Chapter 18: He's Here
Santana's POV
"You stay there a second and I'll help you out of the car, ok?" I say just as I pull into a parking space as close to the entrance of the hospital as I could get.
"Ok" Brittany nods while taking a deep breath trying to calm herself down from the last contraction she just had. I quickly get out of the car and run to the passenger side to help Brittany out.
"Just take it easy Britt" I say noticing how she is trying to get out of the car hurriedly.
"Take it easy?" she shrieks. "Are you kidding me Santana?" she glares at me.
"I just don't want you to fall out the car that's all" I state.
"If I slow down any further I'll be having the baby on the side of the road here. Would you like your son to be born outdoors because as I remember correctly he is a human being after all not some wild animal" she snaps at me.
"Brittany I'm just trying to help you now quit snapping at me because I'm not in the mood, I'm tired" I sigh.
"You're tired?" she questions annoyed. "Perhaps you'd like to go into labour and then you can really say you're tired."
"I don't want to fight with you Britt, our first child is going to be here soon so this is a happy occasion so let's not snap at one another" I say realising I may have been a little dramatic because Brittany is probably going to be feeling ten times worse than me.
"You're right, I'm sorry" she sighs.
"Yeah me too" I smile. For a second we forget where we are because we end up gazing into one another's eyes and just as I go to lean in and kiss Brittany, she stops me.
"Seriously though, your son isn't slowing down so he really will be born right here if we don't get moving" she states.
"Oh right, yeah" I say quickly snapping myself out of the daydream I was in. I quickly lock the car behind me as I help Brittany walk towards the entrance to the hospital.
"Shit Santana, I think I feel another contraction is coming on" Brittany says frustrated.
"It's ok, just hold onto me or these railings here for support" I reply.
"Why can't he wait until we get inside, this isn't fair" she says while trying to breathe properly through the contraction.
"Don't panic yet, we have time" I assure her. "As far as I can see your contractions aren't close enough together yet for the baby to be born right this second so we'll get you to a bed before he comes."
"Ok" she nods. We make our way over to the reception desk as quickly as we can.
"Hi there, we called from the car. My wife is in labour" I say motioning to Brittany.
"Brittany Lopez is it?" the receptionist asks.
"Yeah" Brittany replies.
"Ok well your doctor will be with you just shortly but the private room you requested that you're assigned to is right over there so you can just go straight in" the receptionist says.
"Thank you" I smile before helping Brittany over to her assigned room. "It's nice in here…well nice enough for it being a hospital" I say as I look around the room.
"I'm glad you like it babe but I'm hoping not to be in it for very long. I just want this baby to come sooner rather than later" Brittany sighs.
"I know you do" I say gently squeezing her hand.
It's less than five minutes before a few of the medical staff come in and check on Brittany. Unfortunately though she wasn't dilated enough and her contractions weren't close enough together yet to indicate the baby was fully ready to come out. They said we just have to wait it out just now and they'll check on Brittany every now and again but if we have any problems we've to let them know.
XXX
"There is no way for me to get comfortable, dammit why won't he come out already?" Brittany says frustrated while gently pacing around the room.
"Coming out isn't easy, I should know" I smile trying to lighten the mood.
"That's not funny Santana, I am in pain here so I'd rather you just helped me and not made light of the situation" Brittany sighs while glaring at me.
"I'm trying to help you babe" I say sincerely. "What else would you like me to do?" I ask.
"Tell me it's going to be ok" she says standing still while looking straight into my eyes.
"Of course it's going to be ok" I say walking over to her. "There's no reason it shouldn't all be ok" I say taking her hands in mine and squeezing them in reassurance.
"Ok" Brittany nods while taking a deep breath.
"You're doing so well already so just keep being awesome, ok?" I smile.
"I'll try" she says smiling slightly.
"Hey maybe you should try lying down again" I suggest.
"I just don't feel comfortable lying down though" she replies.
"Would it help if I gently massaged your back or something?" I ask.
"No you don't have to do that" Brittany shakes her head.
"Honey if it helps I'll do it" I say seriously. "Tell me what you want and I'll do it" I smile.
"The only thing I want right now is for this baby to come out but I suppose you can't help with that right now" Brittany sighs just as I hear my phone vibrate. I quickly check it and see a text from my parents.
"I've just got a text that my parents are here right now. Will you be ok if I quickly run out and say hello to them?" I ask.
"Yeah I'll be fine" Brittany nods.
"I promise I'll only be a second" I say before quickly kissing Brittany's head and leaving. I only talk to my parents for a matter of seconds just to let them know which room we're in and that I'll update them whenever the baby comes.
"Are my parents here yet or my sister?" Brittany asks trying to adjust her position on the bed as I walk back into the room.
"Not yet but my mom said they spoke to them but they're stuck in traffic, they'll be here soon" I reply.
"I wish my mom were here right now" Brittany sighs.
"Am I not good enough for you?" I tease.
"You are but neither of us have been in a situation like this before so we don't know what it's supposed to be like. My mom has four children so she should know what we're going through" she replies.
For the next while, we just wait around for the baby to come. The doctor checks on Brittany a few times but she still wasn't dilated enough yet so we were told just to wait it out really. I quickly started to get bored waiting so I decided I might make a short video of this moment before the baby comes but it's not working so well because Brittany doesn't want me to take any pictures of her.
"Santana what are you doing, get that phone out of my face right now" Brittany says pushing the phone away.
"Please babe, I just wanted to take a short video before the baby comes" I say still holding the phone in front of me.
"There is no way anyone else is getting to see me in such a state. I must look awful right now so I don't want anyone else to see me in labour" Brittany states.
"It's my first child, surely you'll let me take a small video of this moment. It's supposed to be one of the happiest days of a parent's life so let me document it please" I say.
"Fine, but don't focus in too close to me though" she says giving in.
"Thanks baby" I smile while quickly kissing her.
XXX
"Ok it looks like you're fully dilated, let's get this baby out of you" the doctor says as she checks over Brittany.
"Really, I'm ready now?" Brittany asks surprised but yet relieved.
"Yep you're ready" the doctor smiles again. They don't waste any time in getting Brittany prepared and she gets her pain medication. "Ok Brittany, you're going to need to push now but remember your breathing."
"I'm trying" Brittany says while screaming loudly in pain.
"Just breathe babe, I'm here for you" I tell her trying to get her to relax a little more.
"I'm trying Santana, trust me" she replies shooting me a glare.
"You can squeeze my hand if you think it'll help" I say while holding out my hand to Brittany.
"I doubt it will but I'll try" she replies through the pain while grabbing a hold of my hand and squeezing it. And trust me when I say squeezing it, I mean really squeezing it to the point where I think I'm losing all circulation and it's about to fall off.
"You are doing well Brittany but I do need you to keep pushing as hard as you can" the doctor says. "I can almost see the head I think."
"Wait, you can?" I ask while going to take a look.
"Santana, stay up here please" Brittany states while holding onto my hand so I don't go any further.
"Right, yeah…sorry" I apologise before moving towards the head of the bed a bit more.
"The head is definitely crowning so keep pushing Brittany, you're doing well" the doctor replies.
"This is too hard" Brittany says in tears.
"Nothing is happening Brittany, I need you to push even more for me, do you think you can do that?" the doctor asks.
"No" Brittany replies in tears while shaking her head.
"Of course you can do that babe, you're strong and I'm going to be here helping you through this the whole time" I tell her.
"I can't Santana, I really can't" she says as tears stream down her face.
"You can do this Brittany, I would never lie to you so you have to trust me when I say you can do this" I tell her.
"Fine" she sighs.
"You're doing so well already so let's just keep going" I say and Brittany nods.
"That's better, the baby is coming now just keep pushing as hard as you can" the doctor says.
"Santana you're drifting again, would you get up here please" Brittany says through clenched teeth while trying to keep pushing as hard as she can.
"Please, I just want to actually see him born" I state.
"No way Santana" Brittany replies firmly while shaking her head. "If you look down there, you'll never want to go anywhere near there again."
"I don't think I'm that weak babe, I'm sure I can handle it" I say waving her off.
"I'm serious Santana, don't look down there" she says annoyed.
"Ladies can you not have this discussion now, time is off the essence right now. The baby is going to get tired if we wait much longer so I really need you to push Brittany" the midwife says seriously.
"I'm sorry" I apologise before walking closer to Brittany's head. "Ok let's push Britt" I say gripping her hand firmly so she can squeeze it. After another good hard push, the baby comes.
"There we have it ladies, your little boy" the doctor says as we hear a loud cry fill the room.
"His lungs are certainly working" I joke.
"There is your little boy" the doctor smiles while gently raising our son the air to show him to us.
"He's beautiful" Brittany smiles.
"He really is" I agree while smiling just as brightly as Brittany. I lean down and gently kiss her forehead.
"Just like his mom" Brittany says looking up at me and smiling.
"Just like you, you mean" I say smiling back.
"Both of us then" Brittany replies.
"Would you like to cut the cord Santana?" the doctor asks while looking over to me.
"Can I?" I ask eager to do it.
"Of course" the doctor replies so I move towards the end of the bed. "You just have to cut it right there" she says positioning the instrument where I should cut the cord.
"Ok" I nod before quickly cutting the umbilical cord.
"We're just going to take him over to the side to clean him up a little and make sure everything is ok, there's nothing to worry about though" the doctor says while taking my son over to the side.
"Hey babe did you see that, I got to cut the cord?" I ask happily. It's such a simple task but that was my son and I got to be a part of his birth and it means so much to me. I'll never forget the feeling of becoming a parent for the first time.
"Yeah" Brittany replies quietly.
"Are you ok?" I smile while looking towards Brittany. As soon as I look at her, she looks so exhausted and her face looks so pale.
"I…I…" she tries to talk but she can't.
"Brittany…what's wrong?" I ask worriedly. The medical staff must have sensed the panic in my voice because the next thing I know is they take one look at her before rushing to crowd around her.
"We need assistance right now" I hear one of the medical staff say before pressing the button for assistance.
"Brittany!" I scream once I realise she has fallen unconscious. "What's going on, what's happening to her?" I ask distressed.
"She's haemorrhaging Santana, you need to step outside right now" the doctor replies.
"Like hell I'm going anywhere, that's my wife" I say angrily.
"You shouldn't be in here right now, we need room to move and do our job" the doctor says.
"I don't want to leave her alone, she's my wife" I say praying everything is going to be ok.
"Santana you have to leave, we need the space to tend to Brittany so please just step outside" someone else says. I don't quite know who they are but all I know is they came rushing into the room moments ago to help. "Plus it'll only upset you more to watch us right now."
"I'm not going" I state firmly.
"In that case we'll have to drag you out of here" a nurse states.
"Go ahead" I snap and before I get a chance to say anything else, the nurse does just that and drags me out of the room.
"Ok, easy" I say glaring at her.
"We'll keep you updated but just let us do our job please" she says before going back into the room. I just lean against the wall wondering what the hell has just happened. After a few minutes, my head begins to spin with lots of different thoughts. I don't know why it happened or what the outcome could be but all I know is that I need Brittany.
"You can't do this to me Brittany, it's not supposed to be like this. You mean the world to me and this is supposed to be one of the happiest days of our lives" I say sadly aloud to myself while placing my head in my hands as I slide down the wall into a crouching position.
"Santana what's going on?" my mom asks while rushing over to me. "One minute you're in the room and the next you're out here in tears sitting against a wall, what's happened?"
"I have no idea, Brittany is haemorrhaging or something and I don't know what is going to happen. I can't lose her mom, not today…not ever" I say panicking.
"It's going to be ok" my mom says leaning down and hugging me.
"I can't even see my son right now because he's in there and I'm not allowed in the room right now. What if something happens to him and I never got a chance to hold him or tell him I love him" I say.
"What did they say when he arrived?" my mom asks.
"Well he was crying and they said they just wanted to clean him up a little and check over him" I reply.
"He was crying, that's good" my mom says. "They check over all new babies so I'm sure he's ok. It doesn't sound like they were worried about anything and if they were they would tell you" she says.
"Are Brittany's parents here yet because they should know what's going on?" I ask.
"Yeah, when we didn't hear anything from you we assumed everything was going ok and you'd let us know so Karen and Emma have just went to the bathroom. They shouldn't be too long but James isn't here yet. He was away today somewhere else on work so he wasn't travelling with them so he's going to be a bit later arriving" my mom replies. Its a few minutes before we see Emma and Karen in the distance.
"Why aren't you with Brittany, is the baby ok?" Karen asks worriedly as she walks over to us with Emma following closely behind.
"The baby is fine, he arrived safe and well" my mom replies and Karen breathes a sigh of relief. "Brittany though…she started haemorrhaging so the doctors are with her right now."
"Oh my god" Karen says shocked. "I need to see my little girl right now, where is she?"
"She's in there but they sent Santana out" my mom replies.
"Well they'll be getting a piece of my fist if they don't let us see Brittany this instant" Emma states. "She needs her family around her so she knows we're all there for her."
"They had to physically drag me out Emma, they're not going to let us in. Don't you think I'd be in there with my wife if there was a way to be in that damn room?" I say annoyed.
"Bitch, don't snap at me. She's my sister, I have known her a lot longer than you" Emma states.
"I love her just as much as you do so don't take that tone with me" I say getting angrier.
"Girls please, this is not the time or place to be going against one another. We all love Brittany but fighting with one another right now won't make matters better now grow up" Karen says shaking her head at both of us. I don't get a chance to say anything in return because I hear the door open so I quickly snap my head around to see.
"What's happening with Brittany, is she ok?" I ask worriedly.
"The doctors are still tending to her but I'm going to take this little guy to the baby unit, do you want to come with me?" the midwife asks and it's then that I just notice she was pushing the carriage in which she is transporting the baby in.
"Yeah" I nod frantically. As much as I want to be there for Brittany right now, I know she'll want me to make sure our son is ok. "Can someone come and get me as soon as possible when you hear anything about Brittany?"
"Of course we will" Karen smiles.
"Thank you" I nod. "Um…mom, can you come with me please?" I ask nervously.
"Of course I can sweetheart, let me just tell your dad what's happening and then I'll meet you there ok?" she asks.
"Ok" I smile before following where my son is going.
XXX
"Mommy is a little sick right now but she'll get better so I just need you to help me, ok?" I say while gently placing my hand over my son's tiny hand. "There is no way I'll ever let her leave us so you don't have to worry" I whisper to him. "Now because mommy isn't in the room right now then we can't give you a name yet so I'm going to have to call you baby until she gets here, ok?"
"You can hold him if you want" the nurse says while smiling at me.
"I'd love to but I think my wife should get to hold our son first. She's went through nine months of pain and discomfort so she should get the first hold" I reply.
"I'm sure Brittany won't mind" my mom smiles.
"I know but I'm ok with just holding his hand just now and he looks ok with it too" I say.
"You're going to have to hold him at some point" my mom tells me.
"I know but like I say I want Brittany to have the first hold because that's what usually happens. You get to hold your baby as soon as they're born and Brittany never got that so the least I can do is let her have the first hold" I reply.
"Santana…"
"No mom, I know what you're going to say so just don't" I say shaking my head.
"Honey you don't know what I was going to say" she says calmly.
"You are going to tell me I might have to be the first one to hold him but I'm not ok with that mom, not ok whatsoever" I state. Holding my son first would make it seem like Brittany is never going to get to hold him and that's not going to happen. Brittany is going to recover really soon and she can have the first hold. I won't admit to Brittany not making it because I'll never let that happen.
"I wasn't going to say that honey" my mom replies.
"What were you going to say?" I ask.
"That it's important for the baby to develop an instant connection with their parents so perhaps you should just hold him first. I know it's important to you for Brittany to get to do it first but like I say, that bond between mother and baby is really important so maybe you should just hold him" she tells me. Before I even get a chance to respond, I hear the door open.
"Mrs Lopez…" the doctor says and I quickly flip my head round to give him my full attention.
"My wife is ok isn't she?" I say frantically hoping its good news.
That's it for chapter 18, let me know what you think. The baby's name will be revealed in the next chapter.