"Breathe, baby. In... out... in... good, out... is it over?" Brie nodded, and put her head back down on her pillow. Brady kissed her forehead and smiled at her. "You're doing great. That one was 3 minutes, we're almost there," he said.

"Hey, guys, how're we doing?" Mel asked as she entered the room cautiously.

"Peachy," Brie answered sarcastically and Brady chuckled at her.

"Yeah, I know, but you're doing good. Can I check you, Brie? I want to see how far you've come."

Brie consented and Mel got in place to do her short exam. After a few moments, she announced, "well, you're at 7, almost 8. Not much longer now, honey."

Brie blew out the breath she'd been holding in a sigh and smiled weakly at Brady who beamed back at her and kissed her again. "How much longer do you think, Mel?" Brie asked.

"I'd say probably with in the next 1-3 hours depending on when your water breaks. If you feel up to it, you're welcome to walk around a little bit. I can help, or I can leave you guys to it, you're doing great on your own."

"Can you help me up? I think I want to try walking," Brie asked looking between Mel and Brady. They both quickly stood and began helping Brie to sit up on the edge of the bed. Before she could get to her feet, another contraction came and she hissed sharply, grabbing Brady's arm and pulling him closer. He let her lean her head against his chest and wrapped the arm she wasn't clutching around her back. Mel came around behind her and put pressure on her hips, digging her thumbs into the bottom of Brie's back. She groaned heavily into Brady's shirt before the contraction started to dissipate. When she lifted her head, Brady made sure she still wanted up before they got her on her feet.

"Mel will you stay? That hip thing you did helped," Brie asked.

"I can do that for you if you want," Brady offered but she held tight to his arm. "No, I need you right where you are," she said and kissed him. "I'm happy to stay. I'll just stay out of the way between contractions," Mel agreed politely and stood over by the window.

Brie made it one lap around the small clinic room before another contraction hit. She pulled Brady to her and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face against his skin. Mel rushed over and began putting pressure on her back and hips. Brady thought his heart would drop out of his chest when he heard her whimper against his throat. "Sshhh, baby, it's okay, just breathe," he whispered to her. She sobbed once and squeezed him tighter as the pain peaked. Brady felt tears coming to his eyes. He really hadn't expected this to be this hard. He had a very abstract understanding that childbirth was painful but he never imagined how much it would hurt him to see Brie in so much pain. He felt completely helpless watching her do this.

The contraction slowly wound down and Brie began getting her breathing under control. Brady gently picked her head up off his shoulder so he could look at her but she just leaned her forehead against his cheek. "Sweetheart, do you want to sit or lie down? You don't have to walk," he asked and kissed her forehead.

"I think I want to try kneeling. I don't want to lay down again yet." She said. He nodded and looked at Mel for help. He was glad she was here now. He felt like he could lean on her so that he was more solid for Brie.

"Uh, Brie would you rather kneel with your upper half up higher or have your belly more parallel to the floor?" Mel asked.

"Um, let's try higher first?" She said, sounding unsure.

"Okay, Brady let's get her back on the bed, you can stand in front of her and hold her, just like you are now, okay?"

The couple nodded together and started moving to the bed. Brie wouldn't move anywhere without Brady, he'd been inches away from her at the most for the last 7 hours.

Once they got her on the bed, Brady settled in front her her and pulled her in close again. She was kneeling sideways on the bed so that Mel could stand on the other side and reach her back.

"Brie, once the next contraction is over, do you mind if I support you for a minute so that Brady can use the bathroom and get some water?"

Brie picked up her head and looked at Brady, "I'm sorry, baby you can go, I didn't think-"

"No, sweetheart, it's fine, I'm okay. I'll just go after this one, okay?" He could tell she was very uneasy but was trying to be okay with it. She knew he needed those things. He hadn't left her side in hours, but the thought of having a contraction without him made her feel panicked. "What if we brought Jack in for a minute, to visit and let Brady have just a minute to freshen up and be ready for the delivery? Does that sound better?" Mel offered.

Brady saw a little bit of peace return to her face, even though she still didn't look completely sold. Her face crumpled with pain and she managed to squeak out an "okay," before she buried her head against Brady's neck again and cried out softly. Brady held her tight and bowed his head down over hers. She was breathing very quick and shallow, but since she was breathing, both he and Mel left her alone and let her ride it out.

Once it was done, Mel quietly left the room and came back a few seconds later with a nervous looking Jack. He cautiously approached his sister and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and then looked at Brady with watery eyes. "I'll only be a couple minutes, I promise. Then I won't leave your side again for a second. Okay? Jack and Mel will be right here," he placated. She nodded and he kissed her on the nose before looking at Jack and starting to transfer Brie to him.

She settled against his chest and held on to him, crying softly. She knew it was silly to miss Brady for 3 minutes, but she couldn't help it. She was an emotional disaster right now and she wanted Brady.

Brady hesitated for a moment, feeling extremely guilty for leaving her but Mel interrupted his thoughts. "Go, she'll be fine, just be quick." He nodded and left the room quickly.

Just as he closed the door behind him another contraction started and Brie latched hard onto Jack. He looked at Mel, terrified, but she just smiled at him and put her hands on Brie's hips. "You're doing fine, honey, just breathe, breathe, I know, he'll be back in just a minute, but it's okay to cry. That's okay. Just squeeze Jack and cry it out, he'll be back and make it all better in no time." Jack kissed the side of her head and stroked her sides and back gently.

Brady was as quick as he could be. He ran to the bathroom and then headed to the kitchen to down a glass of water before refilling it and rushing back to the room. By the time he was back, she was having another contraction.

"They're getting even closer," Mel said to him with a little smile which he reciprocated and went to Brie's side, covering the side of her head with his big hand. She took one hand off of Jack's neck and reached out for him. He grabbed her hand and held it, waiting for the pain to end so she could come back to him. He stopped her from clinging on to him immediately and held up the glass of water he'd brought back. She took a few small sips and then he handed the glass to Mel and took her back in his arms again.

"I'm going to go back out. I love you, you're doing great," Jack said and kissed his sister on the head. She looked up at him and said "thank you Jack. I love you too." He smiled at her and left, kissing Mel on his way out.

"Aw shit," she breathed as another contraction started up. She began breathing roughly, but this time instead of burying her face, she placed her forehead against Brady's. As the contraction was peaking she suddenly cried out as her water broke. "Oh, okay, now things are moving," Mel said from her spot on the bed, not moving. Brie was very vocal for the rest of the contraction. Mel could see Brady getting a little squirmy. His eyes were glossed over as he stared at her face which was still pressed against his.

"She's okay, Brady. The cushion around the baby is gone, so now there's a lot of extra discomfort and probably pressure on top of the pain she was already in." Brie nodded a little against his face and he kissed her.

As the contraction ended Brie was still moaning with each panting breath. "Brie, is that contraction over yet?" Mel asked.

"Mhmm," she managed to get out against the discomfort.

"Okay, honey, let's get your underwear off, I need to check you and I think you're almost there."

She nodded and let Brady and Mel maneuver her to get her underwear off. "You can stay like this for the exam. Do you want to?" Mel asked. Brie nodded and settled her head on Brady's shoulder. "Okay, just a quick check then..." Mel did her exam as quickly as she could, knowing Brie's contractions were barely a minute apart.

"Alright, honey, you are at nine and a smidge. I think you're in transition right now. Are you feeling pressure during contractions?"

"Mmmmm yeess," Brie answered as the new contraction started. "Okay, I know it's hard to concentrate and talk, but what about in between? Do you feel like you need to push?" Mel asked. Brie just shook her head and gasped. "Okay, okay that's good. You aren't ready just yet, so if you feel like you need to push I need you to just pant. Breathe right through it, okay?" Brie managed a nod before crying out at the peak of the pain. Suddenly she pushed off of Brady and turned so that she had her arms on top of the raised head of the bed, still kneeling. She bowed her head all the way down to the mattress and sobbed. Brady looked terrified. He reached out to touch her shoulder, but she shrugged him off and whined. He looked at Mel for help. "It's okay, she's in transition. It's a really overwhelming phase of labor and she's feeling too sensitive to be touched right now," Mel explained and backed away from the bed a little.

Brady kept his hands to himself but didn't move away. He wanted to be right here as soon as she was done being in transition. He stood right there while Mel started doing her final checks to make sure they had everything they needed for the delivery. At some point she brought some water over to Brady and told him to drink it, then a minute later brought some more over to Brie and held a straw near her face, gently guiding her to take a few sips.

Brady felt like he was stuck in time somewhere waiting for his girl to come back to him. Nothing changed for about 20 minutes when suddenly Brie's head shot up and she said she was going to be sick. Mel jumped into action and shoved a basin under Brie's chin in time for her to be sick. Brady hesitated for a moment before deciding to try gently rubbing her back. She didn't shrug him off, and when she was finished being sick, she leaned toward him just enough so that her shoulder brushed his chest. He grabbed the glass of water Mel had brought earlier and offered her the straw which she accepted. He put the glass down and put his hand on her again. She let him keep it there and leaned back down on the bed.

Another contraction hit and Brady could tell right away that this one was different. He could feel her entire body start to shake as soon as it began and she screamed.

"Oookay, Brie, I'm going to do a quick check. I'm so sorry, it'll be just a sec." Brie cried again when Mel did her check. She'd never done that during a contraction before. "Okay, honey do you feel like you have to push?" Mel asked sweetly.

"Yeeees," Brie groaned out sharply.

"Okay, you're ready, Brie, it's time, so whenever you want to push, you can go ahead. Try whatever feels good at first but try not to tire yourself out right away," Mel instructed. Brie nodded into the mattress but then picked her head up to look at Brady with anguished eyes. "Brady," she whimpered.

"Yeah, baby, I'm right here, what do you need?" He asked, moving some stray hair off her face.

"You," she answered, and Mel chimed in. "Do you want to deliver in the same position you were in a little while ago? We can try squatting in the same spot too, or lay you back down," she added.

Brie waited for the contraction to pass before answering," I want to try squatting. If I don't like it I can move right?" She asked.

"Yes, of course. You ready to move?" Mel checked. Brie nodded and Brady and Mel started working to get her up on her haunches squatting in front of Brady in the same spot as when she was kneeling earlier. She settled her arms around his neck and placed her face against his again.

"Okay, Brie, your contractions are going to be a little more spread out to give you a little time to rest between pushes, so try to breathe as deeply as you can in between and just push however feels right."

"You're doing so great. We're about to meet our baby," Brady beamed at her and kissed her sweetly. She smiled back then leaned her face back against his and closed her eyes, breathing deeply.

When the next contraction started, she took a few panting breaths then one deep breath and started pushing. She'd cried, moaned, groaned, and whimpered during the labor, but not now. Now she just breathed and pushed. "Great job, Brie, that was a great push, take a little break," Mel said from the other side of the bed and rubbed Brie's back.

Brady gave her another sip of water and she rested between contractions.

This went on for half an hour. She silently breathed and pushed. Mel praised her, Brady stood solid to support her and made sure she stayed hydrated.

After another contraction, she decided her legs were uncomfortable and she wanted to go back to kneeling like she was before. They helped her change positions, and she seemed to relax a degree once she was settled.

The next contraction came and she breathed and bore down. Her forehead moved to resting on Brady's chin, then into then crook of his neck. This contraction seemed to be dragging her down. "Good, Brie, that's perfect! I'm just starting to see it's head!" Mel announced excitedly. At the end of the push she whimpered just a little and rested her head on Brady's shoulder. He kissed her cheek and his grin was ear to ear.

Through the next few contractions the baby's head slowly- to Brie's dismay- came out with a sharp cry from her. "That's it, Brie! The head is out! You're doing so great, okay, just take a little break, catch your breath," Mel praised as she worked on clearing the baby's nose and throat and checking for a cord around its neck.

Brie hung from Brady's neck and she took deep panting breaths.

"Okay, honey, I think just one, maybe two more pushes and you'll have your baby," Mel said, grabbing the receiving blanket from the table next to her and bringing it up to Brie's lower half.

Brady could tell the next contraction was coming by the way Brie tensed around him. She took her deep breaths and pushed with all her might, crying out with the force of one shoulder, sobbing with the second, and then a loud gasp at the feeling of her baby sliding into the world.

"Oh god, Brie! You did it baby!" Brady praised and kissed her all over.

"She's out! She's out! She's perfect!" Mel practically sung.

"She?" Brie and Brady asked at the same time, Brie trying to crane around so she could see her baby.

"It's a girl!" Mel announce happily, tears in her own eyes.

Tears streamed down Brady's face as he helped Brie settle down on the bed so she could hold their baby. Mel gently placed the baby girl on Brie's chest and she immediately started working to undo the top buttons on the shirt of Brady's she'd been wearing so she could hold her daughter as close as possible.

"Hi, Allison," Brady choked out through his tears. "You are so beautiful."