I am soooooooooooooooooooooo sorry for the long wait! This has been a strange summer. I lost the motivation to work on anything, no matter how hard I tried. But I recently drew a few pictures and started crocheting a scarf, so hopefully my creativity is returning. I had wanted this chapter to be longer, but oh well. *sigh* After this there is just the epilogue.
Again, I'm sorry it took so long. I'm grateful for all the reviews and favorites and follows this story has recieved in my absence. I have seen them all, especially now that I get email notifications on my phone. :) So, a big, big thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story, waiting for me to get it together and finish it. Thank you thank you thank you.
Spencer and Derek both graduated, Spencer attending the ceremony to watch Derek while he himself did not participate. He was no longer able to hide his stomach, and going out in public made him feel very self-conscious, so he tried to avoid anything that would draw attention to himself. Derek would just wrap his arm tightly around him and hold him close, not acknowledging the looks people were giving them.
They cleared out the second, smaller room that Derek had been using as a storage/home gym. Spencer picked out a pale purple to paint the walls, and Derek set up a crib with soft pink bedding. Liz went out and bought toys to fill the shelves and Derek's mom sent them some hand-me-downs from when Derek's sisters were babies (plus a few new outfits).
For Derek's birthday, Spencer nervously gave him a baby carrier that he could strap to his chest. Spencer prattled on about all the research he did to find the safest design and studies he had read until Derek had shut him up with a kiss, telling him it was a wonderful gift. Later that night, Spencer surprised Derek with a dish of frosting, leading to extremely fun but very sticky sex.
The next morning, Spencer stood in the doorway to the baby room, a pair of Derek's boxers hanging low on his hips. He glanced around the room lit with the soft glow of a green lamp with a giraffe lampshade. Derek came up behind him, wrapping his arms around his stomach and resting his chin on his shoulder.
"It looks good," he said.
Spencer nodded, leaning his head against Derek's. "It looks wonderful."
….
"What about Isabella?" asked Liz, leaning forward to snatch a cookie from the plate Spencer was hogging.
Spencer shook his head. "No."
"Why, Isabella is pretty."
Spencer shook his head again. "Don't like it," he answered simply.
Derek chuckled, pulling Spencer's stool closer and wrapping an arm around him.
Liz stared at them across the island counter. "Hmm… how about Grace?"
Spencer crinkled his nose.
"Alex?" suggested Derek.
"Hannah?"
"I kind of like Addison," said Spencer.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, trying to think of more.
Derek suddenly grinned. "I have the perfect name."
"What?" cried Spencer and Liz simultaneously.
Derek leaned over, whispering into Spencer's ear.
A smile spread across Spencer's face as he turned to look at Derek, nodding. "It is perfect."
Liz stared at them expectantly. "What? What is it?"
Spencer shook his head. "You'll have to wait until she's born."
Liz pouted. "Just for that." She stole the last cookie.
….
Spencer woke with a gasp, clutching his stomach. He groaned at the pain, breathing deeply. He'd been having false labor pains recently, so he rubbed his stomach and waited for it to pass. That was until he felt a trickle of liquid run down his legs.
He grasped Derek's shoulder with the hand that wasn't holding his stomach. "Derek," he cried, shaking him. "Derek, wake up."
Derek grumbled, turning over. "Spence, it's the middle of the night," he sighed. "Go back to sleep."
"Derek, wake up," repeated Spencer. "I… I think the baby's coming."
Derek froze in the process of snuggling closer to Spencer. "…What?"
"The baby. She's coming."
Spencer squeaked as Derek suddenly leapt out of the bed and started running around the room. Derek grabbed the pre-packed bag out of the closet, tossing it on the end of the bed as he scrambled around, pulling on a rumbled t-shirt and snatching up a pair of sweats, stumbling as he tried to put them on and rush to Spencer's side at the same time.
He helped Spencer to sit up on the edge of the bed. "I'll find you something to put on," said Derek hurriedly, dashing back to the closet.
Spencer held his stomach as another contraction hit. "D-Derek," he whimpered. "She's too early. She needs to wait."
Derek came back with a pair of Spencer's old pajama pants and a giant t-shirt.
"Derek, it's too early. It's too early," Spencer repeated, starting to sound frantic.
Derek slid the pants onto Spencer's legs before resting his hands on his pale hips. "It's okay, Spencer," he assured. "She's only a few weeks early. But we need to get to the hospital. You can't deliver her like a woman would, and we need to get you there before your body tries."
Spencer gulped and nodded, letting Derek help him finish getting dressed. Derek snatched up the bag and lead Spencer down the hall, passing a sleepy and confused Clooney, grabbing his keys off the counter and hurrying out the door. He held Spencer's hand all the way to the hospital, murmuring words of comfort and encouragement. Spencer almost sobbed with relief as they pulled up to the hospital.
Derek rushed them in as fast as Spencer could go, frantically telling the woman at the desk to contact Spencer's doctor. The woman pulled up his file, calling the doctor while also waving a nurse over to take Spencer back to a room. After that it was a bit of a blur to Spencer. He was whisked away from Derek, and prepped for a C-section. There was so much noise, and people, and instruments all around him, lights shining in his eyes, hands touching him, moving him. He let out a cry as Derek suddenly appeared at his side, dressed in blue scrubs, and clutched Spencer's hand tightly.
"Derek," whimpered Spencer. "I-I'm scared."
"It's going to be okay, pretty boy," said Derek, tightening his grip on Spencer's hand and running his fingers through his hair soothingly with the other.
"Spencer," called the doctor, stepping into the room, her gloved hands held before her. "How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Nervous," answered Spencer honestly. "It's too early."
She smiled reassuringly at him. "We're ready to begin. Are you ready?"
Spencer took a deep breath, desperately clutching Derek's hand. "Yes."
The doctor nodded, moving down behind the screen covering Spencer's lower half. Derek leaned down, pressing his forehead to Spencer's and whispering to him, trying to distract him from the movements Spencer could feel. Spencer let the words wash over him, closing his eyes and losing himself in Derek's soft voice. Suddenly a loud cry echoed around the room. Spencer's eyes flew open as Derek straightened.
The doctor stepped around the screen, a small baby cradled gently in her arms. Derek reached out and folded down a corner of the red stained towel, their baby's small, wrinkled, dirty face coming into view.
"She's so beautiful," said Spencer softly, watching their baby squirming around.
The doctor smiled at them, gently handing the baby to a nurse who took her to clean, weigh and measure her.
Derek turned back to Spencer, smiling down at him. "She's incredible," he said happily, brushing the hair back from Spencer's face.
Spencer leaned into the touch, nodding. He could feel a tugging on his stomach, the doctor stitching him back up. Spencer's face lit up as the nurse walked back over, their daughter in her arms. She handed the pink-blanket wrapped bundle to Spencer, and he held her to his chest, staring at her small face in fascination.
"She weighs six pounds, two ounces and is nineteen and a three-quarters inches long," the nurse informed them, smiling as Spencer and Derek awed over their baby girl. "Do you have a name chosen?"
Spencer nodded, his grin widening as deep brown eyes blinked open at him. "Her name is Autumn Sophia Morgan," he said.
"Hello, Autumn," breathed Derek, reaching out a finger and gently tracing a finger across her soft cheek. Neither noticed as the nurse moved away, a big smile on her face, the two new parents lovingly staring at their beautiful girl.
I have never had a baby, nor do I plan on having any babies, so I pretty much made up the whole birth scene from tv/movies/reading. I apologize if any of it isn't exactly what would happen.
Well, I hope I didn't disappoint too much. Again, I'm sorry it took so long.