A/N: Here's the next chapter! It'll be one episode, but an event happens that you do not want to miss! I hope you enjoy, please read and review!
Chapter 3: Winter Weather
One month after Christmas, Liberty was gearing up for yet another festival: the Winter Solstice Extravaganza. The Solstice was technically a month earlier, but the town had a penchant for getting events together late. In Jed Bartlet's defense, he had tried to put together the Solstice event on the actual solstice, but scheduling conflicts had forced the town council to reschedule. Now, a month late, the event was finally getting off the ground.
And as Toby was barking at the local teenagers on where to hang the decorations and asking the sky why it hadn't snowed yet, Dr. Abbey Bartlet was leaning over Donna in the exam room of her medical practice, listening intently to the whooshing of the baby's heartbeat.
She put away the Doppler machine and wrote something down. "135. That's a good, strong heartbeat. He-or she-sounds perfectly healthy."
"You're sure everything looks okay?" Donna asked skeptically, swinging her heels against the hard metal of the exam table and pulling her silver maternity top over her stomach. She was 36 weeks along, with swollen feet, an aching back, and more than ready to get this baby out and the birth part over with.
"Everything looks fine. I want to do an ultrasound next week when we can get the machine here, make sure the baby's in the right position for delivery. How have you been feeling?"
"Okay. A little tired and in a little bit of pain, I guess."
"Any false labor contractions?"
"Maybe a few here or there. Is that normal?"
"It's normal to experience them anytime in the second and third trimesters. Now, one last thing. Are you sure you don't want to know what you're having?"
Donna smiled and shook her head. "No, I've been thinking that I want to be surprised."
"All right." Abbey replied. "Nothing wrong with that. I didn't know with any of my girls. So, I'll see you next week?"
"You'll see me tomorrow night." Donna quipped. When Abbey looked blank, she said, "The Winter Solstice Extravaganza?"
Then, Abbey's face lit up. "Oh. That's tonight, I forgot!"
"I don't blame you." Donna said. "That thing's been rescheduled so many times that the decorations will still be up next Christmas."
To her surprise, Abbey laughed aloud. "Don't say that to Toby, this project has been his baby, but...I kind of agree with you."
Donna grinned, sliding off the exam table. "I'll see you tomorrow, Dr. Bartlet."
"See you tomorrow, Donna."
Donna walked over from Abbey's office to the diner.
"Good morning, Donna!" She heard from one of the locals. She waved and walked across the street. She didn't even know the man's name, but they certainly knew her. Grinning, she got into her apron and ready for work. CJ looked up.
"Hey, you OK?" Her eyes narrowed. "Any pain?"
"No, no pain." Donna said cheerily. "Just...glad to be here and to be one of you all."
CJ smiled and patted her hand. "Glad to have you here too."
…
Ellie bundled up and out the door, already late to meet her study group. Midterms were coming up faster than she could believe, and now she had to attend the Extravaganza. Toby had come over and asked her to run the games for the kids. Never mind that there were only a dozen kids total in Liberty. Well, soon to be 13, she thought.
She hopped on her bike, looking forward to the day when she would get her drivers' license, when she saw Charlie playing basketball in the driveway, only ten feet away. He looked over and saw her.
Charlie couldn't believe that he had this much trouble talking to a girl. To be fair, it was the first time he had ever had this kind of crush on a girl. He had to get this out or he would lose his nerve. He called out to her.
"Ellie!"
She turned her bicycle around when she heard her name. "Oh, hey, Charlie."
"H-hi." He said nervously.
"What's up?" She asked nonchalantly.
"W-well, I've been thinking, we've known each other for a while, and we've lived next door to each other for a few months, and...well…"
"Charlie, what is it? I've never seen you so...emotional. No, not emotional. Nervous. That's it. So, come on, out with it."
Charlie seemed to be even more nervous, but finally stammered out, "Are-are you doing anything tomorrow night?"
"Tomorrow night?" Ellie echoed. "That's the Extravaganza."
"Yeah, so?" Charlie said, as if it was obvious.
Then it hit her. "Charlie, are you asking me out to the Winter Solstice Extravaganza?"
"Why not? I think I could show you a good time."
Ellie was silent. She couldn't believe that he was asking her out. She had only had a crush on him for the last three months, since he had first come to live with the Bartlets. Suddenly, she realized he was waiting for a response. "Charlie…"
He tried desperately to not look hopeful.
"I thought you'd never ask. Of course I'll go with you!" She paused. "On one condition."
"Okay." Charlie said, confused.
"You have to help me run the bean bag toss, and let me warn you, it can get competitive."
"I thought you told me the median age of the kids in this town was 6."
"It is." Ellie said, giving him a look.
"Okay. I guess I can give you a hand." He said, giving her a small, hopeful smile. "So, what time should I pick you up?"
"Mmm...Seven?"
"Seven's-seven's good." Charlie said, surprised. "So...I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow." Ellie said. She rode away into the bitterly cold weather, leaving Charlie more excited than he had in a long time.
…
The next night, the Winter Carnival was one hour away, and at the town community center (really just a single wood-paneled banquet room next to the doctor's office), there was still no snow in sight. Toby was in a horrible mood, and Sam, despite his best efforts, was no help.
"We cannot have a snow-building contest, sleigh rides, or a sled race without snow! It's larceny!"
Sam had his head in his hands, listening to Toby rant. The fact was, there was supposed to be snow on the ground, but it seemed to be taking its own sweet time. Suddenly, a movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. His eyes widened.
"Toby?"
"This is outrageous!"
"Toby?"
"If the weather reports can't be trusted in this town, what does that say about-"
"TOBY!"
"What?" The older man snapped.
"Look." Sam gestured outside the window. Toby looked around to see snow beginning to fall. \
"Well," Toby said. "Looks like we'll be able to have a carnival after all." He walked to the door and started barking out orders. "Alright, people, the show must go on! Let's get those sleds up and running. Where's Josh?"
"He's coming, Toby." Sam explained. "He's just closing up the inn for a couple of hours."
Josh walked along the path to the town square with Dolores Landingham, offering her an arm every time she came across a slick spot on the path. Apparently, not only was it snowing, but it was sleeting, too.
"Isn't it pretty out here, Joshua?" Mrs. Landingham said.
"Yeah, it is." Josh replied. He turned to the woman who he looked upon as a second mother, especially since his own mother had passed away. "How are you doing? Are the holidays still tough for you?"
Mrs. Landingham sighed. The defining event of her entire life had happened nearly thirty years earlier, when her twin son had been drafted to Vietnam-and had been killed in a firefight on Christmas Eve. Since then, the holidays had not been a joyful time for the maternal innkeeper. "I suppose it's always been a hard time for me, but I'm learning to cope. I just...I miss my boys."
"I know." Josh said softly. They had reached the town square, and they saw CJ and Donna setting up a coffee and hot chocolate station near the entrance to the community center. CJ had gone back to the diner for a few minutes, and Donna was sitting at the desk and reading.
"Good evening, Donna. How are you feeling?" Mrs. Landingham greeted politely.
"I'm good, Mrs. Landingham. A little tired, maybe." Donna said, one hand on her belly. Josh took the opportunity while Donna and Mrs. Landingham were talking to try to get some coffee. He was inches away from the pot when Donna smacked his hand.
"Come on, Donna! Just one cup!"
"How many cups have you had tonight?"
"None."
"Plus?"
"Three. But yours and CJ's is way better."
"That stuff'll kill you, you know."
"Don't I know it." Josh mumbled. "Oh, by the way, I bought you something. Well, really, Ellie and I did. But I saw it and I thought you would like it." He handed her a gift bag. "Think of it as an early Valentine's Day/baby gift."
Donna pulled out a pink onesie with red hearts on it. "I don't know what to say. I love it."
"Just...if there's anything you need, just let me know and I'll be there. I remember what it's like to raise a baby on your own."
"Thanks, Josh." Donna said softly, before grinning. "That means a lot, it really does."
"Well, we better get inside." Josh said, showing Mrs. Landingham through the door.
Donna sighed, looking at the thoughtful gift and watching him leave. He could be a little arrogant, but he really was very sweet sometimes. Would anything ever happen between them?
The thought surprised her. Where had that come from?
Donna shook her head and turned her attention back to the townspeople. If things were meant to happen, they would-if they could make a move towards one another before it was too late. Besides, with a baby coming, wouldn't it be a pretty awkward time to start a new relationship?
…
The snow outside was coming down hard, but inside, the carnival was hopping. Jed and Abbey were busy supervising the sleigh rides, while Toby was keeping an eye on the proceedings inside. And over by the games, Ellie and Charlie were getting very comfortable around each other. Almost too comfortable, in Josh's eyes.
Josh was trying to focus on eating his dinner, but his eyes kept ricocheting over to the beanbag toss, where Ellie was taking a turn. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his arm. He turned to find CJ standing over him with an amused look on her face.
"You know she's never gonna forgive you if you interfere." CJ pointed out, perhaps wisely.
Josh scoffed. "She's-she's my little girl, CJ. I guess I'm just not used to the idea of her dating."
CJ laughed. "Yeah, you and me both."
Suddenly, both adults' mouths dropped open as Charlie and Ellie locked lips.
"Well, that's…" CJ started.
"SO NOT HAPPENING!" Josh thundered.
"Josh!" CJ said firmly. But Josh didn't hear her. He stormed over to Charlie, where he and Ellie were staring at each other, unbelieving what had just happened. He grabbed Charlie's shoulders, forcing the teenager to face him.
"You stay away from my daughter, understand?" Josh practically growled.
"Dad!" Ellie protested. "He just kissed me! Nothing else happened!"
"I don't care about that!" Josh barked. "You are too young to be in a relationship, and he-", jabbing a finger towards Charlie, "is bad news!"
"Look, I know you don't want to hear this right now, but I would never hurt your daughter."
"Josh!" Jed called from the doorway of the banquet room. He and Abbey had come in from outside upon hearing that the argument involved their foster son. He held his hands up. "Now, isn't there any way we can resolve this argument peacefully?"
"Not as long as my daughter is dating your foster kid!"
Abbey chuckled wryly. "I'd almost rather he be dating Ellie than someone else."
Josh sighed. "I'm not comfortable with the relationship. That's all I'm saying." And he walked away, leaving Ellie and Charlie bewildered.
"Dad!" Ellie called after Josh, trudging through the snow, which was building up faster than she realized. "Dad, wait up!"
Josh, to his credit, turned around. "What?"
"You don't have to be happy about this. And I understand if you don't want me to see him again, but...for what's it worth, I like him."
Josh seemed to calm down slightly. "You do?" His face hardened again. "You're still too young."
"Dad, I'm sixteen. I can make my own decisions."
"It's just-you're still my little girl." Josh's voice softened. "I still want to protect you."
"I'm not your little girl anymore, Dad." Ellie replied.
At this, Josh sighed, defeated. "Just...just let this sink in, okay?"
Ellie nodded. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"Okay. I said okay."
Josh cracked a small smile. "So, um...how about those Mets?"
Ellie laughed at her dad's corny attempt at a conversation. "Dad."
"Come on." Josh said, pulling her to him. "Let's go home."
Unbeknownst to the two of them, Charlie had heard the entire conversation, and hoped that Josh would let him see Ellie again. Because he liked her too.
…
Several hours later, the carnival over, CJ was sound asleep in the loft when she was awakened by a loud knocking on her bedroom door. She sat up groggily, looking over at the digital clock that read 2:30.
"Come in."
The door opened to reveal a panicked Donna. "CJ, I think this is happening."
"What do you mean?" CJ asked, perplexed but still half-asleep.
"My water broke."
That made CJ sit straight up in bed and leap into action. "What? Are-are you sure? I mean, you're not due for another month."
"Yeah, you know that and I know that, but the baby…" Donna suddenly doubled over and moaned quietly. She gripped CJ's bedpost as the contraction washed over her.
As soon as the contraction passed, CJ asked quietly, "How long has this been going on?"
"For a few hours now, but I thought they were cramps." Her voice came out in a whisper. "They're only, like, two minutes apart. I'm scared."
CJ smiled at her, then began rushing around to get everything. "Okay, everything's gonna be fine. You're gonna be fine. We're gonna get you to the hospital, and you're going to have a baby...Donna?"
Donna was still standing by the bed, a look of panic and pure terror on her face. "CJ...I don't think I'm gonna make it in this storm."
CJ looked outside. Sure enough, there were eight inches of snow on the ground, with no sign of stopping. Even driving in CJ's Jeep to get to the hospital, the roads were probably closed. "Perfect timing for a hundred years' blizzard." She muttered, rolling his head up to the ceiling and thinking of what to do. Suddenly, she knew she had to get help.
"Okay, if we can't get to a doctor, we're gonna have the doctor come to us."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm gonna get you comfortable, and then I'm gonna go get Abbey."
CJ rushed toward the doorway, when two things happened: a particularly rough contraction hit Donna, and the power fizzled and went out.
"Well, that's just great." CJ said sarcastically. Suddenly, she heard a moan from the bed. She turned her attention back to her laboring roommate and crouched down in front of her.
"Let's get you comfortable in here, okay? Are you cool with delivering in my bed?"
Donna quietly laughed as the contraction faded, her breathing still labored. "It's your bed. Are you?"
"Yeah, fine."
With CJ's assistance, Donna managed to get changed into more comfortable clothing and slid further into CJ's queen-sized bed. Suddenly, another contraction seized her and she tensed up.
"CJ?" She called out.
"I'm coming." CJ said from far away. "I know it's here somewhere-aha!"
"What?"
"My battery-operated lantern from college. It still works and everything." She placed it on teh nightstand. "We can use this for light."
Donna nodded as she tried to focus on breathing through the contraction.
CJ, seeing she was in pain, grabbed her hand. "Do you need anything?"
"Just…" She paused to take a breath. "Talk to me, okay? Get my mind off of this." She screwed up her forehead. "Tell me...about...that date."
"What date?" CJ was confused. Then suddenly, she remembered the blind date she had been on two nights earlier. She had been set up by Zoey Bartlet, of all people, who had put her together with one of her professors. "Oh, well, he seemed nice. I liked him."
"What was his name again?"
"Danny. Danny Concannon." Suddenly, she felt a release on her hand as the contraction ended and Donna collapsed on the bed.
"You gonna be OK while I go get Abbey?"
"If you can." Donna pointed out.
"If I go now, I think I can." Donna nodded her assent, so CJ took off out of the apartment.
Even with the storm, it only took ten minutes for her to reach the Bartlets' house in her car. She raced up the front steps and pounded on the door.
Abbey answered after a few minutes, bleary-eyed. "CJ?"
"Donna's in labor." CJ blurted out. "Donna's in labor, there's no way we're getting to the hospital with these roads, and I-we need help."
Before CJ could even get the words out, Abbey was already reaching for her coat and medical bag.
They made it back to the loft in record time, and an hour later, Donna was much closer to giving birth.
"Okay, Donna. You're fully dilated. The contractions are going to start coming twice as hard and twice as fast, which means you're going to have to work twice as hard." Abbey said as she sat on the bed near Donna's legs. CJ was sitting next to her, offering whatever emotional support she could.
"Okay." Donna replied, breathing heavily and nearly delirious from pain and exhaustion. Then, a contraction hit, and she let out a sound that was a cross between a gasp and a scream. "I-I have to push!"
"Then go into that instinct. Go ahead and bear down, all right?"
Donna did as she said, pulling every bit of strength she had into getting this baby out. But after an hour of pushing, she was exhausted.
"Come on, just a few more pushes, Donna. I can see the baby's head."
"I can't." Donna cried. "I'm too tired."
"Come on, Donna, you can do this." CJ said, wiping her forehead off.
"I don't have anything left." She admitted.
"I know it feels like that now, but you're almost done." Abbey assured her.
Suddenly, CJ had an idea. She pushed Donna forward a little, then moved to sit behind the younger woman.
Donna looked up. "CJ, what are you-"
"We're gonna have a baby, that's what we're gonna do."
Donna looked into CJ's eyes, then Abbey's. Suddenly, she began to realize that she had a lot of people in her corner. She wasn't going to be alone. And she certainly wasn't alone now. She began to push with every bit of strength she had left.
"Yes! Yes, you're doing it!" CJ cheered, letting Donna grasp onto her hands as much as she needed to.
Three pushes later, the baby was born straight into Abbey's hands. Donna began to laugh and cry at the same time as the baby let out a life-affirming wail.
"You did it!" CJ said, close to her ear. "I knew you could do it!"
"Congratulations." Abbey said. "You have a beautiful, healthy baby girl."
"A-a girl?" Donna repeated. Abbey nodded, grinning as she finished cutting the cord and cleaning up the baby. Donna held out her arms as the baby girl was placed into them.
CJ climbed out from behind her, and she and Abbey watched as the baby and Donna bonded immediately.
"Hi, baby girl." Donna murmured, gently rocking the newborn as her cries faded into whimpers. "Welcome to the world."
…
The next morning, when baby girl Moss was several hours old and as soon as the roads were cleared, CJ bundled up the new mother and baby and took them straight to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in nearby Hanover.
Word traveled fast. Josh and Ellie arrived that evening to a full house at the nursery window. The Bartlets, Mrs. Landingham, Ainsley, Sam, and even Toby were all looking in at the baby, cooing.
Just then, they heard a voice. "Hey, guys." They all turned to see Donna being pushed in a wheelchair by CJ toward them.
"Hey, Donna!" They all chorused, crowding around the wheelchair and offering hugs and congratulations. Once again, Donna felt bathed in the warmth of the townspeople.
"So, what's her name?" Ellie said, perched on the railing and peering at the baby girl, who was now wide awake and looking at the group of people watching her.
"Well," Donna said, "I wanted to give her a name that meant something, you know? And then I started thinking about last night, and delivering her, and how, if it weren't for Dr. Bartlet and for CJ, I never would've been able to get through it. So, I would like to introduce all of you to...Abigail Jean Moss."
Abbey and CJ gasped. "Donna, I can't believe you would even...thank you!" CJ said, hugging Donna tightly.
"Hey, little Abigail." Ellie said into the window. "You need a nickname. Something like mine, but cuter. Abby's too common, though."
"Hm, that's what I thought." Donna said.
"How about Abbie Jean?" Josh suddenly suggested. "I heard that somewhere, and I kind of liked it."
Donna's eyes lit up. "I like that." she said, softly smiling up at Josh. Josh, once again, felt warmth in his heart, like he did every time she smiled.
"Well, Miss Abbie Jean Moss." Jed proclaimed. "I hereby welcome you to Liberty."
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Hope you like the name-I heard it somewhere and thought it was a pretty alternative to Abby, so here it is. Fair warning-a little more angst over the next couple of chapters. Please let me know what you thought, or if anybody's reading and enjoying this story.
