Mary was mid-contraction, but she breathed a sigh of relief when Rhoda came bursting into the delivery room. "Kid, I'm so sorry I was late! The nurse didn't want to let me in because I'm not family, but of course I wasn't going to let that stop me. Did I miss anything?"
"Not yet," Steven said. "We're hoping any minute now. You can do this," he said, turning to his wife.
"Steven's right," Rhoda agreed, standing beside Mary. "If anybody can get through this, it'd be you. I'm just glad it's not me going through this! I'd probably have yelled at everyone in this hospital by now! At least this way, I'll know what it's like from seeing you."
Mary smiled, grateful the contraction had ended. "I thought it was bad helping Mr. Grant deliver Ted and Georgette's baby, but that's nothing compared to actually having one! I don't know how Georgette did it, especially without a doctor, or medical equipment, or..."
Just then, another pain hit. A loud scream erupted from her. It was a sound Rhoda had never thought she'd hear her friend make. "Kid, I probably don't say this as much as I should, but I think you're incredibly brave. I know I used to tease you, and say you didn't have a backbone. But looking at you now, I can hardly believe it."
The contraction subsided once again, and Mary smiled. She squeezed Rhoda's hand, grateful for what she'd said. Rhoda wasn't normally one to get emotional. "Thanks. I love you, too."
The doctor, who'd been watching in silence, spoke up. "That's a very touching moment. If you can push one more time, you'll have another person here to share in all this love."
For a moment, Mary was hesitant. She now understood why it was called "labor." But then she looked at Rhoda and Steven's faces, seeing how much they both loved her. Somehow, she felt that she could do this. "OK," she said, noticing how her voice was trembling. She pushed with everything she had. Just when she thought it was hopeless, she heard the most beautiful sound in the world: a baby's cry.
A moment later, the doctor held up the newborn. "It's a girl!"
No one knew what to say at first. But, as usual, Rhoda spoke up. "So, what are you going to name her?"
Mary and Steven looked at each other. They'd discussed names a bit in the past few months, but hadn't come to any final decision yet.
Rhoda was astonished. "You mean you guys haven't even thought about this?!"
Mary shrugged. "Everything happened so fast." She thought of many names, but still couldn't decide. Then she thought about how people often name their child in honor of someone. Of course she had friends who more than deserved such a gift. That made this choice much easier. "What do you think of Rose?"
Rhoda couldn't believe it. Mary was looking at her as she said it, not at Steven. "You're naming her that after me?"
"Yes," Mary said, without hesitating. "When you came into my apartment that day and ordered me out, I had no idea what I was in for. Who knows what would've happened to my life if you hadn't been there?"
For once in her life, Rhoda Morgenstern was speechless. She looked at Steven, checking to see if he was OK with Mary's choice of a name. He simply nodded.
Just then, the doctor came over, placing a small pink bundle into Mary's arms. "Hello, Rose," Mary whispered softly. She looked over at Steven, unable to believe this was real. Steven felt himself falling in love with his daughter at once.
Rhoda looked at the baby. She was perfect. "She's beautiful," Rhoda said. "But how could she not be, with your genes?"
Mary rolled her eyes. "Let's not start that."
"Nobody's ever named their kid after me before," Rhoda said. "Well, Bess was going to name a goldfish after me once, but of course, Phyllis wouldn't hear of it."
Mary knew that was Rhoda's way of saying she was touched. "You're welcome," she said, before returning her attention to the miracle in her arms.
Rhoda couldn't seem to stop staring at the infant, either. But, in the back of her mind, she knew she should tell Ted and Georgette the news. She gradually noticed that Mary and Steven didn't even seem to be aware that she was in the room. Taking that as a cue, Rhoda quietly slipped back out to the waiting area. The anchorman and his wife sat just where she'd left them a little while ago. "It happened," Rhoda said as she came up to them.
"She had the baby?" Georgette asked. "What is it?"
"A girl, a little girl," Rhoda said, still wondering when she'd wake up from this dream.
"Oh, I'll bet she's precious," Georgette said, thinking of the first time she saw Mary Lou. "Can we go see her?"
Rhoda nodded. "I'll take you back. They've picked a name, too. Rose."
"That's such a pretty name. And the flower is nice, too," Georgette said.
Ted rolled his eyes. "Rose? That's a stupid name. It's like a series of seats in a move theater."
Both Rhoda and Georgette ignored him, making their way back to Mary's room. Mary looked up when they came in. "Hi," she said shyly.
For a moment, Georgette was afraid to enter. But Mary urged the two to come closer. Cautiously, they walked toward the bed. "Oh, Mary," was all Georgette could say. "She's beautiful. Isn't she, Ted?"
Ted looked down at the baby. At first, he didn't see what was so special about her. He knew all babies looked more or less alike at first. But, then, amazingly, the baby smiled. That softened him. "Yes, she is," he agreed. "I'm sure you'll be a great mother, Mary."
"Thanks," Mary said. She knew Ted hadn't been happy about the fact that she was married, but she sensed that he was finally beginning to accept it. She couldn't believe how everyone around her was smiling, all because of the baby she was now holding. She looked at Steven, and saw he was in a similar state of disbelief. But she knew her feelings were about more than just Rose's birth. She had always known she wanted to be a wife and a mother. Sooner or later, she knew she would eventually reach that place in her life, and now she had. But the part she hadn't anticipated was the family she'd found along the way. She knew there would be no better way to raise her daughter than surrounded by these people.
The End