Rifiuto: Non Miriena
"Breathe, Jojo. That's my good girl."
"- The birth of our 'baby.'" Zane finished. Jo swallowed, and tried hard to tear her gaze away, but she couldn't. Even the hint of possibility that she could ever have Zane's child- it was too tempting, too long a dead desire, and even if it was only an image, she had to see, had to know what their child would have looked like. If only to satisfy the pain in her heart.
She sat on the edge of the bed, taking deep breaths as he rubbed her back, whispering softly to her. "You're doing good, Jojo."
"When exactly did they start, Jo?" She looked up, as Zoe knelt in front of her and gently laid her hands on the older woman's knees. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and letting out a cry as another contraction hit before speaking.
"About... four hours ago..." She gasped, pushing herself off the bed and sinking into a crouch between his thighs. He continued rubbing her back, and she dug her nails into his thigh as the next contraction started. A scream escaped her lips, and she grabbed Zoe's hand as another contraction crashed over her like waves on the beach. Once they'd passed, Zoe and Zane helped her back onto the bed, and Jo tiredly lifted her legs to allow the younger woman to check her progress.
"Um..." The young doctor paled.
"What's wrong?" Jo choked out, fear grabbing her around the throat. Zoe stammered for several minutes before,
"Um, she's... eight centimeters dialated and her water just broke. This baby isn't going to wait, she'll be here very, very soon."
"So she's impatient, just like her daddy." Jo gasped as the next contraction left her; only to tense up again as another one latched onto the heels of the one before. Zane glared at her, but she ignored him, digging her nails deeper into his skin as the contraction ripped through her body. "Zoe!"
"You're fully dialated, so on the next contraction, I want you to start pushing, okay? You understand me, Jo?"
Zane glanced at her; she stood watching with fresh tears in her eyes. No doubt, imagining the babies she'd have had in her timeline, if she'd only said yes before the timeline shift.
Hot, searing pain filled every fiber of her body, and she bore down, letting out a scream as she felt something begin to come out between her thighs. She quickly sucked in air before bearing down again, eyes shut tight. He held her, whispering softly to her, watching in awe as the woman he loved gave birth to the child they'd created.
"Oh God!" She collapsed back in his arms, taking deep breaths before Zoe ordered her to return to pushing.
"She's starting to crown, Jo. I know it hurts, but you have to keep pushing, that's the only way she's going to come out! And just think, once she's out, you can hold her in your arms! Now push!" She did as told, a primal scream escaping her lips as she bore down even harder. Zoe's gentle hands helped guide the baby out, slipping the chord from around the baby's neck, before returning to gently guide the child the rest of the way out of her mother's body. "One more push, Jo. That's it, you're doing good!"
Another scream escaped her throat, and after several minutes, a wail split the air, taking away all sound and leaving only the image before them. Jo looked up; Zoe held a squirming, crying newborn in her arms, a beautiful little girl with a head of black curls and light olive skin.
Zane heard Jo gasp, and he glanced over to see her cover her mouth with her hands. After a moment, he went to her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.
"Zane, Jo, meet your baby girl." Gently, Zoe laid the cleaned off newborn in her mother's arms, and Jo felt tears come to her eyes as she stared into her daughter's tiny face. "What's her name?"
"This..." Jo swallowed the tears in her throat as she looked up at Zane. "is Brigitta. Brigitta Donovan, after Zane's grandmother."
Zane felt tears come to his eyes as he watched the image before them. He glanced at Jo, who struggled to keep from breaking down completely. But the sight of the baby, of what could have been Zane's baby, in her timeline, was too much for her to bear, and she crumpled. Zane wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her to him as her knees gave out. She latched onto his arm, digging her nails into his arm as they hit the floor.
"She's beautiful, Jojo." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, reaching out to gently brush his finger over his baby daughter's face; the baby opened her eyes, looking up at her parents.
"Blue eyes. Like you, Zane." Jo whispered, turning to look at her husband. He gave her a soft smile, kissing her gently before turning his gaze back to the baby in Jo's arms.
"She's absolutely beautiful. Like her mother."
The baby shifted in Jo's arms, and after a moment, she reached up, brushing a finger gently over her daughter's cheeks and chin. The baby turned her head towards her mother's finger, her bright blue eyes looking into her mother's face.
"I'm so sorry, Jo." She shook her head, burying her face in Zane's chest. Her sobs broke his heart, and he gently wrapped his arms around her, stroking her back. She wrapped her arms around him, burrowing deeper into his chest, struggling to keep her sobs under control. A moment passed, before he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I'm so, so sorry."