I know it's been WAY long but I had some writer's block and then I started the chapter and then didn't like it and then I started it again and then lost my flash drive so it took awhile to finally get this chapter going. Also, the next chapter (as in the one after this) is going to be the last one. Just so you're prepared.
Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock or any of its characters. I just use them to further the enjoyment of all.
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Mitchie groaned as she felt the baby kick again. Her child wasn't even born yet and it was already more active than both of its parents. Mitchie looked at the book in front of her, desperately trying to take notes on all the things she was reading but she couldn't get comfortable on the huge couch. Whoever said that pregnancy was a miracle had clearly never been pregnant. It was November and the baby was due in just a few short weeks, according to her doctor. Mitchie was completing her two finals early so that she wouldn't have to worry about going into labor before she managed to take them. The rest of her classes all required papers as finals which she had finished early also. The only thing left was her British Literature final.
Her senior year was turning out to be harder than she had ever imagined and Shane had tried to convince her to take a year off but she refused. The sooner she finished up this last year and graduated, the sooner she could devote time to being a mother. She would raise her child until it went off to school and then get a job that she could do during school hours. Shane's schedule was infinitely flexible so she knew he could be around to help her when she needed it. Shane was also taking a few years off of his career, not that any of it mattered. They could both be unemployed for the remainder of their lives and they would still have more than enough money to live on.
Mitchie closed the book, unable to concentrate on her work. Every part of her ached and she couldn't wait to just not be pregnant. Not that she wasn't excited about the baby; she was just less excited about the pregnancy part of it. Everything was ready for the baby to come: the nursery was done, a nanny interviewed and hired and even the obligatory overnight bag packed for when they had to rush out of here. Shane and she had moved into a huge house over the summer. Mitchie thought that it was a little too extravagant for just the three people that would be living in it but she didn't argue. To be honest, she was happy for the space if nothing else. Both of them had their own large offices, near to each other yet far enough away to give them their own space. The master bedroom could easily fit about four of the college dorm rooms and the bathroom attached was bigger than some rooms that she had lived in. It had a tub that was also bigger than some rooms she had lived in. There was the standard living room, kitchen, dining room and garage, all with the latest TVs, appliances and beautiful furniture in them. The garage held two new cars, one for her and one for Shane, both with car seats in the back. The nursery was next door to their room and there were three guest bedrooms, one of which would eventually be turned into the baby's room when she got older and didn't want to be next door to her parents. Mitchie thought that they could have done without the game room and the four dens in the house but Shane insisted saying that kids took up a lot of space and she'd be happy for it later.
The only thing that she was glad that Shane had gone overboard on was the backyard. It was beautiful with gardens that contained every flower, small fountains and ponds and even a small bridge. There was a small arch that was a doorway to it all. Shane had built her the garden that they wanted to get married in, just like he said that he would.
Their wedding was currently set for May and Mitchie realized that there was still too much to be done. Though a lot of the essentials had been taken care of, invitations, catering and the like, there were still things that she hadn't even come close to doing… like buying her dress. Mitchie dreaded dress shopping to begin with and there was certainly no way that she was going to do it now. At eight months pregnant there was no way she'd find anything that fit and even if she did, it wouldn't fit by the time that the wedding came along. No, she would just have to wait until February or March and hope that all of her baby fat was gone by then. She'd have to hit the gym everyday (yeah, they had one of those in the house too) but she hoped she could at least get close to her old size before she got married.
Shane was taking care of the honeymoon. They were planning to go to the carribean and have a room right on the ocean with a private beach. Originally they had thought Europe but he said that he wanted to go somewhere that she wouldn't miss anything if she didn't sight see. He said it would be a miracle if he let her out of the room so why go somewhere where there would be things to see? He promised to take her there the next year on vacation, however. The baby would be staying with Mitchie's mom, who was more than excited to spend a few weeks with her granddaughter. Her mom had been so supportive through the entire thing and she was happy for it. She didn't know what she would have done if she didn't have some help. Not that Shane didn't help, he did, but it was different when it was her mom.
Shane's family, however, had been an entirely different can of worms. His parents greatly disapproved of the fact that they were having children so young. The fact that Shane was already twenty-one and Mitchie would be that age in about four months escaped them. They were young but it wasn't an unheard of age to start having children. His parents had fought tooth and nail against the pregnancy and even the marriage. They had been reluctant at best when Shane and Mitchie had announced to them that they were getting married about three years ago. They thought her a gold digger, chasing Shane for his money. The fact that Shane seemed to constantly be chasing her seemed to elude them. When Shane and Mitchie had announced that she was pregnant and that they had set a permanent wedding date for May, his parents went into a rage. They even demanded that Mitchie abort the baby, a prospect which horrified Shane and herself. There hadn't been much communication between them and Shane's parents after that and even though they had been invited to the wedding the relationship was still hostile.
Mitchie heard the door open and looked at the clock, not believing that it was already six. Shane tried to be home early but he needed this class to graduate and the only time slot was from four to five-thirty.
"Marco!" she heard him call.
"Polo!" she answered dropping her books on the floor. She leaned back and realized that her pillows had shifted and she was uncomfortable once again. She leaned forward and was trying to adjust them when Shane walked into the room.
"Let me get that," he said, walking over to her. He moved the pillows so that they supported her back and she leaned back again. Shane's hands were on her shoulders, massaging them and Mitchie relaxed further.
"Mmm, welcome home."
"Thanks," he said leaning down and kissing her cheek, his hands never stopping. "How are you feeling?"
"Pregnant," she answered with a laugh and Shane chuckled with her. He was glad that she was in a good mood today. Sometimes he felt like the closer they got to the due date, the more agitated that Mitchie got. He looked down and saw Wuthering Heights lying on the floor along with her notebook.
"Did I interrupt your studying?" he asked. She shook her head.
"No, your son did… or your daughter," she added. They hadn't asked the sex because they didn't want to know. They both decided that it would be a nice surprise to find out when the baby was born. Now if they could only decided on a name things would be great.
"I still think Xavier would be a great name for a boy," Shane said, hoping to change her mind. Mitchie shook her head vehemently.
"All I can think of is Buffy the Vampire Slayer," she told him. "What about Jonathan?"
"We're really going to name our kid Jon? You don't think we can be a little more creative than that?" he asked her. She sighed as Shane sat at her feet and began massaging them.
"I still don't know what's wrong with Shane Jr.," she mumbled.
"The same thing that's wrong with Mitchie Jr.," he answered immediately.
"What about Logan?" she asked suddenly. It was a name that had never come up before. Shane considered it for a moment.
"Logan," he said slowly. "I like it. I think it would be a good boy's name." They were both silent a moment and then Shane spoke up again. "What about Natalia for a girl?"
"Natalia," she echoed, letting the name roll off her tongue. "Someone might call her Nat."
"Or Talia," he said. "Or they might all call her Natalia."
"It's really pretty."
"So… have we really finally decided what we're going to call our kid?" he asked, a little skeptical. There had been so few things they'd been able to agree on lately.
"I think we've finally decided what we're going to call our kid." She smiled at him, joy filling her. She felt better already now that, at the very least, they had names picked out.
"It's been such a long day. I'm so glad that classes will be over soon," he said, leaning back on the couch. Shane was going to keep a normal schedule of classes and if he had to leave in the middle of a final then he would. Most of his professors understood and he wouldn't need to miss as much class as she would.
"I agree," she said. "I'm so stressed out between classes the baby and the wedding." They were silent as they both rested for a moment. "Hey, Shane?" she asked.
"Mmm?"
"Which do you want?" she questioned.
He didn't even open his eyes to respond. "What do you mean, which do I want?"
"A boy or a girl?" she clarified.
"I don't care either way as long as it's safe and healthy," he answered her honestly.
"You have to have a preference," Mitchie pushed.
Shane turned his head to look at her. "My honest preference? I hope we have a girl. I couldn't imagine anything better than a little girl just like her amazing mother."
Mitchie looked at him a little surprised, her heart warming at his words. She knew he really meant what he said and the fact that she somehow found such an amazing guy still shocked her. She felt tears well up in hers eyes and soon she was sobbing.
"Mitchie! What's wrong?" Shane asked, standing up so he could sit next to her. He wrapped his arms around her, cradling her against his chest as she cried.
"You're—so—sweet—to—me!" she said between sobs. Shane soothed her but couldn't help but smile a little. Mitchie's hormones were all over the place these days and little things that he did, that he had always done, frequently made her burst into tears. As much as he hated to see her cry it was kind of endearing to see to how obviously happy he made her. He kissed her softly as her tears slowed.
"It's getting late. How about some food and then some sleep?" he suggested. She just nodded and, after helping her off the couch, walked hand in hand into the kitchen.
--
Mitchie came home and dropped her keys onto the side table by the door. Her last final had been brutal but she had managed to get through it and now her semester was over. She walked into the kitchen, starving, and saw a note from Shane hanging from the fridge door.
Group meeting for my aerodynamics class. We have to finish up a project so I might be awhile. Call me if you need anything.
Love you,
Shane
She frowned at the note. She knew that she could call him for anything but she just preferred to have him around. She knew that wasn't possible because he had his own things to do but she still wanted him here. It was so dumb that he had to go do a group thing. Why hadn't he taken care of this earlier? She opened the freezer door, probably a little harder than necessary, and pulled out a carton of ice cream. Grabbing a spoon out of the drawer she sat down at the island and took a large spoonful of her treat. After a few minutes she had calmed down.
She was acting irrationally and she knew it but it was so hard to remember that. Her hormones were out of control and she found herself getting mad at Shane for the dumbest things. She was glad that he was so patient, so absolutely wonderful to her or they would have never made it through this pregnancy.
She rubbed her side for about the fifth time in an hour. She had been having pains for a few hours now and she couldn't get them to go away. The baby was doing its usual moving and kicking but for some reason it was causing her a different kind of pain. She wished she could take something to get rid of it but even Tylenol was prohibited to her. She couldn't wait to do things like take an Excedrin for a headache. She rubbed her lower back, hoping to dispel the ache. In a few minutes it was gone. Suddenly, she felt something warm and wet in-between her legs and everything clicked into place.
They didn't feel like the usual pains because they weren't. Mitchie had been having labor pains and her water just broke. She looked up at the calendar and saw that it was only the first week of December, two weeks before the baby was due.
"Shit!" she muttered to herself. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" She pulled her cell phone out of her purse than had been left nearby on the counter and pushed the speed dial for Shane's cell.
He picked up two rings later. "Hey, sweetheart, what did you need?" His tone was casual and inquisitive, not expecting her answer.
"You need to come home NOW," she told him, not sure what to do. When they planned this, they had planned for him to be home. Luckily the university wasn't far and he would be home within fifteen minutes.
"Why, what's wrong?" His voice was as panicked as her own.
"My water just broke. I need you to come home and drive me to the hospital," she told him, her words coming out pained as she felt another contraction.
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment before she heard, "Guys I have to go! I'M HAVING A BABY!!" She heard whoops and cheers and Shane scrambling to gather his things. "Mitchie, hang on, I'll be there as fast as I can."
She hung up the phone and starting breathing like she had been taught. Apparently her mother's advice to take Lamaze classes was sound. The breathing was helping her through the worst of the pain now. Of course, it wasn't going to get any better but she hoped that Shane would get home before anything too serious happened.
She didn't expect him to walk in the door five minutes later. At four-thirty she knew that there had to have been traffic yet here he was, a good ten minutes before schedule. She tried to get up but she felt another contraction come on. They were about ten minutes apart. She knew she had some time and that, barring any terrible traffic, they should get to the hospital in time.
"Mitchie!" Shane shouted the second he was in the door.
"Here!" she managed to call out in between breathing. He dashed into the kitchen and saw her sitting there in pain.
"Oh my God, ok. Let's get you onto the couch then I'll grab your things and then we'll go," he said, talking himself through the process. She shook her head.
"Just take me straight to the car. It'll be faster."
He nodded, accepting her assessment. The trip from the kitchen to the car was slow but eventually Shane lowered Mitchie into the seat. He ran back indoors and grabbed their things and in less time than seemed possible he was back outside, front door locked and in the driver's seat, luggage in the back of the car. He looked over at her, concern etched into his features.
"How are you doing?"
She just nodded at him as she continued to breath. The contraction was ebbing and she was able to relax a little into the car seat. Shane weaved through traffic with an expert eye. They had a few nice cars because he enjoyed racing them. As a result he easily slid into spaces that she didn't think they would ever be able to fit. They made it to the hospital in probably the fastest time they ever had and without incident. He pulled up into the ER bay and ran over to her side of the car. Opening the door he helped her out, walking her inside the doors. Mitchie noted he left the car unlocked, a testament to how hard he was concentrating on her.
"My wife's in labor!" he called when they got inside. Seconds later there were nurses surrounding her and a wheelchair brought to her. Mitchie held his hand tightly, not wanting to let go.
"Sir, you're going to have to move your car and then get into scrubs. We can take care of your wife," one of the nurses told him.
He eyed her warily before asking, "How can I find her again?"
"Just ask at the front desk. They'll direct you to the delivery room."
He nodded then looked at me. "Mitchie, listen. I'll be back in ten minutes tops. I have to take care of a few things first but I promise, I will be there when our baby is born."
She didn't want him to go but she knew she had little choice. She nodded her head. He kissed her swiftly and then dashed off in the other direction. They wheeled Mitchie into a sterile room and had her change into scrubs and then lay down on the bed. They put an IV in her and gave her drugs. Her gynecologist came in and told her that it was too late for an epidural but that she would still be comfortable. Already Mitchie could feel the contractions were less painful.
"Mitchie?"
She looked towards the door, recognizing the familiar voice. "Shane," she sighed, happy to have him here. She reached her hand towards him and he came over, lacing their fingers together.
"How are you doing?"
"We're going to have a baby, Shane," she whispered to him. He smiled, clearly just as happy about it as she was.
"I know, Mitchie," he said softly, stroking her face. They sat there for hours, longer than Shane had anticipated. The whole time he gave her water when she needed it along with his support. Finally, just as Shane was starting to get anxious, the doctor spoke up.
"Ok, Mitchie, you're doing great. This is it. Just a few more pushes and you're going to have a beautiful new baby. Ok, ready, push!"
Mitchie pushed and the doctor announced that the head was free. She pushed again and soon she heard the cries of her child. The sound was like nothing she'd ever heard before. Sure, she'd heard babies cry but this was her baby. Shane and she had created the little life form that she heard crying.
"Oh, Mitchie," Shane whispered from the end of the bed. He looked up at her and beamed. "She's beautiful."
"It's a girl?" she asked, all her energy drained. He just nodded as he watched them clean her and wrap her in a blanket. They placed her into Shane's arms and he couldn't stop looking at her. She was so tiny and he was so afraid that he was going to break her. He walked to Mitchie and placed their daughter in her arms. Mitchie cooed to her, unable to believe that they had done this. "You're right. She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
"Well, the second most beautiful," Shane said, looking at Mitchie. She laughed, hitting Shane playfully before kissing him.
"I love you," she told him. She had never been so happy as she was at that exact moment.
"I love you, too, both of you," he said turning his eyes to his new daughter.
"Natalia Rose Gray," Mitchie said, saying her name for the first time. "I think it's suits her perfectly."
Hours later Mitchie lay asleep in the bed and Natalia in the nursery. Shane leaned back in his chair just watching Mitchie sleep. Despite the long day, she still looked stunning to him. The day's events were just beginning to sink in. He was a dad. He had a daughter lying only a few feet down the hallway and his fiancé lay on the bed in front of him. He didn't think that it could get much better than this. The only thing he could think of was marrying Mitchie and he would do that in a few months anyways, something else he couldn't believe was happening. He didn't know how he had managed to be so blessed. Mitchie was all he had ever wanted in his life and now she had given him a daughter, another blessing he hadn't expected so soon. He hadn't thought that at twenty-one he'd have a kid and being on the verge of marriage but he didn't regret a minute of it. He lifted her hand and pressed his lips against it. The doctors had drugged her so he knew she would be out for awhile. Shane stood up and walked down the hall, anxious to see his daughter once again.
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That actually turned out a little shorter than I expected but I really wanted to concentrate on the baby and the pregnancy but didn't want to deal with the boring details of nine months of pregnancy (and don't tell me that I should've written it because then you would have had more Shane and Mitchie because it would have been TERRIBLE. You wouldn't finish the story if I had written out the nine months, trust me.)
One chapter left!