's been seen.
They needed to make sure everything was up to date as she got farther along in her pregnancy.
Pretty soon, the fun part of the appointment started. Clay squeezed Mia's hand as Grace began her exam.
Grace squeezed the gel on Mia's stomach and started the ultrasound, moving the wand over her belly to find the best position to see the baby.
"You ready to hear the heartbeat?" she asked as she turned on the sound and the heartbeat of their child filled the room, causing them both to smile.
"The heartbeat is strong and sounds like a normal rhythm. That's a really good thing. The baby is looking great" Grace assures them both.
"So, everything is looking normal with the baby. There is nothing to worry about, right?" Clay asked worried about Mia and the baby.
He knew that Grace and Mia were best friends, and she would look out for her while he was deployed.
She smiled at him, "yes, everything is looking great. Mia is just passing the second trimester, going into the third. It's almost baby time, so just run though the pregnancy the best you can and listen to your body. Let everything flow naturally" Grace informed them.
"You'll be following up with Mia and the baby, right? While we are gone, right?" he asked.
Grace put the ultrasound wand down for a second before she nodded. "I am an OBGYN, I will be following Mia as long as she wants me. I will be following her through her pregnancy. I can recommend a good pediatrician for the baby. We both know good doctors in Peds who would love to follow up the care of the baby" she suggested.
"Don't worry Clay, I know people in peds who can follow up with baby when they are born" Mia stated, both of them falling silent when they heard Grace say oh as she looked at the screen.
"What?" Mia and Clay asked at the same time.
Mia turned her head to see the screen trying to see what was wrong with the baby. "Well, the baby's legs are wide open, and I can tell you guys the gender if you want to know" she said.
Mia turned to Clay and nodded her head that she wouldn't mind knowing the sex of the baby. Clay nodded in agreement before turning to Grace, "let's do it" he said, looking closer at the screen, as if trying to see himself.
"Well, your baby is definitely not shy, laying there with her legs wide open" she said looking at the two of them with a smile on her face.
"A girl? We are having a little girl?" he asked with a wide smile on his face.
Grace smiled at the two, pointing to the genitals on the screen. Watching as the two smiled at each other.
"Congratulations Mom and Dad, you're having a healthy growing little girl" Grace said nodding at the two freezing the picture on the ultrasound machine.
Clay was beyond excited to have a baby girl. He was secretly hoping for a girl that was just like Mia. He couldn't ask for anything more than that.
He helped Mia clean her stomach and get off the table. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and walked out with her.
"You feeling okay about this?" she asked.
He looked down at her and nodded, "yeah of course, why wouldn't I be?" he replied looking down at her confused.
She just shrugged, "because we are having a girl" she replied.
He pulled her to a stop and cupped her face, "Mia, I would be happy no matter what we were having. I just love the fact that we are having a baby. That little girl is going to be loved and spoiled" he said.
He was scared shitless, but he was excited.
She smiled and nodded, feeling reassured. She was excited, now that they knew they were having a girl, she could start getting the nursery ready and more prepared for a little girl.
Mia and Clay agreed to tell the boys that she was having a girl before they deployed. It was easier that way.
Everyone was coming to Mia's for a barbeque and dinner so she could tell them. They made some chicken, steaks, peppers, onions, Italian sausage, and some salad.
She laid everything out on the patio table and got everything ready for the boys. Clay started the barbeque and was halfway through it before the boys started rolling in.
"Hey, so what are we having?" Jason asked.
"Hold your horses. I got you all a powder gun to shoot off in the backyard with the color of the gender of the baby. It is going to be great" she said giving her brother a hug.
"Good, I wanted to find out before we left" he explained.
She smiled, "you know I wouldn't leave you hanging like that. Are you all packed? You have everything you need?" she asked.
He nodded, "yeah Mia, you know me. I have everything set up and ready to go. Now I don't want you worrying about me or us when we are gone. You just focus on the baby" he informed her.
She nodded, "I know, I'll try" she said wiping her tears.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. They staid like that until everyone else showed up and it was time for them to have the gender reveal.
Mia got the powder guns for her brother, Clay, and Mikey. The guys were anxiously waiting around for the big reveal.
"Okay, so is everyone ready?" she asked as she stood by Clay and the boys as they got their guns ready.
"Yeah, let's find out what we are having" Sonny said rubbing his hands together like he was actually having the baby.
"Okay, let's do this" she said before turning to the boys, "Ready, 1…2…3…!" she called out smiling when they shot out pink dust from the guns.
Everyone erupted in cheers and congratulations. It was an amazing feeling.
"Well, I'll be damned, Boy Wonder is having a Little Princess" Sonny teased grabbing Clay in a hug before moving onto Mia.
"It's going to be great having another girl around here to balance out the testosterone" Naima teased.
Mia couldn't help but laugh and nod in agreement. "An't that the truth" she replied.
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The next morning, everyone was gathered at the airfield waiting for the boys to go off. Mia was standing with Clay, while they watched Jason have his arms around his kids.
"Please be careful. If you don't want me to worry about you, then you need to look out for each other and you need to come home in one piece. This baby and I need you" she said as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
He kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. "I am coming back to you and our little girl" he replied before he felt a tap on his shoulder, Sonny indicating it was time for them go.
He nodded before he knelt down and cupped Mia's stomach, giving her a kiss, resting his forehead against their daughter.
"I am coming back to you baby. You better be good for your mom and stay in there until I come back okay" he said before pecking Mia's lips before leaving her with Emma and Mikey who had their arms wrapped around their aunt.
"It's going to be okay Aunt Mia, we are going to help each other through this" Emma said.
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True to their word, they did help each other through the rest of Mia's pregnancy and deployment. Everyone was watching out for Mia.
Every appointment, she was having Emma or Ally video tape them for Clay. He was even able to be on facetime for some of them.
It was the best they could do while he was deployed.
The boys still had a week before they got back when Mia was starting to feel cramps and pain in her belly.
She was starting to feel really bad cramps, but she didn't want to wake her niece and nephew. She thought it was Braxton hicks and didn't want to make anything of it.
She got up and changed into some yoga pants and Clay's BRAVO Six shirt before she grabbed her cellphone and called her friend.
"Mia, what are you calling me on your day off for?"
"Hey Grace, my water just broke. I am on my way to the hospital. Have Connor meet me in the ED and set up Maternity for me" she informed her friend.
"YAY! BABY TIME!" Grace squealed. "Okay, I got this, you just get here, safely" she added before hanging up.
Mia grabbed her bag from the closet before making her way to Emma's room. She sat on the edge of her niece's bed and shook her shoulder.
"Emma, wake up" she shook her shoulder.
Emma blearily opened her eyes and looked up at her aunt. It took her a minute to realize that her aunt was sitting there before she sat up rubbing her eyes. "Aunt Mia, what's going on?" she asked.
"It's time for the baby. I need you to wake up Mikey and we need to get to the hospital" she said.
Emma jumped up after a minute, "the baby's coming?" she asked being sure she heard it right.
Mia smiled and nodded, laughing when Emma got out of bed, already dressed in leggings and a t-shirt. She grabbed her sweatshirt before running down the hall to her brother's room.
"Mikey, get up, it's baby time" she yelled at her brother.
"Seriously?" he said before jumping out of bed, "Woohoo!" he was putting on a shirt as he walked out into the hall, freezing when he saw his aunt standing at Emma's door.
"Aunt Mia, come on, it's baby time" he wrapped his arm through hers and helped her down the hall.
Emma drove them to the hospital where Grace and Connor were waiting for her. Grace wheeled the wheelchair up to the car while Connor helped her into it.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"I am fine. My water broke like 20 minutes ago, the contractions are still pretty far apart. It's not bad so far" she said rubbing her stomach as Grace wheeled her to the Maternity ward.
"I set up a suite for you, put you in a private room. Tami and Jenny are waiting to hook you up to the ultrasound and fetal heart monitor" Grace informed them.
"Can we be with her?" Emma asked.
Grace smiled at the kids. "Yeah honey, you guys can be with her. When it comes time for her to have the baby, I will put up a curtain for privacy" she explained as they helped Mia onto the bed.
"Do you want me to call Dad and Uncle Clay?" Mikey asked.
Mia smiled at her nephew, "not yet honey, let's wait until I am further along" she said.
It took a couple of hours, but Mia was really in the thick of it with only Ally and Connor helping her along. Emma was giving her ice chips while Mikey was watching her face with a wet rag.
Grace came in to check her and it was time. "Mia, you are 10cm and ready to get this going" she said before turning to the kids, "why don't you guys stay behind that curtain" she suggested as she gowned up and got ready to help her friend deliver the baby.
Emma nodded and set up the computer, so it was facing her aunt. She called her dad when her Aunt Mia was at 8cm so they would be ready.
Clay was pacing the communications tent anxiously waiting for someone to connect the computer and tell him what was going on.
It wasn't until Jason came in with Davis did, he stop pacing and turn to look at them. "Is it time?" he asked.
Jason nodded, "yeah, I just talked to Emma. Mia is 10cm and ready to start pushing" he said as David set up the laptop and gave Clay the headset for communications.
It wasn't long before Mia's face popped up on the screen, her screaming, sweating. "OH DAMN" he said.
"She can hear you" David said before turning to the computer, "Good Luck Mia" she stated before walking out.
"Good Luck Sis, I'll see you after" Jason said before leaving the room and waiting in the hallway.
"You are doing great Mia. I am right there with you babe" he said once he was alone.
"AHHHHH! NO, YOU ARE NOT, YOU ARE OVER 1000 MILES AWAY" she yelled through a contraction, passing out back against the bed, panting for breath.
Connor wiped her forehead with a cool wet rag, "some slow deep breaths Mia" he said.
Mia took some ice from Ally as she tried to relax and take some deep breaths. It wasn't long before she started to feel that she was having another contraction.
"Oh, it's coming, here comes another one" she said, taking a deep breath in before pushing with all her strength.
Clay couldn't keep his eyes off the screen. He was amazed at the sight before him. Mia was amazing. "You are doing great Mia. Just keep pushing, you are doing amazing" he reassured her.
Once Ally and Grace started counting to ten, he started counting with them. He was sitting on the edge of his seat, his palms sweating. He could see her getting tired. He could see it all over her face.
"You're doing great Mia. Keep pushing for me" he said.
Ally wiped her friend's forehead. "You are doing great Mia. A couple more pushes and you'll have your baby" she comforted her friend.
"It burns, so bad" Mia cried.
"You're doing great Aunt Mia" Emma shouted from behind the curtain.
"Mia, the baby is crowning. Take a deep breath and brace yourself. On your next contraction, give it your all. Your baby is almost out" Grace said, patting her friends' leg.
"You're almost there, Aunt Mia. Come on, you are a Hayes, you can do this" Mikey added in support.
"You are almost there, honey" Ally said as she fed her some ice chips.
"God, I can't do this, I really can't do this. It hurts too much" she complained.
Ally and Connor both looked at the computer for Clay to step up.
Clay read the looks on their faces and knew that he needed to step up.
"Come on baby girl, you got this. You can do this. You are stronger than this. I am right here with you. We are doing this together. Come on, a few more pushes and we can meet our baby girl" he said counting with them as she bared down and began pushing.
Mia gave it her all and pushed as much as she could one last time when she felt the baby slip out and a cry erupted in the room.
"Congratulations Mia! You have a beautiful baby girl" Grace said to her before she carried the baby to the carrier for the nurses to check her over.
"Welcome to the World Baby Girl Spencer" she said before handing the baby over and returning to Mia.
Once the placenta was delivered and she got Mia all stitched up, she covered her with the blanket before going to meet the baby.
She grabbed the baby out of the carrier and carried her over to Mia who was anxiously waiting her baby. She held her arms out and snuggled the baby close to her.
"Hi precious, Happy Birthday Princess" Mia said nuzzling her daughter's neck, kissing her cheek before directing her arms towards the computer.
"You did great Mia. Baby Spencer is 6lbs, 9oz, and 21 inches long. Lung's sound good, heal stick normal, Apgar 10/10" Grace informed as she updated the chart.
"Alanna Kahterine Hayes Spencer, say hi to daddy and Uncle Jason" she said as the kids came out from behind the curtain to see the baby.
Mia directed the baby to the computer so Clay could see her clearly.
Clay couldn't keep the tears from his eyes. When he heard the cries of his daughter, he couldn't help but bow his head and cry.
Jason patted his back as he watched his sister, her daughter, and his kids.
"Hi guys, I miss you guys. You be good and take care of your Aunt Mia. Help her out with that beautiful baby. You did great Mia" Jason said.
"She is beautiful Mia. You did great. I am so proud of you. I can't wait to meet her and see you" Clay said before he hung up and leaned back in the chair, his arms behind his head.
"Congratulations Daddy" Davis said patting Clay, giving him a hug.
He smiled as the guys cheered and congratulated him as he walked out of the communications tent. "Thanks guys now let's get this done so I can get home to my girls" he said.
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It was another couple month before the boys were able to finish up with deployment and get home.
Mia was waiting for the boys with the kids by Jason's truck with Alanna in her carrier sitting on the tail end of the truck.
It wasn't long before they saw the plane start circling the area and landing. The families all stood up a little taller as the boys started walking off the plane, Cerberus running over to Mia and the kids.
Emma and Mikey leant over and ran their hands through his fur, "welcome back buddy" Mikey said.
Clay walked right over and dropped his bags by his feet, walking over to Mia. She stood there with Ally in her arms.
He kissed her forehead, "welcome home" she greeted with a smile.
"Thank you" he said before looking down at his baby girl.
Mia smiled and transferred the baby into his arms, "Ally, I would like you to meet your daddy. Clay, this is Ally" she introduced.
Clay smiled at her as he nuzzled the baby in his arms. Tracing over her face, running his fingers down her nose, her fingers, her hair, everything. He was just amazed.
Jason walked over and wrapped his arms around his sister's waist. "She's beautiful Mia" he said kissing the top of her head.
She smiled up at her big brother, "thanks Jase, welcome home" she greeted.