"Bruce," Diana murmured groggily in their bed next to him. "Bruce, wake up."
"Hm? What is it, Princess?" Bruce mumbled into his pillow.
"It's time, Bruce."
"Time? Now?" He said, much more awake now, but still laying on his side, his face close to hers.
"Mhm. It started last night but I thought they were more false ones and slept through them until a few minutes ago."
"Do you know how far apart they are?" He stroked her face lightly and then moved his hand to her belly.
"Not far. 5 or 6 minutes I think." She placed her hand on top of his and lightly pet his hand with her fingertips.
"Should we start moving or do you want to stay here for a while?" He asked. They were having a home delivery with Alfred and Dr. Leslie, so they didn't have anywhere to go.
"Maybe we should warn Dr. Leslie, but I want to lay here for a while," she replied.
"Okay, I'll call her, Princess. Be right back." He kissed her nose and got out of bed to grab his phone. He called Leslie and told her she could take her time, but that it would be happening today. She told him to keep an eye on the contractions and call her back if they were getting close together very quickly. He thanked her and got back in bed with Diana who, he could barely tell, was slowly breathing through a contraction.
"This is a contraction right?" He asked quietly as he scooted close to her and replaced his hand on her belly which was noticeably tighter now than it had been a few minutes before.
She nodded and continued to barely look like anything was happening to her.
"You're amazing, Princess. So amazing." He whispered close to her face. She moved a little so that she could bury her face into his neck and she continued to breath steadily.
"This one is so long," she said slightly breathlessly.
"It'll be over soon, sweetheart," He soothed and gently rubbed her belly as it pressed against his own. The contraction went on for another 45 seconds after that. Things were not going to move slowly today. When it finally released her she gasped lightly and then had to catch her breath. The contraction had peaked harshly and she had been holding her breath for a few seconds without realizing.
"Good, Princess. Try to rest while you can." It was only 5 in the morning.
"You should try to sleep more too," she said as she got her breath back.
"I'll try. Just make sure you wake me when you're having another one. I don't want to miss anything with you." He kissed her head and settled as close to her as he possibly could with her curled into his body.
They both managed to doze off quickly and slept through the next half hour of contractions until Diana awoke with a gasp and breathed harshly through the pain that had woken her. Bruce instantly woke also and propped himself up on his elbow above her tense form.
"Princess, you have to breathe. Diana, breathe, like this," He said and started to breath deeply and slowly and she tried to mimic him as the pain continued. This, too, was a long contraction but she seemed to struggle a lot more with this one. Nope, definitely not a slow labor. It lasted a total of 2 minutes and left Diana gasping at the end.
"How are you honey?" He asked as he settled back down on the bed.
"I'm alright. I think that one just surprised me and I couldn't catch up with it." She said, still trying to even out her breathing. "This is going to be fast. We should see how close they are now."
"Yes, ma'am," He smiled at her. "Come here," he pulled her back to him and they comfortably laid there for 4 minutes until the next contraction started.
"Another one is about to start," she said calmly and placed her hand on his bicep.
"About to? How can you tell?" He asked, partially out of curiosity and partially to try and distract her a little from the pain.
"It starts out as tension in my back and then kind of spreads around the front and tightens." She said, her breath getting a little harder throughout the sentence.
"You wanna breathe with me?" He asked as he reached around to her back and pressed into the spot between her hips with his fist.
She nodded and locked eyes with him as the pain began in earnest. He led her breathing and she did her best to follow, closing her eyes tightly when the pain peaked after 2 minutes and then receded, leaving her breath slightly ragged. "4 minutes, Princess," He said quietly.
"I think I want to move," she said and started to slowly sit up. He sat up and started helping her.
"Sit up in bed move, or out of the bed move?" He asked.
"Sit up I think. Can you get my smaller exercise ball, please?" She asked and he got up and retrieved the ball from the corner of the room where a lot of labor and delivery equipment had been sitting for a few weeks.
"What do you want to do?" He asked as he came back to the bed with the ball she asked for.
"Set it in front of me, and can you hand me a pillow?" He got one from behind her and she took it and set it on top of the ball in front of her and shifted so that she was sitting on her legs and leaning forward onto the ball. He sat down at her side and began running his fingers through her hair like he knew she loved.
"What do you want me to do, Princess?" He whispered into her neck.
"Can you press into my back again when another one comes? The same spot as last time."
"Of course," He said and continued playing with her hair for the time being. She relaxed a lot under his touch and into the new position. It felt good on her back and stretched her belly just a little bit to make it easier to breathe. The baby had been up in her rib cage for most of the pregnancy, making it harder for her to draw a full breath for months. She wasn't going to complain though, she knew she would miss that closeness very soon.
"Bruce," she said, calmly on the surface, but with a quiet note of panic hiding underneath.
"I'm here, Princess. Right here." He put his fist on the same spot again and with his other hand, covered a large part of her arm curled up around her head. He wanted to make sure she could feel him there to keep her grounded. "Breathe slowly, sweetheart."
Diana did pretty well with her breathing this time, liking this new position a lot more. She moved her hand on top of his on her other arm and squeezed slightly. She knew she wasn't going to be able to hold tightly to him during this or she would break him. She was pretty sure just this light hold she had on him now was probably causing him some discomfort but she knew that if she were really hurting him he'd stop her from breaking his hand. She'd made him promise not to let her hurt him like that. He needed to be able to keep Gotham safe which he couldn't do in a hand cast.
"Bruce," she called again as the contraction was beginning to peak. She held him a little tighter, trying to focus on controlling her strength rather than focusing on the pain.
"I'm here, Diana, just keep breathing." He leaned down and kissed her neck and nuzzled there, breathing slowly for her to follow. She tried her best to copy his pace. "Baby, don't move, you're fine where you are now, but any tighter and my hand might break," He said with a tight voice into her neck.
She gave a soft moan in reply as her contraction started to wind down. She knew he meant it, it was hurting him but he wanted her to stay where she was. She knew how badly he was dreading seeing her in pain and how he wanted to share this with her as much as he could. She held him and followed his breathing on her neck until the contraction finally released her. When it finally did, she sighed in relief and relaxed her grip on his hand.
"4 minutes, still. 3 minutes long this time." He said as he moved his hand up her back and rubbed the top. "You still like this position?"
She raised her head a little to look at him and replied "yes, it feels better than laying down. I feel like I have more control."
"Good. I'm going to call Dr. Leslie back and tell her she should probably head over here. 4 minutes is pretty close and I want her to check you over."
"Okay. You should wake Alfred too. He doesn't want to miss anything," she said with one corner of her lip lifted in loving amusement. She had grown to love Alfred like a father, much like Bruce had, but he was also her good friend. They had spent a lot of time together in the bat cave after she had gotten pregnant and Bruce was out on patrol at night. She liked helping him and looking after Bruce when she couldn't be out there with him. She grew very anxious in the beginning before she started sitting with Alfred because she didn't know what was going on when Bruce was out at night. Spending all that time together had bonded them. It had been 8 months since they found out about the baby and Bruce immediately refused to let her out after that because he couldn't bare the idea of the baby getting hurt. Diana had felt angry about this until Bruce finally convinced her that he didn't think her incapable of protecting the baby, but he wasn't willing to take any risks with their child. She had agreed and then a week later Alfred invited her to sit with him while Bruce was out because he had noticed her loneliness and anxiety.
She had decided months ago that she wanted both of her important men with her when she needed their support most.
"Ah, yes. I'll go wake him. Do you want anything to eat or drink? I'm going to go make some coffee on my way back."
"Some juice would be lovely, thank you."
He nodded and kissed her before he headed out the door.
Just a few minutes later Alfred gently knocked on the door to the bedroom before entering, peeking around the corner.
"Alfred," she gasped and held a hand out to him. She was in the middle of another contraction. He rushed over to her and sat on the bed in front of the exercise ball and placed his hand in hers.
"Diana, what can I do?" He asked quietly.
"Nothing... nothing, it won't be much-" she sucked in a quick, harsh breath and buried her face into her pillow. He squeezed her hand tighter and leaned in closer to her, putting his other hand on the side of her head.
"Breathe, my dear, don't hold your breath, the baby needs oxygen," he cooed at her gently.
She lifted her face and leaned into his hand on her head as she began to try to breath again. "That's it, Diana," he murmured to her as he breathed with her.
She let out a long breath and relaxed at the end of the contraction. Alfred patted her hand gently and said "there now. That was a long one, aye?"
"Yes," Diana breathed and ducked her head onto the ball trying to catch her breath. "They are so close now."
"That's good. I know it's hard, but the quicker the labor the quicker we get to see this wonderful little baby," he winked at her. "Do you still think it's a girl?" He asked trying to put her mind on something else.
"Yes. I just have a feeling about it."
"I think you're right. I have a feeling too, but more than anything I trust the mother's intuition."
"Alfred, it's starting again. Can you help me?"
"Yes, my dear, what can I do?" Alfred said with a look of slight desperation on his face at his dear friend's pain.
"I want to be up higher. Can you move the ball?" She said and ducked her head down between her shoulders.
"Of course, of course." He made quick and carful work of moving the ball and taking its place in front of her, placing her arms on his shoulders and pulling her in closer. She held him around the neck and shoulders tightly, but not too tightly and allowed him to support some of her weight as she melted into his embrace and swayed her hips back and forth just slightly.
"Better," she breathed harshly into his neck. "Can we go up just...a little higher?"
Without speaking, he shifted from sitting on his backside to his heels and lifted her up another couple of inches.
"Like this?" He asked.
"Mmmmmmm" she moaned and nodded into his neck. She was breathing very heavily, but she was breathing, so Alfred let her be and soothingly rubbed her back while she leaned into him. An achingly slow 3 minutes passed and she gasped out his name as the long contraction kicked up a notch and stayed there.
"I'm here for you, Diana. I'm here, just lean on me and breathe."
"She's moving down," Diana whined. "I can feel her moving down," she sounded almost panicked but Alfred knew she didn't sound like that because she was afraid, rather she was amazed and in pain.
"That's good. Maybe now you'll be able to breathe properly," Alfred chuckled lightly. He knew the baby had be practically lodged in her diaphragm for the whole pregnancy.
Diana tried to chuckle with him but it came out as more of a groan. "There there darling it has to end soon."
"I think... it's starting to go away," she gasped. As it ended, she remained in Alfred's arms. She felt very comforted and safe in his embrace and she stayed there until she caught her breath better.
A few minutes later Bruce walked back into the bedroom with a mug of coffee and a small bottle of apple juice in his hands to find Alfred holding his wife in the same position and comforting her through another long hard contraction. Bruce stood there and watched them for a moment, not wanting to disturb them. He loved how close the two had gotten since they found out about the baby. He was glad they had each other to keep company while he was on patrol, and Diana had never had a father, so she loved being with Alfred. He knew Alfred loved her right back. The contraction finally ended after he'd been standing in the doorway for almost 2 minutes. When he noticed it had ended, he quietly made his presence known by asking Alfred if the contractions had gotten any closer together.
"No, they are still at 4 minutes, but they are all very long," Alfred answered.
"Yeah they have been pretty much since she woke me up. At least 2 minutes for each one."
"It's more like 3 or 4 now, Bruce. It won't be long," Alfred said as he continued to hold the Princess in his arms.
Bruce sat down behind Diana on the edge of the bed and set the juice and coffee down on the bedside table. "Come here, Princess. Sit back and drink a little bit of juice." He reaches forward to support her back as Alfred gently lowered her against Bruce's chest. She was cradled there between his legs and he offered her some apple juice. She drank and then closed her eyes and let her head lull to the side on his shoulder.
"Bruce, can we take a shower before Leslie gets here? I think the warm water will help and I want to take one before it's too late." She asked quietly.
"I'll go down and wait for Dr. Leslie. She and I will have some tea until Bruce comes to fetch us," Alfred said, knowing his cue to leave them for a while.
"Thank you Alfred," Bruce said and then started to lean her forward slightly so he could get up.
She gasped suddenly and her body became so tight Bruce thought she could snap like a rubber band. He leaned her back against his chest again and took her hands in his own. Alfred sat back in front of her and leaned in close to get her attention. He began to model the breathing for her and she tried to follow as Alfred gently rubbed her leg. At the peak of the contraction she let out a sharp cry and arched her back off of Bruce's chest. She squeezed Bruce's hands so tight he thought she might break them on accident, but the bones just groaned under the pressure.
When the pain subsided she wanted to get up and into the shower fast before another one came. Instead, Bruce left her with Alfred for a moment while he went to get the shower ready for them. She had one more contraction where she leaned heavily into Alfred and he once again helped her with her breathing and ignored the ache in his shoulders from her pressure. Bruce came back before the pain left her and sat down behind her to press on her back the way she liked. She gave a grateful moan at the slight relief. When the contraction was over he kissed her between the shoulder blades and stood. "The shower is ready for you, Princess," He said and held out his hands to help her off the bed. She grabbed his hands and got off the bed.
"Good luck, darling, I'll see you in a little while," Alfred said and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled after him and followed Bruce into the bathroom.
They began undressing and when Bruce had gotten all his clothes off he helped her with her pants. They stepped into the shower and Diana immediately positioned herself so that the water was landing right on her lower back. Bruce stepped in front of her and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"You are very good at this," she said and then kissed him slowly on the lips.
"Good at what?" He grinned and stole another kiss.
"Taking care of me while I'm in labor. You almost make me think about doing this again someday," she said with a soft smile on her lips and leaned her forehead onto his.
"Really? You want to do this again?" He asked. His face looked tight with concern.
"I might. Why? Do you not want more kids?" She asked.
"No no it's not that. I just hate to see you like this. I don't know why you'd want to go through all this again."
"It's just pain, Bruce. It's hard but at the end we're going to get to meet this little trouble maker and keep her forever." She smiles up at him and he thought he'd never loved her more.
"Still think it's a girl, huh?"
"I do. We'll see that I'm right soon enough," she said with a crumpled face as another contraction began. She hugged closer to him and leaned more of her weight onto his shoulders.
"Diana, can you let go of my hair?" Bruce said with his tense voice.
"I'm sorry," she gasped and released his hair, placing her fisted hands on the top of his back instead so she would not hurt him. "Did I hurt you?"
She sounded worried and he felt guilty. "No, sweetheart, not at all. I just didn't want a bald spot back there later," he tried to joke.
She moaned in response and he kissed the top of her head. She had completely buried her face in his neck, breathing in his wonderful scent. The contraction lasted about 4 minutes and by the end, Diana was trembling from the force of it.
"I can feel her moving down more. It will not be much longer."
"Do you want to stay in here longer?" He asked
"Yes, just a little longer I think. I don't like standing."
"I could run a bath for you instead. After Dr. Leslie checks on you."
She nodded and said "I might like that."
"Anything for you, Princess." He kissed her head again.
"I love you, Bruce," she said tiredly against his chest.
"I love you, Diana. Always."
They stood like that with Bruce supporting a lot of Diana's weight on his shoulders until the next contraction came. This was the worst one yet. She immediately cried out into the crook of his neck and squeezed his shoulders very tightly.
"Down! Please!" She yelled frantically to him. He kneeled down slowly, taking her with him until they were on their knees in the same position she had been in with Alfred when he'd walked in.
"Breathe, baby, relax and breathe. You can do this."
"Bruce!" She cried into his neck.
"Okay, here, turn to face the wall, sweetheart."
She did what he told her to do and placed her hands on the wall, nearly cracking it just from pushing against it. He immediately began pressing hard into her lower back with one hand and held onto her hip with the other, rubbing it lightly with his thumb.
She continued to gasp through the contraction and again was left trembling at the end. She hadn't had a contraction under 3 minutes long in over an hour and it was wearing on her. It took her almost a full minute to catch her breath, and she leaned against the shower wall, exhausted.
"Do you want to go back to bed or stay here?"
"Bed, please. I need Leslie."
He stood and turned off the water, grabbed her towel, and started drying her skin a little before helping her up and drying her some more. He quickly wrapped his own towel around his waist and helped her to the bed, racing the next contraction. He set her on the bed and went to get her a clean sport bra from her drawer and helped her put it on quickly and gently. She sat there the whole time with her body relaxed as much as she could manage and her eyes closed while he helped her.
She was a little bit calmer when she called "Bruce" when the newest contraction came on.
"I'm here, Princess. Lean on me."
She did, feet hanging off the bed, she leaned her upper body into his and clung to his naked torso. He held her tightly to him and reached around her to press on her back.
"Bruce it's not ending," she gasped desperately. "Bruce- ahh!" She yelled.
"Alfred! Alfred, come up here please!" Bruce yelled as loud as he could for the Butler. He held his wife and tried to make soothing noises to her in a futile effort to calm her. The contraction still wasn't over after more than 5 minutes. They were both ready to panic. Her because it hurt and she wasn't sure she could take it much longer, and him because he was going out of his mind watching her struggle so much just to breathe.
"Baby, I'm going to go get Leslie and Alfred. I'll be back in 2 seconds," he reassured her as he leaned her against the headboard and ran out of the room. He returned just a few seconds later and gathered her back up. The contraction was still going strong and Diana looked like she was about to break.
"I can't do it Bruce. I can't do this," she cried and hung her head on his chest.
Leslie and Alfred rushed into the room as Bruce was assuring her that she could definitely do it. She was the strongest person he'd ever known, and if anybody could do it, she could.
"Diana, I'm not going to ask how you're doing. Can you lay on your back so I can check you?" Dr. Leslie cut straight to the point. While Diana was doing as she was asked and Bruce helped her, Alfred grabbed Bruce a pair of pants and handed them to him, taking his place by Diana's side so that Bruce could get dressed. Bruce went to the bathroom and emerged again in 5 seconds flat with his pants on. He crawled around to the other side of the bed and got close to Diana who was still contracting. It had been 7 minutes now. He put a hand on her face and got close to her ear to whisper sweetly to her. He knew there was nothing he could do for her but try to be there. He was determined to do at least that.
"Diana you're in transition. That's why this contraction won't stop. It might not for a while yet. This is the hardest part by far, but you're really close. I think before the hour is up you'll have a baby in your arms," Dr. Leslie announced to the room at large. Alfred kissed the back of Diana's hand as Bruce kissed her face.
Bruce looked up and saw that Alfred's fingers were white and starting to turn a little blue. "Honey," He said getting really close to her face, "you need to loosen up on Alfred's hand before you hurt him, okay? Here squeeze my arm," He placed the hand closest to him on his bicep and then gently touched the hand she was clutching Alfred's with. She loosened her hold on Alfred enough for them to go back to white, which was better than blue. She clamped down on Bruce's arm and he had to stop himself from reacting. She could potentially break his bone if he wasn't careful enough to stop her first.
"I'm sorry, Alfred," she choked out through the pain.
"No, my dear, no don't be sorry, no harm done."
"Diana you might start to feel like you have to push soon, but you aren't ready, okay? You're at 9 centimeters, so we aren't quite there yet, but that's what this contraction is trying to do for you."
"Okay," Diana cried, and they tears began to fall down her face. Bruce panicked on the inside but refused to show it. He kissed her face all over and dried her tears.
"You're gonna be okay, Princess. You are literally the strongest and most amazing person I've ever met. I'm right here with you. Until the very end."
She suddenly pulled his face down to hers and locked onto his lips with hers. He immediately joined in and they kissed deeply for several seconds until she broke off with a gasp and a huge sigh. "It's over," She panted. The contraction had lasted 13 minutes and had been one of the most intense ones she'd felt all day.
"Diana, that one almost did it. I think one more contraction and then you'll be able to push. You're doing great," Dr. Leslie said from her place between Diana's legs. "How do you want to give birth? Are you fine how you are now or do you want to try something else?"
"Can I get in the tub? I think I'd like to try to deliver in the water," she asked. She sounded clearer than she had in a while now that she was rid of that everlasting contraction.
"Yes, I think that would be good for you. Alfred told me you liked that squatting position earlier."
"I'll go start the bath. Hang in there, darling," Alfred said sweetly and walked into the bathroom.
"Do not tell Arthur you gave birth in water. He'd be insufferable after that," Bruce grumbled playfully at Diana.
She smiled at him beautifully. "I won't tell him."
He was so glad to see the life back in her eyes. He thought this better be one damn good baby to make all this worth it. He hated seeing his princess suffering so much.
"The bath is ready," Alfred called from the bathroom. He walked back in to see Diana being helped up by Leslie and Bruce and he joined in, taking her left side while Bruce took her right and they slowly helped her to the tub. She wasn't contracting, but she was very sore already so she needed the extra help to walk.
They got her settled in the tub with just her sport bra on, and Bruce traded his pants for a pair of swim trunks and got in the huge tub with his wife. Alfred sat on the floor on the outside and held Diana's hands on the edge of the tub while Bruce sat behind her, forming his body to hers, and rubbing her back soothingly. She was leaning on her forearms on the edge of the tub and resting her head on her and Alfred's joined hands. Leslie grabbed a towel and gently placed it under Diana's arms so she had something softer to rest on and then got a wash rag and wet it with cold water in the nearby sink. She put the cloth next to Alfred on the edge and then sat there and pretended she wasn't in the room until she was needed.
"Still no contractions Princess?" Bruce asked quietly.
"Nope, just resting," she answered.
"This is normal. Transition is a weird stage of labor. She could either be ready to push on the next contraction or keep having really long contractions with really long breaks. I personally think she'll either need one more or be ready to go when the next one gets going."
"I do not think I can do another 15 minute contraction," Diana breathed into Alfred's hands.
"You can do anything, Princess." He leaned in again and kissed her on the back of her neck and then down to her back and across her shoulders.
"Bruce, do you want to catch the baby?" Leslie asked out of nowhere.
"What?" Bruce said, taken aback by her question.
"Do you want to deliver the baby? I can do everything else for you but just let you catch."
"I can do that? Can I do that?" He asked Leslie and then Diana. Diana smiled and turned slightly to look at him.
"You can do anything, Bruce."
His smile could have lit up the room. Alfred thought he'd never been happier. He was here with his son and daughter, they were about to give him a grand-baby, and his son was well and truly happy for the first time since he was a small boy. He was so grateful for this woman who came into Bruce's world and turned it upside down.
"Okay, another one is coming. Bruce, my back, please," Diana said, her breathing picking up pace.
Bruce began pressing on her back with one hand and rubbing with the other. Alfred leaned in and kissed her forehead. Leslie leaned in and did another exam.
"Diana do you feel like you need to push yet?" She asked.
"Not yet," Diana answered in a strained voice. She was starting to gasp.
"Okay, you will very soon. You're almost 10 centimeters and the baby is in a perfect position. Your water hasn't broken has it?"
"Mmmmmmmm no."
"That's good for you. Gives you a little cushion to push around for a while. When the baby's head gets closer, I'll be able to feel whether it's broken or not since we won't be able to tell with you being in the water.
Diana continued to moan through the contraction as it went on and on. 6 minutes into the contraction, Diana perked up. "I have to push," she said urgently. She tightened her hold on Alfred and he winced but she didn't see him. She sat there panting and her mouth fell open in a silent scream. Bruce leaned over her again, wanted to support her in any possibly way.
Leslie examined her again and then her hand surfaced again. "You're not ready yet Diana," she said quickly. "Don't push yet. I know it's hard, I do know, but you can't yet. Just pant through the contraction."
Alfred leaned closer and started panting with her. She followed him with her eyes locked on his until she couldn't keep them open anymore. She scrunched her face up and cried out in her pain as it hit its high point and then she put her head down on her hands again, her shoulders heaving.
Suddenly her head shot up. "I'm going to be sick!" Leslie moved to get the small trash can beside the toilet before anyone else even had time to think and had it emptied and put under Diana's chin just in time for her to throw up. Alfred made sure all the stray hairs from her loose bun were out of the way while Bruce rubbed her back some more. When she was done, she looked miserable. Alfred stood and fetched her a glass of water from the sink and brought it to her lips.
"Thank you, Alfred."
"Anything for you, my dear."
Pain showed in her eyes again as another contraction started. The breaks were shorter again. It was time.
"Leslie I really need to push."
"Let me check. Yes! Diana you can push whenever you're ready. Just take it nice and steady."
"Bruce," she called weakly. "Bruce, help me."
"I'm here, beautiful. I'm right behind you."
She could feel him behind her but it wasn't enough. She released Alfred's hands and turned to face Bruce. He helped her turn and then let her place her hands on his shoulders. He sat her up just a little straighter so that he could help her brace her feet on his thighs. She spread her legs a little wider and settled her head back. Alfred situated himself so that her head was resting on his shoulder and her back had the towel from earlier between it and the edge of the tub. He held her shoulder and stroked her hair away from her face tenderly.
Diana locked eyes with Bruce and began to push. It hurt so bad but it felt so good all at the same time. Her hands slid down Bruce's shoulders onto his forearms and gripped hard. He knew she was barely even squeezing to her but to him it felt like she was trying to juice his arms. He would never dare to say a word though. He wanted her to find comfort in any way she could. He'd let her break both hands but she'd insisted he stop her so he wouldn't have to take a break from Batman to be in casts for months.
She pushed for about 15 seconds and then paused to catch her breath. The contraction was still going, so she took a deep breath and pushed again.
"Good, Diana, very good. Take a break if you need to," Leslie said as she checked the baby's progress again.
Diana pushed for the rest of the contraction and then all but collapsed into Alfred's arms.
"Marvelous job, my dear. Wonderful," Alfred praised.
Bruce leaned in to her face and gave her a quick kiss. "You're doing beautifully princess. You're so perfect."
She continued to take deep breaths through the relatively long break in contractions. Alfred got her another sip of water and cooled her face with the cloth while Bruce just kept her gaze and stroked her thighs gently with his fingers.
Bruce couldn't believe this was happening. He couldn't believe he had this amazing woman here in front of him about to give him a baby that he was supposed to catch. He never could have guessed he'd be here. He never could have imagined such happiness.
Another contraction came on her slowly. She took a few steadying breaths and waited for it to build and then she pushed again. Bruce let her keep hold on his arms and he braced her legs open while tenderly keeping up a stroking motion on the insides of her soft thighs.
"How's the water working for you, Diana?" Leslie asked.
Diana finished her push and said "it's fine," before starting up again.
Leslie checked her again and said she could feel the amniotic sack around the baby's head. "Just a little more, Diana. The head is about to be where you can touch it."
Bruce cracked the biggest smile he thought he'd ever cracked. It felt like his face was going to split open but he couldn't help it. He was so excited. He still hated watching Diana hurt so badly and work so hard when there was nothing he could do, but he just couldn't stop thinking about his baby. His baby.
"Aaaaahhhh mmmmmmmm!" Diana was pushing hard now. She knew she couldn't tear yet and she just wanted it to be over. She was really starting to worry that she would hurt Bruce but he wasn't complaining yet. She could feel the baby moving. She knew she was close. She just had to get her water to break. She kept going until she felt like she couldn't breathe at all.
"That's it Diana. Take a little break, I don't want you to get too tired too early."
" I have to push so bad!" She cried.
"Okay, then just small ones. Just enough to satisfy the urge. I just want you to take a short break and gather some strength. Try to wait for the next contraction.
Diana was writhing in front of him. She was so uncomfortable from the urge to push and in so much pain from the contraction still going that she couldn't sit still.
"Princess, do you need to move?"
"Yes. Please," she gasped.
"Come here, baby, I got you," Bruce said and gathered her in his arms and pulled her up to hug him. She was back in the squatting position but leaning on Bruce this time. She was in so much pain that she couldn't care less that her butt was practically in Alfred's face. She could only focus on the pain, the need to push, and Bruce. Bruce was amazing. He was so gentle and attentive and caring. He smelled so good and he felt so good. His muscles were hard but yet he was still soft and comfortable. He held her so carefully so that she could push and move her hips while she wasn't pushing. She clung to him like a second skin, holding him around the shoulders and neck like her life depended on it, and she felt like it did.
"Pant and rock through it, Diana, try not to push," Leslie said again.
The contraction finally passed and she just hung there, being completely supported by Bruce's arms.
"Diana, take another sip," Alfred said gently and held the straw from her cup of water next to her mouth. She complied and then rested her head back in the crook of his neck. She wasn't even squeezing him right now. She was nearly limp in his arms. Just swaying her hips slightly from side to side to try and move the baby down as much as she could.
Suddenly she felt a rush of pressure leave her and then a burning pain. She cried out into Bruce's skin and clutched him tightly again.
"What is it, Princess?" Bruce asked with a note of panic in his tone.
Leslie checked her again. "Her water broke. She's really feeling the baby's head now."
The next contraction started up then and Diana started to push again. Her whole body was keyed up for this event. She was holding Bruce in her vice grip again and leaning heavily into him. Alfred reached forward and put the pressure on her lower back and she sobbed in relief. "Thank you," She choked out.
"Push, Diana, slow and steady," said Leslie as she stayed in her checking position. "As soon as I can feel your baby's head I'll let you know so you can touch it."
She let out a half sob half laugh at the sentence. She was about to meet her baby. Finally. This baby that had been kicking her with half-meta strength and living in her rib cage and stretching inside her was about to be out here where she could see her and hold her and love her even more deeply. Bruce kissed the top of her head at the words. He continued to hold her steady as she pushed hard but not too hard. She muffled another cry into his skin as the baby's head started to move down without that cushion around it. Diana was pretty sure she'd never felt the likes.
She pushed 2 more times on that contraction and then she heard one of the best things she'd ever heard: "Diana, touch your baby's head." She blindly reached down and felt around for the head. It was just right there. So close she couldn't believe it. She sobbed again and borrowed even deeper into Bruce. She reached up and found one of his hands on her waist and guided it down to feel their baby. He touched the baby's head and felt his world tilt. He had a baby. A baby and it was just right there. It was real and not just in Diana's belly anymore. It was almost here.
The moment was interrupted when Diana cried out harshly from a crushing wave of pain. The contraction was so bad, Diana couldn't push through it. She just had to force herself to go limp in Bruce's arms and try her hardest to keep breathing so her baby could have oxygen.
She waited out the contraction and the break and then pushed on the next one. She pushed hard. She dug her nails into Bruce's back, but he didn't make a sound. She pushed until Dr. Leslie said she could actually see the top of the baby's head and then she pushed some more. She got the head out just a little but when the contraction ended and she stopped pushing, the baby went back in a little bit. Diana felt like she could scream in frustration at how slow this process was. She pushed again with the next contraction and then again and again. The contraction knew. It was giving her a chance to get the head out.
"Good! Diana the head is almost out, keep going!" Leslie called excitedly.
"Good girl," Bruce whispered to her and kissed her head. "You can do this Princess. You can do this."
She kept going. She fought and she got what she earned. The head slipped out right at the end of the contraction and Diana let out a sharp yell at the sensation.
"Excellent work! Good job, Diana. That's the hardest part. Now just the shoulders and you're done. You wanna sit back down so Bruce can catch?"
She nodded and Bruce and Alfred got her settled like she had been before but she pulled Bruce closer with her. She needed him near her.
"You're so amazing, Princess. I'm so proud of you. We almost have a baby. She's right there, I can see her."
Diana reached down again to feel her baby and Bruce's hand was right there with hers, feeling the soft hair on the top of the baby's head.
The next contraction gave her time to catch her breath, but it came on hard and fast. She breathed hard and then held her breath and pushed.
"Okay, be very easy, Diana, you haven't torn so far and I don't want you to. The shoulders do most of their own work. Just bare down a little bit."
Bruce watched as his wife controlled herself beautifully and pushed a little bit. He saw the first shoulder start to pop out and he reached down to put both hands on the baby's head. One underneath, and one on the side. He touched its ears and nose and lips and chin. He couldn't see its face yet but he just knew it was the most beautiful baby he would ever see.
The first shoulder came all the way out and Diana cried out loud again. Alfred stroked her hair. "I'm so proud of you, darling," he said in her ear. She leaned her face to rest against his side-by-side and closed her eyes and pushed as little as she possibly could.
The other shoulder came out and then the rest of the baby came out all at once. Before she knew it, bruce had the baby in his arm and pulled her to him with the other, pressing the baby lightly between their bodies.
"It's a girl, Princess. Another perfect girl for my perfect family." He had tears streaming down his face and she did too. So did Alfred, but they were too distracted to notice him yet. Bruce settled them all down against the tub wall and held his family in his arms. He looked at Alfred and smiled so wide Alfred couldn't even recognize him as the same man he knew before Diana.
"Does she have a name?" Alfred asked through his tears.
Bruce looked at the man again. Dr. Leslie had left the family alone for a moment so it was just the 4 of them.
"Adeline Sophia Wayne," Diana said with pride and joy and tears in her voice.
"It's perfect," Alfred said and kissed all 3 of them on the heads. He then left the room to give the new family a moment to take care of the afterbirth, clean both mother and baby, and be alone.
Diana tensed slightly when she began to contract lightly again. It was nothing compared to the last few hours but it was still noticeable. Barely though. She was so enthralled with the baby in their arms. She leaned on Bruce's shoulder as she pushed gently and passed the placenta. They began cleaning their new daughter off in the tub, then Bruce called for Dr. Leslie to come back in. She cut the cord and got rid of the afterbirth then left and Alfred came back in to hold the baby while they got out of the tub to dry off. He was in his own little world while he was holding his first granddaughter. He was instantly taken and knew he could never love anything more.
The parents dressed and got into bed and Alfred handed the baby over reluctantly to be fed.
"Thank you both. For allowing me to be a part of that. I'll never forget it as long as I live. And Diana, thank you for her. She is perfect. You did so well." He kissed her again and left the room. It was only 8:30 am but they had had a LONG 3 and 1/2 hours. Alfred was headed for his first nap in 23 years. He felt it was well earned.
"Did I hurt you too badly?" Diana asked as she started to feed Adeline.
"No. No I'm fine. A few nail marks on my back that's all." He smirked at her.
"What about these?" She asked, looking at his forearms that were covered in bruises.
"Just some bruising. Nothing broken. Besides she's so worth it." He said and looked back down at his baby daughter.
"Thank you so much for my family," He breathed to her and snuggled in close to watch his baby eat.