A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. The story will be complete in a few more chapters and I've already gotten suggestions for the next one.
Samantha tried to give Sig the simplest directions possible to the hospital. She realized that they should have done some sort of a dry run prior to her going into labor, it was hard for her to give directions while going through contractions. Sig and Edgar were both clearly nervous about Samantha giving birth in the car. Every moan or sigh that emanated from her was another cause for alarm. As they pulled up, Sig was about to turn into the emergency room driveway.
"No, there is a special parking lot for Labor and Delivery" said Samantha.
Sig grunted but pulled the car out of the emergency lane and followed the signs to the other side of the building. They pulled in to the circular drive and stopped at the door. Edgar jumped out of the car and opened the door of the car for Samantha. She wedged herself out of the front seat and then reached back to grab her hospital bag.
"Ok, just park the car in any of the spaces in this parking lot and meet us inside" said Samantha.
"Roger" said Sig.
Samantha waddled into the reception area of the hospital. Edgar walked slightly behind her taking in the decor of the hospital. Samantha stopped at the desk and gave her name and handed over her insurance card.
"Oh hi Samantha, your doula arrived a few minutes ago. She's setting up your room. I'll get your a wheelchair and we'll get this labor started" said the staff member.
"Thank you" said Samantha.
Edgar walked up behind her and set down the bag.
"Is everything ok?" he asked.
"Yes, I filled out all the paperwork a month ago and my doula is already here" said Samantha.
"Your what?" asked Edgar.
"My doula, she's going to help me through the labor" explained Samantha.
"I thought I was going to help you" said Edgar sadly.
"Well until a few months ago I expected to do this all by myself, so I got myself a helper" said Samantha. "But now that you're here you can help too."
"What about Sig?" asked Edgar.
"I guess if he wants to help, he can" said Samantha exasperatedly.
"That wasn't really what I meant" said Edgar. "Do you want him in the room?"
"I hadn't really thought about it and frankly I'm a little surprised that you thought about it" said Samantha.
"Well when we were out on the boat I talked to Nick about what he went through when he had his kids" said Edgar. "He said there was a birth plan and that only certain people were allowed in the room. It seemed like a pretty extensive list or demands."
"I guess I birth plan is kind of like that. I have one, it specifically says I want only green m&m's in my room" joked Samantha.
Edgar smiled but it soon became clear he was very nervous. The wheelchair arrived and Samantha took a seat and was wheeled up to her room.
The room looked like a very fancy hotel room to Edgar, the furniture was all wood and the lighting was soft and inviting. Even the hospital bed was draped with mint green sheets and a soft looking blanket. In the corner of the room a woman was setting up a music player, she turned and smiled when Samantha hoisted herself out of the wheelchair.
"Samantha, it's lovely to see you" she said.
"Anna, thank you for being here" replied Samantha before embracing the woman. "Anna, this is Edgar."
"Nice to meet you" said Anna shaking Edgar's hand.
"So what do we do first" said Samantha.
"Well, they will want to do an initial check to see how dilated you are, then a quick ultrasound to check the baby's positioning. So why don't we get you into the gown" suggested Anna.
"Where are the m&m's?" asked Edgar.
Anna looked completely confused and Samantha was laughing hysterically. After the ice was broken Samantha slipped into the bathroom to change while Anna explained the birthing process to Edgar.
Sig walked into the room a few minutes later with a bouquet of flowers for Samantha and a sandwich and drink for Edgar. His eyes were wide and he had a smile from ear to ear. He looked around the room in slight awe at the set up and decoration. Samantha was sitting in the bed talking quietly to the doula and signing some sort of paperwork. She looked up quickly and smiled.
"Hi Antha, I got you something pretty to look at" said Sig. "And Edgar, I got you something to eat, so you don't pass out from lack of food."
"Thank you" said Samantha with a smile.
"Yeah, thanks Sig" said Edgar tearing into the sandwich. "What no chips?"
"You should be happy I got you anything at all" said Sig.
"Whatever" said Edgar around a mouthful of sandwich.
The next moments were a flurry of activity as nurses came in to set up Samantha's monitors and then ask her a few questions.
"Well my dear you are about 5 cm dilated, half way there" said the nurse.
As they detached the monitors from Samantha she struggled to get out of bed. The doula slipped her into a pair of slippers and took her arm carefully supporting her and helping her walk. The pair slowly made their way out of the room.
"Where are they going?" asked Edgar.
"Probably just walking, it's suppose to help with the progression of labor" answered Sig.
"How do you know that?" asked Edgar in surprise.
"Antha has about a million books on the subject, I've been bored at her house so I've glanced at a few of them" admitted Sig.
"Do you have any words of wisdom for me then?" asked Edgar.
"Nope, I think you will be fine" said Sig with a smirk.
"Fine, hold out information from me. I'll figure it out on my own" said Edgar huffily.
Samantha and Anna walked back into the room, interrupting Sig and Edgar's argument. Samantha took a seat on the bouncy ball in the corner and Anna turned on the ipod player in the corner. The sounds of the Beatles filled the room making Samantha smile and bounce on the ball. Edgar and Sig shared a look sharing their complete disbelief at what was going on.
"So how long do you think this is going to take?" asked Sig.
"Why? Do you have somewhere to be" quipped Samantha.
"No, but I thought I'd walk around this fancy hospital and try to find the bar" said Sig.
"It's on the top floor" said Anna with a wink.
"Maybe you can go out and look for celebrities to get autographs" said Samantha.
"Maybe I'll just stay here and watch you suffer" said Sig.
Samantha stuck out her tongue and turned back to Edgar. He got up and walked behind her stroking his fingers down her back and rubbing her lower back through the small opening in the gown.
"Don't pull the gown open" said Samantha.
"Don't worry" said Edgar pulling slightly on one of the ties.
"Nice ass" commented Sig.
Samantha glared at Edgar who quickly retied her gown.
The hours passed and before Edgar and Sig knew it they were holding onto Samantha's legs as she worked to push out the next generation of Hansen. Anna shared her time between Samantha's head where she gave encouragement and the doctor working to deliver the baby. The counts were coming faster as the last stage of active labor was upon them. Every time Sig or Edgar would glance down towards her crotch Samantha would slap their hands.
"Stop looking down there" she said breathlessly.
"It's hard not to" said Sig. "There's a person coming out you, it's something you don't see everyday."
"Get your own woman" said Samantha. "So you can ogle her parts."
Sig sniffed and looked stoically at Samantha's chest, completely avoiding her eyes or anything below the waist. Edgar valiantly held in a snicker, not wanting to get told off. A few minutes later the doctor announced the head was crowning and a few pushes later a pink, healthy and crying baby boy was placed on Samantha's heaving chest. She leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the baby's head before Edgar cut the cord. The nurse bustled in and removed the baby to get weighed and measured.
"He's 8 pounds 4 ounces and healthy as a horse" she announced from the other side of the room.
Samantha smiled, tears spilling down her cheeks. Edgar and Sig were also tearing up but both turned away quickly so no one else noticed. It took a few minutes for the nurses to get the baby and Samantha cleaned up, but soon Samantha was holding her new son in her arms with Edgar and Sig on either side.
"He's so small" said Edgar.
"Yeah well, he may seem small but you should try squeezing him out. He seems plenty big to me" said Samantha.
"So what's his name?" asked Sig.
Edgar and Samantha looked at each other for a moment and smiled.
"His name is Erik Jacob Hansen" said Edgar proudly.
"I approve" said Sig quietly.
Samantha just smiled tiredly and Edgar beamed every inch the proud papa.
The next day Samantha and baby Erik were released from the hospital. The first few days at home were a challenge, Edgar and Samantha were both learning how to deal with a new baby while Sig was doing his best to stay out of everyone's way. Norman had called from Seattle saying that he had arrived back from tendering When he heard the news that the baby was born he told Sig to stay put and he'd be on the next plane to LA. The days bled together and when Norman arrived it seemed as if it had been only a heartbeat not a week since the baby was born. Samantha was slowly getting the hang of breast feeding and while lack of sleep was making her a little loopy she was coping. One morning Sig found Edgar surrounded by a smoke filled kitchen, he was wearing pajama pants and a stained t-shirt.
"What's wrong?" asked Sig.
"I'm just trying to make breakfast" said Edgar.
He was clearly frustrated and there was a stack of burnt toast sitting on a plate.
"Maybe I can help" offered Sig.
"Samantha wants some eggs and salmon with toast. She wants to come down and make it herself, but I told her to shower first" said Edgar.
Sig cocked his head, he could hear the faint sounds of a shower running. Norman appeared in the kitchen holding the baby in his arms.
"What's going on? The smoke alarms are going to start going off in a moment" said Norman with a smile.
"Edgar's cooking breakfast" said Sig.
"Maybe he could use some help" said Norman.
Norman passed the baby to Edgar who immediately cradled him to his chest. Sig got to work, he pulled out a new pan then started to throw together a delicious plate of eggs with salmon and began to make some new toast. The plates for everyone were on the table by the time Samantha walked into the kitchen. She was freshly showered and dressed in a soft sweatsuit. The moment she entered the kitchen Erik began to fuss. She reached for him, plucking the child out of Edgar's arms and immediately pulled him to her breast. She sat at one of the chairs and accepted the nursing pillow from Norman, she fed Erik while she ate with one hand.
"That's some pretty impressive multitasking" said Sig.
"Yes, well it seems like whenever I eat he wants to eat" said Samantha.
"You are doing a fantastic job" said Norman encouragingly.
"Thanks" said Samantha quietly.
"Norm and I have some news" said Sig.
"Oh really, what's that?" asked Samantha.
"We are heading back up to Seattle in a few days" said Sig.
"So if you need anything, let us know before we go. We can do the grocery shopping and whatever else you need" said Norman.
"What are you going to do?" asked Samantha to Edgar.
"Stay here, until it's time to go up for King Crab" he replied.
"Oh good, for a second I thought all of your were leaving too" said Samantha relief flooding her voice.
"I won't leave unless you say it's ok" said Edgar.
"Right, if you want him to stay I can start looking for a replacement right now" said Sig.
"I'll let you know, but don't start looking for a replacement just yet" said Samantha with a wink.
Two days later Samantha stood at the bottom of the stairs watching Norman and Sig carry down their small bags and set them by the door. Edgar was taking them to the airport in a few minutes and Samantha wanted to say her goodbyes before Erik woke up from his nap.
"Bye Norman, have a safe trip. I hope you get some downtime before you head up to Dutch" said Samantha giving Norman and hug and kiss.
"Take care of yourself Samantha, don't let Edgar boss you around" said Norman. "What am I saying, you'd never let him do that."
Samantha smiled and then turned to Sig, who grabbed her by the arm and dragged her towards the kitchen. Once they were inside he sat her down on one of the chairs.
"We always go to Norway at Christmas" said Sig.
"Ok" said Samantha. "Thanks for letting me know."
"Good, so get junior a passport" said Sig.
"You want us to go with you?" asked Samantha confusedly.
"Yes, why would I tell you if I didn't want you to go?" asked Sig.
"Because you just thought you'd let me know so I didn't expect Edgar back after the season" said Samantha.
"Antha, you are a part of our family and whether you like it or not you and Erik will be going to Norway with us" said Sig.
"Oh, I'll work on getting Erik his passport" said Samantha her voice still slightly shocked.
"Good, I let the relatives there know that you and the baby are coming. I'm sure some of them will be calling you to help you with the wedding plans" said Sig.
"What wedding plans?" asked Samantha.
"You can get married in Karmony, just like our parents did" said Sig. "It's where our family is from and we've all dreamed of getting married there."
"Sig, are you once again trying to plan my wedding?" asked Samantha. "Because your track record so far is terrible."
"Please, just talk to them when they call. If you don't want to go through with it you don't have to" begged Sig.
"Fine, I'll talk to them" said Samantha. "But that's all I can promise."
Sig smiled and pulled Samantha into a tight hug.
"That's all I can ask for" said Sig.
The month past and before Samantha knew it Edgar was packing to head back to work. She cried for the first few hours after she'd dropped him off at the airport, but she finally pulled herself up and got back to the job or raising their son.
The first phone call from Norway couldn't have happened at a worse time. She'd just gotten Erik out of the bath and was attempting to get him into a dry diaper before he peed all over her, again. She grabbed the phone half expecting to hear Edgar's voice, instead it was a woman's accented voice.
"Hello, is this Antha?" the voice asked.
"Yes, who's this?" answered Samantha.
"My name is Jean, I'm calling from Karmony. Sig gave me this number, I hope I haven't called at a bad time" she said.
"No, not at all" said Samantha looking down at her toweled son and the growing wet spot on the towel where he was clearly peeing.
Cradling Erik in her arm she balanced the phone in the crook of her neck and walked into the nursery. She talked to Jean about innocuous subjects, asking her about Karmony and assuring her that she and Erik would be coming for the holidays. After a few moments Jean got down to the business of planning a wedding. Instead of feeling railroaded Samantha felt Jean's suggestions came from a real desire to give her the perfect wedding. By the time she'd hung up the phone an hour later Erik was fast asleep in his crib and Samantha was very excited about her Norwegian wedding.
"Well, I guess I'm about to become a Hansen" said Samantha to herself.
Jean had given her one job to do before she got to Norway, to get a wedding dress. Samantha walked into her room and studied herself in the mirror. She'd lost the baby weight plus more from breast feeding and not eating as often as she should. Deciding that she should probably do her best to get rid of the little paunch left on her stomach she decided to start an exercise program.