HI! I'm almost at the end of this long encounter. I hope you enjoy this chapter. This story is almost finished. Thank you to all those who have read and reviewed and favorited and followed. Even those who don't like the fact that I had Donna become pregnant. Most women like all the voids in life to be filled: love, motherhood, career and luckily God (however you believe) gives us the strength and the know how to balance it all. Just a tad bit more and then this will be at an end. Thank you, Carebearmaxi.

Donna Meets Lily -

Chapter 40 -

Boston

They arrived at their Boston house around midday the next day. They planned at least a couple days by themselves and to prepare for the birth of their child. Donna and Harvey decided they wanted their baby to be born in Boston at the house. Donna's pregnancy had been uneventful and she planned for a home birth with a midwife. She regularly saw a doctor but wrote her own birth plan and engaged a midwife which happened to be her sister, Carol.

Harvey started a fire while Donna put away some groceries. She placed her hands behind her back and bent back trying to relieve the pressure in her back.

"You're almost done cooking sweet pea. You're not a pea anymore, though. You're a full fledged baby in there.

Harvey was puttering around trying to straighten a few things outside, so Donna decided to go the stairs to the room which Harvey had redecorated as a nursery for the coming baby.

Donna looked around at the small room and could hardly believe that how different this room looked last year. Last year it still contained Harvey's twin bed which somehow or another they were able to sleep and make love together. The walls still contained pictures of baseball heroes both old and new since this had also been Marcus, Jr.'s room while Marcus and his family lived here.

Now the walls were yellow and bare just aching for someone to paint designs on them. Since they were waiting to be surprised at the birth, Mickey Mouse in a tux and Ariel the Little Mermaid shared the space.

"So, we don't have long to wait until she's here," Harvey said from behind. As he approached Donna, she was smoothing the sheet in the already made white wooden crib. It was an updated version of an old fashioned design. This, however, was made so the baby as it grew could not get their head or hands stuck between the posts. There was a white knit blanket draped on the end of the crib and a little white quilt with a rainbow stitched on it.

"Have we decided to go with the rainbows or something neutral like Sistine Chapel," Harvey joked watching Donna.

"Neither. You know sometimes, I stand either here or in front of the bassinet and wonder what the baby will look like," she said.

"I haven't gone that far. I'll love her or him no matter what they look like," Harvey said and put his arms around Donna from behind.

"I'm just glad we got through the wedding and reception without him/her making an appearance," Harvey joked and rubbed her belly.

The next morning Donna woke up early. She was feeling a little crampy in her back and decided she would rise and venture to the bathroom. It was still dark. She peered at the alarm clock with the big red numbers and it read "3:30 AM". As she rose, she disturbed Harvey who sleepily said, "Hey, did you wet the bed?"

"Harvey, I think my water broke," Donna said not excitedly or worriedly just stated it as a fact.

Harvey was in panic mode now. He lit the lamp on the nightstand which clearly showed evidence of moisture on Donna's side of the bed. All at once there was a sploosh! sound and Donna's pajamas were soaked. She suddenly doubled over in pain.

"Harvey, I'm having contraction. Call my sister," Donna still went to the bathroom to get out of her wet pajamas and ran the spigot into the bathtub so her early labor could be eased somewhat by the warm water.

Harvey came in with his phone and talking to her sister, "No, I don't think she was able to time it. Her water just broke." He remarked as his feet squished on the soaked throw rug beneath him. Well, that's going out for sure!

"What's she doing now?" Carol asked sleepily but excited because she was going to be an aunt.

"She's running the bath."

"Let me talk to her," Carol said.

Harvey handed the phone to Donna who he had helped into the tub.

"Hi, Carol," Donna said sitting carefully while experiencing a contraction, but she still had the capacity to hold a conversation.

"Hi, honey, how are you doing? Have you been able to time one yet?"

"Yes, they are about 10 minutes apart and they not real strong yet. Ooooo, let's strike that we're down to seven here comes another one...oooo!"

"Ok, I'll be over soon. You're still early yet. I'm sure you will have plenty of time."

"Thanks, I'll see you soon," Donna managed to say as she blew out a breath.

While Donna labored in the bathtub, Harvey had suddenly become an operator. Between Donna's phone where her sisters and parents had called and his phone wherein his mother called, he suddenly realized what an amazing job Donna had done when she manned the phones outside his office all those years. How do you do this and not piss anyone off?

"Is Donna ok? Where is she?" Lily asked Harvey over the phone.

"She's in the tub. We were thinking of a waterbirth, but Donna nixed it at the last minute. She just wants to rest her back while she's in early labor. We're expecting Carol here any minute to help her along with this."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. Donna didn't want me to film it and I agreed with her, but I am going to cut the cord, I think if my hands don't shake too much. Mom, I'm scared for her."

Lily smiled on the other side of the line.

"Harvey, I'll be there in 10 minutes. Don't worry. Donna's strong and in good health and she's had a pretty uneventful pregnancy. Women are built for this. Even one as old as Donna. I know that's what you're thinking."

Harvey, one of the most arrogant men in the world when it came to his own abilities, began to worry about having the baby at home without the equipment and personnel a hospital could afford. It was not that he did not trust Carol as Donna's midwife. She had all the credentials and had delivered hundreds of babies in her long career, but this was his wife and his child. He suddenly realized, not for the first time, in many of those court cases how parents felt when their own were in trouble.

Donna called him from the bathroom. He put the phone in the pocket of his sweat pants and ventured off to see what she needed.

Donna lie in bed with her knees up and separated pushing the baby out and screaming her pain because she was being stretched and it burned like hell. Donna was glad, though, that she had not asked for pain relief.

"This is why I'm having only one baby!" She screamed and then felt a great release. Donna looked down between her legs to where her sister, Carol, held the baby jerkily moving while she suctioned out the baby's nose and mouth. The baby cried loudly and lustily announcing its arrival into the world.

Both Donna and Harvey smiled from joy and relief to hear their baby cry.

"Does daddy want to come cut the chord?" Carol said as she had clamped it while the chord still quivered with life.

"Uh...sure. I think I can do this," Harvey said wiping a tear away. This had been, by far, the most emotional situation he had ever experienced. He would not have traded this feeling for anything in the world.

"Well, come over here, daddy. Here you go," Carol handed him the pair of curved scissors used to snip the umbilical chord.

"Ok, cut between these two clamps and then we'll get her cleaned up," Carol said watching Harvey as she held the baby.

"It's a girl, Donna," Harvey said.

"Yes, I got that. That's what we thought."

Harvey looked once at Donna who was sweaty and exhausted but pleased and proud to see Harvey want to cut the chord connecting their child to her.

Harvey took the scissors and placed it between the clamps as Carol had showed him.

"This is more difficult than it looks. There."

"You did it! I think he may have missed his calling," Carol joked as she placed the baby on Donna's chest and continued to rub her with the blankets. Donna had decided to give birth naked as she was so hot. The privacy of their bedroom with only her sister, the dula, her husband and herself afforded Donna the freedom that she would not have experienced in the hospital.

"Ok, Harvey, take your daughter while we get this placenta. Ok, Donna, honey, this will dispel but it may need a little help and I don't want to tear it out or you'll hemorrhage; so let's do this together.

Donna was hardly listening to her sister. She looked over at Harvey holding their daughter and realized that she had a new rival. One that she was so glad to have and one she thought she would never have.

Donna started to cry with joy while Carol massaged her uterus and encourage the placenta to deliver.

"Ah-choo!" Donna suddenly sneezed. She realized she was getting a little chilly. "I'm cold."

Harvey found the a clean sheet and pulled it up over his wife covering her shoulders and breasts.

"Is that helpful?" Harvey asked.

"Yes, thank you," Donna said wearily.

"Well, that did the trick. It's out. All's good here. I'll get you cleaned up and then you can get back in bed to nurse and rest."

Just as a now cleaned Donna was getting back into bed.

"Knock, knock," Lily said standing in the doorway of the bedroom. "We're back!"

Lily and the rest of the grandparents had traveled over to Harvey and Donna's house about 6:00 am to see what was happening. Donna had just gone into hard labor and she was progressing but Carol said they probably would not see anything for a few hours yet because Donna was still dilating but it was not far enough yet for them to sit around and do nothing but be bored. Besides Donna was specific that she wanted neither her mother nor Harvey's mother around until after the birth. She wanted the birth of their child to be almost as private as the conception had been. Carol smirked at that when Donna wrote it into her birth plan.

Just behind Lily was Bobby and then Roberta and James Paulsen behind them. It seemed all the grandparents arrived back simultaneously to see newborn Ariel Lily Specter.

Donna's mom had come into help both daughters. Roberta Paulsen frequently aided her midwife daughter, Carol, after a birth. So Roberta was very excited this time to help.

"Donna, she's beautiful. You can tell she's got the red hair."

"She was great, mom. I don't think I fared so well when I had my kids," Carol said proudly as she continued to put away the contents of her medical bags.

"Julia's the one who will really be tested when it's time. She can't stand to get a cut on her finger let alone stand the pain of having a baby without drugs," Donna said. Their younger sister, Julia, had never withstood too much pain without crying out her eyes and overreacting to anything resembling pain, blood, or both.

Donna blew out a breath. "Oh, I am so tired, but I am so happy. Did you see Harvey? He's forgotten all about me since he held Ariel."

Suddenly Harvey returned. He still had not relinquished custody of their daughter.

Roberta remarked, "Were your ears burning?"

"Why were you talking about me?" Harvey said as he just peered with standing tears in his eyes at his daughter. The child he and Donna created out of their love. He never felt so proud.

"Well, you're doing well, little sister. You can get out of bed, but if you start to bleed profusely go to the hospital. I'm going to pack up and get out of here and go home."

Carol looked at her watch. "Hey it's lunchtime! Maybe I can catch my hubby at home with the kids."

She came over to the bed and hugged and kissed her sister. Then she came over and looked at the chubby red haired baby and put an arm around Harvey and squeezed.

"She weighed in by the way at 9 lbs even," Carol said as she continued to gaze at the thick bush of red hair on little Ariel's head.

Then reacting to the fact that the baby was her niece and brand new to Harvey and her sister. She passed on a pearl of wisdom. "She'll make everything worth it, Harvey."

"I think she already did," Harvey said and handed little Ariel back to her mother who took her gratefully.

"Thank you, Carol, for everything," Harvey said and hugged his sister-in-law.

"You're very welcome. Just let me know when you're having the next one so we can do this again."

"Very funny," Donna said.

"Too soon?" Carol asked while Harvey and Donna burst into laughter waking little Ariel.