A couple days later, Troy came home from visiting his parents and talking to the nurse and physical therapist about his mother's improvement. He sighed as he closed the door behind him. Troy leaned his back against the front door and closed his eyes. Gabriella was walking by the front door but backtracked when she saw Troy standing there.
"Babe, are you okay?" Gabriella asked.
"She's fighting with everyone" Troy said.
"She's a strong lady. Why is she fighting with everyone?" Gabriella asked walking closer to him.
"If you don't do it her way, she gets upset" Troy said.
"Troy, she's frustrated. She doesn't mean anything she says" Gabriella said.
"Yeah, but it's just crazy to think that a year ago, everything was normal" Troy said.
"Well, she's working on getting better. She's tired and wants to see improvement like you" Gabriella said putting her hand on Troy's face.
"I know. Maybe it's just me that is the frustrated one in this" Troy said.
"Well, maybe you need a break. I was thinking that it was such a nice day that the kids could go swimming and maybe you could teach Logan how to swim. What do you think?" Gabriella asked.
"Are you going swimming?" Troy asked.
Gabriella shook her head.
"I don't want to risk anything. But to get your mind off mom and everything that is going on, that is what I came up with" Gabriella said.
Troy nodded. Gabriella went upstairs and got the kids dressed in their swimsuits and they all walked into the backyard. Troy and Gabriella helped them put their floaties on. Troy got into the pool first and opened his arms. Gabriella helped Logan get into the pool and Troy took him into arms. Grace, who already knew how to swim got in and started swimming. Gabriella sat on the edge and put her feet in.
"Daddy, I don't like it" Logan said.
"Logan, it's fun though. Look at Grace. See, she's having fun" Troy said still holding onto his son.
"I'm scared" Logan said.
"I got you. Don't worry buddy" Troy said.
Troy taught Logan how to swim and swam with him and Grace. Gabriella had been right about swimming with the kids would make Troy relax. A couple hours later, Grace and Logan were taking their afternoon nap. Gabriella was lying on the couch. Troy walked into the living room and smiled.
"Feeling okay?" Troy asked.
"She's kicking my bladder" Gabriella said putting her hand on her bump.
Troy smiled slightly.
"When's your next appointment?" Troy asked.
"Next week. I can't believe there's only a month and a half left until she comes" Gabriella said.
"I know. I can't wait to meet her" Troy said sitting down and putting Gabriella's feet in his lap.
"Me too. I'm still scared, but I'm trying not to think about it" Gabriella said.
"I'll be with you the whole time. Everyone there is only there to help you get through it. We'll see what happens" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. A couple weeks later, Gabriella was eight months pregnant. Dr. Brand had said the baby was healthy and very active. The couple had settled on a name for her. They were going to name her Emma, like Grace wanted. Troy was slowing down with work so that he could be home if something happened. One night, Troy moved his arm in his sleep so that it was on Gabriella's side. But not feeling Gabriella's body next to him, woke him. Troy looked around the room sleepily. He got up and walked over to the bathroom and saw the light shining from under the door. Troy knocked on the door and wiped the sleep from his eyes.
"Brie, are you okay in there?" Troy asked.
"My body aches so I wanted to take a bath" Gabriella said through the door.
"Is it your back babe?" Troy asked leaning against the doorframe of the closed bathroom door.
Troy didn't want to walk in without permission from his wife because he didn't want her to feel like she had to expose herself to him.
"My lower back" Gabriella said.
"That's all?" Troy asked.
"She's been kicking hard too. You can come in if you want" Gabriella said.
Troy poked his head in and smiled sympathetically. He walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.
"She wants to bother me until I go into labor" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled.
"She just wants to remind you that she's there" Troy said.
"Yeah" Gabriella said.
"Something else is bothering you" Troy said.
Gabriella tried to hide the nervous look on her face.
"Baby, talk to me" Troy said.
"Just thinking" Gabriella said.
"About what sweetie?" Troy asked put his hand on top of her wet one.
"About the c-section. It sounds stupid to-" Gabriella started.
"Brie, you being scared of having someone cut you open so that a doctor can take a baby out of you isn't stupid. Nothing you feel is stupid. You are scared and that's normal and completely okay. I'm scared too. But, you know what's making me not scared?" Troy asked.
"No" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled slightly.
"Being able to see Emma for the first time and waiting so long for her to come. She's going to be our miracle baby. Whenever I get scared, I always think of who and what she will look like or how happy we all will be when she is here safe and sound" Troy said.
Tears ran down Gabriella's cheeks.
"There was always a part of me that thought we wouldn't get pregnant after the miscarriage, but we did. She really is our miracle baby" Gabriella said.
Troy nodded and wiped the tears that were running down her cheeks.
"That's what is getting me through it. She's healthy and that's all that matters" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"Just picture holding her and that will not make you scared, but ready for her to come" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"Thanks babe" Gabriella mumbled.
Troy smiled.
"If you are scared, I want you to talk to me Brie. I don't want you to hold it in because you think I wil freak out or get upset. Don't worry about that" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed her forehead softly. Gabriella put her hands on Troy's face and moved it down to her level and kissed his lips.
"Are you ready to get out?" Troy asked.
Gabriella nodded. Troy helped Gabriella get out of the tub. Gabriella got dressed and came out of the bathroom. The couple got back into bed. Gabriella was snuggled as close as she could get.
"Wake me up if you need me okay?" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"I love you" Gabriella said.
"I love you too baby. Get some sleep" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. A couple days later, Troy had finished painting Emma's room and had moved all of the furniture that Gabriella had picked out in.
"Brie, do you want to see it?" Troy asked.
"Yeah" Gabriella said from the master bedroom.
Gabriella walked down the hall to Emma's room, which originally was Troy's home office. She looked into the room and smiled.
"I love it" Gabriella said wrapping her arms around Troy to the best of her ability because of her expanding bump.
Troy smiled. He put his arm around Gabriella's shoulder and kissed her cheek.
"It's perfect. Thank you baby" Gabriella said.
"No problem. Now, all that we need is a baby" Troy said putting his hand on his wife's stomach and feeling his daughter kick.
"Well, you will have to have a discussion with your daughter about that" Gabriella joked.
Troy smiled.
"Not for a couple more weeks. We don't want her to come too early" Troy said.
"Yeah but at the same time, I want her out" Gabriella said.
"I know. Just keep her in there for a little longer" Troy said.
Logan walked into the room and looked around.
"Mommy, is this baby sister's room?" Logan asked.
"Yeah baby. Are you excited for her to come?" Gabriella asked.
Logan nodded. He couldn't wait to be a big brother and was already making plans of what he was going to teach his little sister. That night, Gabriella was sitting in the living room with a blanket covering her. The baby decided to make her the most uncomfortable that she had been the whole pregnancy. She heard footsteps and then felt a kiss on her forehead. Gabriella opened her eyes and smiled.
"What are you doing down here this late baby?" Troy asked softly.
"I'm just uncomfortable" Gabriella said putting her hand on her bump.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Troy asked.
"I didn't want to. You worked on Emma's room all day and need sleep" Gabriella said.
"You need sleep more than I do and you shouldn't be worrying about me. What hurts?" Troy asked.
"Everything" Gabriella said.
"Cramps or pain?" Troy asked.
"A mixture of both" Gabriella said.
"Where?" Troy asked.
"My whole body" Gabriella said.
Troy nodded.
"I'm tired of taking baths every night. So that's why I'm down here" Gabriella said.
Troy sat down next to Gabriella, who snuggled into her husband's chest.
"Do I need to call Dr. Brand?" Troy asked.
Gabriella shook her head.
"Are you sure babe?" Troy asked putting his hand on the small of her back.
Gabriella nodded.
"Just sit here with me" Gabriella said.
"If it doesn't get better in the next hour, I'm calling" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. An hour later, Gabriella had gone to the bathroom. Troy was downstairs waiting for her to come back down. He heard footsteps coming closer to the living room. Gabriella came into the room with her hand on her bump.
"Troy?" Gabriella said.
Troy looked at Gabriella.
"You okay?" Troy asked.
"You better take a shower and call Chad and Tay" Gabriella said.
"What's wrong, Brie?" Troy asked concerned.
"My water broke" Gabriella said.
"But, you are only eight months" Troy said.
"I don't think she cares" Gabriella said.
"Okay. Let me call Chad first. Sit down and relax" Troy said.
Gabriella sat down on the couch. He called Chad, who came over immediately so that he could stay with Grace and Logan. Troy took a shower and picked up Gabriella's hospital bag and went downstairs to the living room.
"Thanks for doing this, Chad" Troy said.
"No problem. Now go have your third child" Chad said patting his best friend on the back.
Troy turned to Gabriella, who was breathing through a contraction. He kneeled in front of her and offered her his hand. Gabriella took his hand gratefully. Once it ended, Troy smiled.
"You ready to go have a baby?" Troy asked.
Gabriella nodded with tears in her eyes.
"Okay, let's get you to the hospital sweetheart" Troy said.
Troy and Chad helped Gabriella stand up and walk to the front door. The couple left the house. Once in the car, Troy looked at Gabriella.
"How are you feeling baby?" Troy asked.
"Like I'm in labor" Gabriella said.
"Stupid question" Troy mumbled.
Troy drove to the hospital and parked his car. Nurses came with a wheelchair and helped Gabriella sit down. They wheeled her up to a hospital room, while Troy filled out forms. After Troy finished, he was brought up to Gabriella's room. He smiled sympathetically when he saw her laying on her side, breathing through a contraction. Troy quickly sat down in the chair that was next to the hospital bed and took Gabriella's hand in his own. He could feel her relax as soon as he took her hand.
"I'm here. You are doing great, honey" Troy said.
After it ended, Gabriella relaxed against the bed. She was already in a hospital gown and hooked up to a fetal monitor.
"It's going faster than I remember it" Gabriella said.
Troy smiled.
"A little bit. I left a message for mom while I was filling out your forms" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded.
"Thank you" Gabriella said.
Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly.
"I'm right here okay?" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded nervously. There was a knock on the door and a nurse, who had dark hair that was pulled up into a ponytail and was petite came into the room.
"Hi Gabriella, I'm Annie and I will be your nurse" Annie said.
"Hi" Gabriella said.
"I need to check you and I will call Dr. Brand for you" Annie said.
Gabriella nodded. She spread her legs apart and closed her eyes.
"Wait…" Gabriella said.
Troy looked at Gabriella, whose forehead creased and her grip on his hand increased. Gabriella started breathing through the contraction.
"Just breathe baby" Troy said.
Gabriella breathed through the contraction and sighed after it ended.
"It's done?" Troy asked.
Gabriella nodded. Annie checked Gabriella and wrote notes in her chart. She looked at the couple and smiled.
"You are at a three right now. I will call Dr. Brand and she will be arriving shortly" Annie said.
Gabriella nodded. Annie left the hospital room. Gabriella turned onto her side again and squeezed Troy's hand. Troy smoothed back Gabriella's hair and kissed her forehead.
"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.
"Pain" Gabriella mumbled.
"You can always get the epidural, Brie" Troy said.
Gabriella shook her head tiredly. An hour later, Dr. Brand had come in and smiled at the couple.
"Hi Gabi, are you ready?" Dr. Brand asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be" Gabriella said.
"I'm just going to check you and see if you have progressed okay?" Dr. Brand said.
Gabriella nodded. She spread her legs apart and gripped Troy's hand. Dr. Brand checked Gabriella and looked up and smiled.
"You are still at three, honey. Once you get to five, I am going to do an ultrasound just to check and see if she flipped or not. She may have surprised us" Dr. Brand said.
"Okay" Gabriella said.
"Hang in there. If you want an epidural, page Annie" Dr. Brand said.
Gabriella nodded. As soon as Dr. Brand left, Gabriella moaned.
"It's okay sweetheart. Just breathe" Troy said.
Gabriella breathed through the contraction and relaxed once it ended.
"It hurts more than Grace and Logan combined" Gabriella said.
"But you are doing it without even a bead of sweat on your face. I think that is pretty good" Troy said.
"I just want her out" Gabriella said.
"I know you do baby" Troy said.
"The ultrasound will be the determining factor whether I have a c-section or not" Gabriella said.
"How do you know that?" Troy asked placing his hand on top of her bump.
"I looked it up a couple weeks ago" Gabriella said.
"We'll see what happens. Just focus on the contractions and nothing else right now okay?" Troy said.
Gabriella nodded. Hours passed and Gabriella was feeling more and more pain. Dr. Brand had done an ultrasound and saw that the baby was still in the same position. Gabriella didn't even react to it. She could feel what was coming. Troy held Gabriella's hand as she breathed through another contraction. After it ended, she choked out a sob.
"Hey, hey, hey. Don't cry baby. It's okay. You are doing so good" Troy said.
"It hurts and I'm scared" Gabriella said.
"I know. But, everything will turn out okay" Troy said.
"Turn isn't the word choice I would have used" Gabriella said.
"You know what I mean. I love you and our baby girl is going to be here soon" Troy said.
Gabriella smiled and nodded. A couple hours later, Annie came back into the hospital room and smiled.
"Gabriella, I'm just going to check you again okay?" Annie said.
Gabriella nodded. Annie lifted the sheet that was covering Gabriella's legs and examined her. She wrote notes in her chart.
"You are at a five. I am going to get Dr. Brand because your chart says that she wants to do an ultrasound once you hit five" Annie said.
The couple nodded. Twenty minutes later, Dr. Brand came into the room and smiled.
"How are you feeling, Gabi?" Dr. Brand asked.
"Pain. I think she is more painful than Grace and Logan combined" Gabriella said.
"You always have the option of the epidural. I'm going to do an ultrasound and we'll see how the baby is doing and if we need to do a c-section or not" Dr. Brand explained.
The couple nodded. Dr. Brand moved Gabriella's gown up and let the ultrasound heat up. Once it heated, Dr. Brand took a bottle of gel and squeezed some of the product onto Gabriella's bump and started moving it around with a wand. She and the couple looked at the monitor. Dr. Brand looked closely at the monitor and pointed.
"There's your baby girl" Dr. Brand said.
The couple smiled. Dr. Brand moved the wand around and stopped. She typed in something and clicked something on the monitor. Dr. Brand sighed.
"Gabi" Dr. Brand said.
Gabriella's eyes filled with tears.
"What's wrong?" Gabriella asked.
"The cord is wrapped around her neck" Dr. Brand said.
"What does that mean?" Troy asked.
"It means that we need to do a c-section as soon as possible" Dr. Brand said.
"No" Gabriella cried.
Troy's eyes softened.
"Babe, it's going to be okay. I know you are scared" Troy said softly.
"Troy" Gabriella cried.
Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek and then her forehead.
"When do we do it?" Troy asked.
"We will wheel her to the OR right now. You need to get dressed into scrubs. Annie will help direct you to where you need to be" Dr. Brand said.
"I want him to come with me" Gabriella cried.
"Gabi, listen to me. Troy will be there with you. We need to prep you and he needs to change into scrubs and he will be right there after that okay? Don't worry" Dr. Brand said.
Troy smiled sympathetically. Dr. Brand and a couple other nurses unlocked the hospital bed. Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella's lips.
"I'll be there soon, baby. I promise. Be brave. I love you" Troy whispered into her ear.
"Hurry" Gabriella whispered through her tears.
Troy nodded. Gabriella was wheeled out of the room and Troy was taken to go change. Twenty minutes later, Troy's face was light pink from the tears that had run down his face. He took a deep breath and tried to compose himself. Annie came into the changing room.
"Troy? We are ready for you" Annie said.
Troy nodded. Annie and Troy walked into the OR. Troy's heart was pounding so fast he thought he was going to have a heart attack. His heart calmed down when he saw Gabriella's face. Annie pulled out a chair for him and Troy sat at Gabriella's head. There was a sheet set up so that they couldn't see what was going on. Troy kissed Gabriella's lips.
"I love you" Troy said.
"I love you too" Gabriella said tearfully.
"You feeling okay?" Troy asked.
"She numbed me from the neck down and I feel kind of sleepy" Gabriella said.
Troy kissed Gabriella's forehead.
"I'm glad that you were allowed in here with me" Gabriella said.
"Me too sweetheart. Even if I wasn't allowed to be, I would have fought with everyone to do so" Troy said.
"Gabriella, we are going to start okay? You are going to feel some pressure" Dr. Brand said from over the sheet.
Troy took Gabriella's hand in his own.
"You ready to be a mommy for the third time?" Troy asked.
Gabriella's eyes filled with tears and nodded. She groaned and took deep breath.
"Just breathe through it, babe. You are doing so good" Troy said smoothing her hair back.
Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.
"I'm getting really sleepy, Troy" Gabriella said.
Troy looked at the nurse, who smiled.
"It's normal, Troy. Don't worry. It's the sedative" Annie said.
Troy nodded.
"It's okay baby. You are doing great" Troy said kissing Gabriella's head.
Gabriella closed her eyes and her brow creased.
"Pressure" Gabriella mumbled.
A half hour later, Gabriella was in and out of sleep.
"Okay Gabriella, you ready to meet your baby girl?" Dr. Brand asked.
Gabriella's eyes shot up and stayed that way.
"Yes" Gabriella said faintly.
Troy smiled. A couple minutes later, a cry was heard. Gabriella started sobbing. Troy had tears running down his face. He looked down at Gabriella and smiled.
"I love you baby" Troy said.
"I love you too" Gabriella said.
Then everything went black.
