Minor squick warning, nothing serious.
Maddie+Kids
Maddie screamed as the pain sliced through her. The morphine was no match for it as spikes of it stabbed into her. It curled her up and forced its echoing shriek out of her before she fell back onto the hospital bed.
This was worse, so much worse than the first time. The first time had been a rush to prepare, stress building to finish everything, to get it all ready, and then it all fell apart. Jack still married her but their reason for rushing, their reason for running away to Vegas to get it over with, it was gone.
Last time had hurt. But it was mostly an emotional hurt. This time...
This time her insides were trying to shred themselves as she screamed again. The waves and waves of pain were so close together now, surely something could be done about it.
Where was Jack, she needed her husband here with her. Why wasn't he here?
She gripped the poor nurse's hand as another wave of pain came crashing through her. Vaguely she could hear someone telling her to breathe, just a little more, come on, breathe.
Now push.
Maddie screamed to high hell.
And then it stopped as she heard a tiny voice.
Everything faded. She didn't hear Jack burst in from the waiting room, two candy stripers trying to drag him back. She didn't hear the doctor tell her it was a baby girl. She didn't hear or feel the nurses as they tried to get her to lie back down. All that mattered was that tiny cry.
After the pregnancy that had caused Jack to propose, that ended in miscarriage the year before, she'd wondered if she'd ever be a mom. And now...
She took the little baby girl the doctor held out for her. She cradled her to her chest, saw her open beautiful blue eyes.
"Jasmine," she whispered. "Hi. I'm your mommy."