-1"Push!" The doctor instructed, no more than five minutes later. Chloe could hear the blood pounding in her head as she bore down.
"Harder!"
"I'm trying!" She growled through clenched teeth. Bearing down even harder, she grabbed Jack's hand for support. "You put it in here, and you're gonna help get it out!" She cried. Jack winced slightly as his fingers were twisted into positions he didn't know they could twist. "You're doing great, Chloe…" He told her, knowing the words probably wouldn't mean much to her right now. Jack looked at the clock. Thirty minutes had gone by since she had started pushing. "Doctor, how much longer will this take?" He asked, making a vain attempt to hide the worry in his voice. Dr. Young smiled excitedly. "Just a little more. You're going to be parents very soon now. Don't worry." Jack nodded, planting a gentle kiss on Chloe's white knuckles as she took a break. "Jack.." She panted, her face white with exhaustion. "I don't think I can do this anymore…" Jack squeezed her hand gently as he looked into her tired eyes.
"Yes you can, Chloe. And you will. You can't quit now." He coached, anticipation evident in his voice. Chloe moaned quietly, the fatigue overwhelming her. Her muscles ached from pushing, her fingers hurt from clenching Jack's hand. The continued pounding of blood in her head, an effect of the blackout she had suffered earlier, was overpowering the voices of everyone else in the room. She breathed deeply, trying to calm herself before the doctor gave her the cue to continue. Get a grip, Chloe…She told herself, remembering that it wasn't too long ago she had told herself that for a very different reason. You can do this. You have to do this. So you've had the day from hell. It all worked out in the end, didn't it? Kinda? Damn right it did. She heard a muffled voice in front of her, looked up to see Dr. Young motioning that it was time to continue. She took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing…" She growled as she pushed down with everything she had in her. Clenching her teeth (and Jack's hand) tightly, she could barely make out the sounds of the doctor counting backwards from ten and Jack's muffled cries of encouragement. Eight…seven…six…five…The pain was unbearable. How was she ever going to…four…three….two…
And suddenly, nothing mattered anymore. A weight had been lifted, or rather, a baby had been born.
"Congratulations, Miss O'Brien, it's a boy!" Dr. Young exclaimed, laying the squalling, sticky, and rather bloody creature on her chest. "Oh…!" She murmured, staring at it with wide eyes. He was purple and wrinkly and…utterly beautiful. "Oh, Chloe…" Jack whispered gruffly. Chloe looked up at him, tears streaming down her face for what seemed like the millionth time today. "What do you think?" She asked him, a smile tugging at her mouth. Jack hesitated a moment, and when his gaze met hers she could see that he was crying as well. "He's beautiful, Chloe…he's absolutely beautiful." He managed, his voice just as shaky as his hand as he stroked the cheek of his wailing newborn son. Chloe leaned back in the bed, resting for what seemed like the first time in centuries. "Good…" She replied, a sly grin beginning to show. "Because I'm not doing that again."