Chapter 63

The apartment lights were on and in the background Ben and Meg could hear Penny and Bob quietly putting things away or setting things up it didn't really matter which to them … not now.

Ben sat halfway down the bed with the laptop lying so Meg could see the screen and started to type, but every so often he looked back at his soulmate and son with immense love and pride.

Into the subject of the email he'd typed. Your Godson Baby John Robert Evans arrived safely

And into the rest of the email had ... and was typing the following.

Hi Robert

As we promised ... you are one of the first ones to know … Yes thought about ringing but realised it might be a little bit early or a late depending on which side of America you are. … So I'm emailing you and you can have this news at your leisure.

Oh yes … I'm a very proud Dad… and a very proud husband of a very beautiful and clever wife and soulmate.

We were right about John's fidget time 3.00 am, and to cap it all he nearly had the biggest headache of all time. Brings a whole new meaning to 'diving head first into things' … I don't know, perhaps that's where the thought or saying came from.

Meg by the way is fine and at the moment … looking over my shoulder, well sort of … Okay lets just say she can see the screen while resting and feeding our newborn son. I know the midwife says the real stuff will come later so it might be just comfort he needs, or just getting the pumps working … who knows, whatever the reason he's welcome to it.

He has dark hair, and is good looking … yes really … as all new babies are … Dark eyes but that's normal for newborns though I reckon they will stay dark given our eye colour … Oh yes has a voice and a good pair of lungs … and takes after me ... going to be tall. Goodness knows where he put it all or perhaps he stretched as he came out.

Ouch… that was Meg beating me up. Okay a little kick with her legs. Warning ... She not only swears but also bites and I've got marks to prove it … Hey! mind out of gutter … they are on my shoulder.

So to the story – Yes he's a day early … and that's by Bob's dates.

Well, what else do you expect he's our son?

As luck would have it Penny the midwife was seeing Andrea, who has been on and off with baby pains and false starts for the last few days and begged a room here for the night - it was closer than going home and getting called out Andrea again, which happened last night and this afternoon.

Meg says put the word 'yoyo' in and you'll know what Penny felt like. … Guess she's right … always is.

Back to story … Bob turned up half an hour earlier saying he really needed to get away from his kids. (We total understood, well you've met them ... but this was different there was a gleam in his eyes.) Apparently while he and his wife were out working and shopping they (the kids) cleared out his shed and were using it as a play room by the time they came back. They (the kids) said in their defence they'd overheard conversations about shed being cleared for a playroom at the end of the week, so they decided to save mum and dad time and trouble and do it that day, AND as a nice man knocked on the door asking for any old scrap they showed him the way.

Oops!

So you know those bits for the old car he talks about … gone … well one sack of bits had already been sold and the wing was gone for good … as in crushed. (He saw it mangled in the cube … broke his heart, he'd painted it a couple of days ago) He managed to rescue one small sack of bits from being dismantled and the crusher, but had to pay to get them back. Adding insult to injury … the boys had given them free to the scrap man so as not to pay for stuff being carted away ... heated words between scrap man and Bob about trusting kids were exchanged. Both knew lawyers are expensive … but scrap man has yet to find out about word and mouth travelling like fire.

As you can guess Bob needed to get away before he did big damage to the kids so flew to us. His flight partner dumped him on the helipad out back and flew off within seconds. He's left his wife to 'ground' the boys (some hope!) those two get worse by the month.

Luckily Penny and Bob got on well so by night time tempers were quelled and plans to control the boys formulated and will be put into action later … Penny comes from large family and has three boys of her own. Also Meg's parents popped in for the evening as you can imagine it was a good evening then as Joan left she gave me a hug and said 'see the three of you sometime tomorrow'. Thought she meant Bob and us, Penny was going back to Andrea in the morning if she was not called there earlier. (We all had bets on different hours through the night, guess we lost that one.) Of course Joan might have meant what I thought but there was an added twinkle in her eyes and something in her voice. I'm tempted to wake her up and ask … umm but then it again it might not been mother's intuition, it could have been just memories and the thought of being with Hank. So I think we will just leave messages via the staff and wait for the sonic bang as they come over in the real morning ... as in everyone else's morning.

Funnily enough Penny did check Meg over and said she was fine, nothing was going to happen for a day or two…. She says she's going to sit in the corner and re-read her books for a while.

True Meg had been a bit fidgety rather than 'fidget' being fidgety … but nothing too much; but I think that was why Penny did the check.

Anyway reassured we went to bed and every so often Meg fidgeted, and I would rub her back and she would settle till she bumped me again, and I would rub her back ... well you get the picture. Trouble was she was more asleep than I was.

As I say she is reading this as I type so if this does not get finished ... you know I've been attacked again.

Umm how can I put this nicely. … Hi Meg (big smile and pleading eyes while she giggles and points out very sweetly that she would delete the whole lot so you would not know). …

Okay, right point taken … so after a lot of fidgets and back rubs, she decided she needed the bathroom and hopped out of bed … okay so she did not hop … she umm managed to get out of bed.

All I can say is I'm glad the waters broke when she was standing beside the bed and not in the bed!

Shep bless his heart took one look at the growing puddle and ran up the stairs and barking to wake up the sleepy heads upstairs.

Me … Hey did not freeze but then again I did not walk either, instead managed to scoot across the bed to support Meg, who thought she might be able to get back on the bed ... but she never made it. … I did try to help her, no comment … you can guess the rest.

It must have been a bit of a strange sight when you come to think of it … because I ended supporting her so she had her head nestled on my shoulder next to my neck, while she was resting against the side of the bed.

Then came the swear words and Yep bite marks! ….

Excuse me a sec but Meg just reminded me, that I apparently taught her those swear words when I was learning how to walk again. …

Hey, who am I to argue with that … now I know she is armed and dangerous.

Anyway I gave her support and rubbed her back, spoke to her lovingly reminding her to breath etc.

As you can guess Penny and Bob came flying down stairs yelling at her to breath, not push till they got there … a few unprintable words flew around there as well. … Luckily Penny was sleeping in hospital scrubs - she thought she might have to scramble out for Andrea and would therefore only have to grab a coat, keys and go. LOL Oh and Bob had his night sweats on so everyone was decent.

I think the expression is shelling peas from a pod or is it peas popping out of the pod.

Oops! she saw that, thank goodness John is there to take her attention.

Anyway by the time they got to us, baby John was seriously thinking about heading for the floor and I cannot be in two places at once.

Put it this way, when Penny had a feel to find out how things were she could feel John's head coming out. Bob bless him was handy with some towels and had somehow managed to switched the incubator on as well. Of course they had to be mind full of that rather large puddle, a couple of towels went that way as well. Perhaps they went there in case they missed John as he finished coming out … they didn't miss. They caught him and then presented us with our son. A fantastic moment that words cannot express….

Still wondering where Bob found all those towels, perhaps Jackie had a secret store and told him.

No kidding though, it was less than ten minutes from waters breaking to out into this big wide world, wrapped up in a towel and having his first wash ... cannot really blame the lad for yelling can you.

Sara is going to be sooo pissed off.

Ben looked up and smiled not only at Meg's soft chuckle but because the door between the apartments swung open letting Simon and Jackie in.

Jackie was carrying a tray full of mugs of tea and looking across at them exclaimed with a big smile. "I thought you would still be hard at it and would need refreshments or help."

Meg gave another chuckle while Ben asked. "How?"

Simon laughed and answered, "We heard Shep barking and guessed. Congratulations, do you mind?"

Knowing what he meant, Ben and Meg laughed and said together. "No of course not, and the drinks are welcome." Then looked at each other slightly shocked realising they'd said the same thing.

Simon and Jackie came over and handed out the drinks, baby John had finished his guzzle so Meg gently handed him over to Jackie knowing he would be safe ... and had her drink. Ben had his then went back to his mail.

Just got interrupted by our two sharp eared hawks apparently they heard Shep's barks and come bearing drinks. They have their uses … bless them.

Of course Bob and Penny have done their doctor and midwife bits ... and Meg and John are all right, though Meg feels a bit sore.

So … I'll expect you on the next flight out, or as soon as you can get that pilot to move … Hey don't break any speed limits and watch out for Bette and AJ's flight ... if you are coming from that direction, though I will be mailing or ringing them a bit later … as in proper morning their time.

I'm guessing this will be baby John's morning cuppa time now he's not attached to Mum, he always used to get her to go for a quick walk and then we'd drop off again. So we'll just have to get used to it being in our schedule for feeds and be a bit longer as he'll probably need changing as well ... and hope we can drop off again afterwards.

As for now we know Penny and Bob will be watching over him as they've made up beds on the sofa, and once word gets round our other family will flock round (hey … come on … they will be more hawkish than normal! So of course they will fly.) Again that will be in the proper morning. I just hope they will sort out visiting times other wise it will get a bit crowded in here.

Not that I will mind … it is soo amazing just to see him with his mum and I am so happy to have them and to be here.

Photos will follow, love to you all if you are with Sue and the girls.

Ben, Meg and of course baby John

Ben sent the mail then looked up as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Let me have the laptop and you can shift up and hold your son." Bob said gently, knowing Ben had deliberately not held him yet. He saw the flash of doubt in Ben's eyes and added with a reassuring smile. "It will be fine, you didn't freeze when it mattered, and we need photos of the happy family."

He was rewarded with a smile and the doubt fading from Ben eyes, so took the laptop and handed it to Jackie, who had already given John to Meg and then he picked up the camera.

Meg sat quietly with John snuggled close to her, she understood Ben's fears about freezing, zoning out and therefore possibly dropping his son. They all knew that walking and carrying baby John was out of the question and would get around it. For now though he just needed to trust himself, after all he had not frozen when she needed him tonight. Instead he had calmed the blind panic, which had hit her when her waters broke and contractions really hit her and she knew their son was coming.

As Ben made himself comfortable beside her she noted he made sure that he was well away from the edge, and Jackie was close by just in case. Simon like Bob was ready with cameras huge smiles and encouraging banter. She shifted carefully with her precious bundle and looking into her soulmate deep loving eyes then handed over her son and watched Ben gently slightly awkwardly cradle him in his arms.

She smiled with a gentle loving sigh seeing the awe in Ben's face as he looked and felt his son. She knew just what he was feeling, even after having John in her for nine months, now suddenly he was with them and theirs to protect ... it felt so different, so amazing. She watched as Ben's fingers gently stroked those small baby hands, and looked into those dark baby eyes that were still trying to focus on this big new world he had joined, and she saw a look of contentment on both their faces. She snuggled beside him gently resting her head on his shoulders and snaked her arm in his, it was soo good to be beside him and to know he was there … they were there.

Without interrupting or intruding the threesome, Bob and Simon took their photos then with Jackie and Penny knowing Mum, Baby and Dad really needed rest gently teased the happy family apart. Then they took photos of a sleepy baby with proud midwife and doctor, before gently putting him in his cot and the main hawks gave promises that photos would get sorted out, possibly sent to a certain Godparent while the threesome slept and left. Penny made sure cover was available for Andrea because she was staying here regardless, and then she and Bob decided watches so there would be cover through out the morning.

Shep had not been forgotten, he'd been made a fuss of by all, been out to visit a tree … and who could blame him … and now he lay with his head on his paws and tail wagging slowly, watching his master and mistress, but in a position where he could see this new addition that all the fuss was about.

Ben and Meg sorted themselves out and walked round Shep to give their son one last look before getting back into bed. Satisfied he was really there and okay, they went back to bed and curled up together and with gentle words and some laughter they kissed and then snuggled down to sleep, knowing nothing was going to be quite the same again.