Hey everyone! Thank you all so very much for your reviews and adds, they really do mean the world to me and I love to know what you all think. Now, I know this chapter is a few days late, but that is because I've spent the last four days rewriting it. I had originally written it in first person, from Camilla's point of view, but since I personally have yet to have a child I was going from what my friends that have told me what it was like for them. I didn't like how it turned out, so, I scratched what I had and started over. I hope you like this chapter, and there will be more 'action' in the next chapter. I promise. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.
Chapter Seven
Camilla felt like her insides were being shredded into pieces every few minutes as contraction after contraction ripped through her body. Her room had been filled with tension for the last eight hours, mostly on the part of her mother who was not happy that Camilla had latched on to Paul' s hand and had yet to let go. Camilla knew that her mother had wanted to be at her side when the baby came, but right then Paul was the only thing keeping her from going insane from the pain and his very strong and hot hand massaging her back as the contractions worked through was a God send for her.
Paul was operating on instinct, trying to comfort Camilla as best he could. However, he found his task a little more difficult than normal since her mother was pacing on the other side of the room and glaring daggers at him when she wasn't checking on Camilla or asking Greta how Camilla was progressing. He knew that Teresa wasn't happy that he was there. In her eyes, he was just a guy that Camilla barely knew and he had no right to be there, sharing such a personal and life changing moment with Camilla. He understood why she felt the way she did, but he wasn't going anywhere and it was obvious to all of them that Camilla didn't want him to.
"Millie, sweetheart, are you sure you don't want an epidural?" Teresa asked her daughter, moving to stand at the other side of the bed. Camilla had flirted with the idea, but had opted out, worried about the side effects to the baby.
"I'm sure," Camilla breathed in response as her grip tightened on Paul's hand. "Rub my back, please," she said as she looked up at him and Paul's free left hand was instantly on the small of her back, his knuckles firmly but gently rubbing small circles like Greta had showed him. He wished there was more he could do for Camilla. She was in so much pain that it was killing him, and all he wanted to do was make it stop.
"How are we doing?" came Greta's voice but Camilla was too focused on the pain and Paul's hand to respond just then.
"Same as before," Paul answered for her, his voice rough as he continued to rub Camilla's back. Camilla let out a soft sigh as the pain slowly let up, however, she felt something pop before she suddenly wet the bed.
"Crap," Camilla said breathlessly as she looked at the nurse. "I think I just wet the bed." Greta checked her and shook her head.
"No, sweetie, your water just broke," Greta said. "You're going to have your baby."
"Is Dr. Frey here or on his way?" Teresa asked her eyes wide and Greta nodded.
"He's actually getting ready right now, so, we should get you situated, Camilla," Greta said and reluctantly Camilla let go of Paul's hand and allowed the nurse to help her get situated to deliver her baby into the world. "You've done really well, Camilla," Greta said quietly when she saw the young woman's slight fear and panic in her eyes while getting her ready. "It's been a very long time since I've seen a woman go about this without an epidural," she said. "I'm impressed."
"Don't be," Camilla breathed and Greta laughed lightly just as Dr. Frey walked into the room.
"Who's ready to have a baby?" he asked, a smile on his face as he fastened on his gloves and Camilla smiled at the older man who had been with her every step of the way during her pregnancy since she returned home.
"I don't know how ready I am, Dr. Frey, but he or she is more than ready," Camilla said, her voice shaking a bit. Dr. Frey chuckled and shook his head.
"I'm sure you'll be just fine," Dr. Frey said.
Once Greta had Camilla settled and everything at the ready for Dr. Frey who settled in between Camilla's legs, she gestured for Paul to return to Camilla's side. Paul didn't need to be told twice before he settled at Camilla's left side. Camilla looked up at Paul and took hold of his hand the second she was able to. He gave her a reassuring smile as he raised his left hand to her face and gently wiped her sweat soaked hair that was sticking to her face.
He said nothing, but to Camilla his brown eyes were warm and encouraging as he looked down at her. She squeezed his hand before Dr. Frey asked him to hold onto to Camilla's leg in order to help Camilla push. His left hand was settled on the back of her thigh, just below her knee and he swore his heart was going to pound of his chest as he followed Dr. Frey's orders. Teresa was on Camilla's right side, her stance mirroring Paul's with Greta settled beside her. Peter was standing back, watching everything unfold from where he stood beside the window. Part of him was thankful that Paul was there because he had almost fainted when Camilla had been born; he didn't want to chance doing the same when his grandchild came into the world.
"Okay, Camilla," Dr. Frey said as he fastened his mask on to his face and Camilla met his gaze as she could feel another contraction building. "Get ready to push," he said and Camilla nodded. "Push Camilla," he ordered and Camilla bore down, the pain coming full on, but she concentrated on what she was doing and Greta's voice counting down from ten. "The baby's already starting to crown, Camilla," Dr. Frey said as she collapsed back against the bed, breathing heavily and a few tears rolling down her cheeks thanks to the pain. "I need you to push again," he said and Camilla weakly nodded before she did as the doctor said, holding tight to Paul and Teresa's hands as she did so.
A scream ripped from Camilla's throat as she collapsed back against the bed once again. She felt like she was being ripped open, and breathlessly she was wondering what in the hell she was thinking to forgo the epidural.
"Your baby's head is out, Camilla, I need you to keep going," Dr. Frey said and Camilla was panting as she tried to catch her breath. She wasn't sure if she could go on. "I need you to push," he said.
"I don't know if I can," she said, closing her eyes. She'd only pushed a few times but the long day spent suffering through contractions and pain had caught up with her.
"Come on, Camilla," came a whispered deep voice and she opened her eyes and turned her head slightly to the left. "You're almost there," Paul said as he looked down at her. "A few more pushes and you'll be holding your baby. Who has a mass of dark hair by the way." He grinned and squeezed her hand. "You can do this." As she held his gaze she found the strength to go on. Nodding her head once again she looked at Dr. Frey.
"Push, Camilla," he ordered and Camilla bore down once more, screaming again from the pain before relief coursed through her and the people in the room cheered. "You've got a little girl, Camilla," Dr. Frey said happily before the cry of the newborn baby echoed throughout the room.
Camilla laughed in relief as she opened her eyes and Dr. Frey put the crying baby on her stomach/chest before Greta began wiping the baby down. Camilla felt tears line her eyes as she let go of her mother's hand and ran her shaking finger down her baby's cheek, a small sob escaping her lips as she looked down at what she swore was the most beautiful baby she had ever seen.
"Greta's going to take her and get her cleaned up, Camilla, while I take care of you," he said and Camilla nodded her head as she continued to quietly cry tears of happiness. Dr. Frey cut the baby's cord and Greta took the little girl over to baby station to finish taking care of her.
"Oh, Millie, she's beautiful," Teresa said, tears in her eyes as she looked over at her granddaughter. Teresa leaned down and kissed Camilla's head before she moved over to stand with her husband who had taken perch next to the station where Greta was cleaning up their granddaughter and along with weighing and measuring her. Camilla smiled before she turned her tired eyes up to Paul who was beaming as he looked down at her.
"Thank you for staying," she said as she looked up at him. Part of her knew she should have been embarrassed that Paul had seen far more of her than he probably even wanted to, but it didn't seem to faze him in the least bit. The way he was looking at her only gave her a sense of comfort and it was obvious, at least in her mind, that he was proud of her.
"Thank you for letting me be here, Camilla. I've never seen anything more amazing," he said quietly and she could see the honesty in his eyes as he transferred her hand from his right to his left before he pushed her hair from her forehead once again and kissed her sweat covered skin. She weakly smiled up at him as he ran his hand over the top of her head before he wiped at the tears on her cheeks. She didn't have the courage to tell him that if he hadn't been there, she wasn't sure she would have managed as well as she had.
"Seven pounds and nine ounces," Greta said announcing how much the baby weighed and Camilla laughed quietly as she continued to smile up at Paul who grinned as he looked down at her, his hand still lingering on her cheek.
"What's her name?" Dr. Frey asked, drawing Camilla's eyes from Paul and Paul withdrew his hand from her face. Camilla laughed quietly when she saw just about everyone looking at her with curious expressions on their faces. She hadn't told anyone of the names she had planned out for either a boy or a girl, but she had decided on her baby's name a long time ago and knew exactly what her little girl's name was.
"Avery Jade," Camilla said as Greta brought over her tightly wrapped little girl with a small pink hat on her head covering the mass of dark hair on her head. "Her name is Avery Jade," Camilla said softly as she looked down at her baby, tears once again lining her eyes.
The following afternoon, Camilla's hospital room was filled with her friends and each of them had brought presents, balloons, and flowers. Sam and Jared had accompanied their better halves and Paul had come back, surprising Camilla since he had left the hospital well after midnight and when he had sauntered in with the others it was barely past nine in the morning. However, Camilla wasn't about to complain especially since he had perched himself on the side of her bed for a good long while.
The boys had gone off in search of food given that it was a little past the lunch hour and they were apparently starving, leaving Emily, Kim, and Camilla alone with a completely placated and cooing Avery who was currently being swaddled and doted on by a smiling Emily. Camilla knew her parents would be coming later in the afternoon, and she hoped that if Paul stuck around that her mother wouldn't give him the cold shoulder like she had the day before.
"I don't think I have ever seen a more beautiful baby," Emily said as she gently rocked Avery in her arms as she stood beside Camilla's bedside. Camilla laughed quietly as she brushed her hair from her eyes.
"Wait until your baby comes," Camilla said and Emily looked at her. "I'm sure you'll find him or her more beautiful than mine." Emily smiled as she shook her head and looked back down at Avery.
"How much did she way again?" Emily asked.
"Seven pounds nine ounces and she's nineteen inches long," Camilla said proudly.
"She looks just like you, Camilla," Kim said as she moved to stand beside Emily and peered down at the little baby.
"That's what everyone keeps saying, but I don't see it," Camilla said. "She's too pretty to look like me." Her words caused both women to roll their eyes, which made Camilla smile as she looked at her daughter in Emily's arms.
"If she would have been a boy, what would you have named him?" Emily asked and Camilla laughed as she shook her head.
"Oh, no, I'm not going to give you any ideas," Camilla said and Emily laughed as she looked up from the little girl in her arms and at Camilla who was smiling at her friend.
"It was worth a shot," Emily said with a grin and Camilla chuckled.
Paul sat in his truck and took a deep breath before he adjusted his grip on the steering wheel as he sat parked in the small lot beside Camilla's mother's bakery. He'd parted ways with Sam and Jared at the diner after grabbing a bite to eat and decided that he needed to talk to Teresa. He needed to tell the woman where he stood when it came to Camilla, because after he thought about everything from Teresa's perspective he realized just why Teresa wasn't his number one fan. He was invading on her territory, and given what Camilla had been through with her ex and the rough year she'd had Teresa was a mother bear protecting her cub.
Paul rolled his eyes at himself before he shook his head. He was a freaking shape shifter and took down vampires without so much as blinking an eye when one crossed onto the reservation. They didn't scare him, so, how in the hell could a forty something year old woman scare him shitless? He had no idea, but it ended then. Taking another deep breath, Paul climbed from his truck and slowly made his way inside the bakery.
The second he stepped inside the bakery, his senses were assaulted with the delicious smells of all the desserts and breads Teresa and her bakers created. He wasn't expecting Teresa to behind the register and he swallowed hard as he watched her handle the customer with a smile on her face, gushing about her newborn granddaughter when the older woman asked about Camilla. He stood back, waiting until the older woman left and Teresa turned her eyes to him. The smile left Camilla's mother's face as she looked at him before she sighed quietly.
"Hello Paul," she said and Paul forced a smile.
"Afternoon Mrs. Monroe," he said and Teresa tossed a few wayward strands of her graying dark hair from her eyes.
"What can I do for you?" she asked.
"I was actually hoping to talk to you," Paul said evenly as he rested his hands on the counter. "Do you have a few minutes?" Teresa sighed quietly once again before she nodded and walked to the back door before pushing it open.
"Can one of you come up to the register for a few minutes?" Teresa said and a middle aged blonde woman came bounding out from the back, her dark green apron littered with flour before she unwrapped it from her body. "I'll be back in a few minutes," Teresa said and the woman nodded before Teresa walked around the counter and grabbed her jacket from the stand near the door. Paul followed her outside, taking yet another deep breath. "What do you want?" she asked once the two of them had reached the small parking lot and stood near where Paul had parked his truck.
"I know you don't like me, Mrs. Monroe," Paul said, "and I can understand why you don't like me; but I will tell you this right now, I'm nothing like Travis." Teresa raised an eyebrow as she uncrossed her arms from her chest and looked up at him. "I care about her, Mrs. Monroe, and I want nothing more than to see her happy."
"Why?" Teresa asked and Paul frowned. For some reason, he hadn't been expecting her to ask him that. "Why do you seem to care so much about my daughter?"
"Because she's an amazing young woman," Paul said evenly and Teresa's eyes narrowed.
"You barely know her, and just because she got herself pregnant, doesn't mean that she's an easy score." Paul's face flushed in anger at Teresa's assumption of him. If all he wanted was sex, he'd have no problem getting it and he was tempted to tell Teresa just that. However, he knew that probably wouldn't win him any brownie points with the woman.
"I know, and that's not what I'm looking for, Mrs. Monroe," Paul said as he did his best to keep his temper in check, but his hands were shaking a bit, which made him tuck them into the pockets of his jeans. Since meeting Camilla it had been easier, but he still had a little trouble keeping his cool when things really got to him.
"What are you looking for then, Paul?" she asked, her arms crossing over her chests.
"Like I said, I just want Camilla to be happy and whatever role she wants me to play in her life, I'll be happy with that," Paul said and Teresa raised an eyebrow once again.
"So, if she wants nothing more than friendship with you, you won't pressure her for anything more? You won't take advantage of her?" Teresa asked and Paul shook his head negatively.
"No, never," Paul said as he met Teresa's eyes evenly. Teresa, surprised by the sincerity and honesty she saw in his eyes, believed him and really didn't know what to make of the young man standing in front of her. He certainly wasn't anything like she thought him to be, and she realized then that her opinion of the young man had been skewed by her need to protect her daughter.
"I believe you," she said quietly and Paul let out a soft sigh a relief.
"You know, not all twenty-something guys nowadays are like Travis, Mrs. Monroe, and I know that I'm absolutely nothing like the asshole," Paul said and Teresa had to fight a smile from coming to her lips. "So, unless Camilla wants me to leave, I'm not going anywhere."
"I doubt that will happen anytime soon," Teresa said quietly and Paul raised an eyebrow, curious as to what she meant, but Teresa didn't elaborate. "Well, thank you for stopping by to talk to me, and, Paul, I'm sorry for how I treated you yesterday," she said.
"It's okay, Mrs. Monroe. I understand," Paul said as he shook his head and took his hands out of his pockets. Teresa smiled at him before she turned to head back into the bakery, but Paul followed after her. Once inside, Teresa looked at him curiously. "I, um, want to bring Camilla a piece of your chocolate fudge cake. It's her favorite and I figure she could use a treat after yesterday," he said and Teresa paused as she unzipped her jacket.
"That she could," Teresa said, a full on smile coming to her face as she finished taking off her jacket and walked behind the counter. She really did have the boy all wrong, and maybe he was just what Camilla needed.
The alarm resting on the tray beside Camilla's bed sounded and Camilla quickly snoozed the beeping alarm before she looked at Emily, who was still holding on to Avery. "Would you guys be disgusted if I fed Avery?" Camilla asked and the two women shook their heads negatively before Emily handed the baby over to her mother.
"What's with the alarm?" Kim asked as Camilla tucked Avery into her the crook of her left arm as she grabbed the receiving blanket from the side of the bed and draped it over her shoulder and made a small tent over her arm and Avery.
"It's to help remind me to feed her every three hours," she said before she looked down at her daughter. She unfastened the front of her hospital robe and turned her daughter's face to her breast as the nurse had taught her. Avery had no problem latching on and began suckling the moment Camilla's nipple was in her mouth. Camilla made a face at the uncomfortable sensation before she fixed the blanket once more and looked at her friends.
"Does it hurt?" Emily asked taking in Camilla's expression and Camilla shrugged her right shoulder.
"A little, but it's more uncomfortable than anything else and is going to take some getting used to," Camilla said as she looked down at Avery who was still happily suckling away.
"Hey," a deep voice called before the curtain by the door was pushed open and Sam, Jared, and Paul all walked into the room. "We brought you girls something to eat," Sam said only to stop short when he looked at Camilla. "Oh, sorry," he said as he turned to look at his wife and Kim, Emily, and Camilla laughed quietly.
"She's covered, Sam," Emily said and Camilla nodded her head as she looked at Jared and Paul. Jared was blushing as he smiled at her and Camilla smiled at him in return before her eyes went to Paul. He grinned as he looked at her and for some reason, Camilla blushed as her green eyes met his brown and he walked over to her bedside.
"I brought you a treat," he said as he held up a white plastic bag for her to see.
"What is it?" Camilla asked curiously, her cheeks still pink, which made Paul's grin morph into a warm smile.
"A piece of chocolate fudge cake from your mother's bakery," Paul said and Camilla blinked as she looked up at him. She'd told him of her favorite treat at her mother's bakery a few days into their budding friendship, and in all honesty she was surprised. Plus, in order for him to get it that meant that he went to her mother's bakery where Camilla knew her mother was working.
"You . . . you went to my mom's bakery?" she asked and he nodded.
"Yeah," he said softly as sat the bag on the tray table that was resting beside her bed and holding her picture of ice water and cup. "I thought it would be best to stop by and try and smooth things over with her."
"Did it work?" Camilla asked with a smile and Paul grinned.
"Surprisingly, yeah," he said and Camilla laughed quietly before he reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear, his thumb lingering on her cheek and making butterflies erupt in her stomach. She blushed once again as she looked up at him, but his hand didn't leave her face as he smiled at her and Camilla couldn't help but smile in return.