- Maybe I want to take the chance,
And maybe I long to dance that dance. -
At about five-thirty on the afternoon of November 2nd, the Rivers house received a call.
"Hey, it's me," Hanna greeted when her husband answered the phone. "Spencer went into labor and we're on our way to the hospital."
"You're kidding!" Caleb replied. "Anything we can do?" He asked, referring to him and Cooper.
"Uh, not unless you want to keep me company down here, there's not much happening. I wouldn't want Coop to die of boredom."
"You're planning on staying?" He asked.
"Yeah, Spencer wants me around. I've already been through this, so I'm moral support. Hopefully baby girl won't take too long. You never know." She trailed off before clearing her throat. "Anyway, just heads up. Cooper needs dinner, so there's some leftover pizza in the fridge,"
"Okay, we will be fine here. Just call if anything changes."
Hanna chuckled. "At least it's a Friday night, Cooper can come if it isn't too late when the baby comes. Oh, and Melissa wondered if Tay could stay with you guys a little longer, just until later tonight."
"Yeah, that's fine." He said.
"Okay, I gotta get back. I'll text you. I love you."
"Love you too, bye."
Hanna sat, slumped over on the window seat couch contraption of Spencer's hospital room. The smell and all of her surroundings were frighteningly familiar. She easily got glimpses of déjà vu and flashbacks whenever Spencer's labor progressed.
Right now, nothing was happening. Spencer was in the in between stage, where the contractions were controlled, but nothing was exciting quite yet. Hanna had at first felt like a big annoyance, the odd woman out. Ezra and Aria had gotten there as soon as they could, but left to grab things like the hospital bag and car seat, which weren't there due to us leaving the Home Depot so quickly, and Toby coming straight from the office.
Toby was out taking time for himself to get dinner and prepare for the delivery. When they'd given his wife the epidural, he turned white as a ghost, realizing that everything was really happening.
Spencer was sleeping, nearly comatose in her bed. Hanna hasn't wanted to disturb her, it may be the longest sleep she would get for a long time.
Hanna felt her stomach grumble, and realized that she hasn't actually eaten since lunch. She checked the clock on her phone and read it was about eight-thirty. Climbing off the love seat, she reached over and shook Melissa awake.
Her eyes fluttered open and she stretched out, sitting up in the rocking recliner. "Hmmm?"
"I'm going to grab a coffee and raid the vending machines. Want anything?" She quietly asked.
"Uh, coffee?" She whispered. Hanna nodded, but then she grabbed the hem of the blonde's long sweater, pulling her back. "As strong as you can make it, please."
Hanna chuckled. "You're a Hastings, I expected nothing less."
Melissa laughed softly, letting the woman leave.
The hallway seemed endless as Hanna navigates through the maze, trying to locate the vending station. Finally, she found the little room at the end of the hall.
She noticed Toby sitting in a chair, sipping coffee calmly.
"What are you doing here? Thought you were escaping." She teased him.
The father-to-be looked up from his steaming cup and smiled. "Nah, I couldn't bring myself to get too far away. I didn't want something to happen and me be so far into hospital oblivion that I miss the birth of my child."
Hanna poured a cup of the darkest roast she could find for Melissa before grabbing a handful of sugar packets and little creamer cups. "I don't blame you, it took me ten minutes to find this place." She giggled.
"You're the one who's already given birth here, you should know where everything is." He stated, sipping his coffee.
"I think they renovated like, two years ago." She said, stirring her cup and securing its lid. She walked over to the chairs and sat down in the one beside Toby.
"How is Spence?" He asked quietly.
Hanna smiled. "She's fine, still sound asleep, just as you left her." She sipped her warm beverage and looked over at him. He twiddled with a loose stitching on his belt. "You ok? You seem a little uneasy."
He blushed. "I don't know. I guess I'm just nervous. I've never been a dad before."
She giggled, patting his knee. "That's not a bad thing. Not is it anything to worry about. You'll be totally fine."
He sat up and turned more in her direction. "How are you so sure? My dad was an ass, I've never had a sister, a normal one, and I don't know how to raise a girl!"
"Whoa," Hanna said, abruptly bringing the cup from her lips. "Don't freak out. I know you'll be amazing."
"How?"
She sighed. "Well, for one, you are one of the sweetest, most caring men I've ever met. Next to Caleb. And you treat Spencer like absolute gold! You have nothing but love for her, and this baby."
"Thanks," he whispered.
"Please, I have seen you with babies. You were a natural with Cooper and Tay, I can't imagine how easy you'll take to fatherhood. You're going to be fine." She finished her speech with another sip of coffee.
"I hope you're right," he said glancing at his phone. "Melissa just texted, she said they're prepping Spencer for delivery right now."
"You're kidding," Hanna replied, almost choking on her drink. She stood up quickly and raised her eyebrows. "You coming or not?"
He smiled and stood from his seat as well, following her out of the room, dropping his cup in the trash on the way out.
Once they were back in the room with Melissa and Spencer, Hanna moved out to call Caleb.
When she came back in, the nurses and doctors were detaching the bed from the wall to move it down the hall to delivery.
Hanna handed the coffee to Melissa. "Should I leave?"
Melissa shrugged. "I guess, they said we could come."
Hanna paused to consider her options. She glanced at Spencer who was receiving a pep talk from her husband and walked over.
"Good luck, you guys!" She gushed.
Toby panicked. "Wait, where are you going?"
Hanna sighed. "To see my husband and son in the waiting room."
"Why aren't you coming with us?" Spencer said between deep breaths.
She shrugged. "This is an exciting thing, it's something you should experience together. You only have your first child once." Looking over at Emily, who had just arrived from work, she smirked. "You got Em."
With that, Hanna turned and walked out into the waiting area. She spotted Caleb and Cooper on a couch beside the Fitzes. Aria was curled into we husband's said, talking animatedly.
"Hey," she said. She sat down next to Cooper, who climbed over her and laid his head in her lap. He must have been exhausted.
Caleb wrapped an arm around her and kissed her temple. "Hey, you."
She cuddled closer and rested her head on his soft shoulder. "Where's Tay?" She asked.
"Isaac came by and took her to the cafeteria for ice cream." He nodded his head toward their now asleep son. "Can't say the same for this little guy. He fell asleep in the car. Had to wake him up to get out of the car, but I guess he went right back to sleep."
Hanna stared down at her baby boy, stroking his soft brown hair. He yawned and his eyes fluttered, but didn't open. She ran her fingers up and down his back, softly massaging it.
Caleb made a move and rested his hand over hers, grasping it tightly. "What are you thinking about?" He asked.
"Hm? Oh…" She murmured and blushed. "Just mentally gushing over how beautiful our child is. Ya know, the usual."
He sighed. "Don't tell me you're getting ideas,"
Hanna lifted her head to face him. "Why? What's so bad about my ideas?"
"Because, once you've got them, you don't give them up."
"Whatever," she scoffed. She laid her head back down on him. "It's impossible to not get ideas in a maternity ward." Hanna pointed to a couple across the room from them who looked to be in their early fifties. "THEY are even getting ideas."
Caleb chuckled and nuzzled her. "So you want to start try-"
His question was suddenly cut off as the double doors busted open abruptly, and Toby crept out sheepishly, trying to hide his immense grin.
Aria shot out of Ezra's arms and ran over to her friend. Hanna sat up, alert. "So, are you a dad?" The blonde asked excitedly.
Still speechless and unfailingly shocked, Toby did the next best thing and began nodding profusely, trying to formulate the words. "Yeah, I am." He breathed. "She's here, it's a girl."
Aria squealed and clapped her hands as she jumped up and down. "Can we see her?"
Toby nodded again, this time more eased. "Yeah, but quietly."
The friends followed him back down the hall, into the delivery room. When they entered the room, it was dead quiet.
Hanna gasped, already in love with the little bundle in Spencer's arms. She knew why Toby had been so speechless before. Their baby was gorgeous.
"She's absolutely beautiful!" she whispered, walking over to get a better look.
Spencer sighed contently, strengthening her grip on the bundle. "Isn't she?"
"Spence, she's perfect." Aria chimed in giddily.
Emily continued to snap flash-less photos as the women marveled at the baby girl.
"That was so short! Did you push at all, or did she just slip out like your vajayjay was a playground slide?" Hanna managed to ask between laughs and tears.
Her friend's face turned from content to treacherous, to amused. "I think she was just eager to meet us." she replied angelically.
"Well, if you were my parents, I know I would too." Emily said. "So, what's her name?"
"Yes, what is her name, Mama?" Hanna prodded.
Spencer blushed and sent Toby a knowing glance, sighing. "Her first name is Avery, after Toby's mother."
Aria squealed again. "Oh, my God. That's beautiful! She would love it,"
"You didn't even know her." Hanna quipped.
"Whatever, I know she would." the tiny woman turned back to Spencer, whispering. "You're lucky your would have been mother-in-law had a youthful name."
The new mother scoffed but smiled. "So is yours,"
"Diane? Oh hell no." she replied.
Emily piped in again. "So, what's her middle name?"
Toby walked over from where he was filling out paperwork. "Juliet, after our second favorite literary work." the girls looked confusedly at him. "Well we couldn't name a girl Holden!" he replied defensively.
"Well, welcome into the world Avery Juliet Cavanaugh!" Hanna whispered, lightly touching the barely-there hair on the infant's head.
"I dunno, I like Holden for a girl." Aria interrupted the sweet moment.
"Then have a boy." Hanna argued.
Two weeks later, Hanna found herself sitting on her bathroom toilet, awaiting the answer of a home pregnancy test.
"I'm having major deja vu." she said, groaning.
"Whatever happens, we'll be ok." Caleb replied.
She rolled her eyes, but was soon startled by the egg timer sitting next to the sink. "Can you believe this might be happening again?"
"I dunno, you?"
"I'm not... sure."
He propped himself up on his elbows from his spot on the decorative chair, and brought himself to his feet. Walking over to her, he grabbed her hand and led her back to the counter. "Only one way to find out."
She sighed nervously and brought her shaky hand over the stick, turning it over.
"Again?" She gasped, stifled a watery laugh.
Dun, Dun, DUN. Don't get used to it!
I am so sorry for whatever happened last night! FF like, tangled up my chapters and deleted one of them. It's fixed now, so there's nothing to worry about. But I am SO SORRY if you weren't able to view the chapter.
Hopefully, you'll see this one easier. And REVIEW. PLEASE.