25th May 2013. Penultimate proper chapter... so the action and drama really begins now... Are you worried? :-)
Enjoy!
Chapter 64.
The doctor walked back in the room and found Joey sitting in the pool (in his T-shirt and some shorts, just in case you're interested). Lauren was sitting on the edge of the bed and the doctor could see she had a towel wrapped around her body. "Is this okay?" she asked in a whisper.
"It's fine, Lauren. Whatever you're comfortable with. The three of us won't be disturbed, unless I need medical assistance."
"Okay." She was helped to the side of the pool by the doctor. "How's the water, baby?" she asked Joey.
"Nice and warm," he told her. He got to his feet and moved to where she was standing, "You coming in?" He helped her climb in, the doctor taking the towel from her. Finally she was in the water and she stood before her husband. "Do you know how beautiful you look, baby girl?" he said to her softly. He pushed her hair behind her ear and kissed her tenderly.
"Stop trying to charm me, Joe. I'm not having sex with you." She smirked at him. "I may never have sex with you again..."
"Never say never, baby girl." He smiled at her and winked, making her giggle. "What do you want to do now?" he asked her.
"Can you hold me in your arms?" she asked him, tilting her head to one side and looking at him, almost shyly.
He moved back to where he'd been sitting before, holding his hand out towards her, "Come here."
She smiled and walked to him, turning carefully and sitting between his legs; Joey helping her move without slipping. "You always know the right thing to say, Joe."
"It's a gift, baby." He told her as his arms wrapped around her naked body. Lauren leant back against his chest. "I love you..." he whispered into her hair. She tensed in his arms and moaned softly. Joey brushed his hand over bump, his other hand pressing the base of her back. He whispered to her as the contraction continued. This was a long one and he could tell from the tension in her body that it was more painful than the rest had been. "Well done, baby." He whispered, still brushing his hand over her back as it ended.
Once it was over the doctor spoke from the side of the room where she was sitting quietly. "Do you want any pain relief yet, Lauren? You just need to ask if you do."
"I'm fine..." Lauren told her. Time passed slowly. The contractions were now about six minutes apart and gradually getting stronger. Every now and again the doctor would take Lauren's temperature, pulse and blood pressure. "I need to move," Lauren whispered about an hour and a half after getting in the pool.
"How can I help?" Joey asked.
"My back's hurting… I need to move." She said, not really answering his question.
"Why don't you try kneeling, Lauren?" the doctor suggested.
"Sounds good." She said.
"Can I examine you first?" Lauren nodded. A couple of minutes later the doctor spoke again, "7cms, Lauren. You're really progressing now…"
Lauren glanced at the time, "You're going to be right again… it is going to be tomorrow morning." It was nearly eleven o'clock now.
"You still want to move?" Joey asked her. She nodded and he shifted his hands up under her armpits, brushing the side of her breasts. "Joe…" she moaned, her head dropping forward and her cheeks flushing.
"Sorry…" he whispered but she could hear the smile in his voice. He helped her to her knees and she turned so she was now facing him, putting her arms around his neck and leaning her head against his chest. "Like this view too, baby girl." He told her again with a smile. Her hand slapped the back of his head but it was halfhearted at best and her slight chuckle definitely proved she didn't mean it.
A minute or two later she moved one hand to his thigh, the one at his neck clutching his T-shirt. His hands grasped her hips, helping her rock slightly. This lasted a while and Lauren buried her face in his neck, inhaling his scent. She slipped her hand under his T-shirt and brushed her hand across his taut stomach. She leant into him and felt him kiss her head. "Do you know how much I love you, Joe?" she whispered to him.
"I hope it's as much as I love you, baby."
"I think it might be more." She said, smiling against his skin.
*JL*JL*
By one o'clock in the morning Lauren's contractions were only about four minutes apart and she was 9.5cms dilated. The doctor took her temperature, frowning when she saw the reading, "How are you feeling, Lauren?"
"A bit cold…" she murmured, her head resting on her arms as she leant on the side of the pool. Joey was kneeling beside her, his arm around her shoulders.
"Do you want to get out of the pool now?" the doctor asked. Lauren had said about an hour ago that she didn't want to have the baby in the pool; she wanted to have it on the bed. It was a deviation from the plan she'd made but it was her only major one so far.
"I do…" she said, looking at Joey. He frowned when he saw tears on her face. "I'm not sure I can do this, Joe. I'm so tired…"
"I know baby but you're so nearly there… and I'm with you every step of the way." He kissed her shoulder and got to his feet. "Come on, babe, let's get you warm again." He helped her climb over the side of the pool, her movements much slower this time and he could tell she was in more pain. The doctor wrapped a towel around her and Joey scrambled out of the pool, quickly drying himself enough to put on the gown she'd been wearing earlier and his jogging bottoms. "Do you want your T-shirt back on or to stay as you are?" He asked her softly.
"T-shirt…" she whispered. Her hands gripped his arms as another contraction ebbed through her. She breathed deeply, inhaling and exhaling slowly. Her breathing technique seemed to be working for her so far. He pulled her against his chest, brushing his fingers through her slightly damp hair. When she relaxed again he stepped away from her to retrieve the T-shirt and eased it onto her body. She moved to the bed and leant on it, a second contraction coming quickly.
"Up on the bed, Lauren." The doctor said when she relaxed. When she was lying back down the doctor examined her. "You're fully dilated, Lauren… You're now in the transition phase of labour. The contractions will speed up and become more intense. It probably won't be long until you feel the need to start pushing."
"Nearly there, baby girl."
Tears were running down her face now as she looked up at Joey, "Want mum..." she whispered.
"I'll go and get her, Lauren." The doctor said, "And give them an update." She left the room.
"You can do this, baby... I know you can. We're so close now." He whispered to her. He brushed away her tears and kissed her lips. She groaned as yet another contraction pulsed through her. Lauren gasped at the intensity of it. "It's okay... just breathe, baby." He reminded her. She did as he said but each breath was a little too fast and were just leading to her starting to hyperventilate. "Slow breaths, babe. Nice and slow... can you do that?" He brushed her hair back from her face and he saw the determination that was there. For the first time in a couple of hours his beautiful confident baby girl was back.
The door opened and Tanya walked in with the doctor. She stopped Tanya from approaching Lauren, letting Joey handle the situation. "Wow... that was strong." Lauren finally whispered. She glanced towards the door and smiled softly at her mum. "Mum..." she said, holding her hand out towards her.
"How are you doing, sweetheart?" she asked as she stepped forward.
"Feel like my body is being torn in two..." she said, a broad grin on her face. "Bump's nearly here mum. I'm going to be a mummy."
"That you are, darling."
"Oh, god... really, already...?" she gasped as another contraction slammed through her.
*JL*JL*
It was a long and tiring eighty minutes before Lauren first felt the urge to push. She was now kneeling, her mum and Joey supporting her on either side. Apart from the slight noise Lauren made as she breathed through her contractions and the soft murmuring of Joey talking to her, the room remained pretty quiet. The doctor was watching her stats carefully and she could see that her patient was coping well with the lengthy labour she was going through. Her heart didn't appear to be affected so far and she was pretty sure that would remain the case.
She approached her patient, "Okay, Lauren... here's another contraction. I need you to push as hard as you can for the count of ten, alright?"
Lauren nodded and pushed as hard as she could, feeling the slight movement of bump as it continued to descend through the birth canal.
"Well done, baby." Joey breathed in her ear as the contraction ended and she released her breath, his hand tucked her hair behind her ear.
"I can see the head, Lauren. Every time you push, the top of the head appears." The doctor told her. "A few more pushes and bump will be here, I promise."
"Do you want some gas and air, sweetheart?" Tanya asked her.
"No. I'm okay, mum. I can do this." She said determinedly.
"Another contraction, Lauren," the doctor said.
She pushed again, groaning as she felt pains radiating down her legs. She leaned heavier on Joey, hoping he would understand. He seemed to because his hand drifted down her back and softly caressed the base of her spine. She could feel bump moving again but each time the contraction faded she could feel it slipping back up inside. It was an altogether strange feeling.
"Ten..." Tanya said softly, signalling that Lauren could relax.
"Bump was a bit further this time." The doctor confirmed.
"Are you comfortable like this, baby girl?" Joey asked her.
"Yes, Joe."
"And again, Lauren."
She pushed as hard as she could, her whole body focusing on that one task.
"That's it, baby." Joey breathed.
"One more push, Lauren and then you're crowning. It might sting but it'll just be for a short while."
"Come on, babe, we're nearly there now." Joey said, "Ti amo, baby girl." He told her softly.
Lauren lifted her head and looked straight into Joey's eyes, tears brimming in them. She closed them and pushed the hardest she ever had, feeling bump descend again. She gasped slightly as a dull ache began at her opening.
"I need you to stop pushing now, Lauren. You need to pant through the contractions for a few seconds. We need to do this slow and steady so you don't tear." She paused as Lauren rested her head on Joey's shoulder and panted against his neck. "Okay, another short push... just for the count of five then back to panting." She told her. Lauren did as she said, more pain intensifying the ache she was already feeling.
"Look at me, baby girl." Joey whispered. She looked into his eyes again as she relaxed, panting as she struggled not to push, "Hello beautiful..." he said, his hand brushing the side of her face, his eyes locked on hers as he smiled at her tenderly.
"Another push... same duration."
"Keep looking at me, baby." Joey whispered as she pushed. She panted, her head lowering slightly as she relaxed the muscles in her neck but her eyes remained locked on Joey's.
"Again, Lauren." The doctor told her softly.
"I can't do it..." Lauren cried.
"Yes you can, baby... We're so close now. You're going to be a mummy really soon," Joey murmured to her. It was the encouragement she needed and she did as they were telling her.
"Pant, Lauren." The doctor said, "The head is now delivered. I'm just checking to see if the cord is around the neck." There was a few seconds silence. "The cord isn't there." She glanced up at Lauren, "Would you like to reach down and touch bump?" she asked her.
"Go on, sweetheart." Tanya said.
Lauren moved her arm from around her mum's shoulder and reached down between her legs, touching the soft head of bump. Tears fell down her face and she kissed Joey softly.
"On the next contraction, the shoulders will be delivered and then bump will slide right on out." The doctor said, smiling at Lauren, "One more push, Lauren and bump will be here."
"Really?" Lauren said.
"Yes, really." She said. "Do you want to lie down, Lauren? I can place bump straight onto your chest so you can bond."
"Please..."
"Okay, we need to do this carefully but quickly so Lauren's lying before she needs to push again." She instructed Tanya and Joey softly, "Let us do the work, Lauren... you just move with us, okay?" Lauren nodded. Carefully Tanya and Joey eased Lauren back onto the bed so she was lying down. The doctor supported bump's head throughout the move. Tanya and Joey held one of her legs each and at a nod from the doctor, Lauren gave one last push, screaming as the shoulders pushed free of her body. The next thing she was aware of was a bundle of towel and baby being placed on her chest.
TBC
A/N: I know... so cruel to leave it there. I don't know about you but I'm as exhausted as Lauren no doubt is... Final predictions on gender and/or name? Back tomorrow with the last chapter... then there'll be just the epilogue to go. Can't believe this is nearly over. :-(