It was one week until Abigail's due date, and Sidney was feeling every bit of the pregnancy's progression. She felt incredibly awkward in almost every movement, as though her body had expanded far beyond being within her control. Getting dressed, showering, getting in and out of cars, all required extra care and effort and even assistance at times. Tying shoes had become impossible, and between Tatum's difficulty with her left hand movement and her inability to bend over, slip on only shoes had become necessary. Sleeping through the night was now impossible. It was hard to find a position she felt comfortable in, and she continually had to get up to pee or was awakened by Abigail kicking or shifting around. One thing was for sure, this baby seemed to have her mother's take charge personality before ever drawing her first breath, and she was impatient to receive continual attention to her presence.
On this particular night, Sidney hadn't been able to sleep at all. Tatum had long ago conked out, dead to all around her as she typically was in sleep, and Sidney had simply lay in bed beside her, watching her with a weary fondness mingled with faint jealousy at her ability to rest. She didn't resent her for it, but it certainly would be nice to share the experience of an uninterrupted night's sleep. Frequently she moved her way to lying, hoping to ease the growing discomfort in her abdomen.
She had her suspicions about it. She had felt a slight cramping sensation since earlier in the afternoon, growing stronger and more frequent in occurrence as the day passed, and now the discomfort was becoming actual pain. Sidney tried the breathing exercises she had watched videos of, tried muscle relaxation and visualization, but nothing really seemed to help. It was close to two in the morning before she acknowledged to herself that it wasn't just an active baby's inner pummeling or the usual aches of pregnancy she was experiencing, but rather the starting of labor's contractions.
Still, she waited until she felt the contractions start to force her to suck in her breath and grip the sheet before she decided it was time to move forward. Reluctantly she reached out to Tatum, cupping her face with her hand and tapping her cheek until Tatum's eyes flickered in response.
"Mm."
"Tatum," she said, her voice soft but firm. "Time to get up."
"No alarm," Tatum mumbled, pushing faintly at Sidney's hand, but Sidney tapped her cheek again, giving a slight smile at her grouchy, still close-eyed expression.
"I know, hon, it's early, but you need to get up. The baby's coming."
She had to repeat it a second time before Tatum understood. Suddenly very much awake, Tatum bolted up, eyes wide as she looked Sidney over frantically, checking her over as though expecting a baby to already be lying in her arms.
"What- what?! Now?! But- where's the water, you're supposed to have this massive flood of water!"
"Not always," Sidney said calmly. "And not always right away. But I've been having contractions for a while, and they're getting closer together. It's probably time to get to the hospital."
"What the fuck Sidney, you've been HAVING contractions?! Like they didn't just start?! What do you mean, you've been having them, when did you start and why the hell didn't you wake me up?" Tatum demanded. Not giving Sidney a chance to answer, she shook her head, scrambling to her feet and starting to help Sidney up. "Come on, let's go!"
"Whoa, it's not that big of a rush, I hear this takes time generally," Sidney laughed, even as she let Tatum help her get in a loose gown and put on shoes. She could see Tatum's hand shaking and the continued wideness of her eyes and stopped her with a hand over hers.
Breathe, Tate, I'm okay. Really. We've been through a lot worse than a baby. It's going to be okay."
"God, only you would act like having a baby is the same thing as getting a hangnail or something," Tatum rolled her eyes, but she smiled back at her a little, squeezing her hand back. "Okay, come on, I'll get your bag, I still say we need to get a move on. I am NOT cut out for doing this shit on my own."
Across town, Gale's phone rang a few minutes later. She had put her ringer on the loudest setting a month ago, constantly on guard before bed each night for the possibility of this very call. When she saw Sidney's name flash across the screen, she answered it within two rings, immediately awake and alert.
"Now? You're sure? Okay, we're coming. Are you okay? How bad is it? Never mind, I'm asking Tatum. Tatum, is she okay?"
She listened to the other woman's reply and gave a slight laugh, shaking her head in much the same manner that Tatum had a few minutes before. "Okay, we'll be there. Be careful." She paused, then said quickly, still not words that were at all a habit or easy for her, "Love you."
Turning to Dewey as she hung up, she grasped his shoulder, her nails digging into his skin with her excited anxiety. "Sid's having the baby, we have to go."
After surviving almost being killed a total of four times, Dewey was no stranger to waking up to even the smallest of noises, especially phone ringing. He too heard Gale's phone go off and was roused awake, although incredibly groggy. Gale and him had since switched spots on the bed so she had easier access to her phone if Sidney and Tatum were ever to call.
When he heard a soft thud, what he assumed to be Gale putting her phone back on the bedside table, he was ready to fall back asleep, but, instead, he felt a hand on his shoulder, nails dug in and shaking him lightly.
He twisted onto his back, formerly having been sleeping facing the wall, and rubbed at his eyes. He was about ready to ask what she wanted when he heard the four words he had been waiting to hear for a month.
"*Sid's having the baby*..."
To say he sprang to life would be an understatement, as he sat up almost instantaneously and was wide eyed. He turned to Gale in shock and excitement, staring in slight bewilderment for a few moments before shaking himself out of it.
"Well what are we sitting here for?" he asked, kicking off the coverings with his foot and ready to jump out of bed. "Let's move!"
Gale had kept clothes to quickly change into for the hospital in a stack on the floor close to her side of the bed for weeks now. She rolled her eyes a little at Dewey's words- after all, she was already reaching for them.
"I'm moving," she replied, standing and shimmying hurriedly into her clothes and running a brush through her hair. After Dewey had dressed, she reached for his hand and squeezed tightly.
"We're about to be parents. We're about to meet our little girl."
As Tatum drove rather recklessly to the hospital, entirely one-handed and frequently looking over at Sidney in the passenger seat, they managed to make it without any mishaps. Sidney was checked into a labor room within a reasonable amount of time and helped by Tatum and a nurse to get into a gown and into the most comfortable position she could on the bed. They provided Gale and Dewey's names as allowed to be present for the delivery, and Tatum almost vibrated with excitement as she talked rapidly, pacing the couple of steps of room that she had to in the small room.
"Oh my God I can't believe this is finally happening. It's about to be over, you're about to be done with this. We're about to be aunts! We're about to have a little niece! You are so amazing Sid, you really are such a rock star, you know that? You're going to do okay. You're okay right? You're okay?"
"Yeah Tate, I'm okay," Sidney responded, slightly breathless but still calm. "Are you sure you're okay, because I think you're forgetting to breathe."
Shortly after she's spoken she sucked in a short breath, an especially strong contraction hitting and gripping her for several seconds. Tatum quickly went to her side and reached for her hands, squeezing tightly with her stronger right hand.
"Was that bad? That looks bad. I'm here, squeeze and yell at me all you want."
"All right...I'm okay," Sidney reminded her once she had resumed slightly more normal breathing." I'm not going to lie, this sucks. But once you've been stabbed and watched everyone you love gets stabbed a few times too, this actually is a way I'd rather spend my evening."
He had taken Gale's advice in keeping a set of clothing prepared in the event Abigail decided to come in the middle of the night, leaving them running around like chickens with their heads cut off had they not thought ahead. He moved passed Gale off the bed and took the neatly stacked clothes from their spot in one of his drawers in their dresser, pulling them on with great haste, as much as his back allowed.
After adjusting his sweater, he turned to acknowledge Gale as she laced her hand with his. His free hand reached up and cradled her face, reciprocating his excitement. "Y'know, I thought having three special women in my life would make me as happy as can be - turns out I needed four," he spoke sweetly - and very cheesy - pressing a soft kiss to her lips.
In record time they were both in the car, Dewey at the helm and driving as fast as he could to the hospital in Sid and Tate's town, just one town away from Woodsboro, within the legal speed limit; had it been Gale driving, they'd have probably been cutting through open field to get their destination, he imagined. In just seventeen minutes, they were in the hospital's parking lot and practically tucking and rolling out of the car.
The check in seemed all too slow to him, but maybe that just had to do with how fast everything had been going for the past half hour. When they were finally taken to the delivery room, Dewey was out of breath and he could feel his lame leg shaking at the strain it had been under.
Gale cast a worried glance at Dewey, noticing his leg trembling. She felt shaky herself, her heart thumping hard and fast with the adrenaline of the moment. Slipping an arm around his waist, she offered silent physical and emotional support as they entered the delivery room. Her own body felt tense, her old injuries in her shoulder and stab wound from earlier in the year aching with the strain of moving so quickly.
"Sidney," she said the minute she saw the other woman, having eyes only for her as they plowed into the room. "How are you doing, are you okay? How long has it been?"
Sidney was sweating, her hair in messy strands around her face, the strain showing in the lines of her brow. Tatum was hovered over her, anxious excitement warring in her eyes and hyper gestures even as she held Sidney's hand and encouraged her.
"You're doing so good babe, you're fucking awesome. Look, they're here now, you can yell at them too if you want!"
"Hey," Gale greeted both, eyes skipping from Tatum to Sidney, suddenly awkward. She paused before moving a little closer to Sidney. Tatum, rolling her eyes, moved her weaker arm not holding Sidney to slowly and without much control give Gale an effort at drawing her in for a hug.
"Finally! This is your kid, get over here!"
He drew in heavy breathes, allowing his heart to slow down just a bit, however it stayed elevated from the adrenaline he was running off of from the excitement of the baby. He gave an appreciative smile to Gale as she assisted him to the delivery room, the small walk that it was. "Thanks."
He unwrapped himself from Gale's arm when they entered, pressing a hand to the wall to hold himself upright, and to give Gale the opportunity to approach Sid and Tate. Even before his leg let up, he approached the bed, behind Gale, to check in with Sidney after seeing the sweat and strain on her face.
He placed a comforting hand on the small of Gale's back, encouraging her that she's allowed to be a part of this. His other hand gentle grasped Sidney's ankle, giving a supporting light squeeze. "How're you doing, kid?" he asked.
Still feeling a little out of place and unsure of what to do, where she should stand, or what Sidney might be okay with, Gale let Tatum pull her in closer. As Dewey touched her back, she relaxed slightly, reaching for Sidney's free hand. Sidney gripped it hard- Gale was pretty sure harder than she seemed to be holding Tatum's-but she held on, letting her grasp with all her strength as she fought another wave of pain.
"Hurts," she ground out, her teeth clinched. "Getting a little harder...means it's soon, right?"
"Y'know, I wouldn't be able to do this," he commented, attempting to give Sidney some form of confidence for the process. "I can take a knife to the back, but delivering a baby - no. That's only for the stronger of us to take on."
He waited patiently alongside the three women for the next couple of minutes, planting his chin on Gale's shoulder, before a doctor entered - Dr. Delaney. Dewey was no stranger to this particular doctor, as he had been meeting Sid and Tate monthly for check-ups, some of which Dewey, along with Gale, would attend.
"Hello ladies, and gent," Dr. Delaney announced, rubbing hand sanitizer all over his hands. "Now, it's my understanding that your water hasn't broken yet, yes?"
Tatum flashed Dewey a smile, reaching with the hand not in Sidney's and stroking her hair back from her face. With this being her hand with limited movement, the gesture was jerky and awkward but tender.
"Yeah, she is obviously the biggest badass here. Look at her, she's not even cussing us out yet."
"Give me time," Sidney said half jokingly, giving Gale and Tatum's hands another hard squeeze as another contraction hit. "Might...change. Shit..."
As Dr. Delaney entered, both Gale and Tatum started to talk with nervous energy, attempting to explain their understanding. They looked at each other in slightly annoyed near competition, as Sidney gave a slightly irritated, slightly amused huff and replied herself.
"No. Not yet..."
Dr. Delaney checked Sidney over and declared that she was five inches dilated. Her water would likely break soon, and her vitals and the baby's were all within range. He instructed that Sidney could not eat but could walk if she wanted for a time and have ice chips.
"Feel free to put all of your anger into this bad boy," he offered, gesturing with his lame hand. "Barely has felt a thing since '96."
He was invested in every word Delaney uttered, slotting each and every suggestion that Sid should take for her comfortability and the betterment of the baby into any available crevice in his brain. Hearing that Sidney was so close to going into the first stages of labor made a spot in his chest hot, mostly out of excitement but also concern for what could come next.
Painful memories flashed in his mind of what transpired the year prior. Granted, Gale had been kicked hard in the stomach, ultimately sealing the fate of the baby nobody knew existed, and Sidney's pregnancy had been going as great as it could get, but, call it his pessimism after years of senseless murder and stabs to the back, he felt like something was bound to go wrong, and probably because of him - 'cause there's nothing he couldn't find himself to blame for.
"I, uh..." he stammered, his heart quickening it's pace and a hot flash rolling down from his neck to his back. "I need some air real quick, I...I'm sorry."
And with that he exited the room and firmly placed his back against the wall adjacent to the door he left out of, hand clutching his chest. *Coward*.
Sidney took Dewey's hand, extracting it from Gale's to squeeze instead. She was definitely breathing with more effort now, having to stop and remember to draw breath at all when a contraction ended. Tatum asked for the doctor to get her some ice and a wash cloth, and as he left, Dewey left shortly after. Focused on Sidney, Tatum barely seemed to notice, but Gale did.
"I'll be right back, I promise," she told the other women, giving Sidney's shoulder a squeeze. "Don't you dare have this kid that fast."
Leaving after Dewey, she stopped in front of him, peering into his eyes and covering the hand over his chest with hers."What just happened?"
"I...I-I don't..." he stuttered, his erratic breathing putting his brain in scrambles. His fingers unclenched lightly at the feeling of her hand against his, and his eyes connected with hers, pupils dilated.
"I can't...*Something's* going to go wrong," he murmured, not a hint of uncertainty in his voice. "And its going to be my fault."
Gale took a slow, deliberate breath in and out, exaggerating the up-and-down movement of her chest. She kept her hand on Dewey's and spoke slowly and reassuringly, never letting her eyes swerve from his.
"Breathe with me," she said. "It's going to be okay. Abigail is strong and healthy and so is Sidney. The pregnancy has been fine, and she's not even freaking out mid labor. It's okay, baby. Both of them are okay."
He attempted to take deep, slow breathes, just as Gale suggested and demonstrated, leaving it to come out slower than it had been but still shallow. His free hand, that had been planted firmly against the wall, shakily reached up and held onto Gale's hand.
"What...what if something isn't okay?" he hypothesized. "Things *always* seem to be okay for us until it isn't."
Gale grasped his fingers, weaving hers firmly through hers. Whereas she had been offering her hand to Sidney, she now gave it to her husband, rubbing her thumb over its back.
"Sidney is a fighter," she said quietly. "She kept our girl safe for nine months. Abigail is half of us each, and we both have fought through worse odds than childbirth. She is going to be okay. She's going to be amazing, just like her aunt. Just like her father."
While the thought of something going awry didn't leave him, his mind was leagues more at ease than it had been handling things by himself. His heart still beat faster than usual, but his breathe was more or less back to normal. His head dipped, chin resting against his chest in shame, and he broke eye contact.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, tears threatening to well. "I didn't want to be seen like this. I didn't...mean to run away."
Gale cupped his cheek, gently tilting his chin up to look toward her. She stroked his cheek, her eyes gentle and loving as she thumbed beneath his eyes.
"It's okay, baby. You always go back. That's what matters more."
He unconsciously cradled his head into her hand, allowing her to pull his eyes up to hers; he held her gaze before closing them pleasantly at her touch. A smile curved onto his lips slightly before placing a kiss to her fingers.
"Is that a subtle way of saying we should go back into the room?" he joked, opening his eyes finally.
Gale smiled back at Dewey's kiss, still stroking his face. She pressed a kiss to his forehead, then pulled back just a little.
"Not to push, but yes. Our baby is coming and if Tatum is the first one to see or hold her, I'm going to be pretty upset."
He shook himself back into shape, posture going straight and tears no longer threatening to fall with a few wipes over his eyes with his sleeve; he sniffled lightly, an unfortunate side effect if ever the feeling of crying welled up in his face. He followed Gale back inside, keeping his hand locked with hers, but stayed quiet for a time, still ashamed of how quick he was to leave the situation based on his sudden mood shifts - it was only a year ago that he did something similar, storming off enraged after he heard too much about the death of their first baby, painful emotions swirling inside.
"How're you doing, Sid?" he asked absentmindedly, shuffling nervously on his already uneasy feet.