Chapter 13

Cat came back into the room about 20 minutes after she left. She was holding a pink plastic cup in her left hand, and a couple packs of Saltines in her right.

"I asked the nurse if you could have anything to eat and she said you could eat flavored ice chips and crackers." Cat said, setting the cup and crackers on the table next to Jade.

"Thanks, but I don't think I can handle even crackers. I'm still pretty nauseous."

"Ok. I got you lemon flavored ice chips. They look like yellow snow." Cat gave her signature high-pitched chuckle as she thought of yellow snow.

"Thanks, Cat." Cat was going to respond when Jade let out a low moan, signifying she was entering another contraction. Cat stood behind the bed and rubbed Jade's shoulders, trying to ease some of her pain. It didn't work though, because Jade's moans of pain got louder as she progressed through the contraction. At one point, it sounded like Jade yelled out 'I want Beck', but Cat couldn't be sure. Once the contraction was finally over, Jade quieted down.

"Sorry I yelled so much. That one was really painful." Jade apologized, after she was able to talk again.

"You don't have to apologize. But, um, you did yell out that you wanted Beck. What did you mean by that?"

Jade thought about it. Why would she say that? She hadn't even thought about Beck in months. She was over Beck, right? He'd moved on and so had she, right? Right?

"I don't know why I said that. I haven't even thought about Beck in months. He's finally moved on from me and I need to move on. I have moved on. He's living his own life and I'm living my life."

"Ok." Even though Cat agreed with Jade, she decided to do something she knew Jade would not be happy about. She decided to text Beck and tell him to come to the hospital.

Hi, Beck. I know this seems a little weird and I can't explain too much right now, but I need you to come to Cedar-Sinai Hospital. Come up to the fourth and text me when you're in the fourth floor waiting room. Just please trust me and come. Now.-Cat

Beck was just finishing with filming for the day when he received a notification that he got a text. He read Cat's text, and was reluctant to do what she'd requested at first, but then decided he would do it. She was a good friend and he should be able to trust.

Ok. I'll go to the hospital.-Beck

Cat internally smiled when she read Beck's reply. Her glee was short-lived, though, when she heard Jade moan in pain again. She went back to rubbing Jade's shoulder as Jade rode the wave of pain through the contraction.

"I think I want to try walking around. I'm so tired of labor and I just want this baby to get here already." Jade said, slightly out of breath from the contraction.

"Ok. Do you want to walk around the room or in the hallways?"

"The hallways. This room is too small to get a good amount of walking done in."

"Ok."

Jade carefully stood up from lying position in the bed. She used her IV pole for support to help her stand up. Once she was standing, she decided to have a contraction before moving away from the bed. She started walking towards the door and Cat followed closely behind her. Jade was thankful that the hospital gown she was wearing had snaps and ties on the said instead of the back. As they walked around, Jade got a contraction every few minutes. She was able to walk through some of them, and not through others.

"It feels like her head is right in between my legs. She's really low." Jade commented, about 20 minutes into the walk.

"That's good, right? It means it shouldn't be much longer until she's ready to be born."

"Yeah, hopefully, because I'm so tired of this."

They continued walking for another half hour. During that time, Jade's contractions got closer together and became stronger. By the time they got back to the room, Jade was vocalizing through every contraction and had begged for Beck several more times. Cat was very happy when she sat back down in the chair across from the bed and realized she'd gotten a text from Beck.

I'm in the waiting room. Why am I on the Labor and Delivery floor?-Beck

Yay! I'll be right out. I'll explain more when I see you :)-Cat

"Jade, Andre and Robbie just got here. I'm gonna go see them. I'll be right back." Cat lied, as she got up from her seat.

"Ok, just come back soon. I think I'm getting close to transition." Jade replied.

"Ok. I'll have the nurse come in to see you while I'm on my way to the waiting room."

Cat saw Jade nod her head before she left the room. She skipped her way to the waiting room. Once there, she found Beck, Andre, and Robbie sitting in chairs near each other.

"Hey, babe. How's Jade doing?" Andre asked, as he greeted Cat.

"Um, she's ok. She says she thinks it's almost time." Cat replied.

"What's wrong with Jade?" Beck asked, thoroughly confused as to why he was even at the hospital.

"Jade's in labor." Robbie stated, as if it were obvious.

"Jade's pregnant!" Beck exclaimed. "Cat, why did you tell me to come here?"

"Jade's in labor with Austin's baby. When she thought she had a miscarriage, she actually didn't. She and Austin broke up 2 days after she thought she had a miscarriage. She found out she was still pregnant 2 weeks later. She hasn't told Austin and she isn't planning on it." Cat explained.

"That's great, I guess, for Jade, but that still doesn't explain why I'm here."

"Jade wants you. She won't admit it, but during contractions, when she's in a lot of pain, she calls out for you. I don't even think she realizes that she's doing it, but she is. I know it might be hard, but I really want you to come with me and help her through the rest of her labor. You helped her once and I think you can do it again."

"Cat, I can't."

"She needs you, Beck." Cat said, her eyes practically oozing desperation.

Beck sighed. He wanted to help Jade, but he didn't know if he could. He was trying to convince himself that he was over Jade and seeing her again in one of the most vulnerable moments in her life would not help that. But she needed him.

"Ok, I'll do it. But don't be shocked when she starts yelling at me to leave."

"Yay! Andre, Robbie, I'll be back after the baby's born. Just sit tight and don't leave." Cat said to Andre and Robbie.

"Yes, ma'am." Andre said, with a small smile on his lips.

Beck followed Cat back to Jade's room. As they walked to it, they noticed a few nurses going in with medical equipment.

"Just wait outside. I'll come and get you in a minute." Cat ordered, when they stopped right outside of Jade's room. Cat didn't bother waiting for Beck's answer before she went back into the room. "What's going on?" She asked one of the nurses.

"Ms. West is dilated to 9 centimeters. She's going to start pushing soon. We're just getting everything prepared." The nurse replied.

Cat gave a nod and then went over to the bed.

"How're you doing?"

"Other than the fact that a baby is trying to squeeze it's way out of a tiny hole, I'm great." Jade gritted out, clearly in pain.

"Well, I have a surprise for you."

"Cat, I'm not in the mood for surprises. Just wait until after the baby's born."

"I think you're gonna like this surprise." Cat quickly stepped outside of the room and then came back in with Beck following closely behind. "Surprise."

"Why the hell is he here, Cat?" Jade grunted out, malice filling her voice.

"I texted him and told him to come. When you go through a contraction, you yell out for him. I know you want him, Jade. You're not fooling anyone but yourself."

"Go away!" Jade yelled, as she braced herself for another contraction. Nobody had a chance to say anything in response before Jade was screaming and moaning in pain. Not knowing what else to do, Beck offered Jade his hand. Much to his surprise, she grabbed his hand and squeezed as if it were a lifeline. She squeezed it as hard as she could, and Beck heard popping sounds coming from his hand, but he wasn't about to pull away when she was in so much pain. So what if she broke his hand? It's not like it could compare to what she was going through.

Once the contraction was over, Jade released her death grip on Beck's hand.

"I guess you can stay." She said, emotionlessly.

Beck gave a nod in response. The room was tense in between Jade's contractions. Cat was lost in her own little world texting Andre and Robbie. Beck was trying to avoid looking at Jade by texting Willow. Jade was trying to cope with the pain while also trying to avoid Beck and Cat. When Jade had a contraction, Beck and Cat would put their phones away and tend to her. Cat would rub her shoulders and Beck would hold her hand. Once the contraction was over, the room would become tense again and everyone would go back to their respective activities. This lasted for about an hour until Jade's contractions moved to about a minute apart and there was no longer any time to do anything in between.

"Cat, go get a nurse. I'm feeling a lot of pressure." Jade requested, as she ended another contraction.

"Kk, I'll be right back." Cat said, quickly walking out of the room.

And then there were two, well, technically three.

"Cat says Austin doesn't know about the baby. Are you going to tell him?" Beck asked.

"God, you really had to ask me that, didn't you? I'm not telling Austin. He left me. He made his decision and I've made mine." Jade gave, clearly annoyed with the fact that Beck asked her about Austin.

"He deserves to know, Jade. This baby is his too."

"Just shut up, Beck. You don't know anything about this situation so stop acting like you do."

Beck stepped away and put his hands up in mock surrender. He was not prepared to fight with her, especially while she was so close to giving birth. He started to get lost in thought again before he heard Jade moan in pain. It wasn't a normal moan, though. It sounded like she was straining. Beck looked at her face and saw that it was red and some veins were popping out.

"Are you pushing?" Beck asked, slightly frantically.

Jade, unable to talk, gave a nod. Luckily for Beck, he didn't have to do anything because Cat came bouncing back in with a nurse behind her.

"Your friend says you feel pressure. Let me just check you." The nurse said, before realizing Jade was already pushing. "I know it might be hard but I need you to stop pushing."

Jade let out a strained "I can't." The nurse quickly put on a pair of gloves and lifted up Jade's gown. She could see the very top of the baby's head starting to emerge.

"If you could, sir, press that big red button behind the bed." The nurse requested, as calmly as possible. Beck did as he was told and an alarm started coming from the button and filling the halls via the intercom. Quickly, 3 more nurses and a doctor filled the room. The whole room went from quiet to chaos in a matter of seconds.

"Miss, I need you to stop pushing." The strange doctor requested. Luckily for Jade, her contraction had finally ended so she could talk again.

"Where's my doctor? Where's Dr. Peters?" Jade grunted out.

"She's in another delivery right now. My name is Dr. Gentry."

"No, I want my doctor. I don't want you."

"Miss, she's in another delivery. We can wait for her, but your baby might already be out by the time she's done. If you don't want me, there are two other available doctors on this floor. I can go get them, if you'd like." Jade was prepared to argue back before another contraction starting ripping through her body. She let out a strained squeak as she started pushing again. Beck offered her his hand and she took it.

"Can I have you hold her leg?" The doctor asked Cat. Cat nodded and then held Jade's leg back in the way the nurse was doing it. The doctor then focused her attention back on Jade and instructed her on how to push. By the end of the contraction, the baby was crowning. "Is this your first baby?" Dr. Gentry asked Jade.

Before answering, Beck and Jade looked at each other. They'd never talked about telling other people about Weston. After having a silent conversation with their eyes, Jade gave a slight shake of her head, indicating that this was not her first baby.

"What do you mean, Jadey?" Cat asked, confused.

"Jade and I had a baby last year. We gave him to my cousins and they adopted him." Beck explained.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Cat, now's not really the best time to be talking about this." Beck urged, trying to get Cat to stop talking.

Everyone turned their focus back on Jade when she started pushing again. Before anyone knew it, there was a loud wailing that filled the room. Jade let out a noise of relief when she felt the baby leave her body. She then looked down and saw her baby. She was pink and slimy, but beautiful. Jade let out a cry of a thousand different emotions as the baby was placed on her chest.

"You did it, Jadey!" Cat exclaimed, clearly proud of what her best friend had just done.

Once the baby was placed on her chest, Jade tuned out everything. She couldn't hear what anyone was saying or feeling anymore pain. She couldn't really see anything but her baby. She was wholly and completely infatuated with her baby girl and nothing else in that moment mattered. It wasn't until the baby stopped crying that Jade pulled back into reality.

"What's wrong with her? Why isn't she crying anymore?" Jade asked, frantically trying to get her baby to cry again.

"We don't know. Come on baby, let out a cry." The nurse said, as she rubbed a towel up and down the baby's back.

"Make her cry. Why isn't she crying?" Jade was beginning to panic. Tears of sadness and fear were now falling down her face, as opposed to tears of joy and relief.

"We need to take her to the NICU. We need to get her on oxygen and figure out why she's not breathing." The nurse explained, as the doctor quickly cut the umbilical cord and rushed the baby off to the warming bed and then out of the room.

Almost as quickly as the medical team came, they were gone. Three of the four nurses and the doctor rushed out of the room with the baby.

"What's wrong with my baby?" Jade asked, sobs taking over her body.

"We don't know yet. They took her to the NICU to give her oxygen. Once she's stable and the doctors know more, they'll come back and tell you. For right now, I need to get you cleaned up and we need to deliver your placenta."

"Don't touch me! Go get me my baby. I just want my baby." Jade was beginning to become defensive. She just wanted her baby.

"Jade, you should let the nurse help you. The doctors and nurses are taking good care of your baby. Now you need to be taken care of." Cat said, trying not to sound too forceful.

"I just want my baby." Jade squeaked out, tears of desperation falling down her face.

"Jade, I know you told me to shut up, but I think your baby's gonna be ok. She's being taken care of. She's with the doctors and they're helping her. You need help, too. Please let the nurse help you." Beck was trying to persuade her without overstepping too much.

Jade let out a shaky sigh before agreeing to the nurse's request. She was slowly starting to regret that once the nurse started pressing on her very sore abdomen, but Cat and Beck assured her she was doing the right thing.

"Ok, Jade. I need to go get a doctor so we can deliver your placenta. I'll be right back." The nurse said, and then walked out of the room.

"Cat, can you go to the NICU and ask for an update on the baby. I would, but obviously I can't." Jade asked.

"Sure." Cat replied. She then skipped out of the room and to the NICU, leaving Jade and Beck alone again. "Tell me something, anything. I need a distraction." Jade practically demanded from Beck.

"Ok, um, I talked to Ethan and Lori a few days ago. They said that Weston's doing great." Beck said, obliging Jade's request.

"He's what? 18 months?"

"Yeah, I guess he is. They sent me a picture, if you want to see."

"No. I told you I wanted a closed adoption and that's still the truth. I don't want to ever see him, if I can avoid it."

"Why are you so damn stubborn, Jade? He's our son!"

"I am his mother and you are his father, yes, but Lori and Ethan are his mommy and daddy. They're the ones who got sleep deprivation for 6 months because of him. They're the ones who comfort him when he's sick or sad. They're the ones who watch the same Disney movie over and over again because that's the only thing he wants to watch. They're the ones who went through the teething stage with him. They're the ones who watched him take his first steps and heard him say his first words. They're going to watch him grow up. They're gonna take him to his first day of school and be there for his graduation. They're gonna be at his wedding and be the grandparents to his children. They are his parents, Beck. He might be ours biologically, but he's not ours in all the ways that matter."

Beck was stunned into silence by what she said. He knew she was right, but he'd tried not to think about all the things he wouldn't witness Weston do. All of the milestones he'd miss out on had never been put into perspective for him in the way Jade had.

"I have a chance to go through all of those things with my daughter. I have a chance to be a mommy and go through all of her milestones with her. I know it's selfish of me, but I don't want to share that with anyone else. The only person I wanted to share that with doesn't want that anymore. I don't want to tell Austin about the baby. I want him to go off and have the life he wants and not be tied down by a baby with a girl he dated for 4 months."

Beck knew who that person was. It was him. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to, too. They were supposed to be soulmates. They were supposed to get married and have kids and live happily ever after. So why they hell weren't they?

"I understand now, Jade. I get it. I really do."

"I jut really need my daughter to be ok. I need her."

Not knowing what else to say, and acting purely on impulse, Beck cupped her cheek with his hand, leaned in closer to her, and kissed her.

A/N: And Bade's back. Maybe. You'll have to stay tuned for the next chapter to see what happens with them and how Jade reacts to the kiss.

Ps: If there are any Dynasty and/or Victorious fans out there, I just wrote and released the first chapter of a crossover called Past Lives. You can find it by pressing the little blue crossover button in the right upper corner on either the Dynasty or Victorious pages. Or by copying this link: s/13698453/1/Past-Lives