Chapter Nineteen:

Today All My Dreams Will Come True

TRACY'S POV

Tracy sat up in bed and instinctively put a hand on her belly. She shook Link awake as she slowly realized what had woken her up. "Link… Link…" Why am I whispering? she thought. "LINK!"

He jolted awake. "Tracy, I know you're pregnant," he groaned, "but you can get your own bowl of Grape Nuts at four in the morning."

"Link, the baby is coming. Now!"

His eyes bulged, and he sat up. "But… but it isn't due for two weeks!"

"Well, I don't think it cares!"

"No need to shout, darlin'."

"Sorry, honey. I'm not yelling at you, I just really need to get to a hospital." Her breath came in short puffs. A sudden wave of pain hit her. "Preferably soon!"

Link jumped out of bed and helped her up. "Okay, darlin', we'll get you to a hospital." Suddenly he stopped dead. "I'm gonna be a father."

"Yes," Tracy said through gritted teeth. "And do you know where the best place for you to become a father would be? THE HOSPITAL."

He turned around to look at her and suddenly remembered that she was in labor. "Sorry, darlin'." He grabbed her hand and they hurried out the door.

"Agh!"

"Okay, darlin', it's gonna be okay."

Tracy nodded and continued huffing and puffing. They had arrived safely at the hospital (Tracy was still thanking God for not making her give birth in the taxi), and she was lying in a bed in a room with hi-gloss white walls. Link was behind her, rubbing her shoulders and looking nervous.

Sarah, the midwife, came back in and smiled sympathetically at Tracy. "How you doing, hun?" she asked.

Tracy halfheartedly smiled back. "I've been better," she replied between puffs.

Sarah nodded. "I feel your pain." She stepped closer. "All right, time to check."

Tracy opened her legs and grimaced as another wave of pain washed over her. Link leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Shh, darlin', it'll all be okay soon, shhh…"

The doctor finished examining her and looked up with a satisfied smiled. "Ten centimeters. You, Tracy, are ready to birth this baby."

Tracy's eyes widened. "You can do it, darlin'," Link murmured.

She pursed her lips, nodded, and looked up at Sarah, who smiled. "Okay, let's do it."

The midwife beamed. "All right." She beckoned to the nurses, who immediately gathered around Tracy's bed.

"Okay… PUSH!"

LINK'S POV

"One more time, darlin', just one more push!" Link was amazed that he was still able to speak at all, much less motivate Tracy. Looking at all the blood on the sheets was making him feel a little lightheaded, and he was seriously considering faking a bout of "sympathy blood loss" so he could faint blamelessly.

"Ahh!" He looked at Tracy's face: red, blotchy, and sweaty from effort, and twisted a little in pain.

He rubbed her shoulders more deeply and kissed her cheek. No, he wouldn't abandon her now… or ever, for that matter. "C'mon, one more big push and it's all over."

She nodded and gave an obviously tremendous internal shove. The nurses cheered, and the midwife lifted a tiny, splotchy, wet thing up for its parents to see.

"It's a girl!" she announced.

Link suddenly realized he was crying. "You hear that, Trace? We have a daughter!"

Tracy, who was lying back on the pillows taking a breather, could only nod, smile, and cry a little, too. After a minute she held her arms out. "Let me see my baby."

Sarah chuckled. "One minute, hun, we still have to do some medical stuff. You want to know how much your baby weighs, right?" She didn't require an answer. She gently placed the baby on a scale and took a few notes. "Seven pounds… that's a little larger than normal for a baby that comes this early, but still healthy."

Tracy smiled dryly. "Taking after her mother already."

Link kissed her cheek again. "You're both beautiful."

Sarah finished doing the "medical stuff" and handed the baby, wrapped in a pink blanket and a knit cap the size of a toddler's sock, to Tracy. Looking around at the happy family, she beamed and said, "I'll leave you three alone for a minute."

Link and Tracy ignored the midwife and stared in wonder at the little being looking up at them from her mother's arms. She waved her little fist and made a noise of contentment as she snuggled into Tracy's chest. Suddenly Link noticed something:

"Tracy, look. She has your eyes."

She smiled. "And your hair." She looked up at him, her face molded into a question mark. "What about a name?"

Link thought for a minute. "Um…"

"I've got it!" Tracy exclaimed so forcefully the baby started.

"What?"

She smiled proudly. "Lianne."

Link was surprised, and a little confused. "It's a nice name, but… why?"

"It sounds a little like Liam"—Link winced; he hated his middle name—"but feminized, sort of."

He smiled. Even if he wasn't a huge fan of Liam, Lianne was a good name for a girl… their girl. "I like it."