Four Weeks Later…
Cal, Gillian, and Emily pulled up in front of the airport and Cal obtained a cart to put Emily's many bins and suitcases onto before they got to the plane. The three of them checked in and went through security. Once they got through security, Tony and Zoe were already waiting for everyone in the terminal lobby. Zoe stood upon seeing their entrance, "Come here Emily," she said giving her a huge hug.
"Mom, you're coming with me, and we'll be there for a few days," chuckled Emily.
"Yeah but then your father and I have to leave you there," said Zoe, "Oh um Gillian, Tony and I have something for you."
Gillian raised any eyebrow and asked, "Something good right?"
Zoe chuckled lightly, "Yes, something good," she said handing a gift bag to her, "We just thought we should get a little something for the baby."
Gillian looked into the bag to find a pink bear and a onesie that had a Superman symbol and the words 'Girl Power' written on it, "Aw, these are adorable! Thank you Zoe," said Gillian gratefully.
"Anytime," said Zoe.
"Did you guys give her a name yet?" asked Tony.
"Attention please, flight 30 leaving for Berkeley is now boarding," announced the flight attendant.
"Yes, we've picked out a name," said Cal as the group of five headed towards the plane. Everyone boarded and took their seats: Emily by the window, then Cal, then Gillian near the aisle; Tony and Zoe sat behind them.
"Well what is it then? You guys have never actually told anyone," said Emily.
Cal and Gillian looked at each other. They actually hadn't said the name to anyone. Cal nodded and Gillian took a deep breath and said, "Sophie Madison Lightman."
"Aw I came up with the name Madison!" clapped Emily happily.
"Yeah you did love," said Cal.
"What's the significance or did you just like the name?" asked Tony.
Gillian sighed and said, "Well back when I was married to Alec, we adopted a baby girl, Sophie. We, um, had to give her back to her birth mother," she said sadly.
"But as a fresh start, we decided to name her in honor of my wife's first baby girl and then make my daughter happy," said Cal. Gillian gave him a small smile and took his hand. The plane took off and about four hours later, they landed in California. The group gathered their belongings and then got the rest of their items from baggage claim before Tony went to get the rental car. Thankfully, both Zoe and Cal had pitched in to get a minivan since there would be lots of suitcases and bins to be transporting. Tony drove while Gillian rode in the front seat, then Zoe and Emily in the middle, and Cal in the back balancing some of the boxes.
"How did I get stuck with this job?" he asked for the third time.
"You don't like driving unfamiliar cars, so you wouldn't drive. Mom and I aren't strong enough, Gill's pregnant, and Tony had to drive. So guess who got to hold boxes by default," smirked Emily.
Of course on the way to the hotel, the five got stuck in rush hour traffic and baby Sophie Lightman was kicking quite a bit at this point, "God, I can't WAIT to get her out of me!" shouted Gillian a little perturbed.
"Kicking?" ventured Zoe raising her eyebrows
"More than a soccer star in his or her lifetime," said Gillian soothing where either a foot or fist had struck her kidney.
"How far along are you?" asked Tony.
"Twenty-nine weeks. I'm due November 13th," answered Gillian, "But it can't get here fast enough." When they all finally reached the hotel, Cal, Tony, and Emily began to take their overnight bags in and check into their rooms, leaving Zoe and Gillian alone outside.
Zoe took a deep breath before saying, "You know the last trimester of pregnancy is hell."
Gillian turned around to face her and chuckled lightly, "Yeah that's what everyone says. And now I'm starting to see why. I haven't been able to get a good night's sleep in forever."
"Mm. The aching back, the leg cramps, the shortness of breath, the Braxton Hicks contractions," said Zoe sympathetically, "And just when you find that comfortable position to sleep in, the baby decides it's time for a little game of 'Let's kick Mommy in the ribs'."
Gillian sighed, "It's rough."
"Yeah it is," said Zoe, "And I'm not going to lie, labor and delivery is worse."
"Yeah that's one of my biggest fears right now," said Gillian, "That either an emergency complication will arise or that I won't be able to handle the pain." Zoe smiled a little, "I'm serious Zoe. I don't have a high pain tolerance."
"No it's not that," said Zoe, "You sound exactly like I did right before Emily was born. I was so scared to give birth and the pain."
"Did it hurt?" asked Gillian and then she realized how dumb of a question that was. Labor was painful for most women, "Err, how bad did it hurt?"
Zoe bit her lip, thinking about how to answer Gillian. She patted her shoulder and said, "It hurts like hell. It'll most likely be the worst pain you ever experience. But the moment the baby is in your arms, you'll forget all about what you just went through. She'll be worth every contraction. And don't worry; Cal is actually a pretty good birthing coach."
Gillian laughed at that remark, "Yeah he's done pretty well in Lamaze class. He seems like the person who will make sure you get what you need. Is that true?"
Zoe laughed and nodded, "You're not supposed to eat in labor, but he must've snuck fifteen popsicles when I was having Emily."
"Thank you for talking Zoe. I feel a lot better now," said Gillian a little tearfully.
"You're welcome Gill," said Zoe embracing her.
Emily ran outside to see what was taking the two women so long when she found her mother and her step-mother hugging. She smiled at the moment and then shouted, "Mom! Gill! You guys coming?"
"Yeah we're coming sweetheart," shouted Zoe grabbing her's and Gillian's overnight bags and following her daughter back inside.
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