AN: I got a new chair! Before I had this really uncomfortable wooden chair to write in, and now I have this amazing Ikea chair. My butt is extremely happy right now. I hope that makes for a happy chapter...
"Um, Blair? Are you okay? You're creasing my dress." Jenny Humphrey eyed the knee length kelly green chiffon number she was showing Blair for the J for Waldorf spring collection. Blair was currently squeezing a corner of the skirt with her eyes mashed shut.
"Braxton hicks." She murmured, opening her eyes and relinquishing her hold on the dress.
"Right," Jenny said, continuing. "As I was saying, in the past, J for Waldorf has focused on extremely loud accessories and more subtle clothes. I was thinking the complete opposite for this collection. Cobalts, magentas, lime green, burnt orange. No prints and all statement pieces. It will finally get us in with the masses. I mean, have you seen what teenagers are wearing these days? Neon enamel? It's gross. These pieces will have the same appeal but will be much more tasteful."
"Jenny Humphrey, you continue to impress me. I want the rest of the sketches on my desk by Friday. This collection is a go." Blair smiled and turned to waddle back to her office. Being 8 months pregnant was something she would never get used to.
"Nora," she turned and looked at her assistant before she entered. "Could you please turn the thermostat down again. We're not running Greenpeace, here. I don't care what it's doing to the environment."
"Mrs. Bass, it's 65 degrees in here, and only 70 outside." She spoke.
"When you find someone blind enough to knock you up, you'll understand." She started back into her office before poking her head out, once again. "And don't question me."
Nora got up to do as her boss had said. A pregnant Blair Waldorf Bass was not something she would miss.
When Blair had completed the almost impossible task of sitting down in her office chair, she felt another braxton hicks contraction coming. She pressed her fingers to her temples and closed her eyes, waiting for it to pass. As soon as it did, she felt something warm spread under her skirt. The blood drained from her face.
"Nora!" Blair screamed. The young blond came rushing in. "Get Mr. Bass on the phone, and call me a car!" Her assistant looked at her quizzically. "NOW!"
"Your car will be here in 10, and I have Mr. Bass on line 2." Nora called from her desk outside. Blair picked up the phone.
"Good afternoon, beautiful. Need an itch scratched? I can be over there in 15 minutes."
"Not now, Bass. My water just broke."
"But you're not due for 4 more weeks!"
"I guess your daughter's ahead of the curve."
"Are you okay? I'm coming right now."
"Don't come to my office, you ass! Meet me at Lenox Hill. Now!" She gasped, as she felt another contraction coming on.
An hour later, Blair was laying in a hospital bed with her husband sitting beside her.
"Why haven't they drugged me yet?" She choked out through gritted teeth.
"You're not dilated enough, love. Remember? We also just got here.." He offered, kissing her hand that was currently squeezing the life out of his. He felt her hand go lax, and she opened her eyes and took a deep breath signaling the end of her pain.
"I can't believe Henry talked Dorota into taking him here. He's supposed to stay with Lilly until the baby's born." Blair spoke.
"In his eloquent words 'I will be there when my baby comes.' He's very stubborn. It's from you, I suppose."
"And persuasive. That's all you."
"You are the most persuasive person I know, Blair."
"Yes, why did you let me talk you into doing this again?"
He smiled at her. "Just think of our little girl. Brown eyes and headbands. Queen of the Upper East Side."
She sighed and nodded. "I love you, Chuck. No matter how much this shit fucking hurts" She squeezed his hand and her eyes as another contraction came.
"I love you too, Blair." He kissed her hand again.
"Mommy! Where's my baby?!" Henry came bursting in. Chuck stood up. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tear slip down Blair's cheek.
"Henry," Chuck spoke softly. "The baby isn't here yet. Can you please give mommy a couple more minutes?"
Henry's eyes got large. He put on a pout, but Dorota had already taken his hand to lead him out of the room.
Chuck turned to his wife, and wiped the tear off her face. "I know it hurts, love." He leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Do you want Henry to come back in?"
She nodded as her body started to relax. "After I get the epidural. Tell Dorota to take him to ice cream, and go find a nurse. They're getting much closer together. Also call Serena. I need her."
He kissed her head again and walked out of the room.
After 3 hours had gone by, there was still no new baby Bass, but Blair was drugged and comfortable, watching Serena, Dan, Nate, and Henry play Scrabble.
"I don't think 'vru' is a word, Hen." Dan eyed him.
"Do you think our child will be able to play Scrabble as well as Henry can when they are 4 years old? Let's cut him a break." Serena smiled.
"If Rufus has anything to do with it, they will." Nate spoke.
"Incoming." Chuck warned, walking in with a few too many to-go boxes. Eleanor and Lilly came in behind him.
"Blair! You're glowing!" Lilly hugged her. Blair rolled her eyes at Chuck, and he smiled.
"Darling, how are you feeling?" Eleanor kissed both of her cheeks.
"Exhausted. I'm ready for this baby to come out!"
"Don't get too ready. You took 8 hours!
"So I've been told." She whispered, just for Chuck to hear. He squeezed her hand left and her side to pass out everyone's dinner.
Half an hour later, Dr. Marshall walked in. "I hate to break up the party, but it's time to check up on Blair. Everyone filed out, but Henry, who had been sitting by his mother's side, stiffened and anxiously looked at his mother.
"It's okay, Hen. Just go sit on daddy's lap." Henry scooted off the bed and climbed into his father's arms.
Dr. Marshall hardly took any time, saying Blair was almost there, and that there would be a new baby before midnight.
"Can I send your family back in?" The doctor said as she got ready to leave.
"No, tell them to give us a minute." Blair said, eyeing her son and the sad look he had on his face.
"What's wrong, Hen?" She spoke, once the doctor had left.
"I just don't want you and daddy to love the new baby more than me." He started crying.
"Come here, beautiful boy." Blair opened her arms for Henry to climb into.
"I thought you were excited for the baby, Hen." Chuck spoke. Henry shrugged.
"We will never stop loving you, Henry. We love you more and more every day." Blair spoke, kissing his head.
"It's all going to be amazing, buddy." Chuck got up to scoop up his child off Blair's bed.
"Should we go get Uncle Dan, so you can finish beating him in Scrabble?"
Henry rubbed the tears from his eyes and nodded, laying his head on his father's shoulder.
"That's my boy." Chuck spoke.
"I love you." Blair mouthed.
"I love you more." Chuck mouthed back.
Henry didn't get the chance to properly cream his Uncle Dan in Scrabble because 20 minutes later, it was announced that Blair was ready to push. After only 5, a cry rang out in the delivery room.
"She's beautiful." Blair cried as her daughter was placed on her chest.
"She's perfect. You are perfect." Chuck kissed his wife's hair and felt himself start to cry. Their baby. His little girl.
When their daughter was taken to be cleaned up, Chuck turned to Blair.
"Are you sure about the name?" He asked her.
Blair nodded. "It's perfect. A perfect name for a perfect girl born into our perfect family." She was crying and smiling and half giggling, and yet she still felt like nothing could express how she was feeling at that moment. How whole she felt. How complete.
"Well then, welcome to the world, Charlotte Audrey Bass."
Blair beamed. "Go tell Henry! And Serena! And everyone! Take pictures!"
Chuck grabbed her face kissed her full on the mouth before obeying her commands.
He walked out into the waiting room where he could feel the nervous energy coursing through the room. Henry jumped up from Eleanor's lap at the sight of his father. He ran to him, followed by Lilly, Nate, Dorota, Cyrus, Eleanor, Dan, and a waddling Serena.
Chuck picked up his son, and unlocked his phone. "I would like you all to meet," he pulled up the picture to show them, "Charlotte Audrey Bass, born at 10:20 PM, May 5th 2017, weighing 6 pounds and 11 ounces."
A chorus of 'aww's erupted and Serena burst out, "Blair named the baby after you, Chuck!"
"Yes, Serena." He smiled at his sister.
"Charles Bass and Audrey Hepburn. Baby will have good eyebrows." Dorota smiled.
"Daddy, can I go meet her?" Henry whispered into his father's neck.
"Let's go, Hen." Chuck left his phone with the family to look at the pictures, and he made his way back to Blair with his son in his arms.
She was sitting upright in the bed, holding Charlotte in her arms with a gaggle of nurses around them, 'oo'-ing over the baby girl. They dispersed when they saw Chuck and Henry in the doorway.
Henry hid his face on Chuck's shoulder as Chuck made his way across the room and sat down at the foot of the hospital bed.
"Don't be shy, Henry." Chuck whispered to his son.
Henry peeked out to see his mother smiling at him. "Would you like to hold your sister?"
He shook his head 'no', as Chuck slid him off his lap, onto the bed. Blair passed Charlotte to Chuck and spoke "See, Henry. It's not so hard or scary."
Chuck held his daughter against his chest. "Come on, Hen."
"Hold your arms like this, Henry." Blair showed him, cradling her arms.
Henry reluctantly did as he was told, and Chuck placed Charlotte in the awaiting arms, keeping on hand on the baby's head and another on the side of her swaddled body.
Henry examined his sister's face. "My baby. She's a pretty baby, mommy." He looked up, smiling at Blair.
She laughed. "Isn't she?!"
Henry offered the baby to Chuck, and he took her, and handed her to Blair.
Their happiness was pure, and their happiness was simple. They were content in every way, shape, and form. They were perfect. Picture perfect and, internally and infinitely, perfect.
AN: Do you like her name? Many thanks to Heather (hjlbsw77) for helping me to come up with it. I like Charlotte because it can be shortened to Char like I shorten Henry to Hen. Like OB/GYN appointments, I know very little about how hospitals go about delivering babies, so please don't hold it against me if I got something totally wrong. Also, Charlotte Audrey Bass has all the same birth info as me (except for the year, course). I was born 4 weeks early, and that's how much I weighed, and I was fully developed and everything... I really hope you liked this chapter. It gave me such a fuzzy fluffy feeling to write. Have a lovely night. Or day if it's day time when you read this :P xoxo
P.S. I'm still looking for someone to proof my chapters before I publish them! Let me know if you're interested.
P.P.S. I just love to knock the Dair shippers...