Chapter 19.
Natalia was feeling like a stranded whale on land. She was huge in every meaning of the word. She was no longer walking; she was wagging back and forth. Getting anywhere seemed to take forever and she missed her old clothes and figure.
Being pregnant sucked and she was really starting to get fed up with it.
"Can't you just get out of there," she said with a groan looking at the belly.
"I really don't think it helps you are asking him that," said Calleigh with a giggle as she came wagging over to the DNA lab. Both ladies were due any day now.
"If I only were that lucky," said Natalia, rolling her hazel eyes at her friend.
"Well at least you get two attentive fathers to be," said Calleigh, trying to look on it from the bright side.
"As are you, but Calleigh I must ask you who do you prefer of Hannibal and Horatio?" Natalia asked in the same second as they heard Horatio yell, "Calleigh!"
"Here we go again and to answer your question I don't know," she said to Natalia as she turned to face Horatio saying, "What now?"
"Haven't I already told you that you are supposed to be home on maternity leave not working?" he said, looking at her with worried eyes.
"By God Horatio, I know what I am going, and Natalia is working as well," she said, rolling her emerald green eyes at him. She was starting to get fed up with his nagging on her to go on maternity leave. Mostly because she hated to take time off from work.
"That may be, but she is not working half as much as you are," he pointed out.
"Oh will you give it a rest," she snapped at him.
"Fine have it your way then, endanger our baby all you want," he snapped at her.
"Have you any idea how much I hate you right now," she snarled at him her face an inch away from him. Everyone in the lab watching them closely, holding their breath.
"Yes as you are making sure just how much," he said with a sigh, looking away.
"Well if you…oh no," she let out a gasp, clenching her eyes shut, feeling a sharp pain.
"Calleigh, are you ok?" he asked her, looking at her with even more worried eyes than before.
"No, I think that was a contraction, Horatio please get me to the hospital right now," she said, looking at him with pleading eyes.
"Of course, do you want me to call Hannibal as well?" he asked, as he slowly helped her to where his car was parked.
"No, I only want you there, please hurry," she whispered, trying to walk faster, even if that was hard due to the pain.
"Wow that was," said Ryan that appeared behind Natalia.
"It really… Ryan I think we have a problem," she said.
"What now, I already got new gloves for the DNA and stacked up with test tubes as well," he said as he had done so when she asked him a little earlier.
"No, not that," she said, holding her breath for as second as she small pain passed.
"Oh you mean the evidence from earlier, I lay that in there for you, it's on the counter," he said and smiled at her.
"No…the baby… is coming…now…hospital…please," she whispered under another breath, holding her belly.
"Are you sure?" he asked, looking at her.
"I am yes, please," she said just at Jake walked in and said, "You guys wouldn't believe the traffic here."
"Jake, the baby is coming now, would you please drive as you are faster," said Ryan.
"Sure, how are you feeling there babe?" he said, looking over at Natalia.
"Not too great, just help me to get to the car," said Natalia, leaning on Ryan.
"Will do," he said, taking her other side so they could get there faster.
Horatio was driving to the manic to get to the hospital, and for once Calleigh didn't say a word. No nagging, no anything, she was simply too focused on breathing through the pain that was coming in waves through her abdomen.
"How are you holding up…sweetheart?" Horatio asked insecure, looking over at her as he stopped on a red light.
"I am as well as can be expected," she answered, managing to smile vaguely at him.
"Good, you just stay in there a little while longer," he said, letting a hand rest on her belly, before adding, "You are sure you don't wish me to call him, he has after all helped you through the last months."
"Just wait…until we get there, I'm… sure it will take…a while," she said between her breaths.
He nodded saying, "You're doing great sweetheart, keep on breathing like that."
She rolled her eyes lightly as she held on to his hand while a harder contraction came, saying, "Just get sure we get there in time."
"I will I promise," he said as he pulled off the road and onto the way that lead up to the main entrance of the hospital.
In another car Jake, Ryan and Natalia were stuck in traffic. As she was lying in the backseat trying to keep calm while breathing through the pain the two men were arguing in the front.
"See I told you we should have taken the other way, now we will be suck here forever," said Ryan frustrated.
"It wouldn't have mattered which way we had taken, the traffic is as bad everywhere else," Jake argued, looking at the line of cars in front of them.
"Guys," Natalia tried to interrupt.
"There has to be a way out of this," said Ryan, trying to find one.
"Unless to plan to walk there which will take ohhh lets see forever then no," said Jake.
"Guys," Natalia tried again, panting heavily.
"So what do you suggest then?" asked Ryan.
"I honestly don't know," said Jack with a heavy sigh.
"Guys!" Natalia yelled out.
"Sweetheart," said Ryan.
"Babe," said Jake, both turning to face her.
"Not to interrupt or anything, but the water broke a moment ago and I really don't think there is time to get to hospital, so if you could please help me as I cannot do it alone," said Natalia, looking at them with scared eyes.
"Of course sweetheart," said Ryan as he got in the back with her.
"Right here babe, oh and Ryan," said Jake joining them.
"Yeah," he said, looking over at Jake that got behind Natalia, rubbing her lower back and offering her a hand.
"You are paying for a new car," said Jake with a grin, as they had taken his car.
"Whatever," he said as he started to remove her pants and underwear to get her ready for whatever lay ahead.
"Hoooratio," Calleigh breathed, holding on to his hand, so hard that her knuckles were whitening.
"I'm right here sweetheart," he whispered, standing on her side, carefully stroking her lower back.
"Make the pain stop, please," she whispered under another breath.
"I am sorry, but only you can do that, just another couple of pushes," he promised her.
"I hope for your sake you are right, or I will execute you later," she said, looking over at the gun still hanging on its holster in her pants close by.
"Understood," he said with a nod, hoping that he was right in his words as well.
Tears and sweat were running down her face, her blonde hair were as glued to the side of it, her eyes clenched tight, he face showing just how much of a pain she was in as she gave it another push.
In the far distance she could hear the doctor saying something about the head was crowning and Horatio saying something about how great she was doing making her push just one more, getting the feeling more than ever that her downstairs area was getting ripped apart. She had a great feeling it would take ages before that got back to normal, making her let out a huff of dismay.
Horatio looked at his Bulletgirl in surprise not getting why she seemed unhappy as she had just given birth to a happy and healthy baby girl. Through a haze Calleigh could only capture half of what was going on, she was looking at Horatio's confused expression. She sighed as she whispered, "Is she okay?"
He looked over at the doctor that nodded before she answered, "She's perfect."
"Good," said the blonde letting out a sigh a relief before smiling vaguely at him.
"You did good sweetheart, really good," he said and kissed her proudly.
"I should hope so," she said reaching in for a kiss, which he gladly gave her.
"Miss Duquesne, Lieutenant Caine your daughter," he doctor interrupted them, holding up the little girl that was crying angrily.
New tears were again finding their way down Calleigh's cheek, only this time they were happy tears as she had never before seen something so beautiful. Horatio put a hand around her shoulder whispering, "Well we may have messed up, but at least we managed to create something perfect."
Unable to speak because she was so overwhelmed she just nodded, agreeing with his words.
In a car that was still stuck in traffic Natalia was screaming, "Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop."
"Easy, easy, you're doing great babe," said Jake, still carefully rubbing her lower back and stroking the hand he was holding.
"Shut up, I don't see you pushing something out of your genitals," she screamed at him.
Ryan couldn't help but chuckling a little by that comment, something he probably shouldn't have done as it caused her to scream, "Do you find anything funny here?"
"No, no, not at all, now would you push," he said with a sigh.
"And since when did you became a doctor?" she asked him.
"Just do," he demanded making her let out a groan before doing so. As she panted heavily she closed her eyes in pain, whispering, "I can't do this."
"You can sweetheart, you are almost there, I can already see the head is crowning," said Ryan in a soft tone.
"He's right babe, you can do it, and we are right here," said Jake, carefully kissing her shoulder.
"You two better be," she said, shivering lightly, holding on to him hardly, looking down at Ryan that was ready to welcome the little one into the world.
"Easy, just one more push," said Ryan calmly, stroking her belly gently.
Natalia nodded and pushed as hard as she could two more times, before her eyes again fell shut. She slowly leaned on Jake that held her close, still panting and shivering lightly.
"Are we done?" she whispered.
"We are you got a son and some nasty stuff," said Ryan, wrinkling his nose in disgust while clearing the baby's airways so he could scream.
Natalia again opened her eyes saying, "Welcome to the world little one, I'm your mummy and this is your daddy's."
"I got boy," said Jake, taking the little one from Ryan, before getting to the front of the car and opening the hatch on the roof. He slowly stood up, holding the little screaming boy yelling, "I got a son, I got a son."
Natalia and Ryan just shook their heads and smiled while they heard all the cars around them honk to congratulate. The brunette let out a sigh of satisfaction before she closed he eyes again to get some rest, knowing that the two men were fully capable to take care of their son in the meantime.
It was a little later at the hospital that Clarice and Hannibal was looking through the window off the room where the babies were resting. They were looking at Calleigh's new born that for now were marked Baby girl Duquesne.
"She's a beauty," said Clarice with a sigh.
"That she is," he said, putting his arm around her.
"Wonder what a child of ours would look like," she said thoughtfully.
"Probably beautiful as her mother," he said with a little smile.
"How can you know it would be a girl?" she asked, turning to look at him.
"Just a feeling, so what do we do now?" he asked her.
"Well the way I see it you have two options turn yourself in or hide away again," she said with a heavy sigh.
"I am tired of hiding, will you be there if I get sentenced to death?" he asked her.
"I will yes, so you are really going to turn you in?" she asked a bit surprised.
"I am, whatever happens after that I don't know, as I said I'm tired of fleeing and even if I in my eyes did nothing wrong people seems to think differently. I will take the sentence they put on me, even if that would lead to my death. At least I get to spend the last days with the woman I love," he said, pulling her a little closer.
"I still think we have many years left my dear Hannibal," she said as she reached up to kiss him. If nothing else they would at least have each other for how long that might be and that was more than enough for both of them.
Feedback always welcome and very much appreciated :o)